Hello again;
Some days I sketch quickly. Maybe because I don’t have much time, or because I haven’t drawn for a couple of days and I want to warm up before spending time on a drawing.
I consider those rushed sketches valuable because they train me to notice subjects I may revisit in future.
Such as in the sketches below: The first three ones were done quickly; the lines are rushed, the corrections evident, and the results look ‘rough’ .
However, when I revisit similar subjects with more time I find it easier to notice the proportions, colours and details. For those longer drawings it helps if I’m able to lean on a pillar (at the station) or sit on a wall (opposite the bridge).
In the case of Wesley Hall I was eventually successful: I decided to chance a sketch on a day of many weathers. I planned to stand close to the building because the traffic blocked my view in earlier drawings. Unfortunately the weather was nippier than I had anticipated. After 30 minutes sketching in the wind I decided to leave, with a sketch in pencil and pen, unfinished.
I returned to Wesley Hall to add the colour details yesterday. After I did I carried on my walk and reached Sydenham library, which I had sketched a few times already. I almost walked on, but I liked the light and I liked the perspective with the trees as backdrop, so I decided to at least do a quick sketch.
I stood in front of a lamp-post so people wouldn’t bump into me accidentally. Half through my drawing it started raining, so I stopped and went in the library to have a coffee. I noticed the architectural details inside and decided to draw them too.
When I had finished the rain was over and I was able to add colour to my interrupted library sketch.
As I said, quick sketches help me notice things I may revisit in future.
They also help build a habit of drawing -which can only get better with practice- and they help capture life around you: buildings, seasons, domestic objects. Those will eventually change, and your drawings will help preserve their memory.
Thanks for reading this.