Snowman Sketchbook

These images are a collection of pages from my snowman sketchbook, which I started in 1999 and completed in the Fall of 2019.

The snowman sketchbook originally started off as a doodle when I was sitting around my parent's home drawing my mother's snowman decorations. But I had so much fun with the subject matter I decided to devote an entire sketchbook to the character. The story tells the tale of a snowman's humble beginnings and documents its quest for world domination. I initially thought the sketchbook would take a few months to complete, but as time went on I found that the storyline (and the line work) became more and more involved, thus causing delays. Doubts that I would encounter over my own intentions for the sketchbook would also appear in the storyline, with the character questioning its own motives. In many ways the snowman sketchbook unintentionally became my visual diary, where the character itself would have conversations with me, the artist, about our dreams, artistic motives, and intent.

This work was awarded the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship Award for Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts in 2014.

Drawings in a sketchbook of a black snowman and a cartoon boy rolling snowballs. — **Back cover - page 1**
I originally wanted the sketchbook to be titled, ‘The evil snow being that would conquer the world’, but I ended up changing my mind later on in the story.
The image on the left was inspired by ***Leonardo DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man***.

Sketchbook drawings of a snowman in a telephone booth and a snowman looking at a building. — **Page 14-15**
Caesar (the snowman) goes to a local phone booth and locates a vendor that sells Ice-O-Matic air conditioners.
It scopes out the building from across the street.

Sketchbook drawings of a snowman hanging out in the woods and discovering a shovel to bury a air condition unit. — **Page 22-23**
I originally intended to have Caesar the snowman bury the Ice-O-Matic, AND THEN build a fort. But as I was drawing these pages, I realized that it was probably a better idea to build the fort first.
So the character and I start to discuss the pros and cons of the situation.

Sketchbook drawings of two creepy snowmen looking out at the viewer. — **Page 34-35**
Caesar looks at itself in a mirror to help it remember who it is, where it came from. The text above is the lyrics to the song ***“Smile” by David Byrne.***

Graphite drawing in a sketchbook of a snowman with a long scarf flying across the page. — **Page 48-49**
Caesar takes a nap and begins to dream… (The scarf is an ode to ***Mr. Tom Baker*** of the sci-fi drama, Dr. Who)

Graphite drawing in a sketchbook of a snowman growing so big it reaches the clouds. — **Page 62-63**
In the dream Caesar begins to grow and grow. Imagery inspired by the comic strip **‘Calvin and Hobbes’ by *Bill Watterson*.**

Drawing of a snowman falling into a hypnotic circle pattern and little snowmen falling onto its head. — **Page 74-75**
Caesar begins to wake up from its dream.

Sketchbook drawings of a snowman walking around the page and talking to itself. — **Page 88-89**
Caesar asks me, the author, why the book is taking so long to complete. The snowman begins to wonder aloud what the point is and what our goals might be.

Sketchbook drawings of a snowman driving a snow-bus. — **Page 116-117**
The snowmen build a bus to help them get to the frosty north… or at least they think they do.

A colored pencil drawing in a sketchbook of a snowman with its arms stretched out. — **Page 130-131**
Caesar and its friends begin to descend while riding on a giant snowball. Caesar stretches its arms out and finds peace amongst the chaos.