Have you ever been caught trying to draw someone unexpectedly?

[Sphyzex_9]

I've been caught a couple times. Both were occasions were awkward. Especially since I'm not even that good an artist. \w/

[TASmith]

I used to bring a sketchbook to pep rallies, for something to do. I was told at one point that drawing guys is gay, by a very disgruntled subject.

[Rist]

A few times, usually by people who I am NOT drawing. They seem to want to look at what i have done...

[ArtZealot]

I used to bring a sketchbook to pep rallies, for something to do. I was told at one point that drawing guys is gay, by a very disgruntled subject.

On a similar note, at my old job, one of my friends/co-workers would watch me draw creatures and people all day and one day made the connection that none of my characters were female, so he would tell other people i was studying to be a professional man-body drawer because that's all i drew. He said i might be able to get a job at playgirl, doing comic strips like Dean Yeagle's but with men. I actually thought it was pretty funny. he was right, i should have known how to draw both.

[Kasumi]

I'm not sure if it's lucky or not, but I never have. Then again I only really draw people as they're moving, not stationary, and they're generally focused hard on something else.

[JL.Alfaro]

i got caught a few times,
one time I was drawing this lady wearing a skirt so by the time I got to her legs and I was pretty much staring at them...she notices me and calls me a weirdo.
I was drawing a goth girl at the mall, I kept looking back at her and down at the sb, and up at her and down at the sb, and in one of those up at her...I found her giving me a one finger salute.

I was drawing this dude at a park, he caught me, came over asked me what I was doing..I showed him, he liked it...and asked me out. I had to give him the drawing as a trade off for my number.

[Interceptor]

A bunch of us were drawing in Montreal, some old woman saw dirty_c's sketch and called him a satan worshipper or something.

[Kfeeras]

the secret is to pretend you draw something else when they spot you. never got caught in the coffee shops

[Pavel Sokov]

you guys are kinda weird.
use internet photos or facebook, stop creeping the shit out of ppl haha.

I find it hard to imagine a good reaction from a person that doesn't understand art. I myself wouldn't be mad if someone was drawing me, but its easy to understand why some ppl could be easily made uncomofrtable

[Mirana]

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=126999 <--same topic, but with funny stories. :)

[Ryuartyi]

I was caught by two people today while at the mall. They didn't really say much, but were actually interested that my brother and I were drawing in a public place.

It was interesting, and trying to draw people walking was harder than I remembered. Normally I never get caught and approached, but I have been stared at quite often.

[Meli Hitchcock]

I got caught once by a lady I was sketching in a court house waiting room as we sat waiting for our jury numbers to be called. It was so out of the blue because I didn't think she noticed and she just suddenly asked, "Are you drawing me?" I told her yes and we had a smallish chit chat over art which was pretty cool given the situation.

I haven't had anyone get pissed off at me for drawing them, not yet anyway. :P

[thrilafrommanila]

i wish i had received a nice welcome like that.

on the train to my little brother's graduation, i was drawing this elderly lady who was asleep, well, because it was easy since she wasn't moving.

this other elderly woman next to her kept staring at me and i thought it was because she was interested in what i was drawing so i didn't pay any mind to her.

the train stops at what turns out to be the destination for both of these women so they get up to leave. the one staring at me came right up to my faced, pointed to my sketchbook and said in a thick, unrecognizable accent:

"You can't do that. This is private life. That is wrong. You are invading prviacy."

and then they both headed towards the train doors and sleeping lady asked her what had happened and she told her i was drawing her.

sleeping lady didn't look like she cared too much.

but i sat there thinking, "But we're in public..."

[SCIBOTIC]

the secret is to pretend you draw something else when they spot you. never got caught in the coffee shops

I keep a detailed stickman on the frontpage and flip to it when someone gets curious. It's funny seeing their reaction.

[Alex Chow]

Not drawing related, but I was taking photos of architecture around a school for one of my art projects. Little did I notice that kids were walking around and then the principal came out and had this "You fucking pedophile" look on her. It was okay when I started explaining the situation but it scared me a lot before then.

And I always get caught drawing somebody. The good thing is that now, with art school, I can sketch people inside my art school all the time so everyone understands.

[Senira]

Funny; art school is where I found all of my angriest subjects. Responses ranged from the mosquito-pitched whine, "Stop drawing me!" to a full out "I will cut you" look if my eyes so much as roved past certain people while I had my sketchbook out.

My favorite story involving being caught was when I drew a guy in my class who I rather disliked, with a word balloon in which he expressed my colorful view of him. Someone in one of my other classes (in a different major, even) happened to see it, recognized him immediately, and said so. I just shrugged and explained my reasons for disliking him. Life moved on.

Next day I stroll into class and the guy says, "I hear you drew a picture of me!" Turns out my friend in the other class had told him about it that same day. I just stared at him, horrified, and went: "...er?"

He wasn't pissed, though. In fact, he wanted to keep the picture. So I gave it to him, with great reservation, but it's kinda hard to turn down someone who's just caught you with egg on your face.

And that was when I learned to keep a separate sketchbook for documenting all the manners of douchebaggery I encounter in my daily life. :D

[J Wilson]

A lot of times you can diffuse the situation by just going up to them and being friendly. There is always the chance that someone will get upset, but some people are fucking sour assholes too. It's out of your control, so don't worry about it the minority of people that will get upset.

I was drawing a goth girl at the mall, I kept looking back at her and down at the sb, and up at her and down at the sb, and in one of those up at her...I found her giving me a one finger salute.
Hey, among some crowds flipping someone off is almost a smile. I'd have gone over and talked to her, and probably have hit it off :P

I was drawing this dude at a park, he caught me, came over asked me what I was doing..I showed him, he liked it...and asked me out. I had to give him the drawing as a trade off for my number.
Hah, the first time I got asked out by a guy I was completely weirded out. I think similar to ArtZealot's story he saw there were a lot of buff guys in my sketchbook (back in my superhero phase). Over the years I've been hit on by guys here and there, and luckily my thoughts on it have matured. It went from freaked out, to kind of amused "Dude, that guy just tried to buy me a drink!", and now I realize hey, it's just someone thought you were cool, or nice, or attractive or whatever. I may not swing that way, but there's nothing wrong with a positive reaction from another person (as long as it isn't a creepy, sleazy approach). I also realized it's a lot like what women have to go through, and I'm grateful they don't react as weird or shocked when I approach them.

[Trefle]

On a similar note, at my old job, one of my friends/co-workers would watch me draw creatures and people all day and one day made the connection that none of my characters were female, so he would tell other people i was studying to be a professional man-body drawer because that's all i drew. He said i might be able to get a job at playgirl, doing comic strips like Dean Yeagle's but with men. I actually thought it was pretty funny. he was right, i should have known how to draw both.

similar situation, only different place (at my classroom), drawing (almost all of my drawings (even until now *lookatsketchbook*) were female characters) and a quite-different reaction (I was being thought as a lover of sexy, big boobed female and by implication, hentai >_>;;; *headdesk*)

I had several awkward times when people see my drawing and asked me to draw them (which, I did, badly) too :\ Oh well. It's hard doing still-life sketches here, people would freaked out *shrugs*