Art4Him: Sketching people

I found a new sketch blog...... Check it out.

On one of his pages this particular article stood out to me. Since I'm kind of new to sketching people this seemed like a good way to work at it.

What is the fastest, most reliable method of sketching people on the street? Given that they don’t hold still for you, and might get up and leave at any time? I use a four step method that helps me get things down as quickly as possible, and gives me the best chance to (accurately) finish later, if I lose my subject part way through.

1. The Gesture aka “The Ball of String”: An instantaneous “single” line capturing volume, posture, costume hints, and narrative. A gesture should be so fast, you can capture any subject, no matter how active. The gesture is only a guide - don’t worry about facial features or details, just get the proportions - the volume the figure occupies - and the ‘acting’ - the essential bits of the story.

2. Line Drawing: Draw in pen right on top of the pencil gesture. Your subject is probably walking away about now, unless you’ve chosen someone who can’t escape. (Workers are good, street performers, people playing sports). Don’t copy the gesture - improve on it. Add smaller detail, let the line work be rhythmic and free.

3. Spotting Blacks: Use darks to attract the eye and to ‘ground’ objects with tiny cast shadows. They indicate volume, weight, and contact with a surface. Darks should cluster around the area of interest and fade out to the edges. The eye goes to the areas of darkest dark. Once you have a solid drawing, you can go back and erase some of the pencil for a cleaner looking drawing.

4. Color at last!: The drawing comes alive when you add color. It’s best to get it all in one sitting - but If your subject is long gone, you can add color washes at home or while relaxing in the café. Rely on your memory combined with the structural drawing, and just have fun with the color.

So of course I had to try it out. Here are my attempts.

We took in a little bluegrass band.....