Slow Day

5/09/2012 09:40:00 AM Edit This 11 Comments »
Some of you may remember that I volunteer at our county health department one day a week.  For a variety of reasons (including a flood that did a lot of major damage), things have been a tad slow there at the reception desk.  I expected that yesterday could be a bit slow because I knew that several of the staff would be off-site at a conference.  So, I went prepared!

I took with me my little "I've been drawing in it for years" sketchbook along with a little box of pencils, a National Geographic Magazine (I decided I would draw some mouths to go with the eyes and noses I drew earlier), along with a couple of puzzles from the newspaper.  I also take the coupon inserts that come in the Sunday newspapers and spend part of my time clipping all the coupons out for the people to sort through while they wait with their children.   The clipping takes me quite awhile as I usually have 5 or more of the inserts to clip. 

Anyhow, when I finished clipping and filing, I got out my drawing things and got started.  (Mind you, I do the "playing" in between answering the phone, greeting and directing the visitors, and anything else they might want me to do, lest you think I sit there doing nothing most of the time!).  A gentleman came in wanting to go to the VA office that shares our building, but he had to wait as they were closed for lunch.  He sat in our tiny waiting area with his iPad, so I got out my "waiting room" sketch book and did a really quick sketch of him.  Usually I'm the one waiting when I use this book, so it was kind of fun to be on the other side of the waiting game!  So, here are the two things I did.   As you can see, the mouth in the lower left isn't finished ... I don't remember whose mouth it was, so it will just have to stay that way for now!



11 comments:

pauline said...

Nancy, these mouths are great... i remember an art teacher i had who would get us to draw mouths quite often... he would say 'draw me an angry mouth!' or 'draw me a happy mouth!'. :-) You did a great job. That sketch is so cool too. Love those loose lines. xoxo

Mari Brown and Colourblob said...

Nancy, I just love your writing and stories behind each post, this one especially is funny and I can just picture you behind that counter armed and ready with a pencil waiting for that perfect moment. And you got it too, great sketches. Well done!!!!

PS, all those people are so lucky to have you there helping them all out and giving your time to a great cause.

Alex said...

great job on those hot lips :) I think I can draw my cat's mouth all day long because it looks the same everytime I look at her :D Unlike dogs, cats don't really portray their expressions

Cathy Holtom said...

The man waiting is great...so are the mouths too!

Carin Winkelman said...

Wonderful sketches. The mouths are quite beautiful and the man has character. I like that one best.

Anonymous said...

Your mouths have great shape...well done. I also love the waiting room guy!

Tahirih Goffic said...

Nancy, your mouths are great! Mouths are so hard to get right...I remember a quote from John Singer Sargent...he said "A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth"...

Timaree said...

Nice sketches. Someday that journal might fill up. I'll bet you already have a replacement or don't you? I need to practice mouths and noses and eyes and...

Annett's Sketchbook said...

The mouth sketches are very good. And I love the sketch of the guy - he looks like an old teacher of mine :D.
Cheers, AnKya

Unknown said...

Well done, Nancy! I always take my sketchbook but rarely get the nerve to take it out! Love the mouth sketches and especially the man waiting!

And, thank you for the welcome back!

kazumiwannabe said...

Great sketches! The series of mouths looks good and all the mouths separately are neat. It's a great idea for an exercise!