Sketchbook Stack
A place for the head swirls
Hi Friends.
It’s been a tough week for many. Maybe a lot of thoughts have been swirling in your head. Lots of thoughts swirl in ours. Here’s a peek into a few of our sketchbooks: the place where thoughts sometimes come out in pencil and ink as finished - or as ever more swirls.
-Kendra
JASON CHATFIELD
I awoke at 6am, blearily checked my phone, and found that the worst fears my gut had been warning me about had been realized. The man who blocked me on Twitter is going to be President. Again.
I’m walking around Central Park this morning with Morris amid the dazed faces of sullen New Yorkers slumped over their phones. I had anticipated this day, but hoped it never materialized. I’ve overheard several loud, exasperated conversations —in person and on phones— as locals pass by. I’m sitting to eavesdraw a couple of them now while Morris munches on a stick. (I envy his oblivious indifference.)
It’s time to admit that America has changed. For better or worse, it is a far different country than the one many of us had imagined it to be. “We, the people” have spoken— and the words that have floated to the surface turn out to be pretty uncomfortable.
HILARY CAMPBELL
AMY KURZWEIL
Working on a piece about visual metaphors for contentious discourse. Sigh. Ouch.
KENDRA ALLENBY
I’m in Europe. My sketchbook is full of questions and thoughts like: what is a good drawn shortcut for that arch/distant town/plaza? And WOW, the Ancient Greeks LOVED a tight ass and rock hard abs. And just LOOK at those awesome creepy vacant eyes in their sculpture and that fierce winged dog someone drew 2000 years ago. And who the F were the Etruscans and what do they have to do with things?
And my mind is full of the question - what is worth saying? What is worth thinking about? What is worth doing with the time and energy I have?
Good luck with the head swirls, if they’ve come for you. And if they feel overwhelming, may we recommend a sketchbook - or any piece of paper and scrap of time you can give them to let them out.
But wait, there’s more!
Hilary releases
every Friday!- ’s graphic memoir, Artificial: A Love Story, was named a best book of 2023 by The New Yorker, NPR, and Kirkus!
Check out Navied’s critically acclaimed graphic memoir, This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America.
- l teaches cartoon classes on Patreon! Sign up now to get the recording of every past class!
- has a new Substack about making art called Process Junkie! And Subscribe to Jason’s regular weekly Substack at NewYorkCartoons.com
