Sketchbooking

I am working on my picture book at present so don't have a lot to post so I thought I might jump into the sketchbook. Here are a few odd sketches that have nothing what-so-ever to do with each other. Sketching is a great way to let yourself go and kind of see what happens with a pencil in hand. All my book ideas start this way - a random sketch of something that somehow resonates with me to the point that I want to explore that idea or character and figure out if it's worth pursuing. Wendy started out this way when I drew a chicken playing a double bass. The best characters often seem fully formed in that their personality leaps from the page almost demanding for attention, begging for a story. For me, this is often the most exciting part of the whole process.

On the flip side, most of the sketches don't end up going anywhere and for good reason. Some are just plain embarrassing or don't make any sense. Some ideas may evolve from an amalgamation of several sketches - you just never know. It's all useful in the end even if the sketchbook is just a place to blow out the cobwebs. I just sketch in the hope of finding something shiny.