Stuff on my desk, 1972

I did this study of random stuff on my desk as a first-year college student at Brandeis University. From left to right: ivy plant, Vaseline hand cream (blue top), plastic teacup with spoon. Green pencil eraser brought home from Italy. Red Japanese coin bank in the shape of round-bottomed folk figure "Daruma," a gift from my cousin Charles. (I still have it.) Used tea bag. Dip pen and two bottles of Pelikan India ink. The things of my life have not changed much since then.

I have been looking through my old illustrated journals and am scanning in the best pieces from these dusty old books. I've been keeping a journal since 1968. I still add artwork into my journal though not so elaborate as this, which according to the journal took days to do. As you can see I've been working with colored pencil all along, though I don't usually do as super-realistic a view as this. 

Colored pencils on sketchbook page, 8" x 8 1/2", January 1972 (note date stamp). Click for larger view.