A Level of Engagement

6/8/20 Suhita, Gabi and Rob chat on the USk Talks video program.

“You’re drawing that? Wouldn’t it be faster to take a photo?”

Every now and then when I’m out sketching, I’ll hear that question. Once someone thought I was drawing because I didn’t have a smartphone and helpfully offered to lend me his. I usually acknowledge these comments in some way, but I don’t bother to engage in a discussion.

Although I think a lot about why the act of drawing is as different from snapping a photo on my phone as anything I can think of, it’s not a conversation I want to have with a stranger on the street, especially if he has interrupted me with such a helpful suggestion. If I have to explain, it’s probably not a concept he’s going to grasp after 30 seconds of conversation.

Last week on the USk Talks live chat, Gabi Campanario talked to host Rob Sketcherman about sketching and how it fits in with Gabi’s role as a journalist. How is sketch journalism (Gabi’s Seattle Times column) different from more traditional forms of journalism (usually accompanied by photos or video), Rob asked. Here is Gabi’s response:

“You can tell the same story. . . with photographs . . . radio . . . or film documentary. What makes drawing different is how the audience is going to connect with the story. And the beauty of drawing is that a sketch evokes a scene that the viewer has to complete with their imagination. So there’s a level of engagement that is perhaps a little more emotional than if you’re watching a movie or a photograph. Also a sketch is very personal. Nobody else can do the same sketch like you. But a lot of people can take a photo that is very similar.”

 Yes, it would be much faster to take a photo.

(To hear the inspiring video chat, which also includes Suhita Shirodkar, see the recorded version on YouTube.)

“Drawing is Bigger than Art”

3/13/20 Appropos to nothing except that it's part of my daily drawing practice.

A while back I mentioned the exchange I had with someone who had questioned the value of drawing if the result isn’t good. “Do you think it’s folly for someone who likes art a great deal but still draws like a kid to keep drawing?” I tried to explain my belief that the act of drawing has value far beyond whatever shows up on the paper.

Two friends on social media recently shared items that address much of what I was trying to express. The first is an excellent TED Talk by Ralph Ammer, an artist, animator, writer and design educator. While most people see drawing as an artistic skill, it’s much larger than that – it is a thinking skill.

The second is an interview with David Gentleman, age 90, a British artist who still draws daily. This bit of wisdom spoke directly to me:

“Drawing is always a challenge. If drawing was easy, it would be boring. What I really like is that it is extremely interesting. It teaches you instantly how to look at something more in depth than anything else would make you look.”

Italy, Part 2: Cinque Terre

5/10/17 brush pen, water-soluble colored pencils, ink (Manarola)

Eleven years ago when we first visited Italy, our itinerary included mostly major cities, with one exception – the Cinque Terre. This Rick Steves favorite is a cluster of “five towns” (as its name indicates) on the Ligurian Sea. Due to Rick’s promotions of these wonderfully quaint villages, they were already overtaken by American tourists even back then, and it was all the worse when we visited this time. Despite this disappointment, we still love the Cinque Terre, so we plugged our ears to all the American English being spoken everywhere we went and enjoyed the simple beauty of these small fishing towns.

5/9/17 ink, water-soluble colored pencils (Vernazza)

Back in 2006, I was making art, but the materials I used then were beads, fabric and other fibers. On first sight of the colorful pink, yellow, blue and coral buildings, I was completely smitten with Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore (three of the more picturesque towns), and I took many photos that I’d hoped to someday express in fiber art. At that time, I was still convinced that I “couldn’t draw,” so I focused on abstract works. While I loved the pastel palette of the region and felt inspired, I never got around to finding a way to express that vibrancy. Afterwards, whenever I saw photos of the Cinque Terre, I felt regret; it was as if I were a writer with the thoughts and ideas but not the words.

In Manarola there’s a particularly popular spot for postcard photographers and painters, so it’s one of the most-often seen views of the town (and all of the Cinque Terre). I know that some sketchers shy away from iconic views, but I didn’t care that it had already been portrayed many, many times. Sitting at a shady picnic table high above the water, I felt as if I’d waited 11 years to make the sketch shown at the top of the post. Although I’d carried the feelings since 2006, I finally had both the inspiration and the vocabulary to express them.

Interestingly, it was the Cinque Terre’s color palette that had initially caught my attention in 2006, but after sketching Positano’s similar palette, I didn’t feel quite as much need to put in all the colors of Manarola. It was enough to be there, sketchbook in hand at last.

5/9/17 Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore, the town where we stayed, was equally inspiring but perhaps in a less showy way. Built high on a hill just like Positano, rows and rows of houses leaned askew. My “sky shape” practice in Positano was good training for Riomaggiore’s steep landscape.

5/9/17 il Pirata Cafe, Vernazza

Visiting Vernazza, the town where we stayed 11 years ago, we found the same café, il Pirata, where we had enjoyed several meals back then. Still owned and operated by the same brothers, il Pirata doesn’t have much of a view compared to more expensive places facing the water, but the casual outdoor tables have a comfortable familiarity for both locals and tourists. We arrived late-morning when they were still serving pastries for breakfast. Since Greg can’t eat gluten, he watched me scarf down a chocolate-filled croissant and waited patiently until noon, when the lunch menu began. Our progressive meals allowed me plenty of time to make a sketch looking over Greg’s shoulder.

5/8/17 Riomaggiore

5/8/17 Laundry in Riomaggiore

Our next stop: Varenna on Lake Como.

(For more photos and sketches from Italy, please see this album in my Flickr photostream.)

Barbara Weeks on Reasons to Keep a Sketchbook

In addition to sketches by its members, Urban Sketchers Chicago publishes weekly Tuesday Tips & Tricks with useful how-to articles and inspiring ideas. Barbara Weeks just posted, “Every Visual Creative Should Keep a Sketchbook,” including five reasons to keep a sketchbook and five tips for developing the sketchbook habit. I say “hear, hear” to the entire article – I wish I’d written it myself! Check it out. 

Words of Wisdom from Chicago

I just read an excellent, inspiring blog post by Alex Zonis of Urban Sketchers Chicago. Every word could have been stated by me (uh, well, except the part about having reached 10,000 hours)! After three years of sketching, I probably still have about 9,000 hours of practice to go, and I’m looking forward to every one. 

Words of Wisdom from the Seattle Sketcher

4/5/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi ink, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Yesterday when I saw the “Drawn to Seattle” exhibit at MOHAI again, I transcribed the placards that included tips from Gabi Campanario. The exhibit ends next month, but his thoughts on urban sketching will continue to remind me of why I’m an urban sketcher:

• Urban sketching gives you a chance to step away from the computer and just draw for the sheer joy of it without deadline or objectives. It has the power to turn a moment of boredom into a creative pastime.

• If you make urban sketching part of your routine and continue it in your travels, you not only end up with a work of art in your hands, but you also create a de facto journal of your life. The sketches will bring back memories like a picture wouldn’t, evoking the sounds, smells and recollections of the place where you did it.

• Sketching is a form of visual documentation that is accessible to all. No easels or expensive oil paints needed, just a pen and a piece of paper, and you are all set to get started.

4/5/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi ink, Sailor pen

• My sketching tools are simple: fountain pens loaded with waterproof ink and watercolors. I try to finish the sketches on location, but I add washes of color later if I don’t have enough time to do it on the spot. I don’t use photographic reference.

• As hobbies go, urban sketching gives you a lot of bang for the buck. With as little as a piece of paper and a pencil, you are equipped to start drawing your city or village, the people who live there and the things that are happening in it.

• A sketch can be completed as simply and quickly as you like. It may be a five-minute study of the view from the window, or you could spend an hour or two capturing the way the light hits that beautiful old church in your town. In either case, sketching stops the clock and lets your mind turn off the noise.

     -- Gabriel Campanario, the Seattle Sketcher