For the second week of this module we went off campus to develop our reportage illustration skills. We went to multiple different location including a private school and a shopping centre. These 2 locations are very close to each other but are very different in atmosphere and aesthetic so are interesting to compare. We were tasked with making quick observational sketches of people, activities and locations.
This task took me out of my comfort zone as drawing in public places is something I’m not confident with. It meant I had to draw fast and discreetly and making sure to capture the essential information. All the on location sketches I did where using a HB pencil as it’s my favourite medium and one that allows for quick mark making.
In the first location I mainly focused on the architecture and objects around the private school and they interested me. Also I felt that it was a good way to ease myself into drawing in public as I could be a bit than if I started with sketching people. For these sketches I captured the main details and also took picture so I could use my observational sketch and the photo to develop an image further.
The second environment we went to was Harrow shopping centre. The 2 areas had completely different atmospheres and demographics of people. For this location I decided to focusing on sketching people. Prior to the session I watched a video with tips about gesture drawing and how to capture a person movement and body language quickly. The most helpful where to start with a line of action that runs from the head to the feet, this helps get the overall position of the person and then draw in 3 axis. One at the shoulders, hips and knees. This information alone is enough as from there, with a good understanding of prorations you can sketch a more complete figure. This was especially helpful as people where either constant moving or stopping for brief periods of time.
I became more comfortable with drawing in public as the day went on and it’s something I will continue to practice as it’s a good form of documentation.
After the session I used my observational sketches and photos to make more developed sketches from the different locations. From the private school I focused on the architecture as it was what I was drawn to most.
One area at the private school that particularly interested me was the church in the cemetery. So from a photo I took I made this more developed biro sketch to try and and capture the texture of the building as well and the detailed, rich architecture.
These are more detailed sketches from the shopping centre. I did some of the architecture to be able to compare the 2 locations as well as developing some of the sketches of people.
A technique I enjoy is using a base of watercolour the overlapping that with biro. I like the aesthetic of them overlapping particularly when the watercolour doesn’t completely fit within the biro lines so this is something I’d like to test out.
Overall I found the experience of drawing from observation in public to be both challenging and enjoyable. It had practical challenges such as having to work fast as well as me just initially feeling a bit uncomfortable but I quickly began to adjust. I plan to continue doing this as I can see it’s uses within documentary illustration and as a quick way of recording ideas and inspiration.
Samuel Green Illustration 