Using a measured set-up is so helpful in getting placement and proportions and even angles more accurate. I typically forget to do it, so this lesson in my Foundations class was quite helpful.
It really helped me get the foreshortened tube more accurate, as well as the door.
I’m really happy with how the text blocks makes this page look so complete! Without the text these disparate sketches looked adrift in the odd sea of the page. The headings and text blocks really make it look like there was a plan, when there wasn’t!
I realized that the white space on this spread really highlighted the sketch of the pumpkins and that I should definitely leave it alone and let it shine! I tend to struggle with white space, so being able to see this as I finished off the page is something I’ve learned!
My sketchbook and materials for this class. I am currently preferring the smaller size and the alpha paper. I have two going at the moment, a 6×9-inch landscape that I started for the Travel Sketching Class, and a 7.5-inch square that is my everyday. It’s almost finished! I am also carrying around an A5 Stalogy that I was using as my food diary sketchbook since it’s pages are super thin and it does take watercolor without bleeding, so I can have a longer period of time in one book. I haven’t kept it up, so I may abandon it soon? This trio of sketchbooks I’ve been carrying around for a couple months now, so it feels very familiar. (Note to self, I’m looking forward to taking Foundations again in January, because I’m still not getting the angles on stacks of books right! Hardest thing to draw! Ever!) These two sketches are actually on two different pages of my sketchbook, but they would have looked quite good together in one spread!
Should I continue my memory lane search for the materials sketches I did in previous iterations of this class?
My materials and palette sketch from the January 2021 class. The palette in particular brings me back, because I’ve used a variety of palettes since then.
My materials sketch (and a food sketch!) from the August 2021 class.
Sketch of Materials I did for the January 2023 class. I see I used a similar stack of sketchbooks for my composition! I never did use that Etchr sketchbook, though. Interesting. Both those Alpha books got filled up since then, however.
Sketchbooks hold such wonderful memories, don’t they?
My latest spread, I knew I was going to be starting this class, so I thought about the page design before I began. While this spread has a title on it, I haven’t been doing headings and titles as much lately. They really make a difference!
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.
My Three Scenes:
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:
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 focused on achieving patterns, so my colors are off. I tried to use the granulation of Lunar Black to make the all black items have a little life in the sketch. I’m pretty happy with my results.
Jamie's Sketchbook 