Aaron and Gary

1/13/21 

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you know that I’m a fan of Portland, Oregon, designer Aaron Draplin. He’s a co-founder of Field Notes, a creative maker of colorful merch, and an all-around cool guy. Over the holidays, I bought a hoodie that came with a pack of postcards with dozens of portraits his colleagues have made of him. Included with the postcards was a blank card and an invitation from the paper company that produced it to “Draw Your Own Draplin.” How could I resist an invitation like that?

In fact, I got a second card and drew Draplin’s late dog, Gary, who makes cameo appearances in some of his designs.

The sketch at left was fun to make, but it’s based on a photo. The sketch I like much better is the one I made live when I met him a couple of years ago at a design conference trade show (below).

1/3/21

5/15/18 Sketched in Seattle

Postcards of Draplin portraits made by his colleagues and friends. Autographed box!