I Try to Draw People

Last Sunday my sketching friends and I tootled on over to Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park.  This is a HUGE bookstore with several restaurants inside and a HUGE gathering/eating area where folks were munching away, or reading the newspaper, or playing board and card games.  A perfect spot to practice sketching people.

We found a table near the back of the room from which to observe our victims--er, I mean, our subjects.  I had a view of two elderly guys staring at laptops, and gave them a try:

That went fairly well, and next I tried sketching a couple with a newspaper working the Sunday crossword, but they finished it and departed before I could do anything worthwhile.  So I decided to wander into the bookstore in search of new material.  First, I found a comfy chair across the way from a guy sitting in another comfy chair, mostly hidden by a book display.  Then I tried to capture the info desk clerk, but he moved too much. Finally I gave up on people for a bit in favor of sketching a bookcase.

On Sundays between June and early October there's a farmer's market in the parking lot, so I checked it out.  I've tried to sketch at markets before and found it nearly impossible due to the commotion of constantly moving people and crowded booths.  It was near to closing time for this market, though, and a bit quieter.  I found a curb across from a booth selling apples and sat down to sketch.

Then I  rejoined my friends back in the bookstore seating area, where I found an elderly couple reading the newspaper (I seem to have focused on the Senior Set for my people-drawing practice, possibly because they tend to not move around as much).  I was also attracted to the Japanese restaurant's colorful decor for my final sketch of the afternoon.

All in all, this was an excellent outing -- Third Place Books is a terrific venue for drawing people, and will come in handy during the coming cold, rainy months when we can't get outside.