Banking has never been a great joy, but it’s something that needs to be done. Pre-COVID, banking meant going to the drive-through ATM where the machine spits out money almost immediately and you drive off. Or you go into the bank and talk to a nice person who can assist you quickly and you can get a cup of coffee or a water, or even a cookie. Now, bank lobbies are closed, and you have to sit in line at the drive-through (or better called “the wait-through”), engines spitting out exhaust, as you wait and wait to get anything done. I have had the uncanny luck of needing a new ATM card, which has evolved into a many-hour process, where I sit in line with other rows of cars, speak loudly towards a monitor with a friendly bank teller’s face, and douse myself in hand sanitizer after touching every surface on the automated machine.
I got smart one day and brought my sketch stuff along. Knowing I’d be in line awhile, I started sketching from my car, and here’s what I came up with:
I am actually impressed with the genius who came up with the “whooshy” tube and I am mesmerized when watching containers shoot up and down these tubes. Sometimes this reminds me of Augustus Gloop being sucked up the tube from the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (OK, I have a lot of time to sit and think while sitting in line).
A couple days ago, I sat in yet another line of cars at the bank drive-through. Several cars deep in each lane, I knew I’d be awhile. I decided to sketch the whole drive-through area with a shiny red car in front of me. Other souls like me, whittling our time away, sat in hot cars as tubes shot up and down. But I learned my lesson— crank out a sketch. I was almost disappointed when the red car (and the one before it) finished up and I had to pull forward and the sketch was over. Almost. This time I got my business finished by going through the ATM two times and talking to the teller in the OPEN line. Three lines. Not bad. A sketch was born!
