Imperfect Lines, Honest Presence
This sketch is not perfect—and that’s exactly why it’s alive. The bold figure, the dissolving hat, the tilted chair: all of it feels unfinished, fleeting, caught in motion. It’s what the Japanese call wabi-sabi—finding beauty in the imperfect, the impermanent, the incomplete.
But there’s something deeper here too. A quick sketch is not just what the eye records. It’s what the soul permits. To draw without fixing, without polishing, is to admit the world will not hold still for us. Life slips past. The lines break off. And yet, somehow, the essence remains.
When you sketch this way, you are not the master of the moment—you are its guest. The pencil does not carve permanence; it pays attention. The act of drawing becomes an act of being present, of honoring what is already vanishing.
So here’s a challenge: grab a pencil and sketch someone near you in sixty seconds. Do not erase. Do not perfect. Let the lines falter. When you finish, ask yourself: What truth did the imperfection reveal?
Perhaps presence itself is the real art.
Major General Edwin Vose Sumner, 1797-1863, Union Army general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American Civil War. Wikipedia Uni-pin marker and colored pencil on gifted paper.
Elias Rosenshaw 8/29/2025
Mixed media on toned tan paper.
Starting next week, I'm going back to college. I'm very excited for my courses, especially art & writing. It will be a great opportunity to explore my curiosities, improve my art skills, and grow as a person. I will share my art assignments if my instructors allow it. I would also like to write a little about each piece, which may be required for my assignments anyway.
Lately, I've been inspired by fantasy & fairytale artwork. I think fantasy & horror will make good focuses for my pre-BFA portfolio. This was a little experiment with a fairytale aesthetic. One of my goals is to use limited art supply sets & swap out colours as they run out. I feel the first colours I picked out fit with aesthetic well.
I'm proud of this drawing, especially the dress & the night sky. However, I can see some areas that I should've done differently. I'm not happy with the proportions & foreshortening of the limbs. Also, I shouldn't have used a background colour for the flowers. I added the colour to cover up a smear from the watercolour. I should avoid making large areas of solid colour, especially with my coloured pencils. I am learning & improving.
Illustration for my comic project's main character. More details here: https://www.tumblr.com/above-the-mount/790733367143464960/lord-of-the-western-sea
