Who Reflections Show

So you like sketching on public transportation?

As some of you know, Ted Gordon hosted a great class at the 2015 Summer Seminar on Urban Sketching Undercover. He had great tips on how to sneak a sketch in public.

Ballpoint pen sketch from Red Line train

But what happens when you end up with a window seat on the bus or train and a neighbor who is blocking your view of everyone else?


If it also happens to be night or just dark, look out your window because you are in luck!

Wait – what?

Because CTA buses and trains have lights on the inside, the windows reflect what is around you. It isn't a perfect mirror, but it's a great way to get in a bus sketch. If your neighbor is blocking the view, this distortion can be especially helpful as it will often stretch the view to include more of the bus than you could comfortably see without it!

In the photos above you can see a  sample reflection from the bus window one evening. Notice that in these two photos there are at least three subjects for sketching without having to sketch the back of a bunch of heads! 

 This technique is also helpful when someone is starting to suspect that you might be sketching them, just look out the window for a bit and sketch them from there!

Sketch from bus Jan. 2015

 In this sketch the fellow started suspect that I was sketching him. By the time I finished he was a lot more than suspecting and had actually taken photos of me sketching him!

He was a great sport about it and we discussed the importance of the arts over a cup of coffee the next day (Meeting great people is an amazing benefit of Urban Sketching). But for some people that sounds terrifying. Even if it doesn't sound terrifying, there are times when you'd just prefer not to be noticed, right?

Well as you might be able to tell, this gentleman was sitting in the same spot as the fellow in the driver's hat from the photos above. If I had realized it at the time, I could have sketched him from his reflection instead and avoided the encounter. Neat, huh?



So what about if it's bright out? Well, as far as I can tell you're just out of luck if it's a sunny day. Do you know otherwise? If you have any tricks for gaining a sketch-able view by day, I'd love to hear them!

Please, Have A Seat

One of the many benefits of attending an Urban Sketchers Sketch Crawl is discovering the many different ideas and workarounds that other members have developed for their particular way of sketching. Case in point: where does one sit when sketching “on location?”

The obvious answer is often “find someplace to sit and sketch what is in front of you.” This simple solution may present you with such options as a park bench, café tables, the half walls of a landscaping terrace, sidewalk curbs, a sturdy fence, a tree stump, a fire hydrant (good luck with that one), a pier or boat dock, a plastic 5 gallon bucket and the back seat of your convertible car (weather permitting, of course). It makes the most sense since most urban sketchers operate by the motto “travel light” and would prefer not to carry any extra weight.

When presented with an unknown setting, however, an experienced urban sketcher likes to come prepared. This can mean providing seating arrangements of their own to insure there is a place to sit. Therefore, I have assembled a collection of seating options which I have gathered from other savvy sketchers and perhaps you will find one that meets “The Four C’s of Sketch Chairs: Comfort, Convenience, Compartments and Cost.”

Comfort: Sketching can often take an hour or two so you want a seat that will support you without having to sit too low or cut off your circulation during that time.

Convenience: Ideally you will want a seat that will fold up to fit inside of your backpack, art bag, or large purse if you are able. Sometimes there is a trade-off for a seat that is both comfortable and convenient, so you try to find the best of both.

Compartments: Having a chair that provides some kind of storage to hold the art supplies you will be using is especially handy if the ground around you is either wet or gooey-dirty. Who wants to set their supplies in the mud and then pick it up again to use on their sketch? Pockets, zipper pouches, and cup holders are all welcome additions to a comfortable chair.

Cost: Assuming that you do not have an endless cash flow and do not possess the crafting skills to make your own perfect chair, then cost may be important for you to consider as one of the determining factors.

Many of the following chairs can be found in an assortment of outdoor, sporting goods and garden shops in addition to art supplies stores. Here then are some of the more popular personal, portable, sketch chair options and where you can find them. Find one that you like and please join us at one of our next Urban Sketchers' Chicago Sketch Crawls. Happy shopping.

Tuesday Tips & Tricks: Discovering Watercolor Pencils

Down on the Farm – Piermont, NH

Watercolor pencils have been around for a while but until recently, when a student asked me about them, I hadn’t given them a lot of thought. I love the feel of drawing with the pencil on paper and the interaction of color and water on paper in watercolor. Could this be a match made in heaven?

There are many ways to use watercolor pencils. Here are a few to get you started.
This demo sketch was done entirely with watercolor pencils. I used Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils and a moderately-textured 180# paper to explore their potential.

Techniques

1. Pick up color from the point of the watercolor pencil with a wet brush (I used a waterbrush) and apply it to the paper
That’s how I painted the sky in this sketch. I picked up the color onto the brush and ran it like a wash adding wet color as needed.

2. Apply dry pencil marks on dry paper and work with a wet brush.
The barn was done in several layers. First I applied light pencil shading in several colors then bended them with a waterbrush. When that was dry I added more dry pencil for texture and ever so lightly touched the texture with the rigor (liner) brush to activate the color a bit. The windows were added later.

3. Wet the point of the pencil and draw/make marks on the paper. I loved the feel of the wet pencil on the paper in this process! I used the waterbrush to run the different colors together. This technique gives you rich juicy color; note the trees and other darks in this sketch. The windows on the barn were added with a wet pencil point.

4. Add layers of color, shapes and textures. You can work into and push the pencil lines and washes with your brush to add interest to larger shapes.

5 & 6. Run the dry pencil back and forth on sandpaper and scatter pencil dust on the paper for added texture and interest.
5: pencil dust on wet area of the paper
6: pencil dust on dry paper then lightly sprayed with a water (Protect or block off the areas you don’t want affected by the dust and water.)

What do I hope to pass on to you in this post? 

• Mostly, I hope to encourage you to enjoy the process of experimenting. Drawing and painting are verbs. Get lost in the process and the product will come. 
• Discover watercolor pencils if you haven’t already. They’re a very versatile medium.
• Brands of watercolor pencils vary in intensity and softness. Buy a few individual pencils from several brands to find which works best for you. Derwent Inktense are bright and juicy, and suit the way I work. 
• Let the fun begin! 

I’m definitely adding a few watercolor pencils to my sketch kit (see #3).