Reflection: Part 3

What were the main challenges you overcame when drawing in public places?

Initially, I experienced nervousness at the thought of someone realising I was drawing them, and, to an extent, this nervousness remains. However, having been out to draw in various locations – from cafes to gardens to roadsides – I now feel much more comfortable with my sketchbook in public places. I think once I had experienced it for the first time, I could zone out and pretend I was invisible while capturing what was going on around me. There are moments when you can forget people can see you. I think I still need to gain more experience to feel totally comfortable drawing people; I tend to rush this and avert my gaze so that I don’t get spotted!

Has drawing in your sketchbook altered the way you think about how you use photography to document or record?

This was not something I anticipated. During the journey exercise, I found new uses for photography to capture details in scenes that I could not achieve with my own sketches. I think having my phone camera with me is invaluable. I know that if there is something I can’t quite draw in the moment – either through difficulty achieving the angle or shape, or because I am struggling with the movement – a camera can take snapshots to look back on or even record a movement to return to in the studio, where there is time to work on this further.

Also, I have ended up using photographs to create collages in my sketchbook. For the assignment, I used photos of the wooden beams to cut out and construct my own arch for an experiment with acrylic plants and the wooden building. This is an easy way to see if a colour or texture works in an idea for an illustration without spending too much time trying to recreate it in another material.

What materials suited you best when you were working on location?

As I anticipated, I used biros a lot. They cannot be erased, which forces me to work with ‘mistakes’, and they allow me to make marks expressively and quickly. I experimented a little with taking watercolour pencils, pastels and waterbrushes out with me, and I actually found these were very useful! If I could find a place to sit, it was great to add some colour to an image, and the pastels created a rough texture on the page without water. During the assignment, I took crayons out with me, and I really enjoyed using these! They added splashes of colour with a rough, scribbly texture, but without the mess of watercolours. I will definitely be adding these to my permanent tool kit for outdoor sketching.

Do you see your drawings as standalone drawings or would you prefer to develop them in a studio situation?

This was something I gradually settled into. At first, I saw my public sketches as purely drafts, rough drawings that would be developed further later. However, by the time I reached the assignment, I was becoming more comfortable with drawing out and about, so I created drawings that I was quite pleased with. They still are not nearly as refined as my work is when I spend hours perfecting it in my home work space, however there is an expressive quality to the mark-making that I now value. I remember capturing the image and what motivated me to draw. It is especially pleasing to see colour on the page when I have been out – a burst of colour can make all the difference.

Saying this, I still value the process of sketching out in public as a way of collecting little ideas to take back, put together and develop further. The SCAMPER processes are fantastic; it is a structured way of remembering lots of tweaks you can make to an image to change it; for a new purpose perhaps. This was also evident in my assignment; although there were images I was proud of creating on location, I thoroughly enjoyed combining elements of each and deciding on a focus to work towards. The process feels more fulfilling if the images will be used for a purpose.

How will you use your sketchbook drawings to lead to other ideas?

I will certainly value this process of visual research and developing a narrative when moving forward. It has been important to visit a location to gather ideas that can then be built upon. I will also definitely use SCAMPER again; it is an easy checklist to go through to see if and how an image can be developed.

Do you prefer working fast or slow? How will you use these approaches in future work?

Both! I like working fast out in public because it is fun to see what you can create with limited time or lines or sight. However, I am gradually settling into slower, more sustained drawings out in public – these can be valuable in terms of accurately collecting, documenting and recording the environment in which you are immersed. In the work space, I definitely work more slowly, because often it is with a clear goal in mind and I want the image to look a certain way so I take time to get there. Sometimes, to loosen up, I will do a fast drawing. In my future work, I think it will be important to continue to use a mixture; to find unexpected qualities in fast work and to achieve something carefully thought out in slower work.

Are there qualities in the way you doodle that you can bring into your ideas within future work?

When I doodle, I do tend to be quite slow and use a lot of pattern and fill up a space. It could be interesting to use some of these intricate patterns in future work; perhaps with text/to fill text, or to fill background shapes or blocks. If the patterns were small enough, this could be a pleasing hidden detail in the work; themed doodles that make up a block of colour.