Next Up To Bat

For our prompt of “Bat” today, I decided to blend a couple of possible meanings for the word and ended up with a bat playing baseball. When I was a kid, I used to collect baseball cards. I enjoyed watching baseball, but wasn’t really a super fan. Instead, I had simply found a set of baseball cards once at a flea market that looked cool and then decided on the spot that I would become a collector. I did this a lot as a kid. Any time I would see something that was part of a set, I would get all excited to assemble the entire collection. The cards ended up in one of those books with the clear vinyl pouches so you could thumb through them while seeing both sides in all their glory. Had I actually followed baseball more closely, the images of players and their names would have probably meant much more. I just wanted to see if I could “collect them all” as the words on the outside wrappers stated. In the end, I don’t think I managed to get a full set, or more likely, I was just once again distracted by something else shiny that simply had to be collected.

As an adult, I’ve had moments where I wanted to collect things. After purchasing an antique stereoscope once, I grew interested in collecting stereoscopic cards that were humorous in nature. Or, at least meant to be funny for the time. They’re all now in a drawer somewhere, but I can’t remember which drawer exactly. I assume I’ll rediscover them one day while moving to a new house. These days, I’ve realized that a true collector would actually commit to something in order to amass a worthy collection. My dabbles in collecting never really amounted to much. Recently, however, I was looking through all of the sketches that I’ve made over the past few years. I have stacks and stacks of sketchbooks filled with all sorts of little watercolor sketches and doodles. For the first time in my life, I’ve managed to create and keep adding to a collection that truly feels like it has some real value. At any rate, it’s been fun to see all of the new images appear and wonder what on earth might appear next.

I’ve recently categorized and organized over 325 illustrations on my Sketching Stuff site, where I’m offering them as both unframed and framed prints. I plan to add more as I go along, so if nothing else, it will provide an easier way to browse through many of the sketches that I’ve made. I was flipping through the pages of this new gallery and showing Philippe. Since I only paint at the kitchen counter, there were many times that he was sitting next to me as I sketched stuff. But, I guess he wasn’t paying close attention as he pointed out things he liked as though he’d never seen them before. And now, there’s a little puppy named Elliott who simply lays down and sighs dramatically each time I get out my little paint set. He doesn’t really like it when he’s not the center of attention. And though I no longer share every single little thing I make, I do still sketch stuff each and every day. I still write bits of stories daily that may stay hidden away or may become part of my next post or book. The coolest part of this journey is not just what I’ve already made and collected along the way. It’s the anticipation of what will happen next. I’m never at all certain what that next blank page will reveal, but it’s always worth showing up to see who’s next up to bat.

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About the Doodlewash Da Vinci Paint Co.:  Yellow Ochre, Quinacridone Red, Terra Cotta, Cobalt Turquoise, Ultramarine (Green Shade), and Indigo. ZIG Cartoonist Mangaka Pen with black ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note and I’ll add it to my shop!

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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