Thoughts & life experiences of a Chicago area graphic artist

01 September 2013

My House-sitting days

 Above Art: Hand Sketched Post Card of House Interior


I had a side-career as a house-sitter in my mid-to-late twenties. There were a handful of families that trusted me enough to live in their homes and care for their pets while they went away on vacation. I didn't realize at the time what an honor it was to be so trusted. All of the houses were nicely appointed. My favorite ones had extensive libraries that I enjoyed as I would peruse their collections of books. One family had a pool. Another family had horses (that I only fed but did not ride).

The dogs were always nice company. There was the elderly, deaf standard poodle, BeeGee that required daily medication. But she was a gentle soul and liked it when I took her outside in the lovely landscaped grounds. She'd enjoy the Summer breeze coming off of the adjacent lake. I would sketch her and some of the surrounding scenery.

Brandy was a slightly overfed German Shepherd. Her masters left micro-wave-able meals in the fridge for her for each day. She's dozing in my sketch that I've posted with this writing.

I think my favorite canine of the bunch was Peaches, a Golden Retriever. We would walk around the 5-acre property to check fences and just enjoy the Fall weather. 


 
Sketchbook drawing of Peaches the Golden Retriever
My sketchbook drawing of Peaches the Golden Retriever

The featured sketch at top is from 1988. I was dog-sitting for this couple who were actually in a temporary suburban home while they prepared to move out West. I did a sketch of their living room. It wasn't a large home but they made it very comfortable and visually pleasing. The post card was to my then fiance (now wife). My charge, Brandy, a German Shepherd is in the foreground. I liked the design of the place and wanted to capture it in a sketch. I used different colors of ball point pen and a gold colored Sanford Expresso Pen.
 
© O. Douglas Jennings. All rights reserved.

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