I work in an office environment, and some of my colleagues were kind enough to let me sketch them whilst they sat doing their work. I did a few brief sketches just to try and sketch multiple figures in one go. This proved extremely difficult!!
They were all sitting around a long rectangular table, and I initially started drawing them without having drawn the table first. Mistake number one. Without the table, it was hard to gage the distance and relativity of the figures to each other. Once I realised this, I tried again, but drew the table I they were sitting around first and then placed the figures around it. After a couple of attempts, I started to improve. But then they started moving around! I couldn't win. Out of all of these sketches, I think the best sketch was the middle sketch above. You can see the difference in space between the figures, and you can see that some people were sitting close to me whilst others were further away. The other sketches don't demonstrate this as well. I think this is because I either tried to draw too much too soon on the page without properly establishing proportions and relative distances, as well as drawing the figures far too big for the page size I was using at the time.
A few more profile sketches of my work colleagues. These were more of an experiment, to test how quickly I can sketch, and the detail I managed to take down in that time, and the above is the result of that time. These sketches are nothing amazing; it would have been better for me to have the light and shade added to the general outline and features of each profile. Considering the time it took for me to complete these sketches, more detail should have been included. This did however help me to start to get to grips with my observational skills, and working on my facial proportions.
These are some sketches as a result of a couple of hours sitting with some friends and taking in my surroundings. There was no real hustle and bustle about the place, people just sitting around with friends or family enjoying their Sunday afternoons. I decided to record my friends enjoying their Sunday afternoon as well (sketch on the bottom left). These sketches were very quick. I found that doing this exercise, I draw on a large scale, I think I was deceived by the size of the paper I was drawing on, and convinced myself that everything I wanted to include would fit onto the page. Will see what the result is when sketching on a smaller scale, and see if I still struggle to fit in what I initially planned before embarking on the sketch itself. I enjoy sketching and working with the foregrounds and backgrounds; bringing certain events or figures forward to the central focus, and having everyone/everything else as the background context.
All of the above sketches are a result of others watching a football match on the big screen, or standing around talking. The top sketch is a couple of my friends looking up at the screen watching. Whilst they were watching they were reacting to what was on the tv. It would have been better to use such an event in the fleeting moments part of the exercise, as it would provide some animated gestures and facial expressions.
The sketch of the lads sitting around the table caught my eye as they were talking very loudly about the match, the teams and just about football in general. They were happily chatting away, sharing a laugh and a joke. The sketch directly above was pretty much the same in terms of the movement that caught my eye; a bunch of guys laughing and joking and enjoying each others company, just a casual evening out.
A few people that I sketched whilst on a long train journey. Each of these people caught my eye; the first sketch because of his trilby hat, the second because the girl had curled up in the seat to concentrate and write for a short while before sitting upright feet on the floor to talk to her friend, and I could only see a small portion of her through the gap in the seat, and the last sketch I enjoyed because the gentleman in the picture was gazing off into the distance, and there was a stunning sunset out of the window which provided a beautiful light contrast making this sketch a doddle. I like experimenting and using more than one material in a sketch, as it gives a different dynamic and makes more of a statement.
I have surprised myself a few times in terms of materials; something I felt unsure about drawing has turned out well when using what I call a "bold material" (pens) as opposed to a "soft material", (charcoal, graphite pencils). Vice versa, when I have felt confident and used a "soft material", it's turned out that things can go horribly wrong.
It suddenly occurred to me whilst drawing that I have become more confident. For this exercise, I tended to prefer to use pens, where broader, surer marks can be made. I liked the assurance of something bold in my hand when making quick sketches for moving figures.
I spent some time in the park observing some people, either with their families or friends enjoying the sun, and this is the result of that day in sketches.
These are some of the quick sketches I did whilst sitting and waiting. Just the street outside with various people going about their business.
I sketched this after about half an hour of seeing the person. The reason she caught my eye because she was happily enjoying her music, she was looking at the floor, smiling and miming the lyrics of the song that she was listening to. The reason this stood out to me, is because I'm exactly the same; when I love a song, I mime the words, and have been known to dance. I think I captured her pretty well. I tried my best to keep the lines minimal, and I've created some decent sketches, especially after having to sometimes wait a while in order to get out a pen and paper to capture the moment.
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