Proofreading at Green Lake

5/27/24 Green Lake

I had an important proofreading task to finish on Memorial Day (the exciting product will be revealed soon!). To keep myself on task without distractions at home, I brought the project to Chocolati Café at Green Lake and buckled down with a mocha (Chocolati makes one of the best in the city). After completing the task, my reward was to sketch as I walked around the neighborhood.

That note about dropping my new phone near Duke’s? I had had the phone for only a couple of weeks. After sketching one of the palm trees, I fumbled trying to take my trophy photo while showing both the sketchbook and the materials, dropping everything on the pavement. Although its case prevented serious damage, my new phone’s screen got several dings, annoying me every time I scrolled. I also remember the month because it was only a few weeks after I had begun my walk/sketch fitness program (which has continued to this day). If not for that program, I typically would not have walked to that area of Green Lake. Finally, I also associate the sketch with the onset of the pandemic only a couple of months later. That palm tree sketch would be one of the last I made at Green Lake for more than a year.

Of course, I would have remembered all of that even if I hadn’t written that note under the sketch, but keeping a sketch journal gives me a place to note things like that. It’s probably one of the things I like most about keeping a sketch journal (or diary comics).

Technical note: Although I adore drawing with a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, I’ve been frustrated with how hard it is to control the brush when I’m trying to print tiny as I must for these small comics. I knew the multi-line haiku would turn into a mess if I tried to use the bristle brush pen, so I finished the writing at home and used a harder tipped brush pen for that. I don’t want to carry a pen just for lettering, though.