Watercolor Weekday: Harry and Minerva

People watching is one of my cheapest hobbies. To set the record straight, I am not a stalker, nor do I have any intentions of being one. (Sa twitter at instagram lang, promise!) I just like to observe how people interact from afar and sometimes make up stories about them in my head. When I see an interesting looking person, I try to imagine what he or she is like--what she does for a living, what could be his errands for the day, where she could be headed or why he has that peculiar expression on his face.

While on assignment in the US for 2 months, I got to see and interact with different sorts of people, specially when I was doing my usual touristy rounds in New York City. I remember a Saturday afternoon spent at a Cafe in Manhattan with a couple of my friends, just watching strangers pass by. We were seated right across the cafe window and it felt as though we were watching strangers from a big screen television.

I've recently started a habit of carrying a camera every where I go and taking photos of random people in hopes of being able to draw them eventually. For today's Watercolor Wednesday entry, I decided to draw an old couple I saw at the Lillie P. Bliss Garden at the MoMa. They seemed to be perusing some book or article and I loved how they were seated side by side, never taking their eyes off of what they were reading.

Let's call them Harry and Minerva.

Started with a pencil sketch of Harry and used him as a scale reference for Minerva.

Doing a wet on wet wash for the background, because I have an aversion to white space. Haha.

I did an underpainting of the skin, making sure that the wrinkles had shadows to be able to show more texture

While doing the initial underpainting to their clothes, I chose a contrast of green and red for Harry and Minerva respectively. In the photo that I took of the couple, Harry's jacket had a more subdued color, but I wanted it to be a bit brighter on my drawing since I will be adding more shadows on it later on. I also added a bit more texture on Harry's hat.

I added more dimension to Minerva's hair and clothes and outlined her eyes and mouth. I super loved the fact that she still had her backpack on. Despite her age, she looks like a young stundent still eager to learn.

Did some final touches on Minerva's glasses and scarf and outlined their shared reading material.

So there's Harry and Minerva, reading side by side. Perhaps they were reviewing the map of the MoMa or reading the MoMa Highlights. I can imagine them doing an exchange of thoughts about what they saw at the MoMa that day, sharing their favorite paintings and discussing the mind boggling minimalist and abstract art. Whatever it was they were doing, it was a pleasure to watch them and even more so to draw them.
If you wish to share some interesting photos of people, let me know! I'd be glad to include them in my next installations of Watercolor Wednesdays. :)