Characters

click to enlarge...

I love people watching. Mainly because I'm a nosy parker, but also because I find it fascinating to observe what people do, especially when they don't know they are being watched. I don't tend to do much doodling on the spot in my sketchbook, instead I keep my eyes open all the time for interesting people or characters. When I spot someone I sort of take a photograph of them with my mind and mentally note their key feature and what it was that brought them to my attention. Then, when I have a few spare minutes, I remember them as best I can and get doodling.

Sometimes, of course, I just make people up!

Above are two recent sketchbook pages. The top image is of some made up characters that just popped into my head the other afternoon. I don't know who they are or where they came from, but that's quite fun. Perhaps they have a story to tell me...

The bottom image is of some real people I spotted yesterday evening on the train and in and around St. Pancras station. I always find trains and train stations are brilliant places to find new characters.
Try it yourself next time you are travelling somewhere!