Version 7.1Mon 19 Mar
2007
SXSW Sxetches
What kind of photographer am I if I don’t bring my camera around with me wherever I go? Not much of one, apparently. Lately, I’ve been frustrated with the total bulk that my Nikon D70 requires when I travel — lenses, flash, batteries, etc.
In fact, I didn’t bring it with me to this year’s South by Southwest Interactive festival, choosing to leave it at home so that I could move more quickly through the airport (bringing it along would have required me to check one bag). This is why I have no photographs from the show, but if you’re looking for visual documentation, there’s some wonderful shots from Lisa Whiteman at her Flickr account, and similarly beautiful work from Naz Hamid on his Flickr account, too.
Did I Draw You?
For my part, I brought along my less visually accurate but infinitely more convenient Moleskine notebook and, much as I did recently in Paris, did a lot of sketching. I’m liking this.
So, herewith, a sampling of the off-the-cuff doodles I made while sitting around the Austin Convention Center, watching panels or chatting in the hallways with other attendees. One thing these drawings don’t do well that photographs do better is capturing some other mode of the attendees’ activities other than… just sitting around. That’s the hard thing with sketching a business conference: not much happens aside from sitting around on one’s ass. It makes for rather boring drawings, to be sure, but to add a little excitement, South by Southwest attendees may want to see if they can spot themselves amongst the doodles, as there’s a chance I drew you… hours and hours of fun!
Remarks 12 total remarks were added before the post was closed.
Keith
Great stuff! Good seeing you as well - wish we could have chatted more! Next time eh?
Wilson
Ah, those look great! I think I recognize a few faces (or profiles), one hunched over guy in glasses in particular, but I could be wrong.
Nathan Borror
Great idea. I think I recognize a few of those beards :)
Rene
They are really good. You have captured all in a few lines.
Nikolay
Nice sketches. Back to the past where photojournalism was drawing journalism and there were drawings instead of photos in the newspapers :)
Khoi Vinh
Wilson: good eye, that’s you!
Rob Weychert
There’s me, third from the left in the top-most set, complete with BMI lanyard hanging from halfway up the back of my 50-foot-long neck. Of course, you showed me that sketch minutes after making it, so I’m not surprised to see it now, but I’m still quite happy to be included. As I think I said when you posted your sketches from Paris awhile back, you’ve managed to squeeze quite a bit of character into those spontaneous lines. Thanks for sharing!
Naz Hamid
Another nice set. They sort of take on a different life in black and white (since I’ve seen you do these originally in blue ink). I saw the third from left on the bottom set as you did it in that panel we were in. It helps me remember exactly what that person looked like.
Patrick Born
I thought you might be sketching during the Indie Developer panel. I wasn’t sure, but the bottom right one looks like it could be me. I wore a green shirt that day that had a similar pattern. I also have a beard. Not quite with that much girth, but that could be exaggeration.
Patrick Born
Correction I’m the very middle sketch. I wore a hat that day and the beard is much smaller.
xian
these are wonderful… great feeling. there’s something special about sketching with ink, isn’t there? odd analogy: doing a crossword in ink
Thom
Speaking as someone who practically lives behind the lens, these are so cool. I would love to be able to sketch like that.
