While cleaning up my studio this week, I came across yet another stack of sketchbooks. Flipping through them, I found many pages of sketches made in airports—more than I thought I'd made. I guess I fly more than I remember.
Looking to hone your skills at capturing the gesture of the human figure? Next time you fly, take your sketchbook with you. Airports offer a motley assortment of figures, from the ragtag to the aristocratic, and a full range of poses, from leisurely lounging to scurrying in fear of missing a connection.
I particularly enjoy sketching someone in a hurry—a carry-on bag often serves as a weight around which to build the figure. If I'm lucky, I may have 15 seconds to sketch one of these panicked travelers. That's enough time to go beyond the simple stick figure to a filled-out clothespin and to capture a sense of movement.
These people are in such a hurry they never see me sketching them. But if I want to make a more careful study of a head or figure, such as someone watching TV, talking with a companion or enjoying a snack at one of the airport food counters, I have to be more stealthy; these people are more aware of their surroundings. I usually position my body obliquely, so it seems I'm sketching someone else. I've never had anyone catch me—yet.
Here are a few more pages from my airport sketchbooks:
