yo we should build our own tag empire #trey clover appreciation post lol, bc other treys exist and we must make it abundantly clear who we stan
Anyways rq prompt let's feaking go:
how would trey fill up a sketchbook?
Hmm, interesting prompt, anon. This falls into my own interests, so this headcanon post will be long and extremely detailed. I used and scanned my *real sketchbook for this experiment to make it more immersive on my end. Zoom in for details.
side note: the information about the strawberry tops, as well as the snippet of a lemon curd recipe beside Riddle, and the croque madame breakdown are real. You can use those if you wish; they are real recipe notes I wrote that I put in for this.
First thing to address, I headcanon him as having sloppy, small and quick handwriting, blending cursive and print, and being flat in appearance. I think of it as having evolved from the need to quickly note down details as he experiments with recipes, which became a quality of his penmanship. You can also see where each batch of thought ends as his paragraphs or lists are written in different colors of ink, in a way chaotically organized.
Now, if he were to have visual artistic skill…
I think of him as having a fairly fast, charming rough-around-the-edges, impressionistic and sketchy style, as opposed to the ornate and delicately designed culinary marvels he is known for.
His art is just detailed enough to capture the essence and relevant details, but not exactly one he (or others) would consider masterpieces, though still admirable. He draws to capture concepts or solidify ideas for future use, and uses his drawings as an extension of his working mind. His art is only one step in a process of creation, and he does not consider it a final product.
^ I feel like he would be the type to use a sketchbook as a zibaldone journal. Not as unstructured as a catch-all journal but not as consistent and dedicated as a commonplace.
^ And I definitely see him as the sort who uses a sketchbook as a drawing board to jot down recipe ideas or edits, keep in mind unfinished lists, concepts or plans for his interests, or record outcomes for his experiments.
transcript: "I wouldn't call myself the kind of person who could do what he does on a daily basis. To be able to give away smiles so easily, I also questioned it. I heard something about smiles that don't reach the eyes and I can't help but notice it more and more. I see it in Cater more often than not."
^ As it is an extension of his working mind, I feel that it would then also serve as a means to express stray, unaddressed ideas or feelings he would rather not name, or cannot properly place in his mind. And impressionistic, once again, comes to light.
transcript (top left): "but I don't think it is my place to call it out. In his own time, whenever he thinks is ready. Maybe I will. Maybe it's nothing. But my gut tells me it is not something I can easily put off or throw away. I always get reminded of it. Is there something on your mind, Cater? Will you ever tell me? Please tell me."
transcript (top right): "Cater is not one to really indulge in sweets. So I think I'd like to find an alternative that he might find to be more palatable. Good to pair with coffee!"
transcript (bottom left): "Thanks to Rook for the (impromptu and surprise) recommendation. I wonder where I could find a good type of coffee to pair it with. Maybe I should ask Dad for this? :)"
transcript (bottom right): "I think I should talk to him sometime..."
^ For as much as he analyzes and articulates well in situations, his plain visual art or personal writing is full of raw feeling, full of bias, without inhibition or self-surveillance, rife with unedited emotion. His heart shows most when it is seen but not fully exposed or explained. His very vulnerable sketch of Riddle, or his thoughts and vents about Cater, contrasting the analytical recipes and instructions written beside both, show that unconscious emotionality best, in my opinion.
I also made sure to include the fact that he is thoughtful. You can see it in several instances here, where he notes multiple times to remind himself to ask Riddle about his idea for tea flavors, the food preferences that Cater has (plus noticing his facial expressions and showing great concern), to even openly thanking Rook in writing, and thinking of asking his father about good coffee pairings so he could make a meal that Cater would enjoy. Yes I ship Treykei. Anyways.
^ With this in consideration, I feel that he very often uses ink or pen, or a standard graphite pencil on most occasions, as these likely would be the most common writing instruments around, easy to find and grab for use. He uses whatever is around and whatever somebody else has around.
^ There are definitely a ton of scratched areas, or smudges of ink and graphite, or places where he tests and swatches his pens. It's not a matter of aesthetic for him, but the functionality. He tries to keep it clean and legible, but if it cannot be helped, then it will be messy. A sketchbook is meant to be filled and lived in, and I think he would be the sort who is not afraid of "ruining" it with some forgivable clutter.
I also think of him as the sort of person who breaks down an object as he observes it, and it appears in his sketches:
^ Like sketching out a slice of cake, or analyzing what makes up a new dish recipe, and noting down the possible ingredients and flavors that may be used in creating it, and stray notes on the margins of his abridged thoughts on the matter, showing a constant flowing creativity through his analyses.
^ He is, above all, practical and unafraid to fill his sketchbook, as he writes down reminders, lists, recipes, and ideas next to his artworks without guilt or shame. He does not consider himself a person too focused on the fine arts, and so his justification is that he merely doodles on the sidelines when he has extra energy to spend, or as a means to kickstart his drive to create other things.
I'd like to think that Trey is more of a self-taught hobby artist, never really learning formal art principles or proper ways to draw, and not caring to do so, but he clearly has the inclination or talent to learn. His passion, however, is not in that kind of art. Instead of fully discarding his skill in doodling, he incorporates it into his daily life and primary interest in culinary arts, using it as an additional tool to refine his plans further, the mark of a resourceful man indeed.
With an eye for aesthetics, as well as an in-tune emotional sensitivity and logical perceptiveness, I think he would use his sketchbook to not only note his own interests, but the interests of others, how he can use these to get to know those people better, and make them feel more comfortable. With the occasional break from logic or rationality (such as in the case of him venting out his worry over Cater), you can see the warmth, humanity, and kindness that fuel his actions.
He would use his sketchbook as a blend of a zibaldone and a field notebook, basically.
