I sketched this scene with a pencil that was harder than the one I used yesterday (4B used yesterday, HB used today). Making easy-to-see marks with a harder pencil takes more pressure than it does with a softer pencil. I don’t work well with harder marks, so the drawing below is not that easy to […]
I love this collection of people. Each has his/her own visual charm. I captured the slouch of the far right character (on the second try). I used a soft pencil to sketch this group portrait. This allows my initial marks to be spontaneous as well as visible (without overworking them, as I must do with […]
One usually doesn’t see more that three people sitting together in the cafe at the bookstore; and they are usually silent. So when I saw three tables pushed together, with at least 6 characters gathered around, I took notice. It was lovely when one of them began to read aloud.
I saw this couple adorable couple in the waiting room. They were very cozy, and I had a long time to draw them. I even took some time to render the plant. Another man sat down next to them. He was only there for a short time, so he is just a sketch.
Sometimes I’m comfortable enough to sketch with a loose hand. Occasionally this happens when I’m rushed or when I’m working with a lot of surface area. Lately my loose lines have been able to convey the shapes that I intend. This technique worked particularly well for the sketch below.
This was the scene before me when I sat down at break the other day. It doesn’t strike me as a particularly rich visual design. The element that binds the composition together is the different technology each subject is relying upon.
Among the troubles facing a “plein air” sketcher of people is that they move. This happened when I started the sketch below. I started drawing a young man with a blue mohawk. He was still during my first 30 seconds of sketching but moved on and another clerk took his place. I changed my focus […]
Since the beginning of the year I’ve been practicing to improve my sketching. Faces have always been difficult for me, so I draw them again and again. Below are some practice sketches, complete with mistakes. The 3/4 profile at the 11 O’Clock position did not work: it turned out to be a combination of a […]
Sometimes one does not get the opportunity to draw faces, but backs of heads can also be interesting.
The man in the shorts was brave. He joined us in the waiting room at about 6:30 in the morning. Just the thought of cold naugahyde on my bare legs is enough to make my skin crawl. There were others waiting as well, so I had a chance to practice my face sketching.
