30-second coffee

I love our new neighbourhood but it’s more rural than urban, and lately I’ve been missing having more opportunities to sketch people. Today I pushed myself out the door and drove to the local Tim Horton’s so I could sketch some people. But in an area where it’s more “country” than “city”, even the local donut shop is sort of empty.

Armed with a small sketchbook and a pencil, I set myself up at a table with a view of the cash register. As people stepped up to order, I drew them. Since a card transaction — from order to payment — usually only takes about 30 seconds, that’s how long I had to draw each person. I spent a bit of extra time adding shading as I waited for the next person to come into the shop. I was determined not to resort to drawing the glazed donuts, and also determined not to leave until I had 10 figures on the page. Here they are, smudges and all.

I always wonder if people notice when I am drawing them. The man on the far left with the pointy beard (below) was sitting there for as long as I was. Every time I tried to draw him, he looked at me. That is always an uncomfortable situation, as I try to pretend I am drawing something else. But there was no fooling him, even though my sketchbook was tilted up. At one point when I looked up, he looked at me and said “C’est beau, vos dessins.” Even though I don’t think he could really see my drawings, I appreciated the kind words and the acknowledgement that it was ok to draw him.