Adrian C. Sinnott's Traveling Sketches

With all the hype about going green I decided to dig out my old ten-speed. I’ve done this before and gotten the bike roadworthy but it seems that I live in something of a hollow. To go anywhere means going uphill. So, even with best intentions, I don’t use it as I should. Also, many years ago, someone borrowed the bike and crashed it, bending the fork. I sort of straightened it and used it anyway.

This time I decided I’d fix it properly and replace the fork. Since road bikes are only just coming back into vogue, some parts are difficult to come by. I did find a nice fork made of carbon fiber at www.nashbar.com. Only trouble is my bike is a Motobecane. It was made in France in 1978 and the thread pattern for the fork is different. This means replacing what’s called the headset. That’s all the bearings and stuff that make it turn easily. But the size is much smaller than those in use today! I finally found a headset for old Schwinns from www.bikepartsusa.com which should be the right thread pattern for the new fork. I’ll let you know if it actually fits the bike once it arrives.

This is what I need, no flats, no gears, no falling over.

There’s something a little spooky about this sketch. I don’t think I’d trust her with any sharp implements. At first glance it’s just a drawing of a girl but a longer look and it’s one of those “hair standing up on the back of your head” feelings. She could be on the cover of a Steven King novel.

“Deadlines” in the advertising business can be literal. If the job isn’t there when it’s due, you may as well be dead. Ads in print magazines can cost from the low thousands to the many hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the publication. If your ad isn’t submitted on time, you still pay for the space and the magazine fills it with a public service ad. That tends to make clients a bit grumpy. You can probably say goodbye to ever working for them again.

Things have changed a little recently since so much work is electronic and can be updated easily. But deadlines are still a fact of life for any illustrator or designer. You might have a little leeway when it comes down to the wire but the time allocated for the project itself has shrunk considerably. Everyone thinks that all us artists do is “press” a few buttons, so why can’t my job be done overnight.

This has been one of those weeks where a number of deadlines decided to occupy the same space. So, I’m not joking when I say, “The only time I see the sunrise is when I’ve been up all night.” I’ve seen the sun a couple of times recently.

You know you're running out of time when you here the birds start chirping.

Watching those old swashbuckling pirate movies, I thought that those puffy sleeves they wore must have gotten in the way all the time. What happens if you’re trying to swing from your ship onto the deck of your prey but the wind blows the sleeves over your eyes, it definitely could present a workplace hazard. I was wondering if they served any real purpose when I realised that, whenever you ate, all the crumbs and stains would be recorded on the sleeves. So when you left the pub, they’d know just what to charge you.

Let's see, two cups of mead, a bowl of gruel and three chickens. That'll be 1 shilling and sixpence.