Owl Reading Book In Glasses Night Cap Watercolor Illustration Painting
By Charlie

Night Owl

Written by Charlie O'Shields

For our prompt of “Owl” today, I made a sketch of a little owl reading a book. Indeed, this is what you’ll find me doing every evening before I go to sleep. In my mind, I think I’ll get ahead by several chapters, but I usually fall asleep within the first several pages. Lately, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night. I’m wide awake as though ready to start the day. Unfortunately, it’s always around 3am which is an ambitious but ridiculously early time to start one’s day. I used to be able to finish entire books in the evening as I’d stay up for hours, turning each page, unable to stop before I found out what happened next. That was when I was much younger. These days, my body just sort of laughs at my enthusiasm and passes out cold. But, I’ll dutifully try again the next night, and eventually, albeit much more slowly, I’ll finally reach the end of the story.

Part of the reason I’ve been waking up at the same time each night is that I’ve often nodded off by 9pm. For some reason, 6 hours of sleep seems the be all my body wants these days. I usually stay up much later, but the light change is really making me want to just go right to bed. My mother has always stayed up late at night and when we visit, I feel a bit badly that I’m ready to go to bed so early. Sometimes, though, it’s not just about getting some sleep. I like to be in my own bubble for awhile before I go to sleep. Whether it’s playing a game for a bit or reading a book, I just like to be in my own little world. I guess in the case of a really good book, it’s sneaking into a completely different world for a moment. That’s really fun as well, though depending on the world, sometimes my dreams can get a bit weird.

The other day Philippe told me that he had a dream where he woke up mad at me. I asked him what I had done and he said that I spent $600,000 on a new car and a private plane. I simply stared at him blankly and asked, “and what part of that seemed remotely plausible enough for you to believe it in the moment?” He shrugged and said, “yeah, it was crazy, you don’t even like cars or planes,” completely ignoring the fact that we also don’t have that kind of money. My only recent purchase in the last few weeks was a new travel brush, so he truly has nothing to worry about on that front. But, dreams are a funny thing indeed. They don’t usually mean exactly what they’re about, but point to something else entirely. That night as I picked up my book once again, I promised him that I wouldn’t go spending money we didn’t have on things I don’t like. Then, I kissed him and focused on my story, filled with a renewed determination that this could finally be the evening when I succeed in becoming a night owl.

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Da Vinci Paint Co.:  Hansa Yellow Medium, Yellow Ochre, Benzimida Orange, Quinacridone Red, Pthalo Blue, Cobalt Turquoise, Terra Cotta, and Indigo. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with black ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop!
 Owl Reading Book In Glasses Night Cap Watercolor Illustration Painting Sketchbook Detail

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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37 thoughts on “Night Owl”

  4. I used to fall asleep whenever I read. Turned out I needed a different prescription for my reading glasses! It was the eye strain that made me so tired. Good thing. I hardly watch TV anymore and can’t go out to the movies, so I need my fiction fix from books!

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  5. Wonderful owl, Charlie! I read until the wee hours every night even though I’m all snug in my bed by nine. I’ve been doing that since I was a kid when my parents often threatened to remove the bulb in my bedroom lamp. I got around that by smuggling a flashlight into bed and reading under the covers and I’m sure you can imagine how long that lasted. It’s just difficult to put down a good book.

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  6. Cute owl, Charlie. His glasses look like mine! Except mine are purple tortoise. 💜 Okay, so I was born a Night Owl, but I totally get what you’re saying. When my mother would go home to Mexico, my childhood friend, Raymond, would say, “Whoo-hoo! Party at Mari ‘s house!” Then, he would add, ” Who am I kidding? I ‘m tired by 10:30! ” haha haha 😂😂😂 When I was in college, I could go a couple of days without much sleep. Now, forget it. If I don’t get, at least, 7-8 hours of sleep, I am dragging. I still stay up super late. I enjoy being on my own. I use the computer, do some crafting, read my Bible, or just watch tv/videos.
    That’s funny what Philippe dreamt of. Dreams are funny. I once dreamt that I had a Monster truck and my friend was so angry at me for owning a Monster truck. When I told him, he laughed. haha haha 😂😂

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    1. Thanks so much, Marisela! 😃💕 Yay that you’re a night owl! Yeah, I used to be able to stay up so late, but not anymore. Though now, I only need about 6 hours sleep to feel fine. And yeah… a Monster dog is way better than a Monster truck! hehe

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      1. Awww, Charlie. You made me smile with that reply. 🐕🐶 My mother and I were just talking about him because I had a flea bite me. She said that Monster was just making sure that I didn’t forget about him. Never. I could never forget him. He was and is my love forever. 💜

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  7. Charlie that is nice of you to reassure him. And I too am passing out on my Reading Chair on the first page, first lines, at 8 and waking up about six hours later. Eight hours is what we need for good blood pressure. Imagine, awake at 2 or worse. I make myself stay abed til four or close to it and then get up and write my Morning Pages for an hour or so. Sigh. I just can’t seem to turn my inner clock ahead. And to think when I was a kid I hollered mightily to stay up like grownups do… 8 PM. Ya. I love the owl.

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  8. Ahhh, he’s so cute. Complete with your blue glasses. Love him! I have been having the same sleep issues. I agree, 3:00 a.m. is too early, is even for this early bird. I love mornings, but that borders on the middle of the night. Haha. Do you suppose it’s from the inactivity we are experiencing? I was going to the gym, just because I knew it would help me sleep, but we can’t again. Gyms are closed again so today we went on a vigarious hike to the Pillars of Hercules in the Columbia Gorge. I should sleep for days!

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    1. Thanks so much, Lori! 😃💕 Oh wow! That does sound like a lot of good exercise. Hopefully it will help you sleep. For me, it’s always more about what’s on my mind. If I’m thinking of lots of ideas I just can’t shut the thing off! lol

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  9. Fantastic Charlie! Yeah I’m with you in being able to stay away to read much at night. My routine has now turned to trying to listen to a Canadian news/human interest show on NPR. It starts a 10 and lasts an hour. I don’t always get upstairs to catch the start. I set the radio to go off in 30 minutes and am usually asleep before the radio turns off. The eyes are too tired to read too late at night. Enjoy your weekend!

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  12. Ha ha brilliant doodle, Charlie. I know what you mean about the early to bed and early to rise. Although I actually don’t mind getting up early, especially in the summer when I can get out when it’s nice and quiet.

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  14. My husband shouts and kicks in his sleep. He seems to always be fighting off someone, but he seldom remembers what the dreams were about. I used to sleep like the dead for 8 hours. Now I’m lucky to get 5 in. I miss sleep. I do find it comforting the read before I sleep. Itsit’s kind of like mediation.

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  17. Night owl by nature, but I would like more sleep especially during the dark days of the year. Asleep just before 3am isn’t unusual. I’d love to paint then but it’s too cold and in my little home, I also don’t want to wake my husband. Reading often will do the trick. When we first locked down we read to each other every night. Winter’s a great time to that, hmmm, flannel sheets and a long book🤗😴

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