Capturing life moments in drawings - and, a murmuration of starlings in Rome
Dear Sarah - Day 175 of our daily drawing exchange
June 24, 2025
Hi Nikki,
A few days ago I started a painting, but the paper buckled from too much water. I pressed it under some heavy books and today added some more layers of colour. Then I spent a very long time using pen and ink to create the murmuration of starlings over the Basilica in Rome.So many tiny dots! At one point a big drop of ink fell from the pen but patience and some white paint triumphed.
While waiting for various parts of the painting to dry, I drew a little still life. I always keep my eye drops on the windowsill in my kitchen and every day I put one synthroid pill beside the eye drops so I don't forget to take it. Today the pill landed on its edge, perfectly balanced in front of a glass starfish and a sand dollar. Seemed like a good thing to draw!
And now, back to Littleneck for more drama!
XO S
Hi Sarah!
WOW!!!!!!! I LOVE the murmuration! That’s brilliant! What a cool thing to try to draw!
Last night I found myself flipping back through some sketchbooks and remembered how much fun I had been having with comics/capturing moments from my life (or, imagination).
There is something about slice of life moments (like your perfectly balanced pill on a sill) captured with a drawing that is different to (more able to transport one back in time) writing or photography. Anyway, for what it’s worth, this is more or less the pie chart of my life at the moment. This would actually be a fun exercise to do every year - collecting them and lining them up would tell the an interesting story…
K - tomorrow I have to be up at the crack of dawn (leaving for Cochrane at 6 am!!) but will take a sketchbook to try to do a drawing while I’m out and about.
Until tomorrow -
Nikki