It is hard to say just when a drawing transforms from a sketch to a definitive work. Today, most artists practice drawing in an agile, uninhibited style akin to impressionist fluidity. The quick sketch or informal outline created before any subject can sometimes contain a certain expressivity that may become lost during patient development of a formal work. The simplest graphic mediums best convey this expressivity.
Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Procession in Saint-Germain. J. Paul Getty Museum.
Informal sketches contain a spontaneous graphic quality that is hard to achieve through a conscientious and thorough drawing.
Drawn outlines usually serve as studies to prepare for creating a more developed work. Such studies are essential, as there are always new methods to try and discover. The study of a subject consists of sketches of all kinds, large or small, black and white or in color, allowing the artist to understand forms and experiment with composition.
Study of the negative spaces of the subject, which establishes the relationship between shapes and background in the composition.
Artists should always have notebooks or small, loose pieces of paper on hand for quick studies or sketches. Often, the strokes that are made on the spot without thinking suggest new possibilities for the artist. These quick, informal works are achieved with a few lines to block in the drawing, and some straight and curved lines that distribute the volumes over the paper. It is never a waste of time to quickly sketch before tackling the definitive work.
This extremely brief sketch is enough to clarify the relationship between the contours of two of the objects in the still life.
This is the first of a series of sketches, all of them by Gemma Guasch, of a still life: each one examines a specific part and resolves concrete graphic problems, in this case, the linear qualities of the subject.
The line here is does not require evaluation or shading, due to the soft marks in the background that mimic the atmosphere surrounding the subject.
The tools for making sketches must be simple and light, easy to carry, and not require reloading, handling, or accessories. This means that it is better to do without cloths, erasers, pencil sharpeners, or any auxiliary material. Remember, many of these sketches will be done in the street or country, or even in a museum or art gallery, places that require ease and accessibility of materials.
Graphite sticks are very practical because they allow precise, yet rapid strokes and mark making to model a subject.
These are the two most immediate and agile mediums for making sketches. The lightly metallic stroke of the pencil, which is much denser in soft leads, yields its best results when used in rapid sketches. Leads should be inserted in cases to avoid having to sharpen the tip constantly. Thickened charcoal lead that inserts into cases disperses a small amount of charcoal and produces strokes that are much finer than those achieved by traditional sticks.
Charcoal is perhaps the most effective medium for making rapid sketches, during which it is important to rapidly establish the general values of the lights and shadows. Work by Gabriel Martín.
Graphite pencils, or, even better, the thick lead of soft graphite, quickly resolve any subject upon which the artist may stumble.
A sketch of three lemons in pastel on creased paper. Here, the texture and its suggestion of atmosphere are the important factors for establishing form and creating the illusion of color.
Fine-point ballpoint pens offer an extraordinarily fluid and continuous stroke that, though lacking the vivacity a nib achieves, has an obvious advantage; they do not require reloading, and are therefore much easier to use. Marker pens can be considered the modern version of the reed pen and can be treated the same way as biros. Some artists use worn-out marker pens to achieve the irregular effect characteristic of reed pens.
The thin stroke of ballpoints can result in very lively sketches, rich in agile lines and light hatching. Work by Vicenç Ballestar.
Fully developing a pastel stick’s strokes requires working on a large scale. Using one or two sticks of contrasting colors will rapidly and expressively capture a subject. Pastel is also an ideal medium to practice blocking in and coloring a composition, as it allows for rapid and highly visible adjustments in color and the positions of a subject. In addition, pastel pencils and hard pastel sticks are ideal for creating line sketches, shading or highlighting with hatching and making light marks. Don’t forget to stabilize all pastel work with an aerosol fixative to prevent the pigment from rubbing off the paper.
Sketching the figure is a classic exercise for anyone who draws or paints, regardless of their technical ability. Real models are ideal, but photos of clothed or nude figures are good substitutes. However, the artist must be careful to avoid creating a mere copy of a photograph, since capturing the essence of the figure’s pose and movement is the main objective.
The best place to create rapid sketches of the figure is the street. Find a good place and try to quickly catch the characteristic gestures and attitudes of passers-by.
In sketching the figure, the natural expression of movement is more important than the exact representation of the anatomy or proportions of the figure.
The greater the artist’s ability to represent movement, is the greater their ability to draw the figure will be. Drawing movement requires an understanding of the contractions and extensions that take place in the body, as varying contractions and extensions characterize all poses. A good way to study movement is to sketch the figure quickly (20 to 30 seconds at most), with the minimum amount of lines necessary to express the figure’s pose.
Marks spread with a dirty scumble created a schematic of the figure’s values.
In composition studies or outlines, the anatomy or movement of the figure is not as important as its location within the composition. Blocking in the figure with simple straight and curved lines can resolve this. It is always worthwhile to sketch this before formally beginning the drawing. It is sufficient to trace a box with similar proportions to those of the work we will study, and practice drafts in the box with just a few strokes.
A malleable eraser can modify the shape or position of marks.
Finish by accentuating certain contours and shadows in order to characterize the figure.
“FROZEN” MOVEMENTS
If the artist is able to work in a school with real models, they will find it very useful to take “snap-shots” or frozen movements seen with just a glance. These studies have to be done very quickly, and do not allow for any correction or erasing. If the result is undesirable, let it be, and move on to the next sketch.
S ketching the landscape establishes order in a represented panorama, and connects, compares, and classifies the different sensations of light, form, and color in nature. There are several factors that create this order, namely, blocking in the composition, its proportions, evaluation, contrasts, and perspective. Properly and powerfully synthesizing these elements is essential.
This sketch sought a balance between its various planes. The leaves at the top, developed with marks, emphasize the foreground.
There are some landscape motifs whose perspective is unique and particular. In some cases, these are subjects with strong contrasts and a wide range of values In other cases, they are subjects that require a review and clarification of dimensions in order to represent what their defining features are. The secret of synthesis is to capture the characteristic factor in each natural motif and render it, setting the rest aside. The value of landscape sketches lies within this close attention paid to just one aspect of the subject.
A series of marks is the dominant feature in the shadow of the building on the left. Contrarily, the building on the right was created with very simple lines.
THE SUBJECT
This photo of buildings in a park, taken for a series of sketches, can give rise to various approaches that emphasize aspects of framing, questions of line, hatching, and mark making.
Regardless of framing or creating perspective, always try to compare the dimensions, values of light and shadow, and lines with each other. Electing to focus on some of these elements creates a landscape sketch quickly and effectively. If a characteristic aspect of the subject is, for example, a dark shadow that contrasts the rest of the subject, the artist may isolate this and enhance it in their drawing.
When working on color supports, the aid of the white pastel (or white chalk) pencil is necessary to give the sketch the required contrast of tones.
Landscape sketches based solely on line facilitate drawing in great detail, but will lack the peculiarity of sketches characterized by marks.
Hatching is the essential technique for creating zones of shadow in the landscape sketches based on line.
SKETCHING WITH MARKS
A mere smudge can be enough to suggest part of a landscape. Bear in mind that the capricious irregularity of nature mimics the somewhat random and brusque shape that a charcoal or ink mark may have on the drawing paper.
The street is the stage of modern life, where the artist will most easily find subjects for their sketches. The discomfort of working conditions and the fleeting nature of scenes can often put people off. However, from time to time it is worth undertaking an activity that is both interesting and useful in terms of practicing sketches. These two exercises were done by Vicenç Ballestar.
THE SUBJECT
However common such a scene is, artists very rarely capture it. Here, this figure on the phone is worked out here with a few ink wash spots, preceded by a skillful drawing that organized all aspects of the drawing.
This drawing was done very quickly, as befits an urban sketch. The pencil was hardly raised from the paper and the form and gesture are resolved with admirable economy of means.
The underlying shapes conserve the elegance already present in the drawing. The body was given shape with just a few splashes of blue and black ink, with no need to work on the shading or modeling of the folds.
The space in which the figure appears can be explained in just a few lines of very faded ink. Thus, the sketch is perfectly framed.
THE SUBJECT
Of course, a photo conveys different information than a drawing; the photographer’s still is different from the artist’s drawing. Here, we will deal with a mother and her young son.
The drawing is a linear synthesis of both figures’ movement. This interpretation captures the essential nature of the moment.
A few areas of watercolor enhance the basic volumes of the figures without obscuring the clear lines of the drawing.
Some details are more than enough to characterize with greater clarity the figures and highlight their movement. This “immediate” sketch of an urban scene requires nothing more.
A sketch can be many things, from a very quick outline to a complete drawing done calmly in just one session in front of the model. The work done in this exercise, by Vicenç Ballestar, is a drawing in its own right, but it is also a sketch done very quickly. The conservative lines and dramatic, yet minimal, development emphasize this. A work that seems unfinished is the intention.
THE MODEL
Artists often focus only on the figure itself when drawing the nude human form. This representation of the model doesn’t take her surroundings into account.
1. With sepia-colored chalk, roughly sketch in the pose, trying to keep all the parts in their right proportion. The lines must explain as much as possible with the fewest possible mediums.
2. Blend the chalk lines to create an initial first sensation of general volume. The work was done quickly to obtain an overall view of the body.
3. The work progresses quickly during the blending process. The chalk strokes are extended in order to create a convincing and coherent overall volume.
4. Energetic blending tones beside the figure suggests the plane of the wall. The subtle modeling of the back is sufficient to reveal show her anatomy clearly.
5. Reinforce some shadows on the back so that the shading does not take on too misty an appearance. This also creates a sense of strong illumination from the side.
6. The final drawing. The hips and legs are suggested more than fully rendered. This is an effect the artist was looking for: it emphasizes that it is just a sketch and allows the composition to be easily reconstructed and further developed.
