Urban Sketching Tells The Story of Our Surroundings

USK Chicago SketchCrawl at Blick Art Materials, Evanston, IL: 
In case some of you missed the story behind this sketch, this great old 1958 Triumph TR3 was sitting across from Clark's on Clark Street in Evanston. Thank you Lee Solock for pointing it out to me smile emoticon. 

I met the owner of the car, a woman named Amanda, when I was about halfway done with the sketch and she and her friend came out of Clark's. As they loaded into the car, I thanked her for letting me sketch her car. Surprised, she asked to see the sketch (which was only halfway done at the time) and she told me that this car has always been in the family and it was most recently her late father Chuck's. In her words "I'd really rather have my dad, but at least I get to drive his car around." He also loved to eat so now she honors her dad by driving this car out to eat someplace. 

I told her that now I was honoring him by sketching his car. Actually leaving the scene required a can of starting ether from the glove box and undoing the hood latches. Isn't it nice when a lady knows her way around a vintage car like this?

After I had finished this sketch, I scanned it and sent a copy to Amanda and she told me the rest of the story. It turns out that this little car was recently shipped in a U-Haul from Wisconsin (because a normal car carrier is too wide) and that I happened to capture this car on its maiden voyage since that trip. She said that the trip to Clark's was intentional and she had no idea that I would be there to artistically record this special day. 

Urban Sketchers Manifesto (from UrbanSketchers.org)

1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
6. We support each other and draw together.
7. We share our drawings online.
8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

Marker Techniques – Materials:

TUESDAY TIPS & TRICKS

Many people that I meet at the Urban Sketchers Chicago Sketch Crawls will ask me about using markers and some of my techniques. In my continuing series on urban sketching with markers, I must address the question “which markers and why?” And while I may have 30 years working with these wonderful little tools of the trade, please know that the following is merely from my perspective and experience. There are plenty of other marker artists that will tell you which materials work best for them and I welcome that feedback in the comments below. 

As you can see (from the attached photos) you will notice the wide assortment of marker brands, marker types and paper pads available for the marker. You can appreciate how the materials have evolved out of the many sketch needs.

TIP #1: Select a paper pad that is designated for marker use

There are several reasons for this. Most markers are alcohol-based and tend to soak through papers that do not have some kind of coating or seal. The trick is to find a paper that you like that does not have such a heavy coating that it dries out your marker at an abnormally fast rate. Most sketchbooks rated for sketching or drawing will be sufficient as well as those books rated for watercolor. Pages in the sketchbook or paper pad that are very thin run the risk of bleed-through unless they are “marker” papers. Additionally, thin sheets will prevent you from sketching on both sides of the paper—a popular technique employed by urban sketchers.

When I work with markers, I am a big fan of super-smooth papers because I can keep my line work clean. A slight tooth (or roughness) to the paper can also work in your favor if you wish to add texture to your sketch. For years I have used Graphics 360 (by Bienfang) as my paper of choice because I can put my rough sketch underneath the top sheet and put my marker color down and finish it off with a clean line work. For urban sketching, I have a heavier weight sketchbook where I pencil my rough sketch, add marker tones and then finish with a black line all on the same page. Because the sketchbook paper is thicker, it is harder to see a rough sketch under the top sheet for tracing.

TIP #2: Select a brand and style of marker that fits you

At the risk of sounding like I am a paid spokesperson for any particular brand, all I can tell you is that I have been a big fan of a few different brands because I like how they lay down color for the way I work. What works for me may not work as well for you but that is why there is a Tip #3 below.

  

I was introduced to the Design^® Markers (by Eberhard Faber) when I first began as a graphic designer. Over time, I switched over to Prismacolor^® Markers (by Sanford) because the odor is far less overpowering. There is a different kind of alcohol used in Prismacolor markers and odor is definitely something you should consider when trying out different markers. The other thing I like about Prismacolor markers is that there are two different tips on the same marker barrel. This can save you space and time when you are packing a travel sketch kit.

My newest favorite markers came at the suggestion of fellow Urban Sketcher Donald Owen Colley: Pitt^® Markers (by Faber-Castell). I have a set of 4 Cool Grey and 4 Warm Grey markers. These markers do not bleed–through most any kind of paper I can throw at it–and the pointy brush tip allows me to get into tight spots as well as cover broad areas with ease.

TIP #3: Now just play

Do yourself a favor. Print out the attached photos of the markers and the marker paper selections, bring them to your favorite art supplies store and look for as many of the brands as you can find. Many art stores will have some kind of scratch pad around so that you can try out each marker. Purchase one marker of each brand that you like and test-drive each marker for a few days. In your different sketch situations, you will see how well the markers respond to how you work. You can always go back and pick up more colors later, but make sure you like how one marker works for you first.

I recognize that I did not have much technique in this week's post, so in my next post I will go over some more techniques and tricks with markers. Good luck and have fun discovering your new sketch friend.

Urban Sketching with Markers (Part I)

TUESDAY TIPS & TRICKS

Urban sketching is a crazy collection of whatever skills you can bring to the table. There are those who sketch with paints/watercolors, colored pencils, pen and ink, graphite, markers and even dry erase markers. It's all good. As they say in the south, "dance with the date you brought." I am one of a number of urban sketchers who has found comfort in the use of markers. Our styles range from a tighter, realistic style to a loose energetic style and everything in between. For example, check out the range of styles between Lisa Flahive http://flahive.fineartstudioonline.com/collections/48778, and Donald Owen Colley http://buttnekkiddoodles.com. Both have styles I greatly admire.

By the way, much like picking out paint brushes, there is a large variety of marker tip sizes and shapes available, from very fine pens, brush tips to chisel and calligraphy tips (also known as nibs in some places). The advantages of using markers is that they are fast-drying, blendable with other colors, and come in an assortment of colors and kits. For example, you can pick up a set of cool greys, warm greys, basic colors, earthy colors and pastel colors. These are great if you can identify in which color palette your sketches normally reside. Of course, you can always mix and match to create your own customized marker set. I will cover the many popular brands of markers available in my “Part II of Urban Sketching with Markers.”

Many people have asked me about my secrets to using markers. Here are a few tips that I like to use which may be of interest to you. (Click on the image below to enlarge it for better viewing and detail).

Step 1: I like to sketch out my scene in pencil or fine point pen.

Step 2: Using the Push Fade and Pull Fade techniques, I will add color. You can notice that, by lifting the marker during the stroke, you can achieve some nice graduation in color.

Step 3: Now I can go back over the original color strokes and overlap them with secondary strokes to add more color or more dimension. Often I will add pastel colors and pick up the sky tones, skin tones and reflections to add energy to the sketch.