Michael Nobbs

Early morning drawing and pondering

A very early-morning drawing setup on the bed. A blue chicken-patterned tea tray holds a bright green teapot, a large striped earthenware jug, a cream mug of tea, a small reading light and several pens and pencils. In front of the tray, an open pocket sketchbook shows a drawing of the same scene, with large outlined shapes of the mug and jug, a blue chicken-patterned background and handwritten notes including “3:34am.”
A bedside drawing setup with a round mirror, green teapot, cream mug and scattered drawing tools on a blue chicken-patterned tray. Michael is reflected in the mirror holding a yellow phone. In the foreground, an open pocket sketchbook contains a black-line self-portrait against a green background, with a peach-coloured speech bubble asking, “Am I a character in my own comic?”

Awake at silly o’clock again, but with a gloriously unfoggy brain. So I drew and pondered.

How would it be if I thought of the pages of my pocket sketchbooks as panels in a comic?

What if I thought of them as landscapes to be explored and photographed — zooming in, reframing them?

What if I thought of the photographs of the drawings and the drawings themselves as separate things to explore?

My brain has disappeared into fog again.

I shall put thinking on hold for another day.

Close-up of an open pocket sketchbook showing a black-line drawing of Michael’s early-morning tea tray. A large mug and jug dominate the page, surrounded by hand-drawn chickens on a blue background that echoes the chicken-patterned tray fabric beneath. At the top right, “3:34am” is written in green and black above a handwritten note about being awake so early, while several drawing pens and pencils rest above the sketchbook.
Close-up of the top right section of an open pocket sketchbook showing a drawing of Michael’s tea tray. Large black outlines describe a mug, jug and other objects, while the spaces around them are filled with small hand-drawn chickens over a blue background. A handwritten notes at the top reads "I'm awake so early that my flask mug is still I the dishwasher." Above, the time is written in large green text outlined in black ink — “3:34am.”
An open pocket sketchbook resting on a larger red-and-white patterned sketchbook. Across the pages is a black-line self-portrait of Michael wearing round glasses, surrounded by a rich green background. A peach-coloured speech bubble beside his head reads, “Am I a character in my own comic?” Drawing pens and the blue chicken-patterned tea tray are visible above the sketchbook.
Close-up of an open pocket sketchbook containing a black-line self-portrait of Michael wearing round glasses. Only part of his face and head are visible, beside a peach-coloured speech bubble that reads, “Am I a character in my own comic?” The rest of the page is filled with a deep green background made from visible marker strokes.

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