I usually began by sketching the part of the environment I was most familiar with—my friends who were with me—and then built out the surrounding scene around them. I didn’t think too much about composition; I simply drew what I saw. Most of the time, I found that the environment itself was already interesting enough.
After arriving at MICA, I went with friends to aquariums, cafés, and different restaurants. I visited friends’ homes, and they visited mine. Some pages were colored with watercolor, others were scanned and digitally colored. After finishing that sketchbook, I brought a new one with me to Amsterdam over spring break. Though the trip was only a week long, the sketchbook helped me capture many beautiful places.
My sketchbook drawings look very different from my illustration work, as if they were done by two completely different people. But in fact, the sketchbook gives me confidence; it is the foundation of everything else I create. I’ve learned to use many digital tools to make drawing more precise and efficient, but I’ve realized that’s not enough on its own. The sketchbook fills a certain indescribable emptiness—perhaps because it proves to me that even without relying on technology, I can still create something meaningful. Or maybe, it’s simply my own form of personal therapy.