Illustrations for a Travel Memoir, Wherever the Road Leads.

Wherever the Road Leads has always been planned as an illustrated memoir. After all, with a subtitle that starts       “An Artist’s Memoir . . .,” readers will expect to see artwork. Luckily, I didn’t have 1000 drawings to choose from like I did with the photos. However, because of page consideration (Print on Demand services charge by the finished number of pages), I still must be selective.

I was able to place some of my smaller sketches, including a few that were scrawled in the margins of my letters home, and a couple of my horizontal drawings, into the route maps that will separate sections of the finished book. That still left me with more drawings than I could use. Again, with the help of input from my readers, my editor, and a few long-time friends, I made the difficult selection.

I tried to choose drawings to represent different phases of our travels. However, extra busy days and long drives often inhibited my motivation to sit down and draw. The drive overland to India and the hectic days on the bumpy roads there were an especially difficult environment for drawing. Besides, my fascination with the colorful local ways of dressing led to studies of clothing, rather than the pen and ink landscapes I had previously done.

Some of the illustrations are quick sketches, usually done from my own photos or outside on location, en plein air. Others are more detailed pen and ink drawings, tighter, with more strokes and shading. These were often done using printed tourist postcards as inspiration. The high cost and long wait times to get film developed overseas in the 1970s (pre-24-hour service and digital photography), often made it impossible for me to use photos I had taken myself. I think you will easily see the difference between the two styles of drawing.

I hope you will enjoy a few of the drawings below that I have selected to illustrate Wherever the Road Leads. I’ve included one of the illustrated route maps too. I’d love to see comments in the form below this post.

Which drawing is your favorite?

Sketch of San Miguel de Allende

     Spanish Street                                                                                            The Rhine River Valley.                                                                                                                 .

Costume study, southern India