Illustrating Sermons - a Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

Still too busy to pursue any illustration or portfolio projects at the moment.  However, I did start taking my sketch journal to church on Sundays. 

At first, I felt a little self-conscious about it - usually when you see a person doodling when someone else is talking, it's easy to assume that they're not listening.  In this case, that is NOT how it is.

First of all, when I am drawing (or painting), I am extremely focused and alert.  And, when I'm sketching in church, I am not randomly doodling, but illustrating the sermon (in a sense).  I'm taking what I'm hearing and translating it into images - not sketching the backs of people's heads who are sitting in front of me.  Do I get everything?  No, but I don't get everything when I'm writing notes down either.  AND, with my sketch journal, I go back to it to fix drawings, ink or paint, add detail - therefore, recalling that particular part of the message and spending time in thought about it as I render it.

So, hopefully no one in the pews around me take offense and assume I've "tuned out."  Au contraire.  Here, I've shown a couple of pages from Sunday services (nothing in color yet).