A quick thought for today
Which jar?
The coffee is on, my inks, pen and brushes are out and I'm about to start today's Inktober drawing. I go to fetch a jar of water in which to rinse my brushes later, and so reach for my usual jar off the windowsill. As I reached for the jar I stopped, and had a moment of reflection. You see there are three jars on that window, and yet I for the same one that I always use, why?
One of the jars has just been freshly rinsed out, previously it has contained peanut butter, it is the bigger of the jars. The second jar has been there for a while, occasionally it gets used as a secondary water jar when I don't want to cross contaminate my colours or mediums. The third jar, my preferred jar, has been in use for quite sometime, there are layers of ink and paint around its glass lip.
I was looking at the these three jars, the logical choice would be to pick the first jar, it is newer and spotlessly clean, plus the opening of the jar is wider, so would accommodate some of my bigger brushes better. But no, I fill up my smaller, dirtier jar, and take it to my drawing table.
Why?
I remembered writing about something similar in my journal. I wrote the following words when I was sat on a plane going to New York, writing down some thoughts about the drawings I had created for Dwelling, a novel by Doug Karr set in the Lower East Side of NYC. I think what I wrote about the paper also, maybe, applies to my choice of water jars.
Very few of my drawings were created on blank pages, each sheet of pre-treated (or at times abused) paper was selected for its characteristics, how the marks and staining related to the image about to be drawn. After all the people and locations in dwelling are also full of character too. Dealing with what life throws, working through the dirt and grime of everyday life.
My Journal, July 2018
The layers of paint, inks and dirt create character to the glass, and I think that is why I always pick that jar. I'm hoping a bit of that character will rub off into my drawings.
Very few of us start the day with a blank canvas, we are working with with the layers, sometimes colourful and sometimes dark, that life has created.
If you want to see some of my previous ink illustrations check out DWELLING, an illustrated crime novel collaboration between myself and fellow Steemian 
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