Sketchbook 48: Afternoon at Matchstick Cafe
Where iPad meets espresso and strangers become subjects in the quiet ritual of cafe observation
Afternoon at Matchstick #Cafe .#iPadPro #Procreate #procreateart #livedrawing pic.twitter.com/NrPlNp4zfP
— Cai (@shashrvacai) June 18, 2025
The afternoon began with a simple goal: capture the diversity of faces that pass through Matchstick Cafe on any given Thursday. What emerged was this collection of four different drawings, each featuring a unique individual with their own distinct expressions and features. Placed side by side, they create a visual conversation about the variety of humanity that shares this single space.
Each portrait tells its own story through subtle details—the tilt of a head, the focus in someone's eyes, the way people hold themselves when they think no one's watching. Drawing strangers requires a different kind of observation, catching those unguarded moments that reveal character beyond conscious presentation.
Something fascinating happened as the afternoon progressed—green became the color of the day. Person after person appeared wearing green jackets, creating an unintentional uniform among the cafe's patrons. What started as individual character studies evolved into an exploration of how the same color choice can look completely different on different people.
The sketches show people engaged in various activities—some on their phones, others lost in thought—but all connected by this shared sartorial choice. It's amazing how once you notice a pattern, it seems to multiply before your eyes. The green markers I used to capture these moments became both observational tool and artistic decision.
The most revealing sketches of the day were these four laptop users, each creating their own private office within the cafe's public space. The drawings capture the modern ritual of mobile work—laptops as the central focus, coffee cups strategically positioned, each person absorbed in their digital world while surrounded by the analog bustle of cafe life.
Something fascinating happened as the afternoon progressed—green became the color of the day. Person after person appeared wearing green jackets, creating an unintentional uniform among the cafe's patrons. What started as individual character studies evolved into an exploration of how the same color choice can look completely different on different people.
The sketches show people engaged in various activities—some on their phones, others lost in thought—but all connected by this shared sartorial choice. It's amazing how once you notice a pattern, it seems to multiply before your eyes. The green markers I used to capture these moments became both observational tool and artistic decision.
The most revealing sketches of the day were these four laptop users, each creating their own private office within the cafe's public space. The drawings capture the modern ritual of mobile work—laptops as the central focus, coffee cups strategically positioned, each person absorbed in their digital world while surrounded by the analog bustle of cafe life.
The final set of sketches became a diverse visual diary of the afternoon—various people captured in different drawing styles and colors, creating what feels like a theme looking for its story. Some figures emerge in bold strokes, others in delicate lines. The variety reflects the energy of live drawing, where each subject demands its own approach.
This is the beauty of cafe sketching: you never know what visual narrative will emerge. Today it was green jackets and laptop postures. Tomorrow it might be coffee cup arrangements or the way afternoon light transforms faces. The iPad Pro makes it possible to capture these spontaneous observations as they happen, building an archive of modern life one sketch at a time.
Until next time, fellow observers of the everyday extraordinary.
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