A sketchy purchase

I walked into Barnes & Noble last Sunday with no idea what to buy. My sister-in-law and her husband had given me a gift card for my birthday (thanks Kim & John!), but there was no one particular book I had my sights on.

So I started browsing. There weren’t any novels jumping out at me. I looked at books that covered most of my interests – the Adirondacks, the Yankees, books about figures like Ben Franklin and Abraham Lincoln and even a book about Indiana Jones. Nothing seemed right.

Then I found a book that seemed perfect – because every page inside was blank. I got myself a new sketchbook.

When I was young I loved to draw. I filled page after page with my renderings of characters from the comic books I collected. At one point my dream was to be an artist for Marvel Comics.

Art was one of my favorite subjects in school. I won’t pretend I was any great artist, but I like to think I had some promise. I had one particular teacher (who is now my neighbor) who used to give me a lot praise and encouragement.

And yet, through a series of circumstances, I stopped taking art classes in high school.

That’s always been one of my biggest regrets. I’ve often wondered what would have happened if I took more art classes in high school and even college. No, I don’t think I would have wound up drawing Spider-Man. But I think I could have honed my craft to a level beyond the doodles in the margins of my legal pad.

So this sketchbook is my do-over. I’ve filled a couple of pages so far and I’ve found it to be quite relaxing. The misshaped image of my left hand seen here was my first attempt. If I ever come up with anything worthwhile I’ll be sure to share it.

A second chance on something you never should have given up on -- what could be a better birthday present?