Somewhere online I read Danny Gregory’s list of great sketchbooks/journals to look at, and this was on his list: Paris Sketchbook by Ronald Searle and Kaye Webb (Kay was his wife and she wrote all the text; Ronald did all the illustrations).

The book was published in 1958 and the illustrations reflect the era. Searle’s light and scratchy line seems to have been de regeur for illustrators in the 1950′s and it’s not something I particularly like looking at. But once I get past his style I am completely taken by his mastery of drawing.  The book cover [above] gives you some idea of his use of perspective and negative space– the full illustration is included in the book. Can you see the banner at the top right of the drawing? I love how it makes me feel like I’m standing right on the edge of this scene, just an arms length or so behind the man sitting in the bottom center of the page.

Searle draws compelling vignettes like this over and over again– a woman in a bar looks directly at you, or a doorway