It's been way too long since I did any sketching. So I went to my favorite cafe last night expressly (ha ha) to do that.
Someone once said that we fall in love with our models. I feel like it's true--regardless of what a person looks like, the incredibly focused attention we give them feels like love, the way our gaze travels so slowly and intimately across their every feature, their bone structure...by the time you've finished sketching or drawing someone, you do feel something for them. Even if it was just a five-minute sketch.
The only problem with this kind of focused attention on strangers is...they notice it. People are amazingly gifted at being able to sense when they're being stared at. Hence, when sketching strangers in public, the drawing often has to be hastily aborted, leading to quite unfinished sketches. But that's part of their charm.
This guy (above) had the most incredibly flat, narrow face...(Above) Dreadlocked manga-maker.