Saturday, October 26, 2024

Documenting Un-Junking

9/17/24 Macrina Bakery, Queen Anne neighborhood

Instead of feeling like a chore as it occasionally has in the past, my sketch journal process has become fun and engaging, mainly due to subject matter: my downsizing project. I enjoy documenting meaningful objects and key events, including my little celebrations of accomplishments.

10/4/24 Caffe Ladro, Roosevelt neighborhood

A critical part of making my sketch journal process possible is sometimes using photo references, even for simple objects that are easily accessible for drawing from life – and that’s a huge change of attitude for me. Long-time readers of this blog know that I have always been so focused on drawing from life that switching to photo references has sometimes been a challenge. I still strongly prefer drawing from life, but in this case, I don’t want anything to interrupt my unjunking process. I’m like the proverbial shark: Once I start clearing an area, I need to keep moving.

10/9/24 Green Lake Starbucks (Sometimes my sketch journal is just about ordinary life.)

10/10/24 Mr. West, U Village

10/16/24 photo reference

The mini vac on Oct. 16 is a good example. When that long-missing item finally came to light, I knew I wanted to document it, but I did not want to set aside the vacuum cleaner until I sketched it. It was easy to snap a photo in the moment, then move on (the vac had been replaced long ago, so I gave it away).

10/17/24 The "We Take Junk" team, who came to my house a total of 4 times. (Photo reference)

10/19/24 When Chris installed my hardwood floors several weeks ago, he spotted the table saw in the basement. I told him I was getting rid of it, and his eyes lit up. I was very happy to know it was going to a good home. (Photo reference)

I’ve also been snapping quick photos of people that I want to include in my documentation. Obviously, I don’t want to get in the way of workers, and often I’m too busy myself helping with the work. I know it must sound so obvious to people who have always been comfortable drawing from photos, but for me, it’s a liberating and novel experience not to draw everything as it is happening.

10/21/24 Santo Coffee, Roosevelt neighborhood (a reward for the previous week's unjunking efforts)

The spread shown below was a spontaneous page design experiment. When I made the sketch of the voting box, my intention was to use the rest of the spread to document something else that happened that day, but I forgot and never finished the spread. The next day, I wanted to document the celebratory doughnuts I had gotten for my junk-removal crew (after four visits, each lasting several hours, you get to be good friends with the people hauling all your junk out). Although I typically would not put two days on a spread, especially crossing the gutter this way, it suddenly occurred to me: Why not? I do it all the time when all the sketches are occurring on the same day – what difference does it make if the sketches occur the next day?

10/23/24 and 10/24/24 

I like to think of myself as a creative person, but sometimes the most obvious things take a long time to occur to me! Anyway, I like the way the composition of the spread came out, and I’m going to push myself to think outside the boundaries of the single page more often. I always enjoy the challenge of making images fit together on a small page – especially since I never know what the next sketch will be.

6 comments:

  1. I am enjoying your “downsizing” process and how it’s inspiring you to change up your sketching. I am looking forward to seeing how you will create storage for your art products and sketchbooks, and how you are going to create your new art space.
    Cathy I

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm looking forward to that part, too! And I'm eager to get going on organizing art supplies, but first I have to clear out the room where part of my studio will be, and it's an onerous task (lots of papers to look through individually... can this be recycled, or must it be shredded?). Hope to be done by year's end!

      Delete
  2. But...the unfinished mystery is HOW did the vacuum come to be in the crawlspace?? Do the "we haul junk" guys rehome the books and other usables? (especially the BOOKS?!) If so, I need to check out such local options;-) Anne HwH

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most junk haulers just go straight to the dump, but the one I chose sorts all the useable things and distributes them appropriately -- building materials and tools to nonprofits that build houses for others; books to the library and Goodwill, etc. He's a gem of a junk hauler!

      Delete
  3. What a great idea, downsizing and documenting what you give away in little illustrations! I snap photos of items, books and other stuff that leaves for good to remember what and when. 💕

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I, too, documented a lot more stuff with photos. I would never get done if I sketched everything I got rid of! ;-)

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...