Snap Shots by Hand Day 8

Family Groups. They present a different dilema to overcome. Well two of them. First of all the ever present time crunch and secondly getting all an the page.
My first sketchbook was 8.5 inches by 11. Plenty of space to draw on but when your standing and holding the book flat to draw on your arms get tired quick. When I finished that book I vowed never to work with one that big again out in the filed. Right now I work with a Moleskine which is 5x7 or maybe a bit larger but still much smaller and light weight.

Having to fit the entire group of people on the page can sometimes be a challenge. So I have to be careful. Of course, drawing parents AND their children you want to make sure of two things. One you don't make them look too horrible(in case the parent gets offended) and two you make sure they understand that you are JUST drawing them and not stocking them (parents will get very protective-as well as others around them) because they are children.
When I have drawn children I have made a point of showing the work to them and letting them know I am just drawing for the sake of drawing. Check out the two below.

 

 This woman I rode with to work quite often with her two kids. She worked at Buffalo Wild Wings and would cart them kids to the bus stop downtown and some family member would pick up the kids and she continued on to work. They rode so often with me on the same route - same seats that I had a chance to get to know them before I drew them. The older son only had half his left arm but that did not slow him down. He looked after his little sister who always slept on his lap.

 

 This woman was very tired. One toddler, one infant in the carry seat and one on the way. I could tell she was greatful that all the two with her wanted to do was sleep. I felt sorry for her having to deal with all these kids and get them around on the bus.