It’s #OneWeek100People week! Hopefully you’ve got some people-sketching in already?
This week is looking extra challenging for daily sketching. So I’m doing as much as possible on the days I can to allow for almost nothing on other days. Here is a set of over 50 sketches done in one long sitting of 2 hours at my favorite coffee shop in my neighborhood, Blvd. Coffee. Blvd. Coffee now has fresh baked goods made on the premises every week, so when I walked in to sketch, I was in for a treat. I expected to just get to sketch cafe people but I got to watch pastry being made into croissants, cinnamon buns and much more. I sketched in an accordion fold book I had.
The paper isn’t the best for watercolor, but with quick sketches and simple washes, it doesn’t matter one bit. Here are some sketches from one side of the book:
And here are a few sketches from that second side of my accordion book:
A few random thoughts and observations from this session, mostly of things to work on and think more about:
I’m interested even in the littlest people-sketch in the story-telling potential of the sketch. So a cafe sketch isn’t just torso-and-head sketches. And telling stories without hands is losing half the story, because hands and gestures speak so much. So, note to self: Get back to those hand-studies!
Also about hands: Often, I start drawing someone because a gesture interests me. When drawing from life, you have to get to that gesture as fast as possible, especially if it’s a non-repeating one. Starting where the gesture is means I get to build the rest of the person after that, often drawing in a non-intuitive way (I usually start at the head, but it’s not possible in these circumstances). Lots more practice needed in drawing in this fashion.
Many people have been asking on the OneWeek100People Facebook Page about drawing in cafes and how to do it without attracting too much attention. And the most succinct advice came from Srivani: Keeping the bobbing head (looking up and down frantically while drawing) to a minimum helps to stay “hidden”.
More sketches in a post towards the end of the week. If you haven’t joined the challenge yet,it’s not to late to join and sketch a few people. Read more about it here.
YOU…are an inspiration!
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Thank you Lee! I really enjoyed your India sketches so much!
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Yesterday and today while sketching #1 – #56 (about 25+ per hour), I kept hearing in my head, “line of action.” 😉 I was at a coffee shop yesterday, but I think that’s too static — mostly zombies working at their laptops. Today I went to the light rail station so that I could sketch whole figures, and that was more fun. Even though they weren’t moving much, I was interested in finding the line of action in standing people — the weight on one leg means that hip is higher, the shoulders might be sloped in the opposite direction. Subtle, challenging things, but great practice. Tomorrow I’m going to the mall where people will be walking more. Thanks, always, for your inspiration!
– Tina
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Yes Tina, cafe people are more easily sketched as shape. Not enough action. I like doing them, but only for so long. Yup, once you see how the weight moves in the body, it gets fun to capture it: enjoy!
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You are simply amazing, Suhita. Your handwriting is equally good. One thing crossed my mind. When you sketch people either sitting beside them or sitting in a corner or away from the crowd you must be getting noticed by the people around you, isn’t it. Other than curiosity do they feel or take offense? I guess not. The reason I asked is it sometimes happens when you are photographing someone without his/her knowledge.
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I think people react VERY differently to being photographed and being sketched. I never have had someone have an issue with being sketched. That said, I try not to be in their face.Or, if it’s someone like the pastry chefs I drew, I am super-open about drawing them from the start so they can let me know if it’s not comfortable for them.
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Make sense. I agree with your points.
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Nice drawings of people.
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