Learning to sketch again

Every summer my company has sort of “Themed Months”. This month is Graphics month. We have a series of lectures on how sketching is still important, how to present proposals for awards, and guest lecturers from various disciplines. We also go out once a week during lunch and do what we call Scavenger sketching. This is always a great way to get people away from their desk and picking up a pencil again. No matter how much I say I’m going to make myself sketch more, I never seem to do it. It was never my strongest skill, but the sketches I love the most have always seemed to come from the end of a long trip of sketching every day. While I was in Oxford last September I found a cute little art supply store and bought a little water color sketchbook, water color pencils, and a water brush. I have always been scared of watercolor. And other than the large watercolor I did at Rural in second year, I haven’t had much practice. The sketchbook itself is only 5 ½” x 3 ½” so I took this a pretty un-intimidating medium. It makes me get away from the detail of the drawings (which I usually tend to focus on) and get more to the general idea and simplest forms. Below are a few sketches I did while in London and Scotland last year. All in all I think they are fun little graphics and one of my new favorite ways to sketch.

View from "The Meadows" Edinburgh Scotland

The Serpentine Pavilion, London (all 4 sides)

Section of the Rottenrow Gardens, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Scotland

So with these in mind I pulled out my little sketchbook and decided to try again for Scavenger sketching. Needless to say that the 8 months I did not pick up my sketchbook is definitely showing. I get so aggravated whenever I try to start sketching again, but the idea is to keep going. So although these are kind of embarrassing, here is week 1 of Scavenger Sketching. Hopefully during the next 4 weeks I can at least have a couple little sketches I’m proud of.

View From Waterside over to the ship docks

Omars Fountain Cafe

view of Portsmouth across the water

Piles in the water next to the dock

To make the idea of sketching again even more nerve-wracking, I had the bright idea to put all of our Scavenger Sketches up for sale at the local coffee shop to benefit CANstruction this year. So I officially have 3 more weeks to produce something that is worth being displayed and sold publicly. Wish me luck, I may need it.