Research task 2.0

Sophie Peanut

After exploring Sophie Peanut’s blog, where she posts descriptions of her creative processes and tips to help others with rapid sketching on location, I compiled some of the key points in my log.

Comparing working methods

There are many similarities in our working methods and especially in her mentality about mistakes; this comes across in her blog posts. Sophie reinforces the idea that drawings done on location will not be perfectly proportioned, will not all be completed, and will not have had hours spent on them. Whenever I draw ‘on-the-go’, my sketches are quick, messy and only capture key details or shapes. Drawing people in public is also a scenario where you must accept that the sketches will be rough, as people are moving all the time.

There was a passage I picked out where Sophie stated, “Drawing my world gives me a deeper connection with my environment.” I thought this was a brilliant way to describe the process; wherever, whatever or whoever I am drawing, I end up noticing details I had never seen before and knowing the subject of my drawing intimately. It feels as if a bond has been made between the artist and the subject. Drawing makes you pay more attention and see your surroundings in new ways.

There are also some differences in the ways I work compared to Sophie. In lots of her advice, she usually starts by encouraging people to not think too much and ‘just draw’; this is something I sometimes struggle with and am working on. Usually, once I have ‘settled’ in to my sketchbook, I can simply let go and draw, however the intimidation of a blank page does sometimes affect me and I can become precious about my sketchbook.

I also admire the way Sophie uses her sketchbook everywhere and deliberately makes time in her everyday life to draw (she suggests arriving early to meetings or events so that you can spend a few minutes drawing in between). This is another area of my practice that I am working on; sometimes the moments of space between events get filled with other jobs and I forget to draw, but I am trying to prioritise this as it makes such a difference. I also really identified with a comment Sophie made on one blog post – she urged people not to wait for a special trip somewhere new to start sketching; sketch everywhere! In my everyday sketchbook for assignment one, I deliberately focused on the locations that I would not usually think to draw because I see them constantly and they seem ‘boring’. However, there is lots to observe and capture in these environments that may prove to be useful and spark other ideas.

Merits

Sophie’s work is full of character (which is a phrase she uses herself in her advice: ‘embrace wonky’) because she captures moments in everyday life where people are moving and environments are constantly changing. The writing (usually speech) that she includes in her sketches adds to the narrative quality; it’s as if her sketchbook is a diary and she is recording places, people and snippets of conversation within.

Sophie works with lots of materials and encourages others to experiment to see which tools and methods they prefer; a sketchbook is the place to try out new things. Lots of her drawings are colourful and have depth; she discusses her layering techniques, beginning with watercolour paints to block out the main colours and shapes, then adding a few more details with watercolour pencils or fine liners for bolder lines, and then adding a few more touches of watercolour paint at the end for depth and colour. Her rapid sketches force her to extract the key shapes and lines to capture a person or scene; later, she may go back and add more details and colour. Her process allows her to distil her surroundings and then build on these ‘notes’ (as she calls them) in the future.

Pitfalls

Working out and about means Sophie must constantly adapt to the changes in her surroundings. She lists the issues she faces herself in her blog posts; one being that she often ends up with unfinished drawings, especially of people. This is not a problem, as she will still have the beginning of a character, the key lines and shapes needed to elaborate later and perhaps use this starting point to create a character and use the figure in a drawing. Sophie urges people to let go of perfection and not get caught up with the idea of completed drawings or finished sketchbook spreads; it is these rough sketches that have only taken perhaps seconds that you may look back on and use in the future.

Sophie’s process means that she may not always be able to carry all equipment with her, but she encourages people to take out as many materials as they can to use and play with in their sketchbooks. Sometimes all she will have to hand will be pencils and her sketchbook; this does not hinder her from adding details and perhaps colour at a later point. The key to her process is to record her surroundings quickly and develop sketches she felt were successful later. Sophie describes rapid sketching as a note-taking process; notes are ideas or thoughts condensed, sketches are a similar version, but focused on imagery.

Other artists whose work has a rapid style

Another artist who is known for urban sketching is Ian Fennelly; his sketchbook drawings are completed fairly quickly with pen and ink on location, while his final drawings take a couple of hours, but still retain a ‘sketchy’ quality that conveys movement. Also, when he discusses his process, he describes himself as always moving and never sitting still, so his perspective on a scene changes, meaning the angles in the drawing are different. This, again, makes the viewer feel like they are moving quickly, jumpily around the drawing.

http://www.ianfennelly.co.uk/inside-the-sketchbook/4579185491
Accessed 05/08/19

Louise Pallister’s drawings are usually focused on animals; also subjects that move! Her rapid style makes the animals seem alive on the page, almost blurry in their actions (layers of lines and shapes to build up an impression of the creature).

http://louisepallister.com/#/zoochosis-tiger/
Accessed 05/08/19

Adam De Ville is a contemporary watercolour artist, and his work also has a rapid style (probably an effect that has been carefully crafted; he states that he aims to suggest multiple interpretations in his portraits [see images below]). De Ville uses minimal marks to capture the expression and feeling of the characters, and it seems like this has been done quickly and instinctively.