Face Book

I collect faces the way a stamp collector collects stamps.

We just returned from a college orientation session. There were meetings and lectures and panel discussions, but I was never bored because I had my “face book.” That’s what I call my little pocket sketchbook, which is only 4 x 6 inches, small enough to be fairly inconspicuous. Above are two sample pages, with a 25 cent coin for scale.

At that size, all you can capture is the basic shape of the hair, the shape of the head, and the placement of dashes or dots for the features. But that’s all you need. In fact those simple elements are the foundation of what makes each person a unique and distinctive character. Can you tell which is the police captain and which is the chemical engineering professor?