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Let's Start Sketching

4

sketchbook tour

I would like to share with you my sketchbooks, to give you ideas but also to encourage you not to be so precious about it. 

They are not perfect but I hope you can sense how much fun I am having sketching in them.

sketchbook tour

the pressure of the "first page" of your sketchbook

It is not easy to do the first entry into a brand new sketchbook. We feel pressured to do something ‘beautiful’. To take that pressure away a few tips how to start:

  • Start in the middle of the sketchbook
  • Draw a fun title
  • Write an inspiring quote into it
  • Document the materials that you will be using.

first page

color swatches

Let’s get familiar with the material we will be using and make a color chart.

Let’s also get familiar with water color working:

Wet On Dry:

  • Layer the color to get depth to your sketches but let them dry between layers.

Wet On Wet:

  • Apply a first layer of colors. Drip in other colors. I love how the colors stay within the border

Smooth Edges:

  • By going over hard edges with a humid brush you can make them soft.

Wet Paint On Water

  • Apply some water on your page and paint into it. It fuses. 

color swatches

different lines - different style

Depending how you work your line, your sketch will look so different. Let’s explore different styles. During the whole course feel free to use any line that suits you best. (or maybe you want to try them all out!)

We are looking at:

  • Fine lines that are often interrupted
  • Sketchy busy but fine lines
  • Energetic lines
  • One line drawing
  • Thick lines, illustration style
  • Pensil drawing

exploring lines

fine line drawing

To simply draw with a fine line pen was quite a revelation to me. You can get a really fun drawing with something as simple as that.

Select anything, lay it out on your table and sketch it directly. To make it more interesting add hatching, crosshatching and dots to it. 

If this is a technique that you would like to develop, I can highly recommend the book from Alphonso Dunn or his youtube videos. I also have a video on my blog about drawing texture.

alphonso dunn books

fine line drawing

Let's continue to sketching...