Planning a drawing by sketching it out in pencil first and finishing it in ink later is quite different than live sketching with a pen.

I had been planning on sketching noting the Super Bowl, but my original plan was to take traditional notes first. After taking notes I was then going to grab highlight stats from ESPN or NFL.com. Next was going to pencil a layout and finish with various ink pens. All fine and good but that meant live note taking during the game, research after the game, then the time to draw something nice.

Just after the opening ceremony and the coin toss I had almost a full page of notes and quickly realized the amount of time I was about to invest. During the first commercial break I switched gears and decided to pen the sketch and just see what happens.

Honestly I'm not that thrilled with the outcome. I like balance. I like to pencil ideas before I commit. I like the ability to change my mind as the piece progresses. I like to erase. Guess what? The pen doesn't care what I like. A pen is unforgiving. Every stroke is a commitment. You have to “see” in your mind's eye before you commit.

With live sketching there's no forethought to layout, placement, balance, etc. other than the current thought and how it is to be placed an where. Mistakes have to disguised either in the element it was made or blended somehow with a new element.

It was good practice. I need more work on my caricatures for sure. I think I'll live sketch the Oscars next.