"What do you do when it's too cold to draw outside?"

"What do you do when it's too cold to draw outside?"

To be clear, I subscribe to the Northener's axiom that there is no such thing as too-cold weather, just insufficient layers of clothing. That's why many of my neighbors have been confronted by the eerie sight of a hulking and heavily bundled beast poking at the sidewalk with a piece of chalk when the temps are well below freezing.

before-and-after photos of a bar coaster doodleHowever, for those who don't find joy drawing al fresco in winter, there are plenty of indoor ephemeral opportunities – and even more if you befriend bartenders and servers. I don't indulge in coaster art as much as I used to, but here are several examples from my "waiting for a hamburger on a cold winter's day" era.

bar coaster with an oddly-shaped stain
bar coaster with an oddly-shaped stain changed into a sea creature by doodling pen
bar coaster with a doodle of a octopus-like creature embracing a fork
bar coaster with a drawing of a dancing mouse appearing to balance on a nearby knife
two bar coasters overlapping and torn to depict a mouse with a sword fending off a toothy monster
Most of these photos and a full explanation of restaurant doodling can be found in the "Coasting Through Rough Weather" section of my book Underfoot Menagerie, available here.
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