Normally, I like to write a long-ish piece about some thing. But I gotta say, these days I don’t have the time or brain energy to write that kind of article. Spring has been kicking my ass, work-wise. Or maybe I’ve been kicking my own ass since I’m the one who decides what work I take on. A seemingly slow winter gave way to more work than I can handle. I’m attempting to do as much of it as I can to compensate for my winter freak out combined with anticipation of taking time off during the summer. I’m not complaining. I need money to survive so I’m glad to receive it, but there has been a distinct lack of balance in 2026.
All that being said, I thought a year in review of one of my sketchbooks could be fun (and easy). I post photos of my sketchbook to my instagram stories from time to time, but they don’t get much play other than that. But kinda the point of a sketchbook is that it’s a place to experiment, or just make stuff, in private. I mostly use mine as a realtime visual journal. Evidence of where I’ve been and what I was doing. And you really get to know something if you sit there and stare at it and try to draw it. Generally, I’m not trying to Make Anything. My whole job as a sign painter is Making Things. So it’s really nice to just draw for me without any pressure. And as a bonus, I have some nice memories when I look back on the drawings.
I filled up many sketchbooks as a kid. They’re quite cringe to go through since, unfortunately, I was a teenage boy at one point. I continued the practice through college and the few years after when I tried to be an illustrator. At a certain point, I resented Art and calling myself an Artist and when painting signs started taking off, I abandoned the sketchbook practice that had been such a huge part of my life for so long. But I never quit drawing completely. I regularly attend a figure drawing class. I love drawing the figure and that was and is something I do purely for myself. But a couple years ago, I started to really feel an artistic something-or-other was missing from my life. Like, I was actively repressing something that is extremely me (drawing). So I started keeping a sketchbook again. I think I just needed a break and time to reset. I also got hooked on James Gurney’s youtube channel. It was particularly inspiring how subject agnostic he is. He often experiments with color palettes, sometimes picking colors at random, literally fucking around and finding out. It was very refreshing to see someone being so free and relaxed with their art practice. There’s no annoying pedagogy about him. Tons of tips but delivered in the most encouraging way. His whole deal definitely helped get the ball rolling for me again and be proud (or at least not ashamed) of being an Artist.
So below is a collection of drawings from a sketchbook that’s been going for a little over a year now.
Paul’s Daughter, Coney Island, Brooklyn. March 2025. Colored pencil. I come here often in the summer to drink beer.
Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn. May 2025. Tombow markers. I like markers because they force me to make bold color choices. They’re also super portable, quick and easy to use. Unfortunately, they lack the mark variation of brushed watercolor, but hold their own as a water-based subgenre, I think.
Wellfleet, MA, May 2025. Tombow markers and colored pencil. If I have time, sometimes I like to “overwork” my marker drawings to see what happens. This one didn’t get ruined, I think.
Steve, drawing. Wellfleet, MA. May 2025. Tombow markers. I love drawing people so when I see someone sitting still and I don’t think me drawing them will make them uncomfortable, I seize the opportunity.
Red Hook, Brooklyn. November 2025. Colored pencil. If I know there will be down time on a sign job, I will bring my sketchbook. I drew this while waiting for a scissor lift delivery.
Brittany, editing. Brooklyn. November 2025. Colored pencil and black marker. I often draw my partner while she’s editing her animations. I’m also a fan of drawing-within-a-drawing.
Snowy view. Western New York. November 2025. Colored pencil. This drawing has an emotional weight that was not present at the time of drawing it. That Thanksgiving was the last time I would see a family member who passed away later that winter. It’s no longer just a quiet, snowy scene. There is a deep sadness and I can feel that someone is gone who shouldn’t be.
Tarmac. Miami, FL. January 2026. Pencil. Airport drawing is a classic sketchbook motif. I try to contribute when I can. I only had about 20 minutes for this one though. I was not flying Spirit, for the record. Nothing against it. Just saying.
Park in Chinatown, Manhattan. April 2026. Colored pencil. Crispy spring day. I try to bake in some time for drawing on days when I’m running all over the city. I’ve gotten really into a specific very dark, black colored pencil that happens to be oil-based. I don’t know the brand off the top of my head though.
Lower East Side, Manhattan. April 2026. Colored pencil. I love drawing trash bags. It’s really fun, you should try it.
Brittany on the couch. April 2026. Water-based oil pastel. I was trying to be bold and quick!
Park in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. April 2026. Colored pencil. I saw some fantastic tree drawings at the William Frederick Church show at the Met last year and I’ve been trying to incorporate more hatch marks ever since to make my trees feel round, even when the tree bark texture doesn’t dictate using those kinds of marks.
View from the boathouse, Prospect Park, Brooklyn. April 2026. Water-based oil pastel. I tried to make this quick, maybe 20 minutes.
View outside Upper Bend cafe. Turner’s Falls, MA. April 2026. Colored pencil. I was killing some time at a coffee shop and was like, hey I guess I’ll draw the statue and that absurd PT Cruiser parked outside.
Jess, painting. Schenectady, NY. April 2026. Colored pencil. It was the last day on the job and I finished my portion early and lo and behold, someone sitting still!
Nathan’s, Coney Island, Brooklyn. May 2026. Water-based oil pastel. Tried to get a motion blur on the slingshot.
Prospect Park, Brooklyn. May 2026. Colored pencil. The park is on the bike ride home from my studio. I got a bodega sandwich and took some time to draw.
Some friends in a park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. May 2026. Colored pencil. I don’t like being antisocial around friends, so I tried to draw this as fast as I could. I think maybe 5 minutes.
That drawing of Jess is so beautiful!!! Any chance you would sell that as a print? I would love to have that in my studio as an inspiring image from/of two highly skilled painters who I respect and aspire to!
This entire post is so good, I love your drawings, especially the trash drawing!
That drawing of Jess is so beautiful!!! Any chance you would sell that as a print? I would love to have that in my studio as an inspiring image from/of two highly skilled painters who I respect and aspire to!
This entire post is so good, I love your drawings, especially the trash drawing!