Drawalking and comic self-portraits

Dear Sarah - Day 182 of our daily drawing exchange

Dear Sarah -
July 1, 2025 - Canada Day

If I recall correctly, this series of four silly drawings was inspired by something I read (a prompt?) in Linda Barry’s book, Making Comics.

I’m using them today because after a rather full day (other people’s holidays are often very busy days for Realtors), I made the grave mistake of starting to look at photos in search reference material and went down a very deep, fun, but ultimately unfruitful meander through the rabbit warren made up of a tiny percentage of the more than 90.000 (!!) photos in my files. Thousands of these are also videos, so I found myself reliving forgotten moments in Sicily, which was cool (but useless) as I was so overwhelmed by cool doorways and crumbling facades and narrow alleyways and steep stairways leading to…? that I couldn’t choose a subject!

Just in the nick of time these four gems scrolled into view.

I should have gone on a drawalk like you did - those are great!! Yes, we should do one each day you are here!!

Nikki

July 1, 2025
Hi Nikki,

Have you ever read Kate Atkinson's novel Started Early, Took My Dog? Great novel in her Jackson Brodie mystery series.

I wanted to walk before it got hot, so I went down to the water on my own street (2 blocks) and did the same thing on the next three streets. Lots to draw, including a flag (look closely) on one of my fave waterfront houses-- my nod to Canada Day (about which I have mixed feelings).

As you will see, I divided my pages into six sections so I would keep the drawing small and loose. I'm always surprised by how many things I find to draw. And how interested (and enthusiastic) people are in what I'm doing! I got into a conversation with a man out walking his two dogs; he was talking to two women who were sitting on a bench overlooking the ocean, with all their belongings around them.

After I drew the anchor on the wall, and the house with the flag, they asked to see my drawings, and were very complimentary. I found myself saying, "They're not very good," and kicked myself as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I like the little drawings and I'm proud of myself. Why couldn't I just thank them and go on my way? Why the self-deprecation? Old, bad habit. I also realized how lucky I am to have a safe place to live (2 blocks from the water, no less), food to eat, family and friends, a deck garden. I should have gone back and found the women and taken them out for lunch, but only thought of it when I got home an hour after I met them. I hope they found Rainbow Kitchen rainbowkitchen.ca which is nearby.

I can't wait to drawalk with you in Canmore.

XO S