We could fill a whole sketchbook just at home! It is a perfect way to ease into a sketching habit without going outdoors.
I decided to sketch my sofa on a double page. Go around your house and look what inspires you.
Draw along or choose directly a little corner of your home that tempts you to draw.
We will work in three layer of watercolor, to archive some depth.
That is big moment to sketch in public. But no worries we will simply sketch objects.
We will work in vignettes. I love them because I can start with a small drawing and continue the page another day if I ran out of time.
Sketch along but afterward, you need to go through the experience to sketch outdoors.
Before I sit down in a coffee shop I already look around if I get a view that interest me for my sketch.
Once installed I start what attracts me the most. I trace with my hand where I want to add the sketch to get a sense of size and composition and will sketch directly with my fine line pen.
I find the sketches much livelier.
I always need to remind myself to leave some unpainted (white areas) I sometimes layer the paint but will also work wet in wet. Once I am done with a vignette, if I still have time I continue sketching but it also happens that I ran out of time and I simply continue another day, often on a different location.
I added some hand lettering.
I also added another version how I could have drawn the same subject.
FINAL RESULT OF MY SKETCH
ANOTHER VERSION
Handlettering is such a fun addition to a sketchbook. I do love it but right at this point I like to keep it simple. I use different simple ways to play with letter:
I added an image of the examples for you to copy or simply to keep as an inspiration.
The advantage in drawing buildings it that they don’t move!
This drawing might look a bit intimidating but it is actually quite simple. The project will have two sections:
1. A warm-up exercise simply in black
2. Buildings (a simpler version on my blog, link on class section buildings)
Let’s warm up. I use a fine line pen but mostly look at the subject that I am painting. It gives me spontaneous line and it is a great way to warm up. Once my lines are done I am working with a brush pen to add some darks. I am doing several vignettes.
Do this exercise also outdoors. It is so important to start sketching outside.
I draw more often houses from front with less perspective but thought it would be fun to do this together with some perspective.
I like to keep a limited palette. In this sketch I will use:
Payne’s grey, burnt sienna, green and turquois
Sketching people is probably the most difficult one but also the most fun. At the beginning it helps to draw people that are reading or sitting in a restaurant. They usually stay for a while and it gives you some time.
A few tips that help me:
When drawing a whole scene, I observe what interests me most. I start on the foreground and work myself backwards and to the side. This allows me to get the depth of the image and not be overwhelmed by everything I see.
I use watercolor in a rapid way since most of the time there is not enough time to get into details.