Sketching often involves being at the right place at the right time. You may drive by just in time to see the action, so be prepared and always have a small sketch kit with you. I keep my journal and a simple watercolor kit with me, so I was prepared to stop and sketch the grain elevator demolition as we drove into Kansas City one day.
The juxtaposition of the geometric shapes of the old ConAgra grain elevator, the cylinders and rectangles of the original building, and the almost organic, calligraphic effect of steel girders and reinforcements was just too interesting to pass up. The strong winter sunlight and warm and cool colors made it all the more dramatic. I stayed in my car and out of the way of the bulldozers, sketching through the windshield.
assorted watercolor pigments, graphite pencil, hot-pressed watercolor paper (or journal or sketchbook), water source
STEP ONE: Draw the Building
I sketched the building and applied the first wash for a strong blue sky.
STEP TWO: Add Warm Washes
I added warm washes on the buildings themselves, then more detail as that area dried.
Ink and watercolor is popular with many sketchers, whatever the subject. It gives us a guideline—the bones of a drawing—and we can flesh it out as we wish, perhaps splashing in color more spontaneously.
Many people feel that drawing in ink helps them to slow down, observe more closely and commit. It’s your choice, as always. A few weeks later, all that was left was one triangular form, a pile of rubble and Medusa-like tangle of reinforcing rods.