sketchbook works from artists I follow online
The first task this year was to get into the habit of sketchbook drawing. I have to admit, although I love to draw, I've never been one to carry a sketchbook with me; I'm especially inexperienced in sketching a subject in real time, en situ. I knew it was going to be challenging for me, but I was keen to practice and improve.
OBSERVATIONAL SKETCHING
I'm not terribly observant; I can walk an entire street and not remember anything I saw. It felt really odd to actually stop and focus on drawing my surroundings.
I started with still life sketches to ease into it. Drawing a stationary subject definitely removes some of that "time critical" pressure, but it presented me with one of my biggest foes; perspective. I have never had an eye for perspective, and find it ridiculously difficult to get my head around. However, sketching so often made it easier to identify and target my weak areas.
As for moving subjects, the first challenge I encountered was time. I am quite a slow worker, and I really had to work on my speed to capture likeness and dynamic. To do this, I had to abandon my tendency to fuss over detail - I had to be braver, looser, more confident in my markmaking. Although I was out of my comfort zone at first, I soon found I actually enjoyed it. I now see speed and looseness can sometimes capture the essence of a subject far better than obsessing over the drawing.
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A subject I particularly enjoyed was stray cats. I regularly say hello to a few on my street, and they were more than happy to model. It was really fun trying to capture the slinky movement of a playful cat, or the loaf-like stature of a relaxed one.
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I've always been more comfortable around animals than people, and they're a big part of my life. As well as my own rodent freeloaders at home, I work in a pet store; I spend a lot of time taking care of the animals we keep, and tending to customers' pets. I got into the habit of practicing at work by sketching my colleagues' dogs in the break room at lunch, and sketching the store animals on blank receipts during quieter till shifts.
Below are studies of Leroy (red lab, my most common lunch buddy) and Jinx (during the one time I've ever seen her sit still).
Below are studies of Leroy (red lab, my most common lunch buddy) and Jinx (during the one time I've ever seen her sit still).
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Occasionally we have a long-term resident in store. Below is my beloved Berlioz, one of two rat brothers we rehabbed for adoption - I sketched him a lot, and he seemed to approve.
Just a couple of weeks into semester one, I had to travel north for a family occasion. Whilst staying in Aviemore, we took my parents to the Highland Wildlife Park for their joint birthday - of course, I was antisocial and spent the entire time trying to keep up the sketchbook habit. We spent hours walking around the reserve, and I managed to fill a good few pages with sketches of the animals. I did get a bit carried away with the educational notes, but I expected that from myself.
Most of the animals were quite relaxed, and I was able to take my time. The fast-pacing tiger and lynx were more challenging, but also the most fun to draw.
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URBAN SKETCHING
As I've mentioned before, perspective is my arch enemy. I almost never draw buildings because of that. This was a challenge, and I certainly felt the urge to rip out many pages of my sketchbook.
The more I forced myself to practise perspective, the more baby steps I was taking. I have a long way to go before I'm comfortable with it, but I felt the urban sketching task helped me improve a little.
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WILD LIFE DRAWING
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Whether it was out in the open or on the train, I really struggled with drawing people in public. I think this is mostly because I lack the social confidence to actually be in public for any length of time, let alone stare at someone whilst drawing them. I tried my best to practise where I could by sketching friends and closer acquaintances. I did manage to sketch discreetly in Carlisle station on a few occasions whilst waiting for the train home. |
It took me quite a while to feel comfortable drawing people in real time. Again, I had to work quicker than I'm used to to capture a likeness. I drew a couple of self portraits and portraits of friends to familiarise myself with facial anatomy, which helped me loosen up when drawing people on the spot.
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