If you’ve taken the time to stop by
and look at the blog, there’s a good chance you’re at least interested by the
idea of urban sketching. It may be that you’ve never thought about it before,
but would like to give it a try. In which case, here’s a few observations which
I hope might prove helpful to you.
· When you start , you’ve got the
choice of whether you join an Urban Sketchers group and start on an organised
sketchcrawl, or whether you go solo to start wih, then see if you like it
enough to want to join a group.
Both options have their advantages.
We’ll look at them separately now.
Join an Urban Sketchers Group
If there’s an Urban Sketchers group
near you they will organise regular sketchcrawls, and will welcome you with
open arms. I know of the best part of 20 chapters in England, for example,
although most of them are centred in the cities.
You might feel nervous about joining
a group, but don’t worry. Everyone in the group was once in your position. You
might feel a little happier if I tell you this: -
· Urban Sketching Groups consist of a
huge range of diverse people. Don’t worry that you won’t fit in because of your
age, gender, race, educational or social background. The only thing that links the
members of a particular sketchers group is that they all want to sketch. That’s
all you need.
· Members of a given Urban Sketching
group can also range from complete novices to accomplished artists. Your level
of ability or skill is totally unimportant. Nobody will judge you or your work.
Everyone will be supportive.
· Nobody is likely to force advice on
you, but it will be available if you ask, for example – “I love what you did
there, how did you do it? “
· Nobody will give you a hard time if
you have to miss a sketchcrawl for whatever reason.
You can probably see, I’m a big fan
of Urban Sketching groups and organised group sketchcrawls. I wish I’d have had
the sense to find and join the South Wales group while I was just starting
urban sketching 18 months ago. If you’re wondering what’s involved in a group sketchcrawl,
well, let me give the example of the typical South Wales monthly sketchcrawl.
Each sketchcrawl usually starts in
the discussion we have at the end of the previous one. Ideas for possible
venues are discussed, and if possible a consensus is reached. Then later on the
group administrator on Facebook will post the venue for the coming month,
giving members as much notice as possible. So far this year’s three sketchcrawls
have taken place in different venues in Cardiff. Members are asked to indicate
whether they can make it or not.
On the day, we gather at the venue at
a specific time. I was a little nervous my first time, but it was easy to
identify the group, and once I’d made introductions it was plain sailing. Once
everyone has arrived who are going to arrive, then a time to meet back up is agreed
upon, usually between 2 and 3 hours. After that, you go and find something to
sketch. When you’ve finished, then you pick something else. In practice this
means that at times you’ll be sketching by yourself, and at other times
sketching alongside another group member.
At the agreed time, then you all meet
up, and take turns to discuss your sketching day, and show what you’ve done. I
love these sessions.
Now, I do understand that actually
showing your sketches to someone else is a problem for some people when they
start out. After the first time you take part, it really won’t be any more.
Still, you may well think that you
don’t really want to start off with a group crawl. Maybe the ‘show and tell’
aspect is too much of a mental hurdle for you. In which case, there’s nothing
stopping you undertaking your own sketchcrawl.
Go solo on your own sketchcrawl
I like group sketching, but a solo
crawl is usually a very enjoyable experience as well. As a rough rule of thumb
I like to have a specific venue in mind, rather than just setting off hopefully
in one direction and following my nose.
If it’s your first sketchcrawl, I’d
advise you to pick somewhere which is not that far away, but far away enough that
you’re not going to have to worry about being seen and stopped by people you
know. Ideally, pick a place that you wouldn’t mind spending a few hours in, so
the success of the trip isn’t just riding on the sketching.
The axiom among sketchers is – if you
don’t need it, then don’t take it. Even now I don’t carry more than two
sketchbooks – A4 and A5 – a pack of 4 sketching pens, an HB pencil and
sharpener, a small set of watercolours, a small waterbottle and a brush. An A5
sketchpad and a pencil or sketching pen is enough a lot of the time. If you’ve
already got these, then use what you have rather than buying new. There will be
time for that once you discover you enjoy it. Even fairly basic equipment can
bring you good results, although as with anything else, better quality
equipment s usually more expensive.
It can help you get the most out of your
sketchcrawl if you set yourself a challenge or a target before you set out. On
my last few sketchcrawls I’ve set myself the target of filling a double page
spread in my A4 sketchbook. When you’re making your first sketchcrawl, making
two complete sketches is a useful target, and you’ll feel a sense of
achievement when you reach it – and an even greater sense of achievement when you
exceed your target.
For me, the solo sketchcrawl starts
the moment that I leave the house, and everything is fair game for sketching from
that point. So my most recent sketchcrawl, where I ended up making a round trip
of slightly more than 40 miles, actually began with me sketching a lovely old
car from the 1950s which was parked just 4 streets away from my house. Was that
fair? Of course it was! Part of my trip was noticing the car, which was a
pretty unusual thing to see.
When you arrive at your destination,
you might want to have a bit of a walk round to see what you might like to
sketch. Outdoors or indoors, building, object, person or people, the choice is
yours. Ideally, something that conveys a sense of that particular time in that
particular place, but this isn’t something to worry too much about. Usually
that comes with the territory. Once you’ve selected what you’re going to
sketch, pick your vantage point – which angle you want to create your sketch
from. Sometimes this may be a bit of a compromise between the angle you want,
and the spot where you can be most comfortable. I can sketch standing up, but
would rather sit down if it’s an option. Have a think about how you’re going to
feel if people start looking at you, or your sketch as you’re making it. It’s
only natural to feel a bit self-conscious, but this should soon fade. If you
show that you’re not bothered by just getting on with it, then most people will
not bother you. If you smile, show what you’ve done, and maybe exchange a few
pleasantries, then in my experience people respond very pleasantly. Actually
this is one aspect of sketching in public that I really enjoy.
So, on that first sketchcrawl, when
you’ve finished your first sketch – congratulations! Your sketchcrawl is
already a success, regardless of how accomplished your sketch is, or whether
you choose to make any other sketches. Make sure to reward yourself. I like a
cappuccino, but hey, whatever works for you. Maybe you could make another
sketch while you’re enjoying your coffee.
I wouldn’t look too critically at
your sketches at this point – wait until you get home, and you’re more likely
to be objective about them. There’s no hard and fast rules about how long your
sketchcrawl should last. Once you’re happy that you’ve spent long enough, then
go.
When the crawl is over, you might
want to have a look your sketches a little more critically. Don’t rp them to
shreds obviously, but just think about whether you’d do anything differently ,
and try to put it into practice on your next trip. The Urban Sketching
Manifesto explicitly states –“we share our drawings online’ and this is
something I’d encourage you to do after your very first crawl. If you don’t
like the response, if any, that you get, then you never have to do it again,
but chances are the response that you get will show you that there is honestly
nothing to be shy or worried about. Whatever else you do, please don't be tempted to destroy or throw away your sketches. If your first sketch you ever made on a sketchcrawl was as good as you were ever going to make, then there wouldn't be all that much of a point in doing it. Put them away if you want, but you will always be able to look back on them, to measure how far you've come. Remember that these sketches are the start of your journey , not the finish.
Atfer that , well, ask yourself – did
you enjoy it? Hopefully the answer will be yes. In which case maybe you can
start planning your next sketchcrawl, or even better, start thinking about
joining your nearest group.
