Michael Nobbs

This is the wonky messy artist I am

A small open pocket sketchbook lies on a blue, cream and rust crocheted blanket. Across the two pages is a loose self-portrait drawn in black, blue and grey-beige: a bald head, large blue-framed glasses, dark eyes, a lightly suggested beard and moustache, and blue marks indicating a T-shirt. A rough black block fills part of the background behind the head, and a brown tea splash has stained the top of the drawing. The date 20-9-26 is written along the bottom edge. To the left are an open tin of Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons and a fabric pencil case filled with drawing materials. Above the sketchbook is a round wooden-framed mirror propped on the bed; in it, my face and glasses are reflected as I hold up a yellow phone to take the photograph.

This morning I woke thinking about the kind of space I seem to have been craving around my drawing.

A place where I can turn up as I am.

Where I can draw what I like, with what I like.

Where I can be serious and playful, thoughtful and impulsive, ambitious and tired.

Where growth doesn’t mean becoming a different sort of artist, but giving the artist I already am enough room, attention and company to develop.

My head was full of these thoughts as I drew this morning. I picked up the wrong pocket sketchbook. I gathered whatever materials were around me and started without much of a plan. I changed tools as I went. A little tea spilt onto the page and became part of the drawing.

I rather love today’s wonky messy drawing. I want to make lots more wonky messy drawings.

This is the wonky messy artist I am ❤️🐌

Close-up of the same self-portrait filling most of the open pocket sketchbook. The face is loosely drawn with thin black lines, broad blue marks and broken grey-beige strokes. Thick blue glasses dominate the face, with blue added around the eyes and across one shoulder. Grey-beige marks loosely describe the beard, moustache, jaw and side of the face, while a textured black patch sits behind the right side of the head. Near the top of the bald head is a clearly visible brown tea stain, with a darker centre and a paler watery bloom around it. The horizontal join between the two sketchbook pages runs through the middle of the face. At the bottom is the handwritten date, 20-9-26.

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