a number of years ago, while on a field trip to a foundry for a weekend while at art school, a bunch of us had dinner at a local diner and began passing our paper placemats around and drawing on them. Some of my class mates would stare blankly while others went right to work. The ones that took a minute or looked blankly a the blank page asked how those of us came up with stuff so readily. For some it was habit or a style or a character they had drawn for years. I believe this is one of the first times I consciously considered the idea of Don’t Think Draw. It was a matter of not thinking and just putting pen to paper. In some cases it was copying the placemat design or details and continuing from there. I believe that is what was happening in the middle section of the corpse as I had business cards strewn all over the desk.
More placemats while waiting for food and drink and while eating and drinking.
Another placemat drawing. 
While waiting for food at a restaurant. Not quite R. Crumb’s Waiting for Food: Restaurant Placemat Drawings, but similar. Corpses drawn on menus that double for placemats at a restaurant. I am happy to see the return of paper placemats, especially on brown craft paper, at restaurants where you can also get a good cocktail. May or may not (not sure I need the may not) have been inspired by the calamari. 
office of surrealist investigations 