Introducing the Haul of Wonders …

… wherein from time to time I haul out items from my sketchbooks and wonder publicly why I drew them.

Though the criteria for inclusion into the Haul are simple, not every squiggle and jot from my sketchbooks can make the cut (your sighs of relief are palpable). The criteria:

1. I can't remember who the client was, or a gang of ganglia in my cerebral cortex has ganged up to force me to forget.

Exception 1 (A): I may have a notion about the client, but no idea why I created this drawing.

2. It must come from my sketchbooks. Duh!

3. Evidence must be abundant that I intended for the client to see the sketch. Clues might include tight renderings and complete drawings, sometimes in multiple variations. The sketch can't have been done for my own amusement or ideation (Is this really a word? It fits for "development of idea or ideas" but it seems too easy. Maybe I should refudiate its use.)

4. It's highly unlikely the sketches went to final art (if I can't remember that, then I'm in trouble).

The first inductees: These two bears and a tiger dressed as police officers

Huh? My only guess is that these were game pieces for a board game project, which up until that time had nothing to do with animals. Did I fever-dream this and try to talk the client into it? There's no date on the sketchbook page (I'm usually diligent), and nothing indicates I inked any final versions.

The only reason I guessed "board game" is that these are a few pages away from the board game sketches.

Why did I render these in different styles? Why police officers, and no other profession? Why a tiger and bears, no lion? Oh my. Why is one so different from the others, and in a state of menace? Why are the others so eerily cheerful?

They mystery deepens … or maybe not.