Sketching Summer: Part 1

Things I learnt on a drawing retreat

I went on a drawing retreat in June.

It was in Newbury which isn’t that far from my house so it didn’t feel particularly exotic (and it did rain a bit) but it was good to get away for a few days and draw under the guidance of Urban Sketchers: Swasky, Santi Salles and Inma Seranno. Hosted by Isabel Carmona

The retreat was called ‘Pushing Your Sketching Boundaries’ and it really did that for me as I was confronted with lots of things that I found difficult and would generally avoid. Things that would normally stop me drawing all together.

I learnt a lot about myself…

…about what holds me back, what I struggle with (things to work on) but also what make me thrive (things to celebrate).

The above picture was drawn whilst kneeling on a pavement, by a roundabout on a busy road.

The instructions were strict from Santi to:

• Draw fast

• Get as much detail in as possible

• Include a person

• Use 2 complimentary colours

• Lay down a wash background

• ‘You’ve got 20 minutes….GO!’ (Throughout the drawing Santi would shout ‘Faster, faster’ and remind us to sharpen our pencils!)

I really liked:

• The speed of the drawing… especially the cyclist drawn in less than 10 seconds as he rode past (can you spot him in the sketch?)

• Someone barking drawing commands at me, a Spanish Sergeant Major brandishing a Pitt Oil Pencil and a tin of watercolours! I drew as though my life depended on it which, of course, it didn’t but was very exhilarating and there was no time to think (also good!)

• Creating areas of intense contrast (I got through half a pencil in 1 hour!)

• An easy colour recipe

I decided to use the complimentary colour idea for the next drawing day with Swasky. It was very rainy, so we sat in the bus depo and captured the story of the day with words and pictures focusing on everyday narratives. This is something I love doing when I’m out and about but have never sat in bus depot to draw before.

Can you see the quote at the bottom of the page?

‘It’s the soundtrack of your drawing’ - Swasky

All drawings have a soundtrack even if it’s just the hum of a fridge in your kitchen and the creak of your chair. Listen carefully next time you draw.

I enjoyed my drawing on this day very much but the issue that came up for me was about kit…

Annoyances:

• My backpack was waterproof and comfy but not good for urban sketching as to get one thing out you had to remove everything. Other sketchers showed me their front opening backpacks which looked much more practical.

• My travel watercolour set didn’t work for me as there was only one mixing chamber and that broke off halfway through the week.

• The elastic band on my concertina sketchbook broke which meant the book kept unraveling and falling into a puddle.

• I got annoyed with the all the pencil cases I had brought to separate various materials. It meant I had to get everything out and rummage around a lot.

Collectively, these issues created barriers, excuses and distractions for my brain and I realised that getting an easier system in place is the most important part of sketching, urban or otherwise.

Inma shared some great suggestions and tips for drawing people on the move and I told her that I loved people sketching but had a huge fear of being approached by the ‘model’ and them being offended by my drawing of them. ‘It’s their problem’ she simply said, ‘not yours!’

I was so inspired by her approach to line and colour which was symbiotic…her drawings cleverly grew as she worked the two together.

After Inma’s session, I spent the afternoon drawing by the canal and watching people open and close the lock gates. As I worked, I thought about what I liked to sketch with and what I could do to make my drawing life easier. I realised that the only way to figure out what works for you when travel/urban sketching is through trial and error.

Build a basic art kit and go and use it. What did you miss? What didn't you use? What did you find useful/annoying?… and then edit.

Top of my list is a pencil but I’m still searching for a that perfect travel sketching watercolour set…

I would love to hear about your drawing kit and any tips that you’d like to share. Are you someone who’s also paralysed by creative decisions?

Here’s some useful links:

• Sign up to the Pushing your Sketching Boundaries newsletter for updates on future sketching retreats

• Inma has a Domestika course!

• The Urban Sketchers newsletter is really good. It’s called ‘Drawing Attention and comes out quarterly in the form of an online magazine with lots of good articles and tips. Here is the most recent issue

• My Travel Journaling Course is great if you are a complete beginner!