I’ve been rejecting the idea of trying watercolor for a while. I started drawing in May, copying photographs including portraits and landscapes. Later, I was seduced by charcoal and I continued drawing portraits and landscapes but always from a photograph. It was in July when I found about Urban Sketchers and I got caught by the manifesto and the challenge it supposed for me to start drawing on location and forgetting about copying. Thus, I saw lots of sketches but I didn’t feel inspired. I thought that every sketch was so good and the technique so complex that I could never get something like that. A hot evening in the middle of July, I went to the yard and looking at the ugliest corner of my house, I found a pile of plastic chairs, an old table and two buckets. It was perfect. The first problem was to frame what I wanted to sketch. Once I started, however, everything was solved naturally.
That crucial sketch was made with a pencil and later I added ink. Later, I bought the book Urban Sketching by Thomas Thorspecken. At first, I felt that I had wasted my money on a book that was mainly focusing on watercolor. And I repeated to myself that I was not going to use watercolor. At the beginning of August, I found myself buying online a pack of Pentel waterbrush and a watercolor book. I kept on sketching a church near the town where I’m currently living, but again, using pencil, ink and colored pencils (which produced an effect I didn’t like very much…).
Finally, I decided to use my watercolor book. I was determined to sketch something, and I didn’t need to go out of home. I looked over the house searching a good corner and I found the heater and an armchair. It was perfect to start. After spending some time organizing the sketch, I completed it with a pencil. Later, I used ink, as before. I liked so much the result that I was afraid of using watercolor. I didn’t want to ruin the sketch! I waited for the next day and I started to read about mixing colors, water, paper… I tried to get a grey and I got a muddy horrible color. I tried again and again. I couldn’t get a grey but I found a similar color that I liked and I ended up applying it. I liked the result so much and I had lots of fun during the process. I’m eager to do the next one.
That crucial sketch was made with a pencil and later I added ink. Later, I bought the book Urban Sketching by Thomas Thorspecken. At first, I felt that I had wasted my money on a book that was mainly focusing on watercolor. And I repeated to myself that I was not going to use watercolor. At the beginning of August, I found myself buying online a pack of Pentel waterbrush and a watercolor book. I kept on sketching a church near the town where I’m currently living, but again, using pencil, ink and colored pencils (which produced an effect I didn’t like very much…).
Finally, I decided to use my watercolor book. I was determined to sketch something, and I didn’t need to go out of home. I looked over the house searching a good corner and I found the heater and an armchair. It was perfect to start. After spending some time organizing the sketch, I completed it with a pencil. Later, I used ink, as before. I liked so much the result that I was afraid of using watercolor. I didn’t want to ruin the sketch! I waited for the next day and I started to read about mixing colors, water, paper… I tried to get a grey and I got a muddy horrible color. I tried again and again. I couldn’t get a grey but I found a similar color that I liked and I ended up applying it. I liked the result so much and I had lots of fun during the process. I’m eager to do the next one.
(This post was published on the official Urban Sketchers website on the 14th of September, 2014)
Also, you can see my artwork on my Flickr account.