I’ve gotten to the point where I can put down a vague representation of a figure,  such as this one, when I’m in public and my "model" is sitting still. But I need more information about how hands look in different positions. I’ve had the most practice drawing my own left hand, but not much more. Also the structure of the head in different positions, and the figure itself. Practice. I used Prismacolor water soluble graphite and later, at home, did the washes. Adding water fixes the graphite so it doesn’t smear.

Last night I went to a concert and tried with little success to sketch the singers. I vowed to improve my drawing so I would feel confident enough to capture something more next time. I realize in hindsight that most of the awkwardness I felt last night had to do with the audience around me and my fear they would notice me drawing. A smaller sketchbook, like a Moleskine, would have helped. Today I went to Borders cafe and drew and looked at art books. This sketch is very rough but I was happy to have been able to get two figures in a vaguely meaningful relationship to each other. This cafe is a good place to draw because most of the people are studying or reading and they tend to hold still for relatively long periods of time. These chess players sat very still and never seemed to glance over at me. They were a great subject. You’ll have to use your imagination for the chess pieces.

A refrigerator filled with a colorful array of soft drinks and juices, at Cafe Minou in Oak Park.