#Oneweek100people2019, Days 1 - 2

4/8/19

The One Week 100 People challenge is under way! I gave myself the same personal goal as last year – capture the gesture or essence of an individual, not a generic symbol – with as few marks as possible.

On day 1, I went to my default people-sketching venue – Zoka Coffee. Instead of working on carefully detailed portraits of two or three patrons as I usually do there, I simply captured gestures of as many people as I could in one hour. My emphasis was on the posture and line of action, not features or details. Unfortunately, many people were waiting at the counter to order coffee, and I couldn’t see their legs from where I was sitting, so they weren’t good studies of figures. The line of action ended up being only a shoulder slump. A few were quick heads of people at tables. One was a dog (though I didn’t count it in my 100!). I made 27.

4/8/19

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4/8/19

On day 2 yesterday, I decided I wanted more practice of figures, so I rode the light rail to Westlake Station. From a bench on the platform level, I noticed the various ways people stand when they’re waiting. The commuters were more relaxed and somewhat slumped, staring that their phones. But Westlake Station is also a transfer point for people catching the train to the airport, so this stop sees many travelers encumbered with roller bags and backpacks. They carry more tension in their bodies because they still have a plane to catch after riding the train. Some stand with weight evenly distributed; others shift their weight to one leg, so that hip is higher. Even when people are standing still, there’s a line of action to be found. Completing 28 through 56 in about an hour and a half, I enjoyed observing these varying postures.

4/9/19

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By day 2, I was feeling reacquainted with my Sailor Cross Point fountain pen, which I hadn’t used for sketching in a long while. It’s a juicy, luscious nib, and I’m falling in love with it all over again. (I plan to do almost all sketches for this year’s challenge with the pen except when I’m on public transportation, where I prefer using a cheap brush marker instead. Ever since I dropped a cap and almost lost it as it rolled away under my seat, I’ve been fearful about using a good fountain pen on a bus or train. Without a cap, a fountain pen is useless.)

4/9/19

At some point I went up to the street level to use a department store restroom. A window washer was at work on Nordstrom’s large show windows (Nos. 34 and 35), moving very quickly. Capturing the line of action was more challenging and therefore more fun. I started thinking that for the rest of the week, I should seek out locations where people would be moving more.

4/9/19

To see what others are doing for #Oneweek100people2019, search for the hashtag on social media.