I have been doing a lot of sketching lately, as l have now finally decided my 6 month project. It is sketching faces l see around Bondi District and Sydney. I have to admit , l am finding it challenging but an enjoyable one.
I am ashamed to say, l have never really studied faces before, not REALLY looked. I have been amazed at how many different sorts of faces there are. As an Artist l should have done this but l have always shied away from drawing or sketching because l was told once, by an Art teacher, that l would never be able to draw!!!!! As John Lennon said in 1969:
" Every child is an Artist until he's told he is not an Artist"!
And the stupid thing is, l believed her! Anyway, as l have limited space, where l am staying, l decided l would bite the bullet and start to try and sketch.
By sketching l mean quick 2 or 3 min sketches! There will be few occasions where l will have the luxury of more time. I will be able to sit and sketch in coffee shops but not too obviously, l hope. I must admit l was SO scared, that l decided too tell my husband and close family, what l was proposing to do, so l couldn't back out!! :) That was when l discovered the saying, "draw every day and you will get better" is actually true!
In the beginning l found it hard to sketch quickly, mainly because my memory seemed so bad! I discovered that memory is a" big thing" when drawing faces and all the interesting things people wear on their head and "in" their skin. By this, l mean so many people here have tattoos and piercings, the most amazing hairstyles and beards of all shapes, sizes and colours. Bondi Beach is a very laid back, hippy sort of place. As well as locals, you have many tourists from all over the world, that also adds colour to the picture.
My idea at the moment, is to sketch then add colour and design
later, on a bigger scale. So, most sketches have detailed info on the page that tells me about, for example, hair colour, eyes shape or hair design maybe.
I have been told for most of my life by family, friends and total strangers THIS:
" You always notice things, especially details others don't see."
Well, all l can say is this:
" Most people must notice hardly anything!"
I have been horrified about how little l have noticed about people's faces. Yes, I see hair colour or a great pair of earrings but I have never really studied faces before and for this I am greatly ashamed. As an artist, l should have seen more but l am rectifying this now.
Oh ... one other thing that has spurred me on was this. I was sitting in one of my favourite coffee shops in Bondi, sketching people around me, when a young woman came up to me and said the following:
The first hurdle l had to jump was ... drawing in public ! Wow that is a hard one but once you have done it a few times and nothing bad happens, it is easy to carry on.
" Every child is an Artist until he's told he is not an Artist"!
And the stupid thing is, l believed her! Anyway, as l have limited space, where l am staying, l decided l would bite the bullet and start to try and sketch.
By sketching l mean quick 2 or 3 min sketches! There will be few occasions where l will have the luxury of more time. I will be able to sit and sketch in coffee shops but not too obviously, l hope. I must admit l was SO scared, that l decided too tell my husband and close family, what l was proposing to do, so l couldn't back out!! :) That was when l discovered the saying, "draw every day and you will get better" is actually true!
In the beginning l found it hard to sketch quickly, mainly because my memory seemed so bad! I discovered that memory is a" big thing" when drawing faces and all the interesting things people wear on their head and "in" their skin. By this, l mean so many people here have tattoos and piercings, the most amazing hairstyles and beards of all shapes, sizes and colours. Bondi Beach is a very laid back, hippy sort of place. As well as locals, you have many tourists from all over the world, that also adds colour to the picture.
My idea at the moment, is to sketch then add colour and design
later, on a bigger scale. So, most sketches have detailed info on the page that tells me about, for example, hair colour, eyes shape or hair design maybe.
" You always notice things, especially details others don't see."
Well, all l can say is this:
" Most people must notice hardly anything!"
I have been horrified about how little l have noticed about people's faces. Yes, I see hair colour or a great pair of earrings but I have never really studied faces before and for this I am greatly ashamed. As an artist, l should have seen more but l am rectifying this now.
Oh ... one other thing that has spurred me on was this. I was sitting in one of my favourite coffee shops in Bondi, sketching people around me, when a young woman came up to me and said the following:
" You are the artist aren't you?". (What was l supposed to say to that? :) )
" I am AN artist, yes. How can l help you?"
" Well, everyone says how good your drawings are and, now I see what they mean, I wondered if you would teach me."
Ha ... l felt so good and so l am carrying on my sketching!
The first hurdle l had to jump was ... drawing in public ! Wow that is a hard one but once you have done it a few times and nothing bad happens, it is easy to carry on.
Here are a few of the sketches l created .
2 comments:
I love your portraits, they're very alive and full of character. It looks like you'll have plenty of variety in the people you see. Looking forward to seeing more.
Thank you Sharon. I am enjoying it and feeling more confident by the day. Also enjoying being with my 6 month old grandson a lot, too!��
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