Sketching People in Motion Assignments 1, 2, 3

During this past week I’ve been gearing up to start the People in Motion assignments. I bought some new sketching tools—notably the Pentel Calligraphy brush and hauled out my dip pens and inks. I even splurged for several ‘scribblers’—Fabriano’s EcoQua sketchbooks (5.75 x 8 in.), which have a very nice paper, with a smooth surface and a weight of 60lb/85gsm. They have colorful and sturdy covers. Luckily these were 40% off at the local art store.

Next I tackled the assignments which are part of the course:

1. Traced figures in magazines, first in pencil, then drew over them in ink.  Learned to watch for folds in clothing to hint at the figure within.

2. Sketched figures ‘in action’ from a video. Focused on trying to pick up the action in multiple steps an an actor moved through a scene. Looked for anchor points.

3. Went to the food court at a local corner mall and sketched people sitting outside and one person walking. My focus was on capturing the poses, and looking for anchor points. Tables and chairs complicated this, but I attempted to add parts of them. 

What I learned:

1. Tracing figures took the pressure off trying to capture a pose and allowed me to focus on how clothes draped on the body and how folds emerged from the compression points of the fabric. 

2. Sketching from a video was good practice for sketching the reality of moving figures. Knowing that the actor would reappear and not ‘take off’ reduced the anxiety of capturing a pose. I could focus on quick sketching and revise as needed.

3. Sketching outdoors at the food court was easier than attempts that I have made in the past and the figures looked less cartoon-like. Fortunately it was a balmy 68 degrees out side.

Thanks Marc for these suggestions—they were very helpful! 

Sketching People in Motion--a beginning

Recently I enrolled in the online course, Sketching People in Motion with Marc Taro Holmes, on the Craftsy web site. I was looking for some ways to improve my drawing of people on location. My previous experience had been drawing a posed model. Usually the same pose was held for the entire drawing session. After completing Liz Steel's course, I thought that I was ready for the challenge of drawing people in action.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to sketch a partially clothed model who moved in slow motion as part of an uninstructed drawing session at a local art center. The room was darkened, the spotlight used a red filter. I had watched the first 3 videos of Marc's course and learned some excellent techniques to try out. Needless to say, it was a very challenging afternoon.

My main focus was just trying to capture a pose that lasted only about 5 seconds--it forced me to keep my drawn line loose and fluid. I really did not have time to think about applying any new knowledge, so what emerged was an almost instinctual line. The last pose was held for about 5 minutes, so I was able to capture more detail and use some color. I tried to preserve some whites.

Materials: A bamboo pen with a large nib, Noodler's brown ink that I am trying to use up, Sumi-e black ink and a wash of both inks on newsprint paper were used in the early sketches. Lyra watercolor crayons on Cartieri-Magnani Velata paper were used in the final sketch. The Velata paper is meant for dry media, so I was pushing its limits, and mine!

I'm including only a few of the sketches that I made. My photography skills are minimal, but I did do some editing in iPhoto. Click on image to enlarge it.

Image #1 Ink on newsprint paper

Image #2 Ink on newsprint paper

Image #3 Ink on newsprint paper

Image #4 Lyra Watercolor crayons

Image #5 (detail) Lyra Watercolor crayons

Weeks 10, & 11 Assignments: Creating a Focus, Working from a Focus

SketchingNow-Foundations Course
Week 11 Assignment: Working from a Focus-Cafe Sketching
This final assignment took me to the local Le Boulanger Cafe and Bakery. This is an actual working bakery where thousands of loaves of bread are made for the bakeries and restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area.  I've been wanting to sketch this for a long time. I did have breakfast here, but did not sketch it--a  good reason to return and complete the page spread. The image is of one of the bakery assistants standing on a ladder and adjusting the dough in a feeder that automatically cuts down and shapes the dough and sends out the loaves to rise before baking.


This was a challenging drawing because the worker was only up on the ladder for a few seconds. So I had to wait for him to toss in another 20 pounds of dough and then use the oil in the bucket to adjust and coat the dough to help it glide smoothly through the feeder. It took multiple episodes for me to capture the pose.

Week 11 Assignment: Image #1 Working from a Focus 
Bakery worker @ Le Boulanger, Sunnyvale California, USA

Media: Watercolor and pen in Strathmore series 500 sketchbook

Week 10 Assignment: Creating a Focus
Image #1: Facade of the Triton Museum of Art

Week 10 Assignment: Image #1 
Triton Museum of Art
Media: Ink drawing and Sennelier watercolors
on Strathmore 500 Series sketchbook paper

Week 10 Assignment: Image #2 
Morgan Horse by S.S. Schnittmann, 1966
Ink drawing with Inktense colored pencil wash

The Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, California, is a favorite local art museum. I participate in the museum’s uninstructed figure drawing sessions on an almost weekly basis, so it almost feels like home to me. The building's sprawling modernistic shape is full of angles. Numerous redwood trees on the grounds soften its shapes. It has several iconic features, and outdoor sculptures. Unfortunately, I did not have time to capture them all. Since my time was limited, I opted not to draw any thumbnail sketches. Instead I made two quick sketches in which I tried to apply some of the principles of creating a focus.

Image #1:  I was sketching from across the street on a sunny winter day. The sun is a bit low in the sky washing out the pale ochre of the building, but the light-dark contrast and the sculpture help create the focus on the entryway. I also used the rule of thirds to organize the composition.

Image #2: Morgan Horse Sculpture

Since my time was running out I decided to just do an ink drawing. I added a grey wash at home to emphasize the sculpture. The actual sculpture is finished in a rich, copper green patina. The central placement of the object on the page, and the building's angles help create the focus on the sculpture. I plan to return and do justice to this masterful sculpture.

This lesson really gave me some tools to improve my composition--thanks, Liz!