What a great class this has been, and I’ve learned so much!
The final demos I did a crazed, loose sketch-along for these locations in Melbourne.
My takeaways from the class are many. I vastly enjoyed this class and learned so much. I feel I significantly leveled up in my understanding of practical applications, as well as in how to manage my overwhelm in the moment. So helpful! Here are my takeaways:
The fastest, loosest sketch will still capture the memory and scene.
Start with 7 lines, 5 shapes, or 3 layers when overwhelmed by a scene. It will still be clear enough to know.
I really like shapes and do better with them—that’s my personal go to beginning a sketch.
Onward! Though the group run through of Sketchbook Design is no longer happening, I intend to do the class myself. It aligns nicely with my desire to get back to a daily sketchbook habit.
A simple approach of thinking of foreground, middle ground, and background while using watercolor pencils to color shapes, ink to add lines for definition, and a final layer of water or watercolor paint to finish the sketch. I’m quite happy with my results.
These are the sketches I’ve done for my assignments, famous locations. The first layer is indeed done with watercolor pencil, then some ink lines for definition. Then watercolor paint and water to add the finishing touches. I’d be very happy if my sketches when traveling looked so good. Most of these took me about 15 minutes to quick sketch, from photos. I was trying to work super fast, working along with the instruction video.
My three scenes, same ones I’ve done for the lines, and shapes exercises. Really happy with these. The ink lines are done with my Pentel Brush pen, and I really like it.
Sketching with just five shapes, using dry color media like watercolor pencils.
I always like starting with shapes in a drawing. I find it easier, and more forgiving. I chose the same three scenes for my assignment: my backyard, Tumacacori, and Bartlett Lake. I like all three better in shapes than I do in lines. I will confess I had a powerful desire to add water to these color blocks. I generally prefer water, but this class is to test out different methods and media that can make travel sketching faster and easier. I left them alone to get the full effect.
My Takeaways from the Shapes exercise: I really do have a much easier time using shapes than I do with line drawings. Just ten minutes with a very limited set of watercolor pencils really did a good job capturing these scenes, which surprised me.
First, my backyard. Using a continuous line for each of the objects worked well for this scene. In just ten minutes, I think it is a decent depiction.
Second: Tumacacori, in southern Arizona. This building, when I traveled there and tried to sketch it, felt like a huge struggle, and a failure, so it now represents my target. To be able to confidently sketch a building like this, when under the time pressure I was under that day. I did not feel seven lines captured it, so I added more detail in this sketch. Perhaps I chose the wrong lines? Still, this sketch took ten minutes, and it does look like the scene!
Third: Bartlett Lake. Just seven lines and this is a wonderful capture of the lake. I’m quite surprised how effective just seven lines are here. I did use continuous lines for the mountain line and the bushes. I absolutely had to use a line for the buzzard. There were many buzzards that day, and it was a highlight of the trip!
Takeaways:
Seven lines approach feels like a game changer! It dramatically helps calm the overwhelm and targets HOW to begin to simplify. My big takeaways have been:
Even the simplest, seven lines only sketch can capture the scene and the memories.
Different tools do create a different feeling in the sketch, and in the lines.
Thicker lines look more intentional and complete when there are only 7 of them, reducing the urge to fill in.
It is perfectly acceptable to have a simple sketch. Variety in the sketchbook looks good
Starting a new Sketching Now class on Travel Sketching. Since I’m not even leaving the house with the weather breaking yet more heat records, I decided that for my “current sketch” I’d sketch a view that is always available. My backyard. I can stay in the air conditioning and sketch whenever I want.
I used watercolor pencils because they are going to be used in class, and I wanted to see how I do with them, before we’ve had any instructions. The idea is to do another sketch of this view after class for a good before and after, and to cement what I do learn. This sketch took me 35 minutes. I did add water to the watercolor pencils after drawing.
I haven’t used watercolor pencils for travel sketching, so I’m going with the class palette in order to learn the techniques. Using the same watercolor palette I used for the Teacups class. I tend to avoid graphite pencils, so it will be interesting to see how these work out for me. I’m rather intrigued by the graphite aquarelle variety. I do have Neocolor II in a similar palette to the watercolor pencils that I may try out (but are not in this image) because I’m very curious about them.
I came back to this challenge after two years away. Life happened, as it does. But in 2024 I finally sat back down with a sketchbook and committed to One Week 100 People again.
There was one big difference from 2021. Last time, I drew tiny gestural figures — whole bodies, loosely suggested, no faces to speak of. This year I decided to actually draw faces. Properly. Or as properly as I manage anything.
I treated myself to a new marker set to mark the occasion: the Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua Dual Marker Portrait set, with six warm tones — Apricot 116, Pale Pink 114, Sand 281, Vintage Pink 195, Terra Cotta 185, and Burnt Sienna 283. A small, muted palette. The warmest browns ended up doing a lot of heavy lifting, since Burnt Sienna was my only real dark — every head of hair, every jacket, every shadow ended up in that rich brown. I didn’t mind at all.
My companions for the week were Murdoch Mysteries, The Curse of Oak Island, and Death in Paradise. Good, comfortable television. The kind you can pause.
Somewhere around portrait 21, I drew someone live for the first time — a friend, sitting for me properly. It was more careful than the TV portraits, and it actually looks like him. Not a perfect likeness, but close enough that someone who knows him would recognize him. That felt like a milestone.
Portrait 49 is one of my favorite pages from the whole challenge. I added water to the markers and got the most beautiful blooming effects in the skin tone — soft and loose and a little unpredictable. Exactly the kind of happy accident that makes me love this medium. My first ever self-portrait, which looks nothing like me. But I do love the effects of the water on the marker and the blooms created.
I stopped at 56, which is my second ever self-portrait. Also looks nothing like me. My people sketches were spread across three weeks, and I am completely fine with that.
What surprised me most was how easily the faces came. I’d been nervous — faces are intimidating. But once I started, something loosened up. I was better at it than I thought I would be. Though I was happy if it just looked like a person, and not too distorted. I didn’t mind if it didn’t actually look like the person!
I’m glad I did this challenge this year. I’ll definitely do it again next years!
My fifth run through Sketching Now Watercolor. I had fun this year, and made a page design formula. I also did this year on loose watercolor paper, Fabriano 1264, which is a student grade watercolor paper I had in stock.
My previous runs through this course were in 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Testing the Rosemary & Co. R16 brush for Sketching Now Watercolor Class. Paper is 1264 Fabriano 140lb 300gsm. These kinds of tests are always so fun to do!
Starting my Watercolor class at Sketching Now with Liz Steel. Thus will be my fifth time taking it! I swear I learn more every single time! Last time I tested the exercises with two different palettes. This time I think I’ll add page design to my efforts. I’m keen to work on shadows and dimension as well. I know from experience I tend to run short on time, so wish me luck!
My 12 color palette for this class. Same as my last round through this course. I think I’m finally settling on some favorite pigments. I do find I like the transparency and granulation best. This 1264 Fabriano watercolor paper (9×12) is new to me. Very textured, and very thirsty, but the results are quite nice. I’m experimenting with a dip pen and a G nib here. Worked better on the watercolor paper than I expected. The ink is Dr Ph Martin Black Star Matte. According to the ink tests I did last week, it is the most brush proof as well as waterproof.
Jamie's Sketchbook 