ferry ladies

Quick sketches with an HB pencil. I think it's time to start dabbing a bit of paint on these sketches to make them interesting. Sketchbooks are way more fun to flip through when there's color in 'em, and the pages are thick and crinkly from water.

I've always liked dumpster divers and "homeless" people, and found them more interesting than most other city dwellers. My imaginary hero that I created years ago, Dr Gogomax, is a street dweller. (I will do a comic / film about him one day.) I got to do some street living this weekend, and will definitely do it again. Lots of lessons to learn. Here's a few things I already picked up:

DO NOT sleep on city rooftops. Too loud, too much light. (I planned on sleeping on a school roof this weekend, but when I got there, it felt wrong... the next morning at 6:00 am there was a crew up tarring the roof! That would have sucked to have been caught by them).

DO sleep under trees in parks or vacant lots instead. Quieter, darker, good fields-of-view without being seen. Vacant lots are especially good because they tend to have fences around them, and be overgrown.

DO jump nude into clean water whenever possible. Even if it's a high-traffic urban area. You need that shit to stay clean and feel normal.

I can appreciate how it must feel to be homeless and never feel secure where you're sleeping. You wouldn't know if a bunch of drunks are going to come kick you, or if you're in someone else's spot, or if an all-night security guard is going to find you. But it sure is nice to wake up to the sounds of chirping birds and the feel of weather (in the summer, at least).

Every homeless person should be given a camouflage groundsheet and tarp. Next time I'll bring a camo tarp that I can cover my bike with.