Go

12/17/18 Go players at Zoka Coffee

Zoka Coffee is apparently a meeting place for a club of go players. The same guys show up regularly (I’ve sketched them before), and I happened to be at the table with the best profile view of some players. The games are relatively brief, and they change opponents at the end of each, so I have a rotating series of models. They are so focused on their games that they never notice me sketching them.

Ever since I began focusing on colored and graphite pencils, I haven’t done many ink-line-and-wash sketches, which used to be my favorite technique for a long time. Although I’m currently in love with pencil, I can’t completely give up fountain pens, my first sketching love. I still routinely carry my all-time favorite Sailor Naginata fude. Using it recently at Drawing Jam refreshed my memory of its simplicity and elegance.

Then I noticed the strong cheek bone and jaw line of one of the players, and they were crying out for the soft highlights of a white pencil. There’s no point in being slavishly loyal to one medium; each is ideal for certain effects or subject matter, and I enjoy being able to choose which suits me best at the moment.