This post will be on sketching people and
integrating collage into background. I love to sketch and I try to do it when I have an opportunity and
a muse :) I took number of figure drawing classes (with instructions and
without) and only recently I became comfortable enough to sketch in public
places.
I was told by my instructors that sketching
is a good drawing exercise and that I need to sketch when I have free time.
That was so good advice! I noticed that more I sketch, better it gets. Also
sketching gives me opportunity to enjoy drawing
when I cannot access my easel and brushes. Last, but not the least it is
fun and inspiring!
So here are my personal strategies that I
use in sketching strangers:
1. Places to sketch: I usually sketch people in cafes, parks and on the beach. It is the place where people come to relax, read and work on the computer. The main goal is that the person whom I draw won’t move too much.
2. Finding the right spot: not too close from a person whom I want to sketch. I do not want to draw attention. But it should not be too far either, I would like to see some general details (shadows, posture, clothing items), unless I particularly want to draw silhouettes.
3. Finding repetitive gestures or movements of the person. If the person moves every few minutes, I start few sketches at the same time. It gives opportunity to work simultaneously on 2 sketches without making a break. By the end hopefully I finish them all.
4. Sketching general details: I usually try not to care about similarity. It is only a learning exercise on shapes and forms of people’s body for me. The similarity might become the issue if I decide to have it as a reference for the final work and sell it. There is an interesting discussion on wetcanvas on this topic: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126622
5. Contour sketching: I am amateur artist, so I am still learning how to draw fast. So most of the time I do a contour sketch, because it allows to do it quickly without measuring a model. If I have time I add some shadows, usually where I decide to make a focal point.
6. Adding details from the surroundings: I sketch it last or even when the person is gone. It is important that the surroundings won’t compete with the main subject.
1. Places to sketch: I usually sketch people in cafes, parks and on the beach. It is the place where people come to relax, read and work on the computer. The main goal is that the person whom I draw won’t move too much.
2. Finding the right spot: not too close from a person whom I want to sketch. I do not want to draw attention. But it should not be too far either, I would like to see some general details (shadows, posture, clothing items), unless I particularly want to draw silhouettes.
3. Finding repetitive gestures or movements of the person. If the person moves every few minutes, I start few sketches at the same time. It gives opportunity to work simultaneously on 2 sketches without making a break. By the end hopefully I finish them all.
4. Sketching general details: I usually try not to care about similarity. It is only a learning exercise on shapes and forms of people’s body for me. The similarity might become the issue if I decide to have it as a reference for the final work and sell it. There is an interesting discussion on wetcanvas on this topic: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126622
5. Contour sketching: I am amateur artist, so I am still learning how to draw fast. So most of the time I do a contour sketch, because it allows to do it quickly without measuring a model. If I have time I add some shadows, usually where I decide to make a focal point.
6. Adding details from the surroundings: I sketch it last or even when the person is gone. It is important that the surroundings won’t compete with the main subject.
During my last sketching on the beach, I
decided to experiment with adding colour to the background. Since I am doing a
lot of mixed media lately by adding Japanese rice paper, I decided to take paper to the beach instead of colour pencils. I
used tears of Japanese rice paper to block a background and tried to make it in
an abstract way. Take a look what I got and share your tips how you sketch in
public places.
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