Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Learning to Walk Again

4/9/14 Diamine Chocolate Brown and Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi inks, Canson XL 140 lb. paper
As I mentioned in my review of Thomas Thorspecken’s book, Urban Sketching: The Complete Guide to Techniques, I think the small diagram showing the five-part breakdown of what a walking step looks like is worth the price of the book! Two years ago when I had been sketching only for a few months, I tried to do this kind of visual breakdown myself at Green Lake, just by observing, but it would have been so much easier had I had Thorspecken’s diagram. I studied it carefully, and then I again headed for Green Lake, where I knew this mostly sunny day would call more than a few walkers to its path.

Thorspecken says, “You need to pay attention to how people hold themselves – a person’s slumped shoulders or proud stance will say more about them than their facial features.” It’s true – even when they’re doing nothing but the simple act of walking, everyone has a unique gait, posture and rhythm. For about a half-hour, I watched all the strollers, runners, dog walkers, bike riders and skateboarders go by and made tiny stick-figure sketches of as many as I could.

4/9/14 Private Reserve Black Velvet ink, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

6 comments:

  1. Good for you that you put that diagram into practice over and over. It is a great idea and very practical if one plans on including figures. I was out sketching with my group earlier this evening and was thinking about his theory that a sketch should always have a person in it. I was sketching a rescue boat, but at that time of night there was nobody near it. lol

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    1. Thanks, Joan! I printed out the diagram and stuck it inside my sketchbook cover for easy reference! :-)

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  2. Hi Tina! I just wanted to say how much I have been enjoying your blog and your art. You've got me addicted to ink and wash, but I've been using one of favorite disposable pens... the Uni Ball Vision Elite BLX in Purple. I also really love the Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. Thank you so much for blogging about those. I'd love to see more of your work with them. I enjoy their vibrancy and blend-ability or water soluble-ness. I know they are not lightfast, but I am hoping they will last long enough in my sketchbook. I'm really enjoying the immediacy of water soluble markers and pens, especially when I only have 10 minutes to get any kind of a sketch down. Also, thank you for sharing your awesome philosophy about sketching!! Reading that has made a huge difference for me, and helped me to get unstuck!!

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    1. Thanks so much, WWendi! I really appreciate knowing that my blog is inspiring to you! I don't usually sketch entire sketches with Zig markers -- usually only color accents -- but I have done a few. If you click on the name of the product on the list of "labels" on the right-side margin, you'll get all the sketches I've done that that include Zig markers. They're my favorite water-soluble markers, too!

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  3. Love your little people, Tina. What a great idea. Can't wait to try it.

    Cheers --- Larry

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