Another Sketchbook Completed...

We have a club that meets every Friday for some sketching fun. We eat lunch, and watch passersby as we "inconspicuously" eye them and sketch them out. I think the people-watching is half the fun. People, of all shapes and sizes, really are beautiful.

Steven Silver and I started the club in August of 2005, and I've been attending ever since. Sure, sometimes we have to move the club to Thursday because of a meeting or something, and sometimes I'm on vacation, but aside from that my sketch club date is non-negotiable. If I have free time, I'm going to the club.

There were times the club dwindled down to me, alone, eating and drawing. But, still I wouldn't miss a week. And then there were times attendance would grow to 18 people. 18 artists packed into a restaurant, laughing, drawing, and sharing their art with each other.

Over the years I've been blessed to have some of the biggest names in the So. California's animation industry sitting and drawing right next to me. Other times I've been surrounded by young, enthusiastic talent -- yearning to stretch their horizons.

As artists came and went from the club, I began to really appreciate each and every one of them. Each artist unique, distinct and honest with themselves -- searching, just like I was, for that voice inside them that speaks without words.

The friendships I've been able to cultivate with this collection of artists has been immeasurable to me. I thought I had been filling pages in my sketchbooks, but I've been filling pages in my life. To all of you who have attended the club over the years, thanks.