The Case of the Missing Sketch (and Too Many Sketchbooks)

It’s early December, the studio is cozy, the tea is steaming, and I should—in theory—be calmly sketching out my plans for the next round of Critterwit creations. Instead, I have found myself on an unexpected quest. A quest that requires bravery, determination, and… far too many sketchbooks.

You see, I had an idea. A good one. A really good one. One of those “stop everything and draw this immediately” ideas that arrive like tiny woodland messengers demanding attention. I listened. I sketched. I congratulated myself. And then… I promptly put the sketchbook somewhere “obvious.”

Which is how I’ve now ended up swaddled in a blanket, surrounded by a leaning tower of sketchbooks in various states of use—some new, some battered, some containing nothing but mysterious thumbnails I swear I didn’t draw.

My tea (seasonally perfect and deeply comforting) has been refilled twice. I’ve flipped through so many pages that I feel like a woodland archivist. I’ve found:

• A bear in a vest and hard-hat that I don’t recall inventing

• A daring chipmunk preparing for some grand adventure

• A mouse attempting yoga

• Five pages of acorn studies (why?)

• And one half-finished raccoon portrait who looks personally offended that I left him this way

But not the sketch. Not the brilliant spark of genius that started this whole adventure.

At this point, I’m starting to suspect the sketch has sprouted legs and headed south for the winter.

Of course, this is the eternal dance of the creative process: inspiration strikes boldly, while organization tiptoes quietly out the back door. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way. These overflowing sketchbooks—every chaotic, whimsical, out-of-order one of them—hold the first breaths of so many Critterwit stories. Even when they refuse to hold still long enough for me to find the one I’m looking for.

If (when!) the sketch finally resurfaces, I promise it will be worth the wait. Until then, I’ll be here, blanket-wrapped and deeply caffeinated, bravely venturing into the sketchbook wilderness one page at a time.

Wishing you warmth, laughter, and far fewer notebooks than I seem to require,

Charity

Artist & Forager at Critterwit & Company