drawing from the boobtube

and mine is a boobtube, too. won't power on without hitting the button 7-10 times as it crackles and pops... no, it's not a flat screen either, but it DOESN'T use rabbit ears!

I can't sit still and watch TV. I have to be doing something, which is why the remote in my hand is a bad thing. I won't sit through a commercial without clicking away or walking out of the room to do something else... However, if my sketchbook is in my hands, I'll draw.

My favorite movie, Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai" was on last night... I was able to keep awake until the intermission (yeah, 1954 - time to change reels and grab a cigarette!) by drawing as fast as I could while actors faces would pop on the screen.

Toshiro Mifune is top, as the peasant turned Samurai-poser, and below is a poor rendition of Takashi Shimura, lead role, as he has his head shaved to disguise himself as a monk. This is much harder than drawing on the train... the characters are constantly moving, and you have to make "snapshots" with your eye, then hope you can keep it fresh as you hit the paper.

The night before, my son's favorite actor, Jack Black was in "Nacho Libre" - Niki loves the scene where he slaps the corn-on-a-stick out of his friend's hands. So, I knocked out a silly Nacho pic in full buffoon stance.

I feel these exercises will sharpen my eye for those moments that I need to glance, note and draw... no second chance.

Drawing from the tube also turns a passive (in)action into a training session. I hate to lose precious time on this earth to doing nothing.