Jekyll2026-05-27T15:15:35+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/feed.xmlDrawn to NoticeTalking about sketching, watercolor, and urban sketchingNicolas SteenhoutPeople on a park bench2026-05-16T00:00:00+00:002026-05-16T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/bench-peopleI’m trying to simplify my lines, practice people sketching. Get to a point where I’m not disatisfied with including people in my sketches.

Ink and watercolor sketch of two women sitting on a park bench. One is 3/4 away from us, facing the other woman on the bench. There are big trees nearby, and some conifers in the distance..

I’ve been reading David Gentleman’s Paris. Love his style. I’m not going to replicate his style, but I love the motion his lines impart. The simplicity of characters. I won’t share the image here, because copyright and all that, but there’s a series of sketches on one page of diners and servers at the Brasserie Flo. So simple and energetic. Something to strive for.

I don’t love this sketch I made. There are many things I don’t like about it.

But I love the promise it holds. That with practice, I can maybe get to a point where I’m not disatisfied with my people in my sketches.

So I’ll keep working on people in this tiny sketchbook, an old Moleskine “Sketchbook”, that I got years ago and never used.

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutSketching people2026-05-16T00:00:00+00:002026-05-16T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/peopleI’ve got a small Moleskine “Sketch” sketchbook. Got it years ago. Never used it. I’m using it now - I’ll fill it with random people. Trying to simplify my lines. Get to a point where I’m not unhappy with my people sketches. Here are a few of my early ones.

Ink and watercolor sketch of a young fictious woman viewed in profile. She's wearing a pink tank top, and has long blond hair. She's holding a phone in our outstretched had. There is a green background behind part of her.

I like the motion imparted in this one. Drawn completely from imagination. Totally sketch, but I’m satisfied with that.

Ink and watercolor sketch of a boy. Viewed from the front, only his upper body is visible above a line. His hands are on the line, maybe a table? Bright orange background

This was my first one in the sketchbook. After watching a tutorial from Martin Lachmair on YouTube

Ink and watercolor sketch of a guy playing the guitar. He has long hair. There are musical notes around his head. There is text on the page that say Inception, a visual sketch of a musical sketch, concept inspired by a visual sketch.

This one was done from a youtube link a friend sent me. We’d been talking about sketches. He’s a musician, and pretty good one at that! But me sharing my sketches triggered him to start thinking about his music sessions as musical sketches. Where he doesn’t need perfection, and gives himself permission to explore and play.

Ink and watercolor sketch of a guy walking. He has grey hair and a short grey beard. He's wearing a sweatshirt and cargo pants. Viewed from the side. Green background behind him.

I saw this guy walking around a parking lot and thought it might be fun to sketch him. Had no time to do it there and then, so I took a photo and sketched him later at home.

I’m trying to do at least one a day. So it might take me about two months to complete the sketchbook. It’ll be interesting to see what my people sketch look like at the end of that book!

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutCognitive Overload2026-03-31T00:00:00+00:002026-03-31T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/cogaWe often speak about cognitive overload in digital accessibility. But what is it?

Ink and watercolor sketch of a person balancing on one leg on a wire. The wire is not tight. The person is juggling multiple elements. A laptop, an old alarm clock, a calendar, a phone. He also has a question mark above his head, a speech bubble, and a lightbulb. He's dropping a glass half full that is falling, and a pile of envelopes. The background is green to represent tree tops, and blue for the sky.

When you have too many things going, and you can’t drop anything at all…

You can find the post about it in the April 9, 2026 edition of the newsletter

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutWCAG levels are like a car2026-03-25T00:00:00+00:002026-03-25T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/carIn which I compare WCAG, or the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines to different levels of a build of a car.

Ink and watercolor sketch of a barebone car. It has the chassis, four wheels, an engine, a steering wheel, and a wooden platform at the back. The license plate reads "WCAG A". Dated March 25, 2026.

The lowest level of WCAG is like a car’s chassis with no body. It works… Kinda!

You can find the post about it in the March 26, 2026 edition of the newsletter

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutGaming night2026-03-21T00:00:00+00:002026-03-21T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/gamingSpent some time gaming with my wife. Then wrapped up the evening with a sketch

Line and wash sketch. Two portable monitors on a narrow table on wheels. A foot appears under the table. The corner of a red sofa. A wooden dresser on the wall with a small lamp.

Wife and I like to play Starfield by Bethesda. We both game on an ROG Ally X portable gaming rig, but when we relax in the lounge, we set our rig up with a portable monitor and controllers.

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutScotch dresser2026-03-18T00:00:00+00:002026-03-18T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/scotch-dresserBusied my hands by sketching my father’s Scotch dresser, now mine.

Line and wash sketch. A wooden chest of drawer. There are three big drawers below a set of 2 square drawers on each side and two small drawers one above another.

He calls it an Armoire Normande. Wife refers to it as a Scotch chest or dresser. I don’t care what it’s called. It’s beautiful and I love it.

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutInvisible labour2026-03-05T00:00:00+00:002026-03-05T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/invisible-labourSelf-advocacy - it is asking a lot of disabled people. It’s often disheartening and exhausting.

Ink and watercolor sketch of a man at the bottom of a long and uneven stone staircase. He's carrying a bag on his back. He is dragging a small bag behind him in his left hand. The bag says "explain". On his shoulder he has a bigger bag that says "educate". Above that an even bigger bag that says "Request". And another bigger bag that says "Justify", and the bag at the very top, bigger still, says "Repeat". A caption at the bottom of the sketch says "The invisible labour of self-advocacy". It is dated March 5, 2026.

Explain. Educate. Request. Justify. Repeat… Ad nauseam.

You can find the post about it in the March 10, 2026 edition of the newsletter

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutA heavy rescue truck2026-02-19T00:00:00+00:002026-02-19T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/heavy-rescueI’ve enjoyed watching the show Highway Thru Hell every once in a while. I saw this big red heavy rescue truck parked near the supermarket. I had a few minutes so I sketched it!

Line and wash sketch. A large red heavy rescue truck, seen in profile.

It was made quickly and I haven’t used the water brushes in a while. I’m trying hard to come to both love and be proficient with them. It’s a very steep curve!

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutMedical Aid in Dying2026-02-04T00:00:00+00:002026-02-04T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/maidMedical Aid in Dying is a heavy topic. But it’s a topic I’m passionate about.

Line and wash sketch. Two people in a drab office. One is wearing a suit and sitting behind a desk. The other is in a wheelchair facing the desk. The suited guy says I'm sorry, as you know, there's a two year waiting list for accessible housing. Would you like MAiD instead?. There's a posted on the wall. Some of the words are truncated but they are diversity, belonging, inclusion.

I’ve long opposed the legalization of physician assisted suicide, euthanasia, or MAiD (Medical Aid in Dying). I’m not talking about it as often as I used to, but you can find the post about it in the February 15, 2026 edition of the newsletter

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]]>Nicolas SteenhoutTake the stairs2026-01-29T00:00:00+00:002026-01-29T00:00:00+00:00https://drawntonotice.art/stairsThe time when they locked up the elevator for “exercise week” wasn’t any fun for wheelchair users and parents with kids in strollers…

Line and wash sketch. A parent with a kid in a stroller and a wheelchair user are in front of an elevator. There are several signs on the elevator. Closed. Exercise week. Use the stairs. There is an arrow pointing towards the stairs. A handwritten note says: Who will you chose to exclude to benefit the majority? Signed and dated January 29, 2026.

Exclusion is an active choice, whether it’s conscious or not.

You can find the post about it in the February 3, 2026 edition of the newsletter

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