Michael Nobbs

Tag: Drawing

  • Out of a sense of obligation?

    Early-morning drawing setup on a colourful crocheted blanket. A round mirror on a tea tray reflects Michael holding up his phone, with a green teapot and an orange mug beside it. In the foreground is a small black-ink self-portrait lying on the red and white patterned cover of a large Fabriano sketchbook, with a black Kaweco Sport fountain pen lying alongside it.

    I’m very tired this morning — ME tired.

    I dragged myself through my morning drawing out of a sense of obligation. To who, I wonder? Me at the beginning of the month, when I decided to draw myself every day for a month? Me today? Future-me?

    Now that it’s finished, I’m not sure if I’m glad I made it or not. I wonder if future-me will be pleased it’s here, or think I was foolish for pushing through…

    Close-up of today’s black-ink self-portrait: a bald man wearing glasses, drawn with loose, uneven lines and small areas of hatching, wrapped in a high collar or blanket. The drawing is dated 28/9/26 and lies on a red-and-white patterned cover of a Fabriano sketchbook, beside a black Kaweco Sport fountain pen.

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  • Not sleeping and drinking tea anyway

    Close-up of an open pocket sketchbook showing a loose black-line drawing of an early-morning tea setup. A mug fills most of the left-hand page and a teapot with a spoon or stirrer stands on the right, surrounded by many small chickens against a turquoise-blue background. Handwritten notes at the top include the date, the time “3:20am”, “real tea”, and “I'm probably not going back to sleep.”

    During recent sleepless nights — or very early mornings — I’ve been giving in and making pots of real tea.

    I’m enjoying drinking it, and accepting that it probably means I’m not going back to sleep.

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  • A nice change of pace

    Black pen-and-ink drawing across an open pocket sketchbook. On the left is a loose self-portrait of a bald man wearing large round glasses, seen close-up from the shoulders. On the right is a large teapot with its lid, handle and spout drawn prominently. Patterned fabric and small surrounding objects fill the background. Across the top is the handwritten text, “5:10 am — I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” The drawing is dated 24-9-26.

    I’m noticing that since starting Selfietember I’ve increasingly been waking up feeling excited about the day; looking forward with a hint of pleasure at the thought of tea and drawing, and then what the day might hold.

    That’s a nice change of pace.

    Close-up of a self-portrait drawn in dark red Neocolor crayon across an open pocket sketchbook. The bald head and large round glasses are strongly outlined, with small dark eyes, a moustache and short beard indicated with loose marks. Broad, heavily textured red strokes form a dark background around the head, especially along the top and right side. The lower part of the drawing loosely suggests the shoulders and the front of a T-shirt.
    Photograph of a dark red Neocolor self-portrait in an open pocket sketchbook resting on a red-and-white patterned book on a bed. The drawing shows a bald man with large round glasses, moustache and short beard, surrounded by broad textured red marks. Behind the sketchbook is a round mirror reflecting the artist, with an orange insulated mug, a white jug and other morning drawing materials arranged on a blue patterned tea tray.
    Photograph of an open pocket sketchbook resting on a red-and-white patterned book on a bed. The sketchbook contains a black pen-and-ink drawing of a self-portrait beside a large teapot, with the handwritten A. A. Milne quote, “I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” written across the top. Behind it sits a round mirror reflecting the artist holding a yellow phone, alongside an orange insulated mug, a white jug and drawing pens on a blue patterned tea tray.

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  • Rather unusually, a second entry for today

    Close-up photograph of an open sketchbook spread resting on a bed. A large self-portrait fills most of the left page, showing a bald man with round glasses, moustache and beard, drawn in fine black lines. A broad grey crayon shape surrounds the head, and the shirt is filled with bright orange crayon. The right page contains drawings of the objects beside the bed, including an orange Stanley mug, a teapot, a spoon and a patterned tray. Across the upper right is a block of green with the handwritten words, “Listening to ‘The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances’,” and the date 23-9-26. A round mirror and orange mug are partly visible above the sketchbook.

    Real tea and an audiobook kept me drawing until the sun came up.

    Now I’ve let the chickens out and had some breakfast, I think I’m going to have a nap — possibly quite a long one.

    I wonder why I feel embarrassed posting this drawing here…

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  • Instagram and drawing at 4.00 am

    Screenshot of an Instagram post showing an open handwritten journal page dated 22 September 1970. The page is filled with thick black handwritten notes about paintings, travelling, poems, photographs and everyday life. The caption identifies the book as Life with P.: Journals, 1966–1976 by Musa McKim Guston.
    Close-up of a self-portrait drawn in red Neocolor II crayon across an open pocket sketchbook. The face fills most of the page, with large round glasses, one eye clearly visible, a bald head, moustache and beard suggested with loose, waxy marks. Areas of dense red crayon frame parts of the face. At the bottom, the drawing is dated 23-9-26 and accompanied by the handwritten note: “4.00 am I’m not sure if this the start of the day or an interlude between sleeps.”
    Early-morning photograph of a small self-portrait drawing resting on a red-and-white patterned sketchbook on a bed. The portrait is drawn in soft red Neocolor II crayon across an open pocket sketchbook, showing a bald man with large round glasses, moustache and beard. Above it is a round mirror reflecting the artist’s face and yellow phone. A mug of tea, a red crayon and a dark pencil sit nearby. Beneath the portrait is the handwritten note: “4.00 am I’m not sure if this the start of the day or an interlude between sleeps.”

    I’m not sure if this is the start of the day or just an interlude between sleeps, so I’m hedging my bets and drinking decaffeinated tea.

    Yesterday Cathryn described Neocolor IIs as “friendly”. I feel the need for some friendliness in the very dark morning — it feels especially dark this morning; I wonder where the moon is in its cycle — so I’m drawing myself with a red crayon and enjoying its soft waxiness.

    This book caught my eye on Instagram. Do I really need more artists’ journals to read? I have Keith Vaughan and Derek Jarman waiting for me by my bed. Tove Jansson’s letters have been calling to me. But this does look interesting: paintings, reproduced journal pages and scraps of notes. Right up my street.

    I think I might just accept that the day has begun and make a pot of real tea…

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