fastSKETCHINGtechniques

DavidRankin

NORTHLIGHTBOOKS

CINCINNATI,OHIO

www.nlbooks.com

I'dliketodedicatethisbooktomywonderfulwife,Deanna.Shetravelstheworldwithmeandprovidesmewithanothersetofartisticeyesandcreativeideas.

FastSketchingTechniques.Copyright©2000byDavidRankin.ManufacturedinChina.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybeproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewer,whomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.PublishedbyNorthLightBooks,animprintofF&WPublications,Inc.,1507DanaAve.,Cincinnati,Ohio45207.(800)289-0963.Firstedition.

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DesignedbyDavidRankin

CoverdesignedbyStephanieStrang

AbouttheAuthor

DavidRankin,agraduateoftheClevelandInstituteofArt,isanaward-winningprofessionalwatercolorpainterwhosepaintingshavebeenfeaturedinmorethanforty-fivemuseumexhibitionsinJapan,Sweden,CanadaandacrosstheUnitedStates.Hisworkhasbeenfeaturedinnumerousbooksandmagazines,includingpublicationssuchasAmericanArtist,WildlifeArtandInternationalWildlife.Hiscreativeeffortstakehimaroundtheworldinsearchofinspirationforhismasterfulwatercolors.

Heisontheboardoftheworld'soldestassociationofanimalandwildlifepaintersandsculptors—TheSocietyofAnimalArtists—andhas twicewon itstopaward, theAwardofExcellence.Mostrecently,hispaintingIn theHeatoftheDaywasawardedtheprestigiousLeonardJ.MeiselmanMemorialAwardforRepresentationalPaintingatthe1999annualmembersexhibition,whichopenedatTheClevelandMuseumofNaturalHistory.

Davidreferstohisworkas“naturalabstraction”atermheusestodefinehisuseofrealisticimagesbasedonveryabstractdesignprinciplesfoundinnature.

Hefeelshisartisticodyssey reallybegan in1970,whenhemadehis firstextendedjourneytoIndiaforadvancedtraininginhislifelongstudyofyoga.ItwasinIndia,especiallyduringsevensummersinKashmir,thathissketchingandpaintingtechniquegraduallyevolved.“Ioftensaythat itwasIndiaherself thatchanged the way I draw and paint, for it wasmy extensive travels there thatbrought to light the inadequacies inmydrawingstyle. Iwas literally forced todevelopmore effectivemethods for creating painting ideas on location asmydesiretopaintawiderrangeofsubjectsgrew.”

Although his main emphasis is still India, he also paints the Southwest,Florida,theGreatLakesregionandhishometownofCleveland,Ohio.

Left:DavidsketchingattheCityPalaceinUdaipur,India.Below:DavidsketchinginalotusfieldnearHuron,Ohio.

TableofContents

Introduction

CHAPTERONETheBasics

Whatisthedifferencebetweenadrawingandasketch?

Recognizingthedifferencebetweendrawingandsketchingwillhelpyouletgoofolddrawingstylesthatarejusttooslow,allowingyoutocreativelycapturetheessenceofyoursubjects.

Whatarethebasictoolsandtechniquesforsketching?

Using the right sketchingmaterialswill allowyou topractice easy techniquesforfastsketching.

Whatisthefastestwaytoimprovemysketching?

Copyingis thebestwaytoenhanceyourabilities,byseeinghowit'sdoneandtryingityourself.

ShouldIshootreferencephotos?

Balancing your use of reference photos vs. sketchingwill help you thoroughlyexploreyoursubjectsinthepresentmoment,maximizingyourcreativity.

HowcanIincreasemysketchingspeed?

Observing your subject intently for recognizable shapes that you can quicklyreplicate,practicingrapidlineworkandusingablendingtoolforagoodrangeofgraysarekeystospeed.

HowcanIimprovemyobservationandrecognitionskills?

Payingmoreattentiontoretainingvisualmemoriesafteryoulookawayfromasubjectcanhelpyousketchbetterandfaster.

CHAPTERTWOLandscapes

HowcanIdeveloppaintingideaswithsketches?

Capturing the intrinsicbeautyofa scenewith fast sketchingon locationhelpsyoudetermineifitwouldmakeagoodsubjectforamorefinishedpainting.

HowcanIcreatevisualdepthandmoodinmysketches?

Usingdifferentpencilpressuresandtheblendingtoolletsyoucreateavarietyofvaluesforvisualdepthandmood.

HowcanIimprovemycompositions?

Looking for and designing values is a good practice in the sketching stage,becausevalues,especiallythewhites,directtheviewer'seye.

ShouldIusewatercoloronlocationaswell?

Planning your compositionwith pencil sketches and Payne'sGraywatercolorstudiescanleadtofull-colorwatercolorstudiesofasubject,whichcanpayoffinbetterpaintingslater.

HowcanImaximizemyproductivityonlocation?

Quicklysketchingthemostdistinctivefeaturesofyourmainsubjectandsavingsecondary subjects for later allows you to staywith the flow of what you aretryingtoaccomplish.

CHAPTERTHREEPeople

Whatwillhelpmetoquicklycreatealikeness?

Beginningwith simple, rapid linework to outline shapes and establish details,then finishingwith shadingwill give you the ability to quickly create a betterlikeness.

Whatisfreeze-framesketching?

Using your VCR to freeze subjects with unique postures or expressions andsketchinguntilthe“pause”featureswitchesoffkeepsyouworkingfast.

HowdoIdefinefacialandbodystructure?

Outlining individual shadow areas with one line while varying your pencilpressures,thenblendingandshading,helpsyoudefinestructure.

HowshouldIgetstartedwithlivesubjects?

Sketching self-portraits and available subjects repeatedly improves your self-confidencesoyoucanmoveontootherpeople.

CHAPTERFOURAnimals

Whatisthesecrettoimprovingmyanimalsketches?

Seeing the shapes that form an animal and quickly sketching them piece bypiece,makinganefforttosketchpartsratherthanthewholesubject,isthewaytoachievebetterresults.

HowcanIgetmoredetailinsketchesofliveanimals?

Capturing essentials in your first sketches, then using them as reference forsecondary sketches concentrating on subtleties, helps you gather information,clarify details, develop ideas for finished paintings and improve your eye forsketchingsequence.

HowcanIcapturethequickmovementsofveryactivesubjects?

Sketchingactivesubjects takescarefulobservationcoupledwithfastsketching,butyoucanalsousetechnology,suchasacamcorder./

HowcanIrememberfinepointsandkeepideasalive?

Noting details such as lighting and colors in your sketchbook helps youremember the entire scene better back home, when you can take your ideasfurther.

Introduction

Sketchingisauniqueartisticskillthatisdramaticallydifferentfromwhatisnormallycalleddrawing.Itistheabilitytoputthoughts,ideas,memories,dreamsandpresent-momentperceptionsdownonpaperveryfast.

Sketchingistheartofputtingthoughts,ideas,memories,dreamsandpresent-momentperceptionsdownonpaperveryfast.

Ineverydayexperience,myabilitytosketchallowsmetoworkinthemostcreatively rewarding way possible, directly from my subject—completelyindependentfrommycameras.

Thisabilitytoobserve,study,sketchandrefineideasinthesamemomentIamperceivinga subjectgivesmemaximumcreative freedom. It allowsme toreactimmediatelyandspontaneouslytowhateverisbeforeme,rightthen,ratherthanwaitingforslidestobedevelopedinafewhoursordays.

BeforeIdevelopedmysketchingskills to the level theynoware,mostofmy painting ideas were captured and recorded on 35mm slide film, to bedeveloped and refined into paintings at some later time. I had always beenconflictedbythisworkingmethod,forIseldomdevelopedapaintingfromoneslideimage.Evenwithmyclearestideas,IfoundIwasusuallyusingpiecesofas many as five to ten different photos to develop an idea for even a simplecompositioninapainting.IalsofoundthatbecauseIwasn'tdoingmuchon-the-spotworktorefineanddevelopmyideas,Itookalotofslides,whichbecameveryexpensive!

SketchinginVentanaCanyoninTucson,Arizona.

ItneveroccurredtomethatthereasonIwastakingsomanyslidesofasubject—capturing its lighting, details and overall design elements—was because Iwasn't working on these ideas on location. I was actually postponing the realcreative work until I got back home. Then I would set about developing mypaintingideasworkingfromliterallythousandsofslides.

BeforeIdevelopedmysketchingskills,mostofmypaintingideaswererecordedon35mmslidefilm.

Finally,Irealizedhowlimitingthiswasandbeganworkingonimprovingmysketchingtechnique.

Travel and logistics are always limiting factors inmywork.That'swhy Iwanted to develop a sketching style that would allow me to work as fast aspossible.Itfinallydawnedonmethatwithonlyphotographicreferencestoworkfrom, what I was really missing was in-the-moment impressions, inspirationsandexperiences.Iwashavingtorelyonmymemoryandbitsandpiecesofideas

Ihadcapturedthroughtheimpersonallensofmycameras,withverylittleofmycreativeinterpretation.

Inowunderstandjusthowimportantmyinitiallivemomentsketchingistomy best work. My ability to sketch quickly and creatively, in virtually anycircumstance, has liberated me from my slavish use of cameras and theirseductive ease of imaging.My ability to sketch fuelsmypainting efforts, andallows me to develop ideas and visualize them through into finished artworkfasterandbetter.

Istillutilizemycamerasextensively,butnowascreativetoolstobackupmysketchesandwater-colorfieldstudieswithreferenceimages.

This book presentsmymost precious, personal procedures for sketching,bothinthefieldandinmyhomestudio.Iofferthemtoyouandwishyouthejoyoftravelingtheworldasanartist—withasketchbookinonehand,yourpencilintheotherandyourcamerainyourpocket.

TrekkinginKashmir.

OldStylesandMethodsJustDidn'tWork

Theprocessofchangingtheentirewayyouworkdoesn'ttakeplaceovernight.Withmeittookyears,infactmorethanadecade,toevengrasptherealnatureofmyproblem.

Shownonthispagearetwoofmyearlystyles.Below,andonthefollowingpage,areexamplesofmyart-schooldrawingstyleforthehumanbody.AlsoonthispageisanillustrationstyleoflineworkIdevelopedandusedinmycareerafterartschool.

AslongasIwasinaclassroom-likesetting,thesestylesworkedfine.Ihadlotsoftimetoexperimentandnoodleeverytinydetail.Evenafterartschool,Iutilizedthesestylesinmyillustrationworkformagazinesandadvertising.

The difficulties inmy drawing style didn't become evident until I beganspendingmy summers inKashmir in 1974.I had the desire to sketch or paintsomeofthewonderfulthingsIsawandexperienced,butwasshockedtorealizethatmyexistingskills,thoughsubstantial,weresimplynottherightonesforthejob.Icompensatedbyswitchingtomy35mmcameraswhenIwantedtorecordsomethingforlater.

Everythingbeforemewasnewandstrange—andartisticallycaptivating—allatthesametime.ButthedrawingskillsIpossessedweresoslowthatIhadtroubledrawinganythingotherthanlandscapesthatdidn'tmove.Ihadtraveledto the other side of the world with drawing skills that were really meant forstudiowork.

ThefactorlimitingmycreativeeffortsthemostwasthatthedrawingstylesIwasgoodatweresimplynotdesignedforfastfieldwork.Theillustrationsfrommy art school sketchbooks on the facing page show a classic style of dealingwiththehumanfigure.

The classic Crosshatch style shown is created slowly and delicatelywithlight, tentativecontourssearchingforastructure.Thenyoudelicatelybuildupthe shading defining the form with crosshatched lines. I took four years of

drawingclassestoperfectthisstyle.Itisindeedalovelystyle,butit'salotliketakingLatininhighschool—therejustisn'tmuchpracticaluseforitoutsideofschool.Itdoesn'tworkforsketchinglivesubjects;it'sjusttooslow.

InartschoolIpracticedhourafterhourwithlivemodels,plastercastsandotherclassicalsculpture,butitdidn'tpreparemeforworkingwithpeopleinunposedsettings.

Oneofthethingsthathascontinuedtofascinatemeisanatomy.InartschoolIexcelledatthisclassicalstyle.IthoughtforatimethatIwouldgointomedicalillustration,butthatrequiredapremedstintthatI

wasn'tpreparedfor.Myunderstandingofhumanandanimalanatomyhashelpedmethroughoutmycareer,butInowbelievethatyoudon'treallyneedsuchanextensiveknowledgeifyoulearntoseeandsketchvisualshapesmore

accurately.

ChapterOneTheBasics

Whatisthedifferencebetweenadrawingandasketch?

Thisisnotasketch!ItiswhatIrefertoasarenderedillustrationofCanadageese.Becauseitwascreatedwithapencil,manypeoplemayautomaticallycallitasketch,eventhoughittookmorethanfortyhourstocreate.Ifyouassumethatthisisthedegreeoffinishyouarestrivingforwhenyouaresketchingfromlife,youwillbeunhappywithyourexperience.Themostessentialdifferencebetweenadrawingandasketchisthespeedatwhichtheyweredrawn.Thisisastudioillustration,workedonslowlyfromgoodslides.

DrawingDrawingiswhatwenormallydowhenoursubjectdoesn'tmovearoundmuchandwehavelotsoftime.

Drawingislikewritingastoryinlonghand.Drawingscanbeveryrealistic,detailed,elaborateandcompleteineveryvalue.Drawingisslow.

Here I'vechosenaperfect exampleofoneofmyquick sketches,done fromacheetah at the ClevelandMetroparks Zoo. Thewhole purpose of sketching isdifferent from drawing. When you sketch from life, you're simply trying tocapturevisualandemotionalimpressionsofsubjects.You'reworkingfast.Studythe movements, the form, the postures and the intrinsic characteristics of asubject moment by moment. You're only trying to capture something of itsessenceinyoursketch.

Sketches are the fastest and most creative thinking that you do with asubject.Theyare intense, loose, rapidandspontaneous.Theydon't look likeaslower,moredeliberatedrawing.

SketchingSketchingiswhatwedowhenoursubjecttendstomove,orwhenwe'reworkingfasttodevelopanidea.Sketchingismoreliketakingshorthand—quick,loose,impressionisticandlimitedtoonlyafewvalues.

Sketchingisfast.

SeeingtheDifferenceBetweenSketchesandDrawings

Hereisatypicalsketch.IwasdoingpaintingresearchforaposterprojectfortheSmithsonianInstitution'sConservationandResearchCenter.Whilethere,IhadtheopportunitytostudytheseveryrareHawaiianbirds.

Theenclosureshada lotof tropicalplants and limbs, and thesevery tinybirdswere zippingabout all over the enclosure.When theywould land itwasonlyforamomentortwobeforedartingoffagain.

In situations like this, artists have few options. This is an example of asituationinwhichsketchingskillsarenecessary.Ihadmycameras,buttryingtofocusandphotographthesebirdsthroughtheirmeshenclosures,inlow-filteredlight, as they jetted about their spacewas next to impossiblewithout a lot ofpreparationandsetup.

Catching only glimpses of them through the foliage, retaining a fewmoments'mentalimageoftheiruniqueposturesorphysicalfeaturesandrapidlysketchingthesebriefmomentsintimeallowedmetocreatetheseimages.

SketchRareHawaiianI'iwiandAmakihibirdsattheSmithsonianInstitution'sConservationandResearchCenter

inFrontRoyal,Virginia.

DrawingWoodducksandamallardonShakerLakes,ShakerHeights,Ohio.

Thisisaratherelaboratedrawingofwoodducksandamallardforalimitededitionprint.Canyouseehowmuchmorefinisheditis?Thisillustrationtookaboutfortyhoursofverycarefuldrawing,yetmanypeople

stillrefertothesekindsofimagesassketches.

Drawing

Thedrawingofthefarmertotheleftwascreatedinmystudioworkingfrommyslidereferenceandtookaboutthreehours.

ThesketchoftheKashmirishepherdtotherighttooksixtosevenminutesinthestreetsofaKashmirhillstationcalledPhalgam.

Where the sketch looks loose, fast and spontaneous, thedrawing ismuchtighterandmoredetailed.Inthedrawing,youcanseethedesignsinthefarmer'sshawl.

Sketch

Studythedetailintheillustrationofaredcrownedcraneshownontheleft,donefroma35mmslidereferenceinmystudio.Youcaneasilyseethehigherdegreeoffinisheddetailascomparedtothefive-minutesketchoftheturkeybelow.

Sketchesareforyourfastestthinkingaboutasubject.Workquicklyandonlysuggestdetailandformwithrapidshading.

DrawingRedcrownedcraneattheInternationalCraneFoundationinBaraboo,Wisconsin.

SketchTurkeyatGreenfieldVillageinDetroit,Michigan.

IsketchedthesepalmsfromtheTikiBaratourhotelonEsteroBeach(thatisSanibelIslandonthehorizon).Withsketcheslikethis,thepencilpressuresandshadingwithablendingtoolallownicevaluegradations.Thetotalsketchingtimewasfivetotenminutes.

SketchGulfcoastpalmsonEsteroBeach,Florida.

DrawingAnearlyAprilsnowfallattheHoldenArboretuminKirtland,Ohio.Original14″×18″(36cm×46cm)

Comparethespontaneityofthepalmsketchabovetotheverycarefulrenderingofthepositiveandnegativebranchstructureinthisimageofbluejaysinanappletree,thereflectedlightmodelingofthesnowcaughtinthebranches,andthebirdsthemselves.

Thisdrawingtookthreedaysandrequirednumerouspreparatorysketchesandstudies toestablish thedesign.This typeofdrawingand theactualway itwasdrawnaretooslowforfieldwork.

DrawingApencildrawingofmywife,Deanna,teachingyoga.

Bothoftheseareportraitsbutoneistightlyrenderedandtheotherislooseandfast.Don'tthinkyoucancreatethedrawingontheleftinafewminutes;ittookaboutthreehours.Theportraitontherighttookonlyaboutfivetosixminutes.

SketchOurfriendKathryn.

Yousimplycannottaketimetodrawallthesubtledetailswhenyouaresketchingpeopleastheymoveabout.Asketchistheresultofyourmoment-to-momentobservationsofsmalldetails,posturesorlightingeffectsthatcatchyoureye—aquickattempttofreezeyourperceptionsandputthemonpaper.

Thepencil illustrationoftheyoungmanmixingoilpaintstookmorethanthree hours and is highly detailed,while thewomen carrying laundry on theirheadsweresketchedinajustafewmomentsfrommytaxiatarailroadcrossinginsouthernIndia.

DrawingArtist'sapprenticeinBombay,India.

SketchVillagewomeninsouthernIndia.

KnowingWhentoSketch

Whensketchingfromlife,useyourskillstorapidlycreateimpressionsfromtheworldaroundyou.Whenyouarebackinyourstudiodevelopingideasandcompositionsfromyourfieldsketchesorphotoreferenceshotsandyouwanttovisualizeelementsquickly,useyoursketchingskills.

When your subjects are motionless or you have lots of time to developideas,itdoesn'tmatterhowslowlyyoudraw.Thetrickisknowingwhentousesketchingspeed.Don'ttrytodrawwhenyoushouldbesketching.

Drawing

TheabovedrawingiswhatIrefertoasanillustration,asisthedrawingofmywifeteachingheryogaclasses.IntheseillustrationsIuseasimilardrawingstyleoflineandshading.Thesekindsofdrawingscantakemanyhoursandrequirereallygoodphotographicreferencetoestablishdetailsandsubtlety.

Comparethesetomyon-the-spotsketchofasnakecharmerinNewDelhi.Canyouseethevisualdifferenceintheresultsofeachstyle?

Drawing

Sketch

It'snotthatonestyleisbetterthananother,it'sjustthattheyproducedifferentresults.Knowinghowandwhentouseyoursketchingskillsfortheappropriate

situationsisimportant.Youwanttobeabletosketchanything,anywhere,anytimewithconfidenceandgoodresults.

CreatingtheRightImage

Understandyourgoalwhensketchingfast.Visualizethekindofimageyou'restrivingtocreate.Ifyouexpecttocreateanimageliketheonetotherightinjustafewminutes,you'llbedisappointed.Butforthebagpiperbelow,thisisarealisticgoal.Ittooklessthanfiveminutestocreate,andrepresentsagoodexampleofwhatyoucanexpecttoproduceafterlearninghowtosketchproperly.

Sketching isasmucha stateofmindas it isadrawing technique. Iwantyou tobe able tomove through thisworld as anartist, observing it intimatelyand creating visual images of it in just a few moments. Artists discoverinspiration in thingsotherspassbya thousandtimes,and theycreateworksofartoutofnothingotherthantheirownperceptions.

Drawing

Sketch

ChangingfortheBetter

By1985IhadbeencomingtoIndiaregularlyforfifteenyears.FrommyearliesttripsintoKashmir,Ihadbeenstrugglingwithmydrawingstyle.Iwasn'tabletosketchpeopleoranimalswithenoughspeedtoactuallycapturesomethingsignificant.AndtravelingintoextremelyremoteregionsofKashmironhorsebackdidn'tmakeiteasytostopforanylengthoftimetosketchorpaint.

ThisbecamefrustratingforsomeoneasvisuallyorientedasIam,soIbegantomakeaconcertedefforttotrynewthingsandnewwaysofdrawing.Itwasn'tuntilonedayattheNewDelhiZoothatthingsbegantochangeforthebetter.

OnseveraldaylongsketchingexcursionssomethinghappenedthatsuddenlyopenedmyeyesandbegantorevolutionizehowIsketched.Hereyouseesomeofthosesketches,beginningatleftwiththeoneofacommoncrane.

Iwasworking so fastwith live birds that I unconsciously began to omitdetail altogether. That was the turning point. I focused only on capturing asimplelikenessofthespecieswithlineworkcontoursandveryquick,scumbledblacks. Itwas likemagic tome; Iwas suddenlyable to rapidlydrawa simplevisualofalivecreaturewithrelativeease.

IwasamazedtodiscoverthatIcouldcreatesketchesofverytinybirds,likethebee-eatershownontheright,aswellassix-foot-tallstorks.Iwassofocusedongettingtheseveralbasicshapesthatcomprisedthebee-eaterthatIdidn'tevendrawthetreelimbitwasperchedon.

ThosefewdaysofsketchingintheNewDelhiZoorepresentedadramaticturningpointinmyabilitytosimplifymydrawingandtobeginsketching.Theyalsocompletelyopenedmyeyestoanewwayoflookingatsubjects.Youhaveto refine your ability to focus perception so you look for and see shapes,contoursandstructurerapidlyandclearly.

Allofthesesketchesareshownattheiractualsketchbooksizes.Ifsubjectsmove,keepyoursketchessmallandomitdetails.Lookforandsketchidentifiablevisualcharacteristicsofyoursubject.

Forgetforamomentthatthesearebirds.Thiswayofseeingandcapturingtheessential,mostidentifiableshapesappliestoanysubject.

Youcanpickyourfriend'sfaceoutofahugecrowdatanairport,oryourchild'sfaceinaseaofchildrenatschool.Thesameperceptualskillthatyouusetodothatiswhatanartistusestofocusonspecificvisual

subjectmatter.

FocusingonLineworkandShapes

HerearetwopagesofsketchesIdidwhenIreallybegantohonemyskillatfocusingonthesimplestofshapesusingonlyblacklineworkwithaPentelfelt-tippen.Youcanseefromthesetinysketchesthatyoucancapturealotwithjustthelinework.ItwassometimebeforeIdevelopedtheshadingproceduresInowutilize.

BecauseIlimitedmyselftousingonlythemostelementalblacklineworktoestablishoverallpostureandcharacteristics,Iworkedverysmall—theimagesonbothofthesepagesareshownattheiractualsizes.

An emphasis on linework allows you to increase your sketching speeddramatically,andforcesyoutoseeobjectsmoreclearly.

Whatarethebasictoolsandtechniquesforsketching?

Thefirstthingyouneedtodotoworkwiththistechniqueistogettherightsketchingmaterials.Youcannotmasterthistechniquewitha2Bor4Bpencil,letaloneanythingharder.

Thebestpencilforthistechniqueisthe9BPentalicWoodlessPencil.Thisisa100percentgraphitepencilmadebyGrumbacher.

PicturedareallthetoolsIrecommend.

Trytheseexerciseswitha9Bgraphitepencilandablendingtool.Noticehowthegraphitepencilreactstohandpressure.Ifyoupresstooharditwillbreakinhalf,sobecareful.

1.Drawawavyline.2.Usingyourblendingtool,smudgethislinesoithasamidvaluegrayaroundit.

1.Usingyourgraphitepencil,laydownascumbledmassoflinesatvariousangles.

2.Thensimplyblendoverthismassoflineswithyourblendingtoolsoyoucreateasoftgraytonerightoverthelines.

1.Nowdrawaballshape.Layinanarcofscumbledlinesasshown,andthenuseyourblendingtooltocreateagrayshadeovertheball,leavingaclean,whitespotforahighlight.

2.Useyourblendingtooltoaddasoftgraycastshadow.

LimitSketchingValues

Inordertosketchrapidlyyoumustlimityourselftothreeorfourmainvalues.Thisgivesyouadarkvalueforlineworkanddeepshadows,oneortwomidvaluegraysforshadingand,ofcourse,thewhiteofthepaper.Anymoreelaborateandyou'llbedrawing,notsketching.

Inmost situations I thinkof thegray-shadedvalues asone.With theballabove,forinstance,you'vegotthedarklineworkandtheshadedgraytones,andyou'veused thewhiteof thepaper for the lightestvalue.This isallyou reallyneedtocompleteasketchfast.

Whatisthefastestwaytoimprovemysketching?

Copyingisthefastestwaytoimprove.Welearnthingsbyfirstseeinghowthey'redoneandthentryingtodothemourselves.Inmostcaseswetrytocopytheskillpreciselyasinstructeduntilwegetitright.Thisisthemostbasicmethodoflearninganything.

Mybrother,Rick,andmynephewRyanwithanevening'scatch.

When I was young, my father took my brother and me fishing on BassLake, justsouthofEmpire,Michigan.Hecarefullyshowedushowtobaitourhooksandunsnagourreels.Thenhetaughtuspreciselyhowtoholdthefishingpoleandcastupnearthelilypads.Hedidthisagainandagainuntilwelearnedhowtocastanduseafishingrodcorrectly.

Myfatherwas thebest fishermanI'veeverknown,andmybrother,Rick,andIwantedtobeabletocastexactlylikehedid.Sowecopiedhiseverymoveandnuanceandlearnedhowtofish.

I still rememberanartclasswhen Iwas justachild inwhich the teachershowedushowtodrawapigwith threecircles. Itwasmagical.Weallcopiedherthree-circletrick,andbingo!Wecouldalldrawapigtoo.

Aswegrowolder,wearetaughtagainandagainthatcopyingiswrong.IfyouarecopyingDegas'sstyleinordertocreateOldMasterfakesthatyouthensellasoriginals, that iswrong.But the fact remains thatcopying isoneof themost time-honored trainingmethods in the artworld.It forms the basis of thewholeconceptofapprenticeship.

During theRenaissance, an art studentwould become an apprentice in afamousartist'sstudio.Thestudentwouldthentrytodiligentlycopythemaster'sworkinordertolearntechniquesandproceduresandrisethroughthesystem.

Afriendofmine,nowasurgeon,wantedtointernontheothersideofthecountry at a specific medical center so he could study with and observe thesurgicaltechniqueofthebesthandsurgeoninthecountry.

CopyinginordertolearnnewskillsorrefineoldonesisnotonlyOK—itisthebestandfastestwaytoenhanceyourabilities.

Copymy sketches inorder to learnmy technique.This is theway artistshave been learning for hundreds of years. So pick up your 9B, grab yoursketchbookandlet'sstartsketching.

LearnbyCopyingWhenIwasfiveyearsold,thethree-circlepigwasareallycooltrick.Copyingisthebestwaytoimprove

yoursketchingtechnique.

DeerExercise

Inthefallof1998,IwashonoredtobechosenasthefeaturedartistfortheSmithsonianInstitution'sConservationandResearchCenter's(CRC's)fineart

exhibitioninFrontRoyal,Virginia.CRCishometoawidediversityofendangeredspeciesfromaroundtheworld,includingtheEld'sdeer.

IsketchedthisfemaleEld'sdeerinaboutthreeminutes;nowseehowfastyoucansketchit.

Referenceimage

1.Beginbydrawingtheoutlineshapeofthisdeerrestingonthegroundwithherlegsfoldedunderher.Thisisthestageofsketchingthathastobedonethefastest.Ifyoucanquicklycapturethegeneraloutlineshape

ofalivesubject,youcanslowdownabitwiththerest.

2.Onceyouhavetheoutlineshape,lightlyscumbleinamassoflinesinthebody.Besuretoleavesomewhiteintheface.

3.Useyourblendingtooltolightlyshadethecoatofthedeer,leavingsomewhitefortheneckandface.

ShouldIshootreferencephotos?

Usingacameratoshootreferencephotosisnotaproblem.Theproblemcomeswhenyouallowthecameratobecomeyourprimarysourceforimagingideas.Youcangetsousedtocreativelythinkingthroughyourcameralensthatyouforgetyouhavefingersandapencil.

The fact is thatmost professional artists do frequently use cameras. I amoneofthoseartists.Iuse35mmcamerasextensivelyinmyprofessionalcareer.In fact, I now have incorporated camcorders into my efforts as well. I havealwaysbeengoodwithcamerasandIlovehowtheyallowmetorecordtonsofvisual information in a fraction of a second. Using cameras, camcorders andcomputerscanenhanceyourskills,butshouldn'treplaceyoursketchbook.

Knowing what kind of imaging aids to use, and when to use them, isimportant. It's a question of how you actuallywork—both in the field and inyourstudio.

For more than twenty years I have lugged around large, heavy 35mmcameras,andnowIhavecamcordersaswell.WhatInowrecommendisthatyouadd toyourphotographicequipmentbypurchasinga small35mmcamera thatfitsinyourpocketandhastelephotocapacity.MyMinoltaFreedomZoomgoesfrom38mmto140mm.

Choosingasmallbutusefulcamerawillallowyoutochangethewayyouwork.Youcanwalkaroundalldaywithyoursketchbookandpencils inhand,instead of a camera.You still have the ability to capture things on film—let'sfaceit, thereare timeswhenyoureallyneedtophotographsomethingquick—butyouare still usingyour eyes andhands asyourmain tools for developingcreativeideas.

WhentoUseYourCamera

1.Whenthere'snotimetosketch.2.Whenthesubjectismovingsofastthatyouneedtofreezetheactiontostudyitmore

carefully—reflectionsinwater,sportsactionandrunninganimalsaresomeexamples.3.Forportraitwork,toremembermoreprecisevisualinformation.4.Tocapturespecificorunusuallightingeffects.5.Forexpansiveorintricatelandscapefeatures,lightingordetails.

MinoltaMaxxumSLRwith35–105mmzoomlensThisismyworkhorse.It'?greatforeverything,butmuchheavierandmorecumbersomethanmysmall

FreedomZoom.

MinoltaFreedomZoomwith38–140mmzoomlensThiscamerafitsinmypocket,travelswithmeeverywhereandallowsmetoconcentrateonsketching.

SonyXRHi-8Camcorderwith72xDigitalZoomandNightShotThiscamcorderisexcellentforverylowlightingconditionsandgatheringhugeamountsofvisual

informationeasily,especiallywhensketchingisn'tpossible.

BasicImagingRules

1.Thinkwithyourpencilfirst.2.Useyourcameratobackupyourideas.

Themostcreativeworkyoudoiswithapencil,notacamera.It'snotthatyoushouldn'tuseacamera,butyoumustuseitcorrectly.

Sketching is the closest thing to perception—there's only youand your subject.Whenrelyingexclusivelyuponthecamera,youmisstheopportunitytoexploreyoursubjectinthepresentmoment.

Exploretheworldwithapencil,thenbackitupwithaslideorphotographicprint.Onceyou're back in your studio, you'll have everything you need to maximize your creativevisualization.

ItalySketchbooksForme,traveltofar-offlandsawakensmysensesandinspiresmetopaint.

TheSpanishStepsThissketchtookabouttentofifteenminutes.

AnyoneCanTakeSnapshots

Likemanyartists,Igraduallybecamefartoodependentuponmycamerawhentraveling.Itwasn'tthatIcouldn'tdraw.Itwasn'tthatIdidn'twanttoworkonlocation.Isimplyhadneverbeentaughtthebasicsofhowtoactuallyworkeffectivelyoutsidemystudio.

Remember:Everyonetakespictureswhentheytravel,butittakesanartisttocreateanimagewithonlyapencil.

ArchintheRomanForumThissketchtookaboutthreeminutes.

Rome'sFamousTreviFountainThissketchtookaboutfiveminutes.Theonebelowtookfifteen.

SketchingTourists

Thethemeforthisdaywastourists.AttheTreviFountain,Isimplifiedthecomplexfountainsculpturetounembellishedshapesandoutlinesandfocusedmostofmyattentiononcapturingtheuniqueposturesofandlightingonthepeople.

Inreviewingsketchbookimagesforthisbook,Isawthatthesculpturalwalllineworkistooheavy.Icouldhavecreatedmoredepthwithalightertouchinthebackground.

HowcanIincreasemysketchingspeed?

Practicingrapidlineworkisthekeytoincreasingsketchingspeed.Thisiswhathastobesketchedthefastest.Sincethequickcreationoflineworkissoimportanttosketching,givethisexerciseatry:GlancebackandforthatmysketchesofbirdsintheNewDelhiZoo.Trytoreplicatethelineworkinyoursketchbookasquicklyasyoucan.Theydon'thavetobeexactcopies,onlycloseapproximationsofthesestudies.

Themostimportantgoalofthisexerciseistoseeifyoucaninfactsketchfaster.Setaclockwithasecondhandinfrontofyou.Timeyourselfandseehowlongittakesyoutore-createsomesketchesthatlooksimilartotheonesbelow.Afteryou'vedonethisafewtimes,trythesamesketchesagain,onlythistimedoeachsketchinnomorethansixtytoninetyseconds.Ithelpsifyoucankeepthetipofyourpencilorpenincontactwiththepaperasmuchaspossible.

Observeyoursubjectintently,lookingforrecognizableshapesandposturesthatyoucanquickly replicate.Thesekindsofexerciseswillhelpyou increaseyourspeedandrecognitionskills.

AdjutantStork

Black-NeckedStork

Peacock

Hoopoe

Egret

RosyPelican

DevelopingShadingSkills

Ittookmeseveralyearstoeffectivelydealwiththeshadingofmysketcheswithoutusingcrosshatchingorsomesimilarstyle.InthisearlysketchbelowoftwowhitepeacocksatasmallhotelinRajasthan,India,youcanseehowIhadbeguntoaddshadingwithafairlydetailedscumbleoflinestodefinetheshadowareas.Thisalsoprovedtooslowandfussy.

At that time I was still trying to make a 2B or 4B pencil do what Iwanted.TheywereOK,buttheyweren'tdarkenoughandtheyjustdidn'tblendwell.

That'swhen I began to blend and shade the shadow lineswith an artist'sstump,whatIcallablendingtool.Thisprovedfastenoughforrapidfieldwork,with the wonderful added benefit that it often resembles a light water-colorwash.

CanyouseehowsimpleitwastoshadethissketchofanIndianJungleTreePiethisway?NotehowIdarkenedtheheadjustbypressingdownabitharder.Theblendingtoolallowsyoutocreateagreaterrange

ofgrayvaluesthanwithanyotherdrawingtool,plusitisextremelyfast.

Above:ThissmallIndianJungleTreePieonalimbwasthefirstsketchofthesebirds.TheothertwolargeronesgrewoutofanentireafternoonofsketchingattheJogiMahalPalaceinsideRanthambhoreTiger

SanctuaryinRajasthan.

Notehowlittlelineworkthereisinthecattleegret.Afewsimplecontoursandfacialdetailsareallthat'sshown.Whatnailsitistherapidshadingwiththeblendingtool.

Alsonoticehowthegrassisjustaquickmessoflineswithabitdarkershadinginthegrassshadows—fastandeffective.

TheThreeBasicsofFastSketching1.Blacklineworkdefinesthestructureanddetail.2.Theblendingtoolcreatesthegraysandfullydefinesthewhites.3.Whitesestablishthepointsofinterestandcompletetheoveralltoneandmoodofany

subject.

ShadingCreatestheMagic

Althoughthemostcrucialandfasteststageofanysketchistheinitiallineworkdefiningessentialshapesanddetails,itistheshadingthatprovidesvolume,lightsourceandmagic.

Oncethebasicstructurehasbeencapturedwithlinework,theblendingtoolmakesshadingeasyandcontrollable.Use theblending toolalmost likeapaintbrush. It canmake thin, light, soft-edged lines,wide areas of gray and darkergraysifyoubeardown.

Thisuniquecombinationofadarklineblendedintograyshadingtodefinelightvaluesandthewhiteofthepaperallowsyoutocreateamagicalqualityinthesketchinamatterofmoments.

Fast,CreativeThinkingKeepinmindthatthecentralpurposeofsketchingistofacilitaterapidcreativethinkingaboutyoursubject.Theabilitytosketchfastandeffectivelyallowsyoutoconsidernumerousvisualideasintheshortestamountoftime.

Youwantanymistakesyoumightmaketobeinyoursketches,notyourfinishedartwork.Therefore,anythingthathelpsyougettoyourpaintingfasterandbetterisgreat.

Hummingbird

Trysketchingonlythebasiclineworkfromthesethreeimages.Trytoseepasttheshading,capturingtheessenceoftheshapesanddetailswithonlylinework.Then,shadetheminasshownhere.

Coatimundi

Chameleon

HowcanIimprovemyobservationandrecognitionskills?

Theabilitytoseeandeasilyrecognizebasicshapesinvirtuallyanysubjectisessential.Asamentalexercise,dosketchesandstudiesfrommemoriesofplacesyouhavebeenandthingsyouhaveseen.

Improveyoursketchingbypayingmoreattentiontoafterimages.

Ifyouworkevenalittleonyourperceptualrecognitionskills,itwillpayoffinanoticeablewayinyoursketchingskills.

Theideaissimpleintheory,butharderinpractice.Virtuallyeverythingyouseeeachdayofyourlifeisactuallytakingshapeinsideofyou—inyourmind.

Oursenseofsightformsintenseandoftenlastingimagesinthementalandemotional fabric of our inner nature. Some reappear in our memories ordaydreams, while others reappear in sleep as dream images. The imagesimportanttoartistsIcallafterimages.Thesearethepresent-momentexperiencesofyourdailylifethatareretainedinyourmindforashort timeafteryoulookawayfromasubject.

Asmy sketching skills evolvedover theyears, I realize that this is in nosmallwayduetomyabilitytoperceivetheseafterimageswithclarity,retainingthemlongenoughtosketchthem.

It'sjustlikehearingasongontheradioandnotbeingabletogetitoutofyourheadallday.Allofoursenseshavetheabilitytomodifyourmoment-by-momentexperience.Ifyoucanretainyourvisualmemoriesforamomentortwolonger,itwillhelpyousketch.

ExploreYourVisualNature

Canyourememberwhatyoudidonyourlastvacation?Wheredidyougo?Wheredidyoustay?Whatwasyourfavoritepartofthetrip?

If you think back to your last vacation, it gradually takes shape in yourmind'seyeinbitsandpieces.Asyouremember,visualimagesspringbackintoyour awareness. Usually these images are rather vague. But if asked to do adrawing of something fromyour trip, you'd be surprised atwhatwould comeback.

Thismentalvisualizationskillisanelementalfeatureofourconsciousness.Forartists, it is theskill thatsetsusapartfromothers.Artistsaresimplymorevisualbynatureandareabletoseethingsinuniqueways.Ourabilitytocreate

visualimagesoutofperceptionsorideashasadefinitekindofmagicalquality.If you refine this skill to a higher degree, it will help you sketch better andfaster!

WhatAttractsYourEye?

Ifyouobserveyourselforsomeoneelsesketching,youwillseethereisanactualproceduretakingplace.Forthemostpartit'sanunconsciousact.Yousimplylookatyoursubjectforamoment,thendownatyoursketchbookpage.Youlookupagain—pauseforamoment,studyingyoursubject'sfeatures—thenbackdownatyoursketch.Youglanceupanddownrepeatedly.Youdon'tthinkanythingaboutthisprocess,youjustdoitnaturally.

Butwhatareyouactuallylookingat?Whathasattractedyoureye?Canyoureplicatewhatyouhaveseenonpaperwithjustafewlines?

This process of looking at an object, studying its features for a fewmoments,thenlookingawayanddrawingitslikenessisthesameforeveryartistthroughouttime.Itissimplythewayweseeanddraw.

Butseeingisn'tenough.Inordertodrawbetter,youhavetobeabletonotjustseeanobject,buttorecognizeitsessentialcharacteristicswellenoughtore-createitslikenessonpaperwithonlyapencil.Tosketchbetteryouhavetoseeand quickly recognize shapes, contours, basic features, details and relativevalues.

CreateSketchesFromGlances

Yearsago,asIbegantoreallygetintothis,Iactuallytestedmyselfwithachronograph,astopwatchwithasecondhand.Iwouldglanceatmywatchforjustamomenttoseehowbriefaglimpseitwouldtakeformetorecognizewhattimeitwas.IdiscoveredthatundernormalcircumstancesIcouldtellthetimewithaglancethatlastednomorethanaquarterofasecond.

I have gone on to test this myself in a thousand different ways. I'vedetermined that when people glance at something, no matter what, they areactuallyonlyspendinglessthanhalfasecond,andusuallylessthanaquarterofasecond,lookingattheobject.Yetagreatdealofrecognitiontakesplaceinthisbriefspanoftime.

The amount of visual information we recognize in a mere glance isphenomenal. The more alert and aware we are of these subtle momentaryimpressionsinourminds,themorewehavetofocusonaswesketch.Anythingthathelpsusbecomemorementallyalertandawarecanalsohelpussketch.

Recognition is more complex than seeing. Recognition is a higher brainfunction that involves many other features of consciousness in fractions of asecond.

Asartists,weliveinthesefractionsofseconds.Wehavetrainedourselvestoseeintothesetinymomentsintime,retainingtheafterimagesinourmindsabitlongerthanmostpeople.Mostpeoplehavenorealneedtoretainmostmentalimagesverylong.However,forartists,theseimageshelpustodraw.

EveryImageCanBeSimplifiedUnder ordinary circumstances artists are encouraged to study their subjects carefully andintently, taking lots of time to really see their subjects.Withmy fast sketchingmethod youmustbeabletoglanceatasubjectandquicklycapturesomethingofitsbasicshape.

Thisphotographofmybrother-in-lawJimandhisdog,Boomer,hasalotofsubtledetailthatcouldeasilyslowyoudown.Your first taskshouldbetocapture thebasicshapeswithoutlines.Thekeyistolookforandseeshapesratherthandetails.Thisskillwillallowyoutoworkeffectivelyfromlivesubjectsinunposedsettingsoratlightspeedinyourstudio.

Theimageabovetooklessthanaminute,workingfromonlytwoorthreeglances.Theonetotherighttookalittleoveraminute,workingfromfourorfiveglances.Theideaissimple;Howmuchvisualmemorycan

youretainfromonlyafewglancesatthesubject?

Tosketchfaster,youneedtoseethingsmoreclearlyandrecognizeshapesrapidly.Youhavetopaymoreattentiontothesepresent-momentmentalimagesthatarecreatedinyourmindthroughyoureyes.

Youlookupatanobjectforafewmoments.Thenyoulookdownatyoursketchbook. As you are trying to draw its likeness, you have actually shiftedyour attention to the afterimage that is still retained in yourmental vision. Itfadesandyouglancebackupatyoursubject,takingmoreandmoreofitin.Youtrytorecognizefamiliarshapesinthisobject,forfamiliarshapesmakeiteasier

to draw. You see how these shapes combine to make up the whole object.Looking for those features of a subject that are most distinctive and drawingthosefirsthelpsyourefineyourrecognitionskills.

PracticeThisSkillWithEachSubject

I'veusedthesameskillwitheachoftheimagesbelow—afewmomentsstudyingtheimagelookingforthesimplestshapesandthenfifteensecondssketching.

Let'sbeginsimply.Here'saclassiclandscapewithanicecomposition.Lookatthesubjectforafewmoments.Studymysketchbelow.Iisolatedthemostessentialshapesoftheriverbank,afewtreeshapes

andthefardistanthorizonusingthesimplestoutlineoftheirforms.

Withonlyaglanceortwoyoucancaptureabasicoutlineofverycomplicatedshapes.Don'tgetcaughtupinthedetails.Thesketchbelowwasdoneinsecondswithonecontinuouslineoutliningtheshape.

Withthegiraffe,startwithitshornsandcontinuearounddefiningitsentireheadshape.Trythisseveraltimes,leavingthespotsforlast.

AfterimageSkills

1.Intenseobservation

Lookforsomeposture,movementordetailofyoursubjectthatcanberapidlysketched.

2.Afterimagevision

Look at, recognize and identify something in a mere moment, then retain its mentalimagelongenoughtosketchit.

3.Rapidsketchofafterimages

Drawthatmentalimagewithfastsketchingstyle.4.Selectiveobservationandrecognitionskills

Focus yourmind on a subject using selective criteria to the exclusion of other visualinformation.Thisisthesameperceptualskillemployedwhenspottingalovedoneinalarge

crowd.Evenfromadistance,yousomehowareabletoidentifythatfaceinaseaofpeople.

5.Sketchingofstructuralshapes

Trytoseethestructuralshapesinasubjectthatmakeiteasiertosketch.Everysubject,nomatter how complex, is actuallymade up of simpler shapes. By first recognizing, thensketchingthesecomponentsoneaftertheother,youcanbuildacomplexstructureandtieitalltogetherwithcarefulshading.

DoFastOutlinesFirst

Eventhoughthesesubjectsaremorecomplex,trytovisualizethestructureswithverybasicoutlineshapes.Thisshouldbeyourfirstimaginggoalforanysubject.

Studythesephotosbriefly,thenlookawayandsketchusingyourafterimagememory.

Irecommendyouuseyour9Bgraphitepencilonsmooth,semisoftdrawingpapers.Seehoweasyitwouldbetoaddmoredetailonceyou'vedefinedtheshapes?

Don'tpeekaheaduntilyou'rereadytosketchoryou'llspoiltheeffect!

AfterimageExercise

Readalloftheseinstructionsbeforeturningthepage.1.Takeyourpencilinhandandpreparetodraw,handonyoursketchbookpage.

2.Turnthepagequickly,andglanceatthephotographicimageonthefollowingright-handpage.Studyitsfeaturesandshapesquickly,spendingnomorethanfivetotensecondslookingatit.

3.Turnthispagebackagaintohidethephoto.Lookdownatyoursketchbookwhileretainingthementalimage of that object and quickly draw themost basic shapes you saw.After you drawwhat you canremember,putyoursketchasideandtakeoutanothersheetofpaper.

4.Nowthatyou'vehadabrieflookatthephotoandtriedtodrawitslikeness,thissecondattemptshouldprovideyouwithbetterrecognitionofshapesandfeatures.Heregoes:Turnthepageforanotherfivetotenseconds.

5.Coverthepageagain.Doanothersketchfromyourmentalvisionofthephoto.Besureyourfirstsketchisn'tvisiblesoyouaren'ttemptedtoglanceatitforreference.Relytotallyonyourafterimageawareness.

When you have completed your second attempt, go forward and reviewyour efforts on both attempts. Then study mine as well. Follow the sameprocedurewiththeimage.

Firstattempt

Secondattempt

AfterimageExercise1

FirstAttempt

Bothmyfirstandsecondsketchesareshownatactualsize.Myfirstsketchesofvirtuallyanysubjectareusuallysmall,oftenevensmallerthanthisfirstattempt.

Youcansee frommyfirstattemptat sketching thispolarbear that IonlycapturedthemostessentialshapesbeforeIlostthementalimage.

SecondAttempt

Thesecondsketchisbigger,andyoucaneasilyseethatIwasabletocapturemoredetailinthisattempt.Onmysecondtry,Isketchedthelargetorsomassfirst.ThenIaddedtheneckandheadshape.Thefrontrightlegwasnext,followedbythefrontupliftedlegandpaw.Thentherearlegswereadded,beginningwiththerightbackleg.Ifinishedbyaddingtheruffedbelly,theear,eyeandnose,andfinallyarocklikeshapeunderneathhisfeet.

Thisexerciseshowsyouhowmuchyoucanretainandsketchwithonlyafewsecondsofobservation.

Nowprepareforanotherexercise.Whenyouareready,proceedforwardfortensecondsofobservationandgivethenextimageatry.

AfterimageExercise2

FirstAttempt

Thisimageistougherthanthepolarbear,inthatitismorevisuallycomplicatedwithgeometricandnaturalshapes,lightingeffectsandafardistantrangeofdetail,includingpeople.InthisfirstattemptIwasonlyabletocapturethemostelementalshapes,butnopeople,andnotmuchdetailinthelighthouse.

SecondAttempt

ThesecondtimeIwasabletoseethebasicdarkrockmassesbetter,andmylighthousedetailsareabitbetter.

You'll also notice how my first attempt is noticeably smaller than thesecondsketch.Theseimagesareactualsketchbooksize.Whenyouareworkingfastyousimplycannotsketchbig.You'lluse toomuchtimeifyoutry tofillasketchbook pagewith a fast sketch.Keep your first attempts small, loose andfast.

Firstattempt

Secondattempt

SketchingSequence

Iwillgointothisingreaterdetaillaterinthebook,butnotethatthesesketcheswerebegunnotwiththelighthouseshape,butratherthedarkrockshapessituatedaroundit.Thisiswhymylighthousedetailinthefirstattemptissominimal:Iwastryingtocapturethedarkmassesoftherocks.

In thesecondsketch Iwasable toclarify theseshapesbetterandspendafewextramomentsmakingmentalnoteof the lighthousedetails.Even so, thewindowsarenotalignedcorrectly.

ChapterTwoLandscapes

MyFirstLove

Tobeawildlifeartisttoday,youreallyhavetobeagreatlandscapepainter.Thetopwildlifeartistsintheworldcouldjustaseasilyleavethebirdsandanimalsoutoftheirpaintingsandstillhavewonderfulworksofart.

Istartedwithlandscapesbutamactuallybetterknownformywatercolorsof the birds and wildlife of India. However, it's the combination of mybackgroundasalandscapepaintercoupledwithmyabilitytopaintanimalsthathasallowedmetocompeteatthehighestlevelsintheworldofwildlifeart.

In fact, I considermyself a classicwatercolor painter, rather than a strictwildlifeartist.Watercolorpaintershavealongartistictradition,datingbackintothe1700s,ofpaintingawiderangeofsubjects.

Indiainspiredthiswiderangeofartisticfascinationinme.TodayIsketchand paint people, birds, tigers, elephants, cows, cityscapes, landscapes,architecture—you name it. The reason for this diversity is simple: I amconstantlylookingforlightinnature.

MynephewDavidandIsketchingandpaintingatEmpireBluffs.Michigan

Iaminspiredandmotivatedbylight.Inallofmysketches,drawings,fieldstudies and finished watercolors, I am constantly striving to capture someunusualorinterestingqualityoflight.

The lightcanbeaglintoff theneckofapeacock,ora reflectionoffwetsandwherethewaveslapupontoabeachthatfascinatesmeandinspiresmetodrawandpaint.InthissectionI'llsharemymostcreativesketchingproceduresthatIusewithlandscapesubjects.

Sketchespreserveyourfeelingsaboutascene,whileacamerarecordsdetails.

Suggestions

Sketchwhatattractsyou.Omit90percentofthedetail.Usethreeorfourvaluestops.Sketchformood.Workfast.

You can never draw or paint everything. You have to become creativelyselective, looking for only those subjects that attract your artist eye. As youevaluatesubjects,squintyoureyestoomitmostofthedetailandseethedesignandvaluesbetter.Lookforandsketchonlythoseelementsofthelandscapethataremostessential,dramaticorimportant.

Limit your sketches to three or four values— black or a darkest dark, amediumdarkgray,alightgrayandwhite.That'sall.Anymorevaluesthanthatandyou'llbedrawing,notsketching.

Inmylandscapesketchesmyprimaryaimistocreateamoodoflight,withaslittle-graphiteaspossible.Iworkfast,andI'mconstantlylookingforwaystosketchaneffectoflightthatIcanre-createinwatercolorlater.

Topleft:ElephantscrossingariveratdawninnorthernIndia.Top:DowntownCleveland'sshorelinewithlighthouse.Middle:EsteroBeach,northofNaples,inmorninglight.

Bottom:Acabincruisermooredonthebendoftheriver,intheFlatsofCleveland,Ohio.

Sketchescaptureminutes.Photographscapturefractionsofasecond.

HowcanIdeveloppaintingideaswithsketches?

Whenyoutakeasubjectandtranslateitthroughasketch,youcanevaluatewhetherornotitwouldmakeagoodpaintingidea.

This iswhatsketching isallabout—reactingquickly toyourenvironmentand, in those few minutes, capturing something inherent and beautiful about

being there. Then you can continue the development of the idea with quickwatercolorsketchesbackinyourstudio.

OnedayIhadtogetoutofthestudioandsketch.IendedupexploringtheoldindustrialareaofCleveland,whichisnowtheentertainmentareaknownasthe Flats. It was cold and snowy, with periodic breaks in the clouds whenbrilliantsunlightwouldilluminatethelandscape.

Sketching like this epitomizes one of the standard ways I work onlandscapes.Iimmersemyselfinaregionandstudythelightingatvarioustimesofthedayandseason.ThesetwopagesshowmyvisualstruggletocreateabodyofworkcenteredonthisareaofCleveland.

IwascaptivatedbythisunusualsceneoftheCuyahogaRiver,frozenandcoveredwithdeepsnow.Canyouseethestrong,late-afternoonsunlightcastingshadowsacrossthesnow-coveredriver?Thiswouldmakeastrongpainting.Thesketchatthetoptookonlyacoupleminutesandcapturedtheessenceofthescene.

WhenIgotbacktomystudioandreviewedtheday'ssketches,Iwasagainremindedoftheintensityofthelightinthisscene.Iquicklypickedupmy1-inchwashbrushanddidasmallPayne'sGraywatercolorstudy(bottom)totesttheideafurther.Iwantedtheintensityofthelighttobedominant,soIeliminatedtheclouds

thatweretherewhenIsketchedthescene.ByomittingthecloudsaltogetherIheightenedtheeffectofintense,diffusedsunlightilluminatingthelandscapeandcreatingstrongshapesoutofthebridgesandthe

dramaoftheshadowsfallingacrossdeepsnowonthefrozenriver.

VisualVariety

Theveryideaofgoingoutwithyoursketchbook,pencilsandcameramayseemold-fashionedtosome.Withthewealthofimageryatyourdisposalthesedays,anartistmightneverhavetoleavethecomfortsofthestudio,letalonesetoffforfar-offdistantlands.

Many artists don't travel much. If they do, they don't travel for artisticinspirationandfieldwork.Sowhatisitthatdrivesthosewhodo?

Formetheanswerissimple:Ithriveonthevisualvarietyandstimulationthattravelpresentstomyartisticnature.Iconstantlykeepmyeyesopenforneworunusualsubjects.Butyoudon'thavetotraveltoAsiatofindinspiration.Ialsosketchandpaintmyhometown.

Sketchwhatcatchesyoureye.Thebrilliantsunlightcomingthroughlargeplumes of steam rising into the dazzling clear sky capturedmy attention rightaway, resulting in the top two sketches on the left.The intense sunlight wasblindingasitreflectedoffanewfallenblanketofsnow.

No matter where you are, there is variety. Open your artist eyes, lookaroundyouandstartsketching.

HowcanIcreatevisualdepthandmoodinmysketches?

Varyingyourpencilpressuresisonewaytocreateasenseofvisualdepth.Thatalonecancreatemoodinasketch.Themoodisadirectresultoftherelativegrayvaluesindifferentpartsofthesketch.Thisisachievedbypressingharderorlighteronsomepartsofasketch.Thesketchesonthesetwopagesshowyouthiseffect.

WhenIsketchedthesailboattiedupalongtheCuyahoga,theairwashazyandhumid.Thehazegrayedoutthebridgeinafoglikemanner,whichwasveryappealing.

I started by drawing the boat with a fairly strong pressure, creating thedarkest dark in the image.Once the darks are established it is quite simple toeaseupontherest,buildingdramaandmoodintoafive-to-ten-minutesketch.

Thisisanextremelyeasyvisualeffecttocreate,ifyoulearnhowtocontrolyourpencilpressures.

Asyousketchonesubjectit'sagoodhabittomakesmall,quickstudiesofotherdetailsthatcatchyoureye.Thesehelptellastory.Theyremindyouofthingsandaddinterest.Youneverknowwhenatinydetail

sketchwillsparkagranderidea.

Morethan50percentofthesesketchesweredonewiththeblendingtoolitself.It'sthesubtlegraytonesmadewiththistoolthatestablishthemood.

Right:TheHuntingIslandLighthousenearFrippIsland,SouthCarolina.Below:ThePointBetsieLighthouse.justnorthofFrankfort,Michigan.

ThinkThroughPaintingIdeasWhileSketching

Decidingwhattodrawandpaintisanever-endingprocess.Formanyartists,choosingwhattopaintisthehardestpartoftheprocess.Thisisagoodreasonto

sketch.It'sinthesketchingofanysubjectthatyoudevelopclarityregardingthatsubject.

You must develop the ability to think through your painting ideas in asketch.Don'tsettletoosoononasubjectordesignthatmaylackvisualinterest.It will improve your painting if you spend more time exploring ideas insketches.The better and faster you sketch, themore ideas you can experimentwith.

Paintlessandsketchmore.You'llimproveyourpaintingsbecauseyouwillhave visually explored the subject intensely in graphite before ever lifting abrush.Bysketchingmoreyou'llrealizequicklythateveryimagedoesn'tdeservetobe immortalized in apainting. In somecases I never take a subjecton to afinished painting because I don't feel I can create anything better than myoriginalsketch.

Whatisitaboutascenethatcatchesyoureye?Don'tstartsketchingunlessyoucananswerthisquestion.Whenyoudocomeupwithananswer,buildyoursketchmakingsureyoucapturetheessenceoftheansweryoucameupwith.

After you've completed a sketch or two of your subject, ask yourself aharderquestion:IfIweretopaintthisimage,wouldanyoneelsefindanythingtolike in this subject, designor idea? If you'renot sure,maybeyou should lookfurtherforsuitablesubjects.

Ineachofthesesketchesitistherelativegrayvaluesthatmakethesketchandgiveitlifeandmood.NotehowI'vecreatedbothofthemwithonlythreevalues—adarkestdark,amidvaluegrayandthewhiteofthe

paper.

Thesesketchestookmorethanafewminutestosketch.Acoupleofthemtookfifteentotwenty-fiveminutes,butIstillthinkofthemassketchesbecauseIwasinfactworkingveryfast.Landscapesubjectslikethesedon'tmove,soI'mnotinsuchahurrytogetsomethingsketchedasIamwithbothpeopleand

animals.Thisiswhymylandscapestendtobebiggerthanmypeopleoranimalsketches.Also,Icanincludemoredetail,spendmoretimeoncarefullydelineatedshapes,andtakemorecareindevelopingjusttherightvalue

invariouspartsofthesketch.Ifyoulookcarefullyyou'llseeit'sthesecarefullycraftedvaluesthatcreatedimensionandmood.

TakeYourSketchbooksonVacation

Noticehowimportanttheblendingtoolisinthelandscapesketchingthroughoutthisentiresection.Notonlydoesitprovideyouwithawaytocreatetherightshadevalueoverthepencillines,butitcanalsobeusedjustlikeapencil.That'showIcreatedthelightgrayimageofthefar-offcondointhesketchbelow.

Atleasthalfofeachofthesesketcheswasdonewiththeblendingtoolratherthanapencil.Onceyougetusedtousingitinthisfashion,you'llwonderhowyouevergotalongwithoutit.

UseBlendingTooltoCreateaWatercolorWashEffect

ThesketchaboveisaviewoftheshorefromtheNaplesPierinFlorida.TheothersarefromtheFortMyersBeachPier.Switchtotheblendingtooltodelineateskyvalues,cloudformationsanddrama.Theblendingtoolcreatesasoft,fuzzygrayline,oranallover,softgrayvaluemuchlikealightwatercolorwash.Asmentionedpreviously,thelineworkestablishestheshapesanddetails,buttheshadingprovidesthemagic.Canyouvisualizethesesketcheswithouttheblendingtool'sabilitytocreatevariousmidvaluegrays?It'sthefinishingtouch.

Thisfifteen-minutewatercolorstudyofadesertlandscapeallowedmetoestablishavaluerelationshipmorecompletelythangraphite.

WhenI'mworkinginthefield,I'lloftenindicatewherethesunwaswhenIsketchedthesubjecttoestablishthecorrectlightsourceintheshadows.

FromGraphiteSketchtoWatercolorStudy

Herearetwodifferentsketchingtechniques.Canyouseehowsimilarmygraphitesketchingstyleistomywatercolorsketchingstyle?

Bothofthesearestudies,buttheoneatrightisdonewithagraphitepencil,whiletheoneaboveisdoneinwatercolorworkingonArches140-1b.(300gsm)roughwatercolorpaper.

Whensketching inbothmediums,youshouldbeginwithseveralgraphitesketches, thenswitch towatercolorwhenyouwant tocarryan idea further. Ineithermedium,keepthevaluesandlightsourceinmind.Rememberthatwhenyou'rebuildingalandscapeingraphite,justasinwatercolor,youshouldplanforandleavethewhiteswhite.

Asyousketchasubject,visualizeelementsasyouwouldpaintthem.Inthiswayyouthinkoutapaintingwithapencilfirst.Asyougetbetteratsketchingyouwill actuallybegin to seeyour subjectsdifferently.You'll seean idea inalandscape—acolor,designortexture—andtrytoreplicatethatvisualelementingraphitesoitremindsyouofsomethingwhenyoutrytopaintitlater.

Lineworkcreatestheoveralldesigncomposition,andtheshadingprovidestheemotionandthemood.

Theimagebelowisasmall full-colorwatercolorstudy,doneafteraday'ssketchingexpeditioninVentanaCanyon.YoucanseehowtheideasIdevelopedon-siteinmysketchesatrightcarriedoverintomywatercolorsketch.

SeveralyearsagomywifeandImadeourfirsttriptotheSouthwest.Ifellinlovewiththecolorsandmoodsofthedesert,withitsstarkanddramaticqualityoflight.Youcanseefromthesesketchesthatitdoesn'ttakemuchtoindicatethedramaofthedesert—mosdy,it'sintheshadingvalues.Theexotic

silhouettesofthegiantsaguarocactusaroundTucsoncreatedramaticlandscapesatvirtuallyanytimeofday.

TechniqueExercises:SketchingFromPhotoReference

Thegoaloftheseexercisesistobegintoworkdirectlyfromphotographicreferenceimagestobuildupyourtechniqueandspeed.Mostofmyprofessionalartistfriendsareexcellentphotographers.Irecommendthatifyouarenotpresentlyproficientatusinga35mmcamera,youshouldbecomesoassoonaspossible.Thepurposeofusingphotographyistobackupyoursketcheswithphotographicimagesthatwillprovideyouwithvisualdetailyoucanrefertobackinyourstudio.

PhotographingbirdsinSouthIndia.

Onthenextthreepageswe'regoingtosketchfromphotographsinordertopractice technique and build up your sketching speed.You'll beworkingwithsomeofmyslide imagesalongsidemysketches,withcommentsonhowIputtogetherthecompositionsforeach.

Iusemysketchingproceduresbothinthefieldandinthestudio.

FieldWorkIsketchinthefield,doingwatercolorstudiesonlocationandtakingbackupslidesoflocations,lightingeffects,compositionsanddetails.Allofthesespecific creativeendeavorsmakeupmy initial efforts to seekout and identifysuitablesubjectsformypaintings.StudioWorkThesecondprocedureismycreativeideationinmystudio.Myfieldstudiesandsketchesformthebedrockofmycreativeprocess.Theseeffortsaresupportedbymyphotographicwork,capturingdetailandfleetingmomentsorlightingonfilm.Onceinmystudiowithallthisvisualmaterial,Iagainusefastsketchingprocedurestohelpmethinkthrough,organizeandcreativelytryoutpaintingideas.

SketchingandpaintinglandscapesalongLakeErie.

Although I slowdownabitwhenworkingwithmy slides, field sketchesand watercolor studies in the studio, I still work extremely fast developingpaintingideas.Thistrainingwillhelpyouspeedupyourtechniquedramatically.Remember, at thispoint it reallydoesn'tmatterwhatyousketch;whatmattersmostistryingtoseeandsketchfaster.

Sketchingfromphotographicreferenceinthestudiocanactuallyspeedupyourabilityandallowyoutoworkbetteroutinthefield.

HowcanIimprovemycompositions?

Hereiswhatmayatfirstseemlikeacomplicatedsubject.Butifyoustudymyon-sitesketch(below)andthevaluestudy(right)you'llnoticehowIselectedonlythemostbasicshapestosketchandenhancedthewhiteangularcloudline.Thisimprovesthecomposition.Alsonoticehowclosemyfieldsketchistothe

valuestudy—grayswithblackdefiningthewhites.

LookfortheWhites

ThroughoutthissectionI'vecreatednumerouscomputerizedvaluestudies,liketheonebelow,tohelpyouseeandsketchcorrectgrayvalues.Whenevaluatinganyimage,especiallyinthesketchingstage,inwhichyouareonlyworkingwiththreeorfourvalues,it'sgoodpracticetolookforanddesignthewhitesbecauseit'sthewhitesthatdirecttheeye.

Hereisavaluestudy(above)tohelpyouseethethreedistinctvaluesthatmakeuptheimageatleft:black,whiteandthemidvaluegrays.Asisthecaseinwatercolor,withmysketchingprocedureI'malwayslooking

forthewhitesfirst.

SanibelLighthouse

ItwasalmostnoonwhenmywifeandIarrivedattheSanibelLighthouse.Youcanusuallytellthetimeofdaybytheangleofshadows.Thesandwasveryhot,soIwassketchingquickly.YoucanseeIdidn'tspendanytimedetailingtherungsintherailingorthefenceposts.Infact,IworkedsofastthatIoverlookedthedistinctiveroofsupportsaltogether.

This is the kind of visual detail best left to your 35mm photographicbackup.Inthiscasethesebuildingsareprettysimpleinshape.Ifithadn'tbeensohotonmyfeetandIhadbeensketchingabitslower,I'msureIwouldhavenoticedtheroofsupportsandatleastindicatedtheirshapes.

SanCarlosPass

JustsouthofEsteroBeach,headingtowardNaples,Ispottedacutoffthatallowedmetodriveoutandgetaninterestingview.WhatcaughtmyeyewasthegentlecurvesofthecausewayetchedbrilliantwhiteagainsttheazureFloridasky.

HereIsketchedthebridgefirst,thenthebuildings.ThenIlaiddownsomehorizontallinesinthewaterandshadedthemwiththeblendingtool.Noticehowtheskywasdonewiththeblendingtoolalone.Thisgraytoneenhancesthewhitenessofthebridgeandbuildings.Aftertheskywasdone,Irapidlyindicatedthe

Australianpinelimb.Mysketchisverysimilartothevaluestudyatright.Noticehowtwomidvaluegrays,adarktoneand

whiteclearlydelineatethescene.Thisiswhatyoushouldtrytoachieveinarapidsketchdoneonlocationorinthestudio.

OldWomanCreekemptyingintoLakeErienearHuron,Ohio.

SimplifyValues

Whensketchingcomplicatedlandscapeslikethisone,itwillhelpagreatdealifyoutargetthemajordesignelementsandforceeverythingintothreevalues.

This landscape imagecontains themajorelementsofsky,waterand land.ButwhenIdidthesesketches, therewasatremendousvarietyofgreensinthefoliage—gray-greens, yellow-greens, blue-greens, blackish greens and reddishgreens.

Ithadstormedthenightbefore,sotheriverwateremptyingintoLakeEriewas siltedandmurkybrown.The skywas light andclearwithonlyawisportwo of clouds, and there were various lilies and water plants in full summerbloominterspersedthroughouttheestuary.

Whenyoufirststudyascenelikethis,trytoeliminatethevisualdetailandsimplify the diversity of values. Squint your eyes at these images and you'll

instantly see the overall dark and light design elements,without all the detail.Squinting essentially allowsyou toview the subject inonly twovalues—darkandlight.

The best thing to do is a quick sketch,where you redesign the scene onpaperintoadarkestdark,thewhiteofthepaperandamidvaluegray.Ididthisinthefirstsmallersketch.InthesecondsketchIdevelopedabitmoredetail,andaddedalightgraytotheskyandwatertoseehowIcoulddirecttheeyetowardthehorizon.ThenIbackedupmysketcheswithseveral35mmslides.

Istartedthissketchbydelineatingtheumbrellacanopyhangingoutfromtherightforeground.OncethiswasestablishedIbuilteverythingelse,thenusedmyblendingtooltodeveloptheshadedareas.

DevelopIdeasNow

ThesetwosketchesweredoneonlocationinIndiainaboutfifteenminuteseach.I'llalwaystakebackupslidesofsceneslikethese,butit'smyon-the-spotsketchingthatallowsmetoevaluateasubjectforpaintingworthiness.IfIonlytakeslides,Iwastetheopportunitytorelatetomysubjectdirectly,inthemoment,inthisparticularlightandmood.

Whenyousketch,don'tbeafraidtomakelotsofadjustments.Leavethingsout,adjustvalues,shiftpointsofviewandestablishthecorrectvalues.Asketchembedsasubjectintoyourmindinawaythatphotossimplydon't.

ThesketchtotherightshowstheQueen'sCourtyardintheoldUdaipurCityPalace. The ancient tree caught my eye, so I did it first. Then I added thebackground,etchingout itsformwithdarkershapes,andlastlyshadedjust therightvalueintotheshadows.

SketchWithWatercolorEyes

Ifyoulookthrougheachsketchinthislandscapesection,you'llnoticethatthewhitesareextremelyimportanttothesuccessofthesketch.

Asaprofessionalwatercolorpainter,itissecondnatureformetoevaluateasubject's design elements by looking for thewhites.This of course is becausewithtransparentwatercolor,wedon'tusewhitepaint.

When sketching you actually have to work in the same fashion. If youdevelopthevisualhabitofidentifyingthelightestportionofasubjectfirstandthenthedarkestportion,itwillmakesketchingmucheasier.Why?Becauseonceyouknowwheretoretainyourwhites,youcanhelpidentifythosewhiteswithyourmidvaluegrays.

ChagrinFalls,justoutsideCleveland,Ohio.

Toclarifythevaluesinthisimage,Icreatedacomputerizedvaluestudylimitedtoonlythreevalues:gray,blackandwhite.Yoursketchshouldtrytocapturetheseessentialsfast.

MypencilstudyofChagrinFalls,whichtookabouttenminutes.

AttracttheEyeWithWhite

Ifyoulookatthereferencephotoonthepreviouspage,wheredoesyoureyegofirst?Thefalls.

Thisisbecauseofthepowerofwhitetodrawtheeye.Ichosethisimagetoillustratethismostelementalaspectofgoodlandscapework.

The image isactuallyverygraywithsomeblacksprovidingstructureanddetail.It'sthewhiteareaofthefallsthatnotonlycatchesoureyebutcreatesthevisualdramainthescene.Onceyourecognizethisfactyouneedtorememberitasyoubuildasketch.

Ifyouforget,you'llmorethanlikelyalteryourvalues,andbeforeyouknowit,thedramaticeffectofthesewhitefallssurroundedbygraysandblackslosesitsvisualimpact.Planforandpreservethesewhitesinordertoactuallyenhancethisaestheticelement.

ShouldIusewatercoloronlocationaswell?

TrainingYourEye

ConstantlylookattheworldaroundyouwithwhatIrefertoaswatercoloreyes.Seeandevaluatesubjectsmentallythroughouttheday.Seesomethingandinstantlygothrough,inyourmind,howyouwouldre-createthatimagewithwatercolorandbrushwork.Ifyoustudymysketchatleftyou'llseehowitnailsdownvaluesandstructure.Workingonlocationallowsyoutothinkthroughandevaluatesubjectsquickly.

Iknewwithina fewminutes that Iwouldeventuallypaint this subject inthislight,fromthisangle.AfterIfinishedmysketch,ItooksomephotographsforbackupreferencesothatIcouldrefinethedetaillater.

Whendoing fieldwork,youcan't sketchandphotographeverything.Youhavetomakesoliddecisionsandselectsubjectsjudiciously.Itisbettertocomebackwithatleastafewthingsthatareworkableandsubstantial.

MyfavoritewatercolorbrushesareaSteveQuiller1-inch(25mm)washbrushbyRichesonProfessional#7010,WinsorNewton½-inch(12mm)and¼-inch(6mm)brushes,andasablerigger.

HowWouldYouStartaSketchLikeThis?

Isuggeststartingwiththedarkverticalsofthefalls,andworkingfromlefttoright.Alwaysbeginwiththemostdistinctivefeaturesofyoursubject.Iproceededtodelineatethelowerpartsofthefalls,thenquicklyoutlinedtheshapeofthefoliageandestablishedthedarkestparttotherightunderthebridge.Lastly,Iaddedthebuilding.Butnotethatitistheshadingthatbringsthissketchtolife,asitallowsmetoestablishthewhitesdefinitively.

Ifyoulookcloselyat thissketch,you'llsee thatI trynot tooverworkthelinework. The face of the falls, where I've defined narrow columns of waterspillingovertheedge,iscreatedwithindividualdarkpencillines,drawnwithafairlystrongpressuretolaydownadecentvalueofblackwithonestroke—notthreeorfive.

Thisiseasytodowitha9Bgraphitepencil.Byvaryingthepressuresyoucan draw a heavy dark line and immediately switch to a light line.After youworkwithitabit,thepointgetsflattenedononeortwosides,allowingyoutocreateadarkwidelineordrawonitsedgetomakeathinnerline.

Lookatthesurfaceofthewaterasitapproachesthespilloveredge.Allofthisgrayshadingwasdrawnwiththeblendingtoolitself,nopencil.Thequickshadingofthebuilding,trees,mefardistantbuildingsatupperright,aswellasthefaceofthefallsandthewaterbelowwerealldonewiththeblendingtool.

FieldTip:Whentravelingtodoyoursketchingkeepyourfiledequipmenttoaminimum.Iusearches 140-Ib. (300gsm) rough watercolor paper for watercolor field studies. If I'm onlyplanningtosketch,thenI'llonlytakeasketchbook,athinboxofpencilsandmysmallMinolta35mmpocket camera. If your field procedures are too cumbersome, you'll get tired of thehasslesandquitgoingout.Remember,thisshouldbefun!

Noticehowsimilarmysketchingstyleistomypaintingstyle.Thisiswhatsketchingisallabout.Iusemy9Bgraphitepencilandblendingtoolinawaythatisverysimilartomypaintingmethod.

Payne'sGrayStudies

AfterI'vestudiedasubjectonlocation,evaluatedit,sketcheditandphotographedit,ifIcan,Iwillalsodoawatercolorfieldstudyonthespot.IfIdon'thavethetime,IhaveallI'llneedbackinthestudio.

Myfavoritemethodistodofast,smallwatercolorsliketheoneshownhere,using only Payne's Gray. For me, this a very natural progression from mygraphitesketches.

Sketchingprocedures lead towatercolor studies,and this leadsdirectly tofinishedwatercolors.Ifyouhavetimeyoucandoafull-colorwatercolorstudy

ofasubjectonlocation,onceyou'vemadeallofyourmistakesinyoursketchesandPayne'sGraystudies.Youmaybethinkingthatthisistoomanystudies,buttheplanningpaysoff.

1Firstgraphitesketch(twotothreeminutes)

2Firstwatercolorsketch(fiveminutes)

3Secondwatercolorsketch(fifteenminutes)

WorkingFastonLocation

Fieldworkshouldflowquicklyfromonestagetothenext,especiallyifyouaretryingtocaptureuniquelightingeffects.

Here Iwasworking on the beach, at the pointwhereOldWomanCreekemptiesintoLakeErie.Itwasabout10A.M.InlessthantwoandahalfhoursIdideverythingonthesetwopages,facingeastintothesunandthenfacingwestwiththesunatmyback.

1. This is the initial sketch of the shoreline, which took about two or threeminutestocomplete.Theintensemorningsungrayedoutalltheintensityinthecolors,yieldingastrongdesign.Isimplyoutlinedthebasicshapes,scumbledinsomerapidlineworkandusedmyblendingtooltoshadeandcompletemostofthesketch.2.OnceI'vedonesomeinitialvisualizationsketchesingraphite,I'lloftenswitchtowatercolorblocksforsomeequallyfastwatercolorsketches.Forthiswatercolorsketch,Iuseda1-inch(25mm),sharp-edgedwashbrushandWinsor8NewtonPayne'sGrayforeverything.Thereisnopreliminarydrawingof

anything,allowingmetoworkfastandnaildownthevalueswithlittleornothoughttodetail.3.OnceI'vedoneaninitialgraphitesketchandaninitialwatercolorsketch,IdoanotherPayne'sGraywatercolorstudy,abitlargerthanthefirst.BynowI'vedevelopedafeelformysubjectwiththeprevioussketches.Andasyoucansee,Imovedmypositiontoincludethistinyinletofthecreek,addingmoreinteresttotheforegroundcomposition.

This study took fifteenminutesor soandallowedme to focusoncertaindetails,suchasthereflectionsintheforegroundwater,thereflectedsunlightoffthelakeandtherelativevalueofthemidgroundtreeline.

WorkingBothDirections

ThefinishedwatercoloraboveiswhatIcallafull-colorfieldstudy.SinceIdon'thavetheluxuryofusingahairdryertospeedupthedryingprocesswhen

workinginremotelocations,Itypicallyhaveseveralwatercolorstudiesgoingatonce.

Whilewaitingforthepaintingtodryenoughtoproceed,I'dsimplyturnedaroundandworkedontheother,shownatright.Ihatewaitingforawashtodry,sointhiswayIcompensatefortheslowdryingtime.Youcanbeveryproductiveinyourfieldworkifyouworkinthisway.

Bothfiledstudiesonthispageweredoneinfullcoloreinabortfortyfiveminutes,facingoppositedirection.

KeepItSimple

Nomatterwhereyouare,theideaisthesame—simplifycompleximagestosimpleshapes.

Noticeinthesketchatlefthowthebasicshapesareoutlinedandthenfilledinbyshadingoverthelightlyscumbledlines.Withouttheblendingtoolyoucanuseyourfingertip,butwiththetoolyoucanactually

drawandshadeintinyareasaccurately.LaterthatdayIdidanothersketchoftheTajMahal,seenbelow,whenthelightwascomingfromthe

west.Thefinishedwatercoloronthebottomofthenextpagewasdevelopedfromthesesketches.

Ilovedthislightenoughtocomebackthenextmorningwithmywatercolors.Istartedwiththesmallwatercolorstudyatright,tryingtocapturesomeofthedramaticqualityoflight.Thestudytookabout

fifteenminutesandwasdonewithoutpreparatorydrawing.Iuseda1-inch(25mm)washbrushandaverylimitedpaletteofPayne'sGrayandNewGambogeYellow.Thiscombinationofcoolgraysandhotearthy

yellowsdoesjusticetoahotsummermorninginIndia.Workingfastwithaverylimitedpaletteforcesyoutostayloose,lookforpreciseshapesandfirmly

establishyourvalues.Remember,nomatterwhatthesubject,trytosketchandpaintmood.

I'malwayslookingforunusuallightingandcompositions.ThesketchtotheleftandthepaintingbelowshowtheClevelandskylineloomingupbehindthelighthouse.Thiswassketchedfromatouristboatwhiletheoneontheoppositepagewassketchedfromtheveryendofapylonbreak-wall,lookingbackinatthe

FairportHarborlighthousejusteastofCleveland.Youcanseeinbothinstanceshowclosemyfieldthinkingandsketchingistothefinishedpaintings.Both

paintingswerethree-hourpaintingdemosdoneinsomeofmyrecentwatercolorworkshops.

Lightisthedominantfactorinalllandscapework.InthisinstanceIhaddriventoFairportHarbortosketchandpaintthelighthousethatguardstheopeningintotheGrandRiver.Asummerthunderstormhadjustblownthroughandprovidedadramaticqualityoflighttothewholescene.Thepaintingbelowshowsthe

skyandlightanhourlater.

HowcanImaximizemyproductivityonlocation?

Asyoutravelandsketchyoumayhaveanumberofvisualthemesworking.Thereissomuchtoseethatifyou'renotselective,itwearsyouout.Forinstance,ifI'msketchingarchitectureinRome,Ilookforandsketch

architecture.Itrynottogetdistractedbyorspendmuchtimesketchingothersubjects.Ifsomethingoff-focuspresentsitselfwhileyou'reworking,photographitquicklytomakeavisualrecordofitforlater,butdon'tbreaktheflowofwhatyou'retryingtoaccomplish.You'llbeamazedathowmuchmoreproductiveyourdayswillbewhenyoulearntostayfocused.

PiazzadelPopoloThissketchtookaboutfiveminutes.

NoMatterWhattheSubject,InitialSketchesShouldAlwaysBeDoneFast!Sincesculpturedoesn'tmovethereisatendencytoslowdown.Assoonasyoudoyou'llstartnoodlingdetailsfartoomuch.Workfast,outliningshapesandbuildingacompletedsketchquickly.Youcandoaslower,moredetaileddrawingafterward.

MosesandThePietainSaintPeter's,TheVaticanThesesketchestookabouttenminuteseach.

LeavethePeopleforLast

JustasIrecommendthatyouleavethespotsuntillastwhensketchingbirdsandanimals,thesameconceptapplieswhensketchinglandscapeandarchitecture.Leavethedetailsorpeopleuntillast.Literallyomitallthepeopleandfocusonthestructures.Remembertosimplifyeverythingtobasicshapesandshadows.

1.WhilesketchinginthePiazzaNavona,inafternoonlight,Istartedwiththisdramaticfountainstructure.Ibeganwiththeheadofthetallestfigureinthefountain.Iworkeddownandtotheright,thenstraightacrosstotheleftside,andbackuptothecentralfigure.I'vedroppedoutmostoftheshadingheretoshowyou

whatthislookedlikebeforeworkingwithmyblendingtool.2.AfterIdevelopedthevariousstructuresofthebuildingsbehindandtotherightendofthepiazza,Ithenpresseddownratherfirmlywiththeblendingtoolsothatthebuildingshadowsdarkened.Thishelpedtoetchouttheshapesofthewhitefountainstatues,bringingthemforward.Ihadtoworkfastbecauseasthesunmovesitchangestheverydramaticshadows,anddefinitionofthestructuresbecomesmoredifficultto

figureoutandsketch.Noticeinthissketchhowimportanttheshadingis.Itprovidesthequalityofdepthandthelightsource.

PiazzaNavonaThissketchtookabouttentofifteenminutes.

SimpleLineworkandShadowsforComplexStructures

Whensketchingcomplexarchitecturalstructures,definetheoutlinesofthebuildingsfirst,thenuseshadowstohelpdefinethestructurebycreatingalightsourcewithoutmuchdetail.Noticehowtherapidshadingwithablendingtoolsuddenlybringsthesketchbelowtolife.I'veerasedmostoftheshadingintheinitialstepstoshowyouthedevelopmentofthelinework.1.Istartedwiththeroofshapeandstatuesonthetopleftsideofthestructure,workingacrossanddownuntilIhadestablishedmostofthebuilding.Themanypillarsareindicatedwithonlyafewverticallines,

drawnratherdark.

2.NextIsketchedthedecorativetreestoprovideavisualelementallacrossthebottom,keepingtheviewer'seyeonthestructureitself.

3.Finally,Iaddedtheremainingdistinctiveroofstatuesandflagpoles.Theshading,asshowninthecompletedsketchbelow,notonlycreatesastronglightsource,butalsohelpsdefinethestructure.Toaddevenmoredramatothelighting,Icouldhaveaddedadarkervalueskythatwouldmakethewhitemarble

buildingreallypop.

Rome'sMonumenttoVictor-EmmanuelIIThissketchtookaboutfiveminutes.

When working fast it's essential to go after the most distinguishingcharacteristics of your image first. In this example of a gondola, it's the longnarrow shape,with very distinctive shapes on both ends. If you get itwrong,startover.

1.Ibeganontheleftside,quicklysketchinginthelongbowshapes.2.NextIdelineatedtheothersideofthegondola,workingupwardfromthebow.

3.OnceIhadtheessentialshapeofthegondola,Ithenaddedthegondolierstandinginadistinctiveposture.Thismuchwasdonequitequickly.

4.Oncethelowerportionofthegondolawasdrawn,Ineededtoaddthebackbeforeaddinganymore.5.Iquicklyindicatedseveralfiguresseatedinthemiddle,plusafewothershapesthatgivetheimpression

oftheopeninsidepartsofthegondola.6.Oncethecraftwascompleted,Icreatedtheratherstylizedreflectionsinthewater.Thiswasdonefast,withdelicatelineworkandalighterpencilpressure.Ididn'twanttheblacknessofthereflections'outlineto

competevisuallywiththerestofthesketch.Thereflectionsshouldlayonthewater.7.ThesketchcomestolifewhenIuserapidshadingtocreatetheillusionoflightfallingovertheform.

EstablishShotstoDefineLocation

Mysuggestionofleavingpeopleuntillastwillhelpyoufocusonthearchitecturaldetails.Tomakethingseasier,beginwithwhatinmotion-pictureproductioniscalledestablishingshots.Thesearesketchesthatcaptureastructure'splaceortheviewer'svantagepointintheoveralllandscape,ratherthanclose-updetails.

Use the same technique on architectural monuments as on portraits ofpeople.Define the overall shapes quickly, then carefully place the identifyingdetails essential to your subject within those shapes. To me this is a kind ofimpressionistic style of drawing.Your camera can catch perfect detail, butsketchesareforyouron-the-spotfeelings.

PiazzaSanMarco,VeniceThissketchtookabouttentofifteenminutes.

Asisusuallythecasewithfastarchitecturalsketches,theytendnottolooklikemuchuntilyoustartshadingwiththeblendingtool.Thentheycometolife.Ifindthatthelightintheearlymorninghoursandin

thelateafternooncreatesfargreaterdramainlandscapes.

StartHere

Wherewouldyoubeginasketchliketheoneonthepreviouspage?Youcan'tgowrongifyounaildownthemostdistinctivepartsorfeaturesfirst.

1.TheenormousclocktowerdominatesthepiazzaandrepresentstheverycenteroftourisminVenice.Iestablisheditsoveralloutlineshapesfirst.

2.OnceIhadtheplacementonthepagewherethisgiganticverticalstructurewouldgo,Ithencarefullysketchedsomequickdetailsinsidethetowerandproceededacrossthepage,outliningandthenfillinginthe

uniqueroofdomesthatformSt.Mark'sCathedral.

3.Noticehowcrowdsoutsidethefrontdoorsofthecathedralwereindicatedwithtinyverticalblacklinesalongwithsometinywhiteareastohelpcreatetheillusionofindividualpeople.

GondolasatRestThissketchtookabouttenminutes.Theonebelowtookfifteen.

Thesketchaboveisoneofmyfavorites.Thegondolasandmooringpoleswereindeepshadow,withthestructuresacrossthewaycatchinglateafternoonlight.Idrewthebackgroundstructuresfirst,keepingmy

pencilpressuresabitlight.Then,withastrongerhandIsketchedthedistinctivegondolashapesintheforeground.Theeffect

immediatelycreatesdepthinthesketch,whichisgreatlyenhancedwiththeshading.InthesketchatleftIbeganwiththecenterportionofthebridge,thenmovedontotherestofthebridge,followedbythefiguresandthedarkbuildingontheright.Thegondolaisthecentralfocusofthesketch.Justlikeaportrait—whereI'lloftenbuildtheentirefacebeforeplacingtheeyes—Icompletedeverything

beforeplacingthegondola.Theshadingwasdonelast.

TheFamousBridgeofSighs,VeniceThissketchtookaboutfifteenminutes.

Aphotographisavisualsnapshotoftime,usuallymerefractionsofseconds,whereasasketchtakesfiveortenminutestocreate.Asketchisactuallyacarefulcompilationofvisualelementsthatpassbeforeyour

eyesduringthesefewminutes.Thegondolas,forinstance,wereconstantlymovingupanddownthiscanalasIsketched.Iaddedthemlast,usingpiecesofseveral.Ithinksketcheshavefarmoreemotionthan

photographs,duetothegreaterlengthoftimespentcreatingthem.

ChapterThreePeople

UsingAllYourSkills

Formostartists,sketchingpeoplerepresentsoneofthemostdifficultchallenges.Tocreatealikenessofsomeonewithjustafewpencillinesseemstobeborderingonmagic.Thiscancreateaformidablefearinevenexperiencedartists.

AschildrenwesimplypickedupacrayonanddrewMommyandDaddy,our pets, our brothers and sisters, our houses and allmanner of creatures.Wegave little thought to whether these childlike images we drew resembled oursubjects. There was just some innocent urge to express ourselves by drawingvisualimagesofthingsthatwereimportantinourworld.

Somewhere along the way we lose the confidence in our ability to givevisualshapetoourpersonalworld.InthissectionIhopetorekindleyourdesiretodrawpeopleinyourlife.

In art school, portraiture wasmy secondmajor. Even so, I still feel realapprehension when faced with new faces and situations. However, I havedevelopeda trust inmyskillandknowthat if Idon't react to thefearand justfollowmybasictechniques,thenIwillsucceed.

In this section, you'll get an intimate glimpse into the very soul of mytechnique.I'llshowyouanumberoftheskillsI'vegraduallydevelopedovertheyears. You'll also learn how to improve your skills by using a VCR and acamcorder.Thesecanbevaluablecreativetoolsinthehandsofanartist.

AshleighandShannonDeVito,bothage7.

Sketchingpeoplerequiresaquickeyeandadelicatehand.

Suggestions

Startwithfreeze-framesketches.Practicewithself-portraits.Workwithlivesubjects.Outlineshapes,thenshade.Workfast—don'tnoodle!

Aswitheverythingyou'velearnedthusfar,there'satechniqueorprocedurefor sketching people and portraits. I suggest you begin with freeze-framesketching.First tryyourhand copyingmy freeze-frame images, thenuseyourownVCR,tapingfavoriteprogramsandexperimentingwithawideselectionofimagesthatyouchoose.

Begin working with live subjects by doing self-portraits in your mirror.Focusyour attentionon sketching theoverall contour shapesofyour face andhair first. Use a stop-and-go sketching procedure to carefully develop yourlinework—littlesegmentsatatime.Utilizeyourshadingtoaddvolumeandlight

to your sketch. Shading helps define the mood as well as the structure andlikeness.

Butmostofall, remember tokeepworkingfast—notsloppyfastor inanuncontrolledmanner,but as fast asyoucanwith adeliberate, thoughtfulhandand eye. If you slow down and start noodling every tiny detail, you'll bedrawing,notsketching!

Above:ClevelandIndianspitcherDwightGoodeninwindupanddelivery.

Top:HinduladiesatthespicemarketinJodhpur,India.

Whatwillhelpmetoquicklycreatealikeness?

GettingUptoSpeed

Inthissectionyouwillworkwithanumberofproceduresforsketchingpeople.Landscapesdon'tmovemuch,andtheyseldomexpressopinionsaboutyoursketches.Butvirtuallyallpeoplehaveopinionsaboutportraits,especiallyonesofthemselves.Thiscanbethebiggestconfrontationanartisthastodealwith,andbecauseofthisfact,manyartistsavoidpeopleandportraitsaltogether.

I recommend practicing in nonconfrontational ways in order to avoidcriticism.You should feel free tomakemistakes so that you'll put in the timenecessarytomakerealprogressinyourtechnique.

TechniquestoGainSkill

1.Sketchfromphotographsormagazines.2.Beginwithrapidlineworksketches.

3.SketchfromyourTV.

4.UseyourVCR'sfreeze-framefunctiontosketch.5.Doself-portraits.6.Sketchfriendsandfamilyoverandover.7.Askacquaintancestoposeforyou.8.Sketchstrangerswhereveryoutravel.

RapidLineworkSketches

InthefollowingproceduresIwillfocusonthecorrectuseofthe9Bgraphitepencil,sincethatisthebestsketchingtool.However,theprimaryskillinthistechniqueistheabilitytoquicklycreatealikenesswithonlythesimplestlinework.Theshadingissecondarysincetheinitiallineworkdefinestheessentialshapesanddetailsofaperson'sfaceorposture,aswellasthedefinitionoftheshadowsthemselves.

Youcanpracticedrawingfastlineworkusinganyoftheeighttechniquesatleft.Simplylookinamirrorandsketchyourself;sketchoutofmagazines,booksorfamilyphotoalbums;sketchmembersofyourfamilyornext-doorneighbors.Trysketchingfreeze-frameimagesusingyourVCR.Inallofthesecasesyoucanrestrict your sketching style to simple linework for better results. Work ondevelopingarapidlineardrawingtechniquethatoutlinesshapesandestablishesdetailsquickly.Ifyoudon'thaveyoursketchingpencilswithyouatthetime,useaballpointpen.

MorganHester,age2

LineworkPlusShading

WheneverIbeginaportrait,Iamstrivingtoachievealikenessofthatperson.Oddlyenough,IfindthatthelikenessmoreorlessemergesonitsownifIconcentrateonsketchingthespecificshapescorrectly.It'swhenIforgetthisandtrytoohardtocaptureagoodlikenessthatmysketchesfail.

Linework and shading are the two most fundamental aspects of thistechnique. In thenext twopages, study the imagesand try tocreatea likenesswithonlydelicatelinework,thenenhanceitwithcarefulshading.Developyourskill with the 9B graphite pencil and the blending tool. These two tools willallowyoutocreateawiderangeofaestheticvariationintheshortestamountoftime.

AshleighDeVito,age9

Theinitiallineworkhastobedrawnfast,looseandcarefully.Intheimagesontheleftsideofthispage,notehowthepencilpressuresoutliningtheheadandmajorshapesarefairlyheavy.Thelinesthatoutlinethingslikeshadowsarepurposefullydonewithalighterpressuresotheydon'tcompetewiththedarkerlines.

But lookatwhathappensafter the sketchesare shadedwith theblendingtool (shownat right).Theysuddenlycome to lifewithdramatic lighting.Yourfirst shading should be done relatively lightly; you can always darken it ifneeded.

ShannonDeVito,age9

SketchOnlyShapesThatEnhanceLikeness

Ialwaysbeginframingthefacebydelineatingthehairshapesandoutlines.You'llnoticethatthemainfeaturesalwaysremainabitdarkerthanshadowsandotherlessnecessaryshapes.Remembertosketchonlythoseshapesthatenhancethelikenessofthepersonyou'resketching.

DeannaRankin

Allofthesesketchesweredoneinstrongmiddaysunlightinordertoshowtheshadowstructure.Thisisn'tthemostflatteringlightforportraits.Butinpracticalinstances,whenI'mtravelingandsketchingpeople,thislightingisverycommon.

Practicewithallfouroftheseimages,tryingtoestablishtherightdarknessofpencillineinvariousplacesandthelighterlinesintheshadows.Don'tworryaboutspeedyet.Justtrytodrawtheseimagessoyourinitiallineworkresemblesmine.ThenshadeyoursketchlightlyasIhaveshownhere.

KathrynDeVito

NoticehowIscumbledarkmassesoflinesintothehairshapesfollowingthewaythehairliesonthehead.Idon'tfillintheentirearea.AlsonotehowIoftenlightlyscumbleinafewlightlinesintotheshadowshapesaswell.Thisgives'mesomegraphitetoshadewith.

By bearing down a bit heavier with the blending tool, I can deepen thevalues of this shading with a very soft edge. This technique is so incrediblyversatilethatyou'llbeamazedatwhatyoucandowithit.

Whatisfreeze-framesketching?

Forsketchingsubjects,youcanbeginwithmagazinesorphotos,oryoucansimplyturnonyourTVandstartsketching.Butifyouwanttotrysomethingfun,tapesomethingwithyourVCR,rewinditandplayitbackfreezingit(usingthepauseoption)atvariousimages.

Becausepeoplemovearoundsomuch,anddirectors lovetocutfromonescenetoanother,ithelpsifyouusethefreeze-framefeatureontheVCRtostoptheactionlongenoughtodoasketch.Workingwithfreeze-framecontrolsyoucanfreezeuniqueposturesofanything.Ifyouhavesingle-frameadvancecontrolyoucanisolatespecificposturesevenbetter.Thisworksgreatforsports,dance,adventure,birdsandwildlife.

MostVCRshaveaprotectivedevicethatswitchesthisfeatureoffafterfiveminutes. (This protects the recording heads inside theVCR.) Itwill also keepyouworkingfast,anditprovidesagreatfeedbackmechanismthatteachesyoujusthowfastfiveminutesgoesby.

Analyzeaprogramforuniquepostures,looksorimagestosketch.Thiswillhelpyoudevelopvisualacuity.Usingyourvideotaperecorder,youcanchooseyourownvisual subjects.Review theseprogramsforsuitable imagesand thenfigureouthowtobeginyoursketch,andwhichshapesarethemostdistinctive.Hereareacoupleofhintstohelpyou.

1.Beginbyfocusingononedistinctivefeature.Lookforimagesthataren'ttoocomplicated.Focusononlyonesubject,andomiteverythingelsearoundit.Trytoseethemostdistinctivevisualfeatureofyourchosensubject,andbeginyoursketchwiththatfeature.

In almost every sketch of the baseball players on the following pages, Istartedwith their caps.There's a reallygood reason for this. If I can establishexactlywhere thatbrimis—andsketch itsshapecorrectly—Ican thenattachthehat shape, theheadbeneath thehat, the shoulders and soon. It's simply awaytobeginthatworksabout95percentofthetime.

2.Buildyourimageonepieceatatime.Aweaknessinyoursketchingskillscandevelopifyourvisualfocusandconcentrationjumpsaroundtoomuch.Studyindividualshapesexclusively,oneaftertheother.Donotallowyourfocustomoveonuntilyou'vesketchedthatparticularshape.

Ifyoucanenhancethesetwoskills,you'llbeamazedattheresults.

StartWithProgramsYouMostEnjoy

Tapeyourfavoriteprograms.Playthembackandfreezeselectedframesthatyouthinkyoucansketch.Stayloose;workfast.Then,tryanother!TheseimagesweresketchedfromatelevisedgamebetweentheClevelandIndiansandtheBostonRedSox.MostofthesesketchestookaboutfiveminutesbecausemyVCR'sfreeze-framefeatureautomaticallyshuts

offafterfiveminutes.

Trytosimplifyyourlinework.Noticehowonecarefullydrawnlinedefinesthesedistinctpostures.It'stheshadingthatworksthemagic.

Thebasiclineworkmatestablishestheshapesisimportant.Comparemelineworkoftheumpire(nearleft)tothefinishedshadedsketch(farleft).Canyouseehowimportanttheshadingistothecompletedwork?

UseStrong,CleanOutlinesandCarefulShading

Workwithcleanoutlinescarefullydrawntodefineessentialshapes.Connectonesegmentofthesketchtoanotheruntilyou'vegotawholefigure.Thenmergeallthecomponentswithcarefulshading.

Keepyourcontourandoutlineshapesstrong.Trytodrawashapewithoneclean, carefully drawn line, rather than five or more light lines. Outline yourshadows lightly.Thishelpsdefine themwhenyougo toblend inyourshadowareas.

NoticehowItrytokeepmyshadinglinesgoingata45degreeangle.Thishelpscreatevisualbalanceandaestheticcharminyoursketches.

ThisportraitofKennyLoftoncheckingthesignfromthethirdbasecoachwasthebiggest,measuringseveninches(18cm)across.Iestablishedallthebasiclineworkbeforethefive-minuteautomaticshutoffkicked

in.ThenIdidtheshading.Totalsketchingtimewasabouttenminutes.

It'sagoodideatoidentifyandtidesketchesasyoudothem.It'sdoubtfulthatyou'lleveragainbeabletofindtheexactframeofthevideoyouusedasreference.

SketchingSequence

Studythesequenceofthissketch,shownatactualsketchbooksize,andgiveitatry.Thengobackandtrytheothers.ThewholeideahereistohaveyouworkfromoneofmysketchesuntilyougetthefeelforthesequenceIsketchandcanseewhatI'mfocusingonasIsketch.YouwillalsorecognizewhatI'mleavingoutasIsketchafigure.Ifocusmyattentionontheinitiallinework,capturingonlythesimplestoutlineofposturesandshapes.ThenIgraduallyaddmoreandmoreshapesuntilI'vegotafinishedfigure.Theshadingtiesitalltogether.

WorkWithaCamcorder

Ifrequentlyusemycamcorderassortofadigitalsketchbook.OnceItookittothelocalMemorialDayparadeandrecordedsnippetsofAmericana.ThenIcamehome,downloadedthefootageontoaVCRcassetteandplayeditback,freezingimagesofvarioussubjectslongenoughtodothesequicksketches.

Givethesesketchesofpipersattheparadeatry.Bepreciseanddefinitiveabout your linework, then tie it all together with shading. If you've got acamcorder,shootsomeofyourownfootage.It'sagreatwaytoimproveyoureyeforsubjectmatter.

Noticehowtheblendingtoolprovidesjusttherightgrayvalueinthepipers'kilts.Howcouldyoucreatethiseffectwithouttheblendingtool?Andevenifyoucould,couldyoudoitinamatterofseconds?

EstablishVisualThemes

WhatImeanbythemesisaselectivevisualsubjectthatyoulookforwhenyouareoutworkinginacrowd.Beselective;don'tjustshootanything.Bymentallylookingforcertainsubjects,youlearnhowtovisuallyfocusyourattention.Thisiscrucial.

SometimesI'll limitmysketching,photographyortapingtojustpeopleinuniforms,couplesorpeopledoingoddthings.Itcanbeanything.You'llnoticethat as soon as youdevelop this habit your productivitywill skyrocket.You'llcomehomewithlotsofusablevisuals.

OnthisparticulardayIwaslookingforandlimitingmyobservationtoonlythose images that epitomize America— ubiquitous American-parade sort ofstuff.Icamehomewithatonofmaterial.Thisisjustalittleofit.

Youcan'thaveaparadewithoutcheerleadersanddrummajorettes.

EveryMemorialDayParadeacrossAmericahashighschoolbandsandbassdrums.

Here,parentsandtheirchildrenlinethestreetwaitingforthesirens,markingtheparade'sbeginning.

Therearealwaysafewbikersonmotorcycleswithpolishedchrome.

Everywherethereareyoungmotherscarryingtheirinfants.

Dadsoftencarrylittlekidsontheirshoulderssothattheycangetabetterviewinthecrowd.

Thestreetsarelinedwiththousandsofkidswaitingforfirefighters,policeofficersandpoliticianstoridebyandtossthemcandy.

WhenSketchingFamousPeople,LessIsMore

Therearefewsubjectsmorechallengingthanportraitsoffamouspeople,sinceeveryoneknowswhattheylooklike.Oneofthebasicworkingcriteriaofmostsuccessfulportraitartistsistominimizefacialdetails—especiallyinawoman'sface.Fewwomenwanttoseeeveryporeorwrinkleinaportrait.Thisgoesdoubleformysketchingtechnique.Ifyoucancaptureafewofthemostbasicfeaturesofaperson'sfaceandhair,youcanomittherest,andeveryonewillbehappy.It'sfarbettertonaildownalikenesswiththefewestpossiblelines.

Anothertrickistokeepthedarkvaluesoftheeyes,mouth,eyebrowsandhairdominant.Lightenupon thepencilpressurewhenaddingotherdetails so

they stay lighter andgrayer.Thishelpsdirect theviewers' eyes to the featuresyouwantthemtorecognizefirst.

Whenstartingthesketch,askyourself,Whatistheperson'smostdistinctivefeature that catchesmy eye? If you can answer this question it will help yousketchthatpersonbetterandfaster.

MattLauer

KatieCouric

TheTodayShow'sKatieCouricisagreatportraitmodeltopracticewith.Shehasgreateyes,awell-proportionedfacialstructure,niceeyebrowsandastylizedshapetoherhair.

1. When sketching Katie, start with the wave of hair that falls across herforehead.2.Next,carefullydefineherfacialshapeandjawlinefromlefttoright.3.Thenestablishhereyebrows.4.Insteadofplacinghereyes,dohernoseandmouthnext.5.Onceallofthisisinplaceyoucanmoreeasilypositionherdistinctiveeyes.

NowtryTodayShowcoanchorMattLauer.1.StartwithMatt'shairontheleftsideofthesketch,downtohisear.2.Nextsketchhiswave,followedbytherightsideofhishair,downtotheotherear.

3.Oncethehairiscompleted,establishthelowershapeofhisfacefromtheearontheleftsidedowntothefrontandbackuptotherightsideofthesketchtowherethehairbegins.Dothiswithonecontinuousline,pausingmomentarilyalongthewaywithoutliftingthepencil.4.Thenplacetheeyebrows,followedbythenostrils.5.Placetheeyesnext,asyoustudyhismouthandlipscarefully.6.Sketchthelipslast.Noticethedistinctbow-likeshape,andthewayhepusheshislowerlipintotheupperlip.Thiscapturesthelikeness.

FindDistinctiveFeatures

IndoingportraitsoffamouspeopleIamconstantlylookingforpostures,movements,evenclothingorhairstylesthatstarshavedevelopedaspartoftheirpersonas.WithstarslikeCher,it'sherclothesorherhair;withtalkshowhostJayLeno,it'shispronouncedjawline.Thesevisualelementscanbecomesodistinctivelyassociatedwithastarthattheybecomearchetypal,aswithElvis'suniquehairandsideburns.

When sketching portraits, this is what you should look for. If you cancaptureatleastsomethingdistinctiveabouttheperson,itcanmakeaportrait.

Iusuallystartwiththeheadofafigurefirst,butwithpopsingerRickyMartin,Ibrokemyownrule!Hisperformances—suchasthisoneontheTodayShow—aremarkedbyhisdistinctivedancemoves,soIbegan

thesesketchesbyestablishingtheseuniqueposturesfirst.

HowdoIdefinefacialandbodystructure?

Myinitialoutlinedrawingsofindividualshapes,suchasthehatsonprofessionalgolfersTigerWoodsandthelatePayneStewart,arestronganddefinitive.Tryto

defineashapewithonewell-conceivedlineratherthanamishmashoflighterlinesstrugglingtofindthecorrectshapebytrialanderror.

Lightenuponyourpencilpressureswhendefining theshadowareasofaface.Iactuallyoutlinetheseshadowshapesaswell,fillingtheminwithalightscumble of lines that are then blended and shaded into a nicemidvalue gray.Notice thesamevalueprinciplesapply topeopleasweuse in landscapes—adarkestdark,thewhiteofthepaperandamidvaluegray.

These sketches show examples of variations in linework pressures andoutliningshadowstodefinefacialstructure.

ThesesketchesofTigerWoods(right)andPayneStewart(belowandbottomright)weretakenfromavideotapeofthe1999US.Opengolftournament.

VaryLinePressures

Onceyouworkwiththistechniqueabityou'llsoonbegintodeveloptheadvancedabilitytovarythephysicalpressuresyouusewhenyousketch.ThesketchbelowofPayneStewartasheexplodedwithexuberancethemomentafterhesankthewinningputtatthe1999U.S.Openshowsthesevariationsclearly.

The outline of themajor shapes— such as those that define his cap, hiscarefully drawn profile and his eyes—were all drawn with a fairly strongpressure.ButnoticehowIlightenupwhenI'moutliningtheshadowstructureinhisface.Theseshadowoutlinesaremerelyguidesthathelpdefinethewaythelight falls over the face and form. I then carefully fill them in using only theblendingtooltocreatesubtlevariationsinthismidvaluegray.

Stewartnearlyliftedoffthegreenwhenhesankhiswinningputt.

Stewartwassoelatedwhenhewonthetournamentheliterallyscreamedathiscaddy,hisfamilyandthewholeworld.Ilovesketchingmomentslikethis.NoticethedelicatequalityoflightIcapturedinthe

shadows.

GolferPhilMickelsonacknowledgestheappreciativegallerysurroundingtheeighteenthgreen.

LookforUniqueExpressions

Whensketchingpeopleontelevisionshows,lookforthoseuniqueexpressionsthatareindicativeofcertaincharacters.TheTVshowAllyMcBealisfilledwithcharacterswhoseexpressivefaciallooksliterallydefinetheircharactersontheshow.Thismakessketchingthemfun.

Asusual,withthesesketchesfromtheshow,Istartedwiththehairshapes.AsImentionedwiththesketchofKatieCouric,lessismore.Ally'suniquelookis epitomized by her propensity for puckering her lips into a faux kisslikeposition as she opens her eyes as wide as possible, punctuating a dramaticmoment.

Ling,ontheotherhand,hasastoic,masklikeappearance,withwell-definedlips and dramatic eyebrows, framed with coal-black hair. The very eccentric“Biscuit” has an unruly hairline, a pronounced frown and squint, and anexpressivemouth.

Ifyoucanpracticewiththesesortsoffaces,itwillhelpyousketchvirtuallyanyone.Youwillbegintoseetheirdistinctivefeaturesfaster.

AllyMcBeal,onanever-endingneuroticsearchforlove.

“Biscuit,”aneccentricpartnerinthelawfirm.

Thedramatic,beautifulandinscrutableLing.

HowshouldIgetstartedwithlivesubjects?

Therestofthischapterdealswithlivesubjectsratherthanfreeze-frameorphotographicsubjects.Noweverythingyouhavepracticedwillcomeintoplaytohelpyousketchanyone,anywhere,inonlyafewminutes.

Ifyoucancreateasketchofyourselfinjustafewminutes,thenmaybeyoucan sketch someone else as well. This is where you'll begin to see if you'veimprovedyourskills.

Don't rush this exercise. Practice making exaggerated faces andexpressions.Makeahabitofdoingfiveself-portraitsadayforaweekorso,justtoimproveyourself-confidence.Assoonasyoufeelready,workwithafamilymemberorfriend.Rememberthisisfastsketching,soyoucandoanumberofsketchesinashortperiodoftime.Don'tgethungupnoodlingalikeness.Workfastandloose.

SketchingSequence

Tocreatearapidsketchofapersonrequirestheverysameskillsyouusetosketchaportraitofananimal.Beginwiththemostdistinctivefeaturesandshapesfirst.

1.When sketching live subjects, try to frame thebasic shapeof the face first,beginningwiththeoverallcontourlineofthehair.2.Thenconnectthefaceandjawlinewithaclean,carefullydrawnoutline,tryingtocapturetheessenceoftheshape.3.Oncethebasicstructuralshapesofthehair,faceandjawlineareestablished,itiseasiertoplacetheeyes,noseandmouthcorrectly.4.Varyyourpencilpressureswhendrawinganddefiningtheoutlinesofshadows.Thesearemerelymeantasguidesandshouldnotcompetewiththemainfeatures.Lightlyscumbleinsomelinesintotheseshadowareas,thenshade

themwithyourblendingtool.Thisestablishesthelightsource,volumeandstructure,anditgiveslifetoyoursketch.

Thisself-portraittookaboutfiveminutesinfrontofmybathroommirror.Theoverheadlightingcaststrongshadowsacrossmyfaceandhelpedmedefinestructureandform.

Practicebytryingtocaptureexpressionsofallkinds.However,whenitcomestimetosketchafriendorfamilymember,sticktolessexpressivefacialposes.Peoplecanholdamorerelaxedexpressioneasierandlongerthanonethatshowsabigsmileorgrin.Plusitmakesitmucheasiertocapturealikenessifyoucan

avoidlotsofteeth.

SketchinginCrowds

IhadbeenoutsketchingandphotographinginthestreetsofDelhisinceearlymorning.Mywife,Deanna,andIwerewalkingupJanpathLanetowardourhotelwhenDeannadecidedtonegotiatewithayounggirlforanembroideredtablecloth.Thesalesgirl,Shardha,waslovelywithherlarge,dark-rimmedeyes,noseringandabeautifulKashmirishawldrapedoverhershoulders.

AfterDeannaestablishedthefinalprice,Iaskedtheyoungwomanifshe'dposeformefora fewminutes.Shardhasat foraportraitwhileher familyandfriendsgatheredaroundtojokeandobserve.Itwasveryentertaining.

Manyportraitartistsrecommendyoustartwiththeeyes,butIhavefoundthatbyfirstestablishingtheoverallshapeoftheheadandhair,itframesthefaceandallowsmetoplacethefeaturesmoreeasily.

ThesubjectofthisportraithadsuchadistinctivemouthandeyesthatIhadtocarefullyestablishherheadandpulled-backhair,asseenabove.ThiswashowIbeganthissketch.

Then,Iquicklyfilledinherdarkhairinordertoframeherface.NextIdidhereyes,noseandmouth.ItwasonlyafterthisthatIconcentratedonherclothingdetails.Totalsketchingtimewassixtosevenminutes.

While Iwas sketchingShardha,Vijay stoodbehindmemaking jokeswithher and the other ladies. I was so focused on doing her sketch that I hardlynoticed him until I was finished. Afterward, I took one look at him with hisshinyblack leather jacket,moussedhair,mustacheanddramaticeyebrowsandaskedhimtopose,too.

This is an excellent example of focusing on and sketching the mostdistinctive shapes first. I started by studying the overall shape of his long,narrow face,withhisdramatichair risingup and framing the facebeautifully.Youcanseebelowhowbycapturingthisinitialshapequicklytherestismucheasier.

Evenworkingquitefast,Iwashappywiththevariationsinlineweightinthissketch.Noticehowquickthelinesaretofillinthehairshape—nodetail.Alsonotethealmosthorizontallineworkinhisjacket.Thiswas

donequicklyandmerelytoindicateadarkvalue.ButwhenIlightlyusedtheblendingtooloverthehair,jacketandfacialareas,thesketchtookonlife.

SketchAvailableSubjectsAgainandAgain

Ifinditveryhelpfultosketchthesamesubjectmanytimes—indifferentmoods,timesofdayandsoon.Inthiswayyounotonlygetfamiliarwithasubject'sfeatures,youalsoloosenupanddrawthepersonabitdifferentlyeachtime.ShannonandAshleigh,thedaughtersofoneofmybestfriends,werevisitingonesummerdaywhileIhappenedtobesketchingflowersinmygarden.Itookafewminutesandhadthemsitontheedgeofthepondforasketchortwo.

Itwaslateafternoonandtheybothneededasnack,andwereratherboredwithmyrequest topose.Thisevencame through in their sketches! I love thissketchofShannon,butshecallsitthe“chubbycheek”drawing.

Thissketchactuallydidn't looklikemuchuntilIswitchedtotheblendingtool and developed the light shading and light source. I cannot emphasizeenoughhowimportanttheshadingofmidvaluegrayistotheoverallsuccessofasketch.

SketchingSequence

StudythesequenceforShannon'ssketch,thengiveitatryyourself.1.IbeganbyestablishingtheoverallshapeofShannon'shairandjawline.Thewindwasblowingherlonghairaround,soItriedtoindicatethis.2.Bydelineatingtheoverallheadshape,withthedistinctivebangsandthebowpokingoutfrombehind,Icouldthenconcentrateoncapturingthemoodandplacementofherfeatures.

3.OnceIgottheplacementoftheeyes,noseandmouth,Iswitchedtotheblendingtooltoestablishtheshadowsandlightsource.4.Eventhoughthissketchonlytookaboutfiveminutes,Shannonbegantofidgetandmovearound.Butitdidn'tmatter;Ihadalreadycapturedherlook.Itwaseasytoaddherarmsandtorso,withtheheartontheT-shirtandherfavoritenecklacearoundherneck.

UseDefinedShadowstoEstablishFacialStructure

Thebeautyofthistechniqueishowitallowsyoutorapidlycreatespecificmoodswithstrongorsubtlelighting.SarahManning,myneighborandanartistherself,wasplayingwithAshleighandShannononthissamesummerafternoon.Thelightwasverybright,andIwantedhertofaceabittowardthesuntoallowstrongshadowstofallacrossherface.

Thebrightnessmadehersquintsome,whichcomesthroughinthesketch.Butlookhoweasyitistocreatenotonlythestrong,directshadowsbutalsothesubtle,reflectedlightilluminatingtheshadowedsideofherface.Theoutlineshapeofthehairisfirst.ThenItrytoestablishthebasicshapeofthefacebydrawingtheinnerhairline,earandjawline.Thesearethemostdifficultshapestocapture,astheyformthebasicoverallshape

ofthehead.Ifthesearewrongatthispoint,startover.Ipositiontheeyebrowsnext.Thishelpsmeplacethenostrilsandthenthemouthintherightpositions.

Theseelementsthenguidewheretheeyesgo.

DevelopingaPortrait

Whendevelopinganimageforaportraitcommission,Iuseawholehostofcoordinatedimagingskillsthatbeginwithsketchingoutmyinitialideasrapidly.

Sketchingiswhereyoudoyourmostcreativevisualization.Inthiscase,IwasworkingondevelopingawatercolorportraitofAshleighandShannon fortheirgrandmother.

Iwaspreparingtophotographtheminthesebeautiful,goldreflectivepartydresses. Even in a photo shoot, I think with my pencil first. Only after I'vestudiedmysubjectandformedsomeideasthatI'vesketchedoutquicklywillIbegin to take the shots thathelpmedevelop the ideas I've sketched.This is acrucialprocedure.

1.Youcanseehowfastandloosethisinitialideadevelopmentis—onlysomequickposturalstudiestotryoutacomposition.

2.ThenwithmyblendingtoolIquicklyestablishedthestronglightsourcethatcreatedthelargedramaticshadowdesignIwaslookingfor.

3.ButthenIhadanotherideainwhichthegirlswereintheirpajamas.SoIhadthemchangeintotheirpj'sandassumethispositiononthefloor.InmanywaysIlikedthiscompositionbetter,asitallowedmeto

designtheirfeetintothecompositionandbringtheirfacesclosertogether.Thesefirstthreesketchesweredoneonlocationinthephotographicshootattheirgrandmother'shouse.

4.Thisonewascreatedbackinmystudio,workingfromtheslideimagesIhadtaken.Asyoucansee,itisamuchmoredetailedandcarefullydesignedstudy.Thisisnotasketch—itisamorerefineddrawingthat

incorporatesallofmythinkingandthatallowedmetotestouttheideavisuallytoseeifIlikedit.

MydrawingofAshleighandShannonDeVitointheirpartydresses.

AdvancedStudioWork

AfinishedwatercolorcommissioncantakemeseveralweeksofpreparatoryworktodevelopadesignI'mhappywith,andthentheactualpaintingcantakeanotherweekormoretopaint.SoIcan'taffordtomakemistakesinthefinishedpainting.

This is when both my sketching and drawing skills come in handy. Thepencilstudyabove—basedonthefirsttwosketchesofthegirlsonthepreviouspage—took a good hour to develop. From this study I can clearly ascertainwhetherthiswillmakeagoodpainting.

If I stillhavequestionsat thispoint, I'lloftengoeven furtherbydoingasmallwatercolorstudythatallowsmetocheckoutvariouslightingeffectsandcolorchoices,especiallyinthereflectedlightareas.

I'llcontinuedevelopingsketches,drawingsandstudiesuntilI'mcertainofmy composition and design. This may seem elaborate, but this is common

practiceamongprofessionalartistswhoearnalivingfrompainting.Manyofmywatercolorsaremorespontaneousthanthis,butwhenasubject

has tobedead-onperfect,allof thispreparatorysketchinganddrawingmakesthefinishedpaintinggreat.

MakingFriendsSketchingStrangers

OnourmostrecenttriptoIndia,DeannaandIwereintheairportatJodhpur,Rajasthan,waitingforourflight.Wehadaboutanhourbeforetheplanewasdue,andtheairport,whichissmall,wasveryquiet.Idecidedtodoalittlesketching.

IwalkedovertooneoftheguardsandaskedinmylimitedHindiifIcoulddoa sketchofhim.He lookedmeupanddown suspiciously, asdid theotherofficers.Thenhegavemeabigsmileandstoodatattention.

Isaid,“No,no...serious,”meaningthatIdidn'twantabigsmile;Iwantedhismoresternlook.Theotherguardsallgatheredaroundmestudyingmyeverypencilstrokeandinstantlycomparingittohisface,allthewhiletryingtomakehimlaugh.

Hefinallystartedtolaugh,andIimmediatelystoppedsketchingandsaidtohim in a formal voice,“No, no . . .serious, please! ” At this he instantlyvanquished the smile and returned to a straight facewhilehisbuddieshowledwithlaughter,cryingout,“No,no,AaduRam,thesahbwantsserious!”

Thiswasgreatfun,andIdidseveraloftheguardsoneaftertheother.Eachtimeitwas,“No,no,thesahbwantsserious!”

ThewordcamethatourplanetoDelhiwouldlandinfifteenminutes,sothemanager,Mr. Sheikh, quickly positioned himself squarely in front of me andstatedemphatically,“Mr.Rankin,Iaminqueuenow!”HewasconcernedthatIwasfinishedsketching,sohebasicallydemandedtobenext.

By the time Deanna found me, I had all the military guards andadministrativeairportpeoplecrowdedaroundme,jokingandcarryingon.Itwas

wonderful. Andwhen the plane came, they let us on first. Deanna took theirnamesandaddresses and sent allof them reproductionsof their sketches afterwegotbackhome.WithallthreeoftheguardsandMr.Sheikh,Istartedwiththetopsoftheirheads.Byfirstestablishingthehatattachedtotheoutlineshapeoftheface,earsandjawline,I'vegotafirmbeginning.Ifthisshapeisn'tcorrectthesketchwillfaillongbeforegettingtotheeyes.ThissketchofAaduRam,aswellastheothers,

tookfiveminutes.

IactuallydidRidmalRam'ssketchabitsmallerandthenusedtheblendingtooltotryagraymidvalueshadetoindicatethecolorofhiskhakiuniformandberet.Ifeltittooksomethingawayfromthelinework.

Mr.Sheikhwaslast.Theshapeofhisface,withthewaveofhishairandsquarejaw,createdadistinctiveframethathelpedmepositionhisglasses,nose,mouthandeyes.

WhatIlikedmostaboutthissketchwasthestrongshadowandreflectedlightthattheblendingtoolallowedmetocreateinseconds,bearingdownabitfirmerdownthecenterofhisfacewherethefullintensityofthelightmergesoverintoshadow.Theblendingtoolallowsforjusttherightsoftnessinthe

shadingandcreatesdepthinthestructureofhisface.

Asyousketchmoreandmorepeople,you'llfindthatsomesubjectsalmostsketchthemselves.NemiChandwasoneofthosesubjects.Hislargeeyebrows,deep-seteyes,squarejawline,mustacheandears—allpackagedintoacrisp,cleanuniform—madeagreatsubjectwithsuchdistinctivecharacterthathisportraitwasajoytosketch.

Try to do a quick sketch of Nemi Chand following my brief guidelinesbelow.Hopefullybythetimeyoufinishthisbook,youwillhaveenoughcourageandconfidenceinyourownsketchingskillstogooutandfindyourownsubjectstopracticeon.

1.Startwithaquick,simpleoutlineofhishat,earsanddistinctivejawline.Youcaneasilyseeatthisstagethattheshapeitselfmakesiteasiertoplacetheeyesandfeaturesinthecorrectpositions.2.Onceyou'veestablishedtheshapeofthefaceandhat,carefullyaddhisfacialfeaturesbeginningwithhisdistinctiveeyebrows,theneyelidsandfinallytheeyes.Noticehowtheyareflatonthebottom,astheyarepartiallyhiddenbyhislowereyelids.

3.Beginhisnosewithjustthenostrils,thenhismustachefollowedbyhisupperUp.4.Todefineandindicatestructure,lighdyoutlinetheshadowareas.Thenaddsomelighthorizontallinesscumbledintotheseareas.Theseareonlymeanttobeusedasvaluewhenblendingthem.5.Usetheblendingtoolforsubtleshadingbysmudgingthegraphitelinework.Deepenthevaluealongthebridgeofhisnose,chinandeyesbypressingabitharderwiththeblendingtool,darkeningtheshading.6.Finally,quicklysketchhisuniform.Inmysketch,IcouldhaveshadedinhisuniformasIdidonthesketchofRidmalRamonthepreviouspage,butthatwouldhavetakenawayfromtheimpactofhisface.

SketchingPeopleinAction

Youhavetosimplifyandsketchsmallwhenyoursubjectismoving.Myruleofthumb:Thefasteranobjectmoves,thesmallerthesketchshouldbe.Thereasonforthisissimple:Smallersketchestakelesstime.HereareafewfrommyIndiasketchbooksthatshowwhatItrytocapturewhenI'mworkingquicklyincrowdsofpeople—onlytheverysimplestofshapesandshading.

The ladies in saris to the right were in the spice market in Jodhpur.ThereasonthissketchisabitmorefinishedisbecauseIwasabletostudythemforseveralminutesastheyworkedtheirwayslowlydownthelanefromonespiceshoptoanother.

WhetheryouarewanderingaboutyourlocalmalloraspicemarketinthedesertregionsofIndia,thesamerulesapply.Thinkaboutwhyyouaresketching.Remember that you aren't trying to create finished art.What you are doing isexercisingyourartistsenses.Youaresketchinginordertoestablishavisuallinkwith theworldyou live in.Youcanbackupyoursketcheswithslides,but it'syoursketchesthatgiveyouyourstrongestconnectionwithasubject.

Hint:Whenyou'reworkingfast,keepyourblendingtoolinyourhand.Iswitchbackandforthrapidlyfromsketchingtoshading.

ChapterFourAnimals

Critters,Critters,Critters

Likemanyotherchildren,whenIwasakidIloveddrawingbirdsandanimals,aswellasfancifulcreaturesImadeup.

WhenIwasinartschooltheterm“wildlifeartist”didn'tevenexist.Infact,ifIhadtoldmyinstructorsthatIwantedtodrawandpaintanimals,theywouldhavethoughtIwasnuts.

But today,wildlife art signifies a two to three billion-dollar industry thatincorporates artists, galleries, framers, book and magazine publishers and anentireworldwidenetworkofworkshops,museumexhibitionsand internationalartauctions.

Infact,Iamontheboardoftheworld'smostcelebratedgroupofpaintersandsculptorswhospecializeincreatingworksofartutilizingbirdsandanimalsof all kinds. It's called the Society of Animal Artists, and it boasts a stellarmembershipofmorethanthreehundredoftheworld'stopartists.

So popular is this genre that there are now substructureswithin the fieldspecializinginveryspecifictypesofartworkandartists.Justasinthemedicalfieldtherearenumeroushighlyspecializedfieldsofprofessionals,therearenowartistswhospecializeinnothingbutbirds.Thereareartistswhopaintandsculptonlyhorses,orfish.Therearespecialtyartistswhopaintonlyducks,geeseandgamebirdsandwhotarget95percentoftheirartisticeffortstowardcompetinginbighuntingandfishingstampexhibitions.

IknowartistswhoonlypaintAfricanwildlife,andsomewhoonlydoNorthAmerican.It'sawholenewworldoutthere.Theopportunitiesforyoungartiststo envision a lifetime career in this field have been solidified by severalgenerationsoffineartistswhohavepavedthewayfortherestofus.

Themost important skill artists need for this field is the ability to sketchanddrawanimalsaccurately,beautifullyandquickly.Inthischapter,you'lllearnmymostprizedtechniquesforsketchingallkindsofbirdsandanimals.

Suggestions

Sketchinzoosandinthewild.Beginwithuniquepostures.Leavethespotsforlast.Buildsketcheslikepuzzles—placedistinctshapes,thentiethemtogetherwithshading.

Ifyouwanttosketchbirdsandanimals,youcantraveltothefarcornersoftheearthandstudytheminthewild—orvisityourlocalzoo.

Withbirdsandanimals,theuniqueposturestheyexhibitareoftenintrinsictothevisualidentificationofaparticularspecies.Youwanttodevelopaneyeforthiskindofuniqueness,andthenbeabletosketchitquickly.

Nomatter what the species, concentrate on getting the basic shapes andposturescorrectfirst.Then,andonlythen,shouldyouaddtheidentifyingspots,stripesormarkings.

Build your sketches like a puzzle—piece by piece. This helps you drawfasterandmuch,mucheasier.

Andlastly,getyourselfagoodcamera.Nomatterhowwellyoucansketch,you'llstillneedtobackupyoursketcheswithgoodphotographsorslides.

Left-handpage:LangurmonkeyinJaipur,India.Topleft:HornbillinthePittsburghAviary.

Top:SiberiantigerintheClevelandMetroparksZoo.Middle:GiraffeintheClevelandMetroparksZoo.

Bottom:LargebullsealintheClevelandMetroparksZoo.

Whatisthesecrettoimprovingmyanimalsketches?

OneofmybestknownwatercolorsofanimalsisthispaintingofanAfricanwarthogIcreatedfortheClevelandZooseveralyearsago.TodothispaintingIhadtocreatealotofpreliminarysketchestryingtocapturejusttherightlookandmood.Irealizedbackthenhowimportantitwastodevelopsketchesinpieces,justlikeinapuzzle.

TheWarthog

Theabilitytocreateasketchofalandscape,apersonorananimalrequiresyoutoobservethesubject,seebasicshapeswithinthatsubject,andthenquicklyandeffectivelysketchthoseshapes.ThisishowIassembleasketch.It'sjustlikeputtingtogetherajigsawpuzzleonepieceatatime.

Insketching,birdsandanimalsjustdon'tgetit.Theydon'tmuchcarethatwe'd like them tostop foracoupleofminutes.So the technique for sketchingcrittershastobethoughtthroughprettywelloryou'llgetdiscouraged.

Isuggestthatyougetuptospeedfirstbyworkingwiththesketchesshowninthissection,aswellasphotographsandthefreeze-framesketchingtechnique

outlined.

Thissketchofatoucanisjustanoutlineandafewsimpleshapesrefinedwithshading.

Inexperienced artists often make the mistake of trying to envision acompleted sketch.Or, they don't envision anything and just flail along hopingthesketchwillsomehowdevelopiftheymakeenoughmarksonthepaper.Bothof these are wrong.The way to achieve better results is to make an effort tosketchpartsratherthanthewholeobject.

ThepyramidsofEgyptwereconstructedwithsingularblocksofstone.Asketch of a bird, a tiger or a baseball playerworks in the sameway—each isactuallymadeupofsmallerparts.

WhilemycarwasstoppedatarailroadcrossinginRajasthan,India,Iwasabletoquicklysketchthissceneofafarmerwashinghiscows.Noticethedistinctshapestiedtogetherwithshading.

Ifyoucandeveloptheabilitytoseethepiecesorshapesthatformabirdoranimal,itwillimproveyoursketchesofthem,aswellasyoursketchesofpeopleandlandscapes.

AnExample

Thesketchaboveofcowsbeingwashedinariverillustratesthemostessentialpointinthistechnique.Insteadoftryingtosketchthewholecoworscene,Ilookforthesimpleshapesthatmakeupthecow.Lookatthissketchcarefully.Ifyoutakeawaytheshadingandscumbledlines,canyouseehowmycowsareconstructedsimplywithselectedshapes?

I sketched the darker cow at the bottom first, beginning with its frontshoulderand leg.Everyother shapewas thenadded to this first shape,almostlikeajigsawpuzzle,piecebypieceuntilIhadacompletedimagethatresembledthe cow. Then I shaded the shadow structures—and that's all. I sketched thesecondcowinasimilarmanner.

Thisisthesecret!Andthisentirechapterisdesignedaroundthisincrediblyeasywaytosketch.

StartWithFlamingos

Asyoubegintolookaroundforsuitableanimalsubjectstosketch,tryflamingos!ThisiswhatIstartwithinmychildren'sZooArtistclasses,becausethesebirdsaresosimple.

If you study flamingos for aminute you'll see that they consist of just acoupleofshapesandalegortwo.Theyareusuallyeithersleepingononelegornestleddownontothegroundinaneatpackage.Practicesketchingthemintheexamplesbelow.

FlamingosattheSanAntonioZooinTexas.

Example1Followthissequenceforsketchingthisflamingosleepingononeleg.

1.Sketchthebodyandtailshapefirst.2.Addthehead.

3.Thecurvedneckthengoesonthefront.4.Addthelegfromthetorsototheknee.

5.Finishthelegfromthekneetomefoot.6.Addthewebbedfoot.

7.Switchtoyourblendingtooltocreatetheshadowontheground.8.Lastly,addtheshadingonthetorso,neckandhead.

Example2Thisoneisalittleharderduetotheneckshape.

1.Startwiththetorsoandtailshape.2.ThenaddtheS-shapedneckandheadwrappedupandoverthefront.

3.Addthelegonlyfromthetorsototheknee.4.Thenaddtheportionfromthekneedowntothefoot.

5.Nowswitchtoyourblendingtoolandcreatetheshadow.6.Finally,shadeintheleg,torso,neckandhead.

Example3Thisoneisthetoughest.

1.Sketchthefaceandbeakoutlineshape,thendefinetheeyeandmouth.2.Startingatthetopbacksideofthehead,drawtheneckcurvedowntowhereitconnectstothetorso.

Thenaddtheothersideoftheneck.3.Sketchthetorsoandtail.

4.&5.Addthelegsinstepsasbefore.6.Addthefoot.

7.Thenshadetoindicateastronglightsourceandshadows.

GotoYourOwnZooandTry

I'vesketchedflamingosallovertheworld.Theyalllookprettymuchthesame.ButnoticeinthetwosleepingbirdsabovethatIdidalittlemoredelicateworkwiththeshadows.Evenso,thesesketchesarestillcreatedsimplybybuildingacompletedimageoutofindividualshapesthatareaddedoneaftertheother

andtiedtogetherwithshading.

Thisoneaboveisdifferent.Itisawatercolorstudydoneinmystudioworkingfromthesketchonthenearleft.Youcanseehowsimilarmywatercolorsketchingstyleistomygraphitestudies.

Hereismyfavoritesketchofflamingostodate.ThiswasdoneattheClevelandMetroparksZooaboutmidday.Theflamingosweretotallyzonkedoutinmeheat,soIwasabletocapturealotofdetailquickly.WhatIlovemostaboutthissketchisthereflectedlightintheshadows.Noticehowitallisbuiltoutof

carefullycraftedshapesdefinedbystrongsingularcontourlinesofvaryingpressures.

ATortoiseinFourSimpleShapes

TheClevelandMetroparksZoohasseverallargeGalapagostortoises.OnthisdaytheywereuproamingabouttheirenclosuresoItooktheopportunitytodoafewquicksketches.

Afterawhileyousimplygetused to lookingat animalsas shapes, ratherthanwhatspeciestheyare.Thishelpsimmenselyasyoutrytosketchsomething,foryouareactuallyseeingyoursubjectratherthaninterpretingwhatyouthinkyoushouldseeordraw.

Hereisasketchofatortoiseinfourstages.A1.SinceIusuallystartwiththeshapesthatmostdistinguishasubject,Ibeganwiththeshapeofthelarge

shellonthetortoise'sback.NotethatIleftouttheinternalshapesontheshellatfirst.A2.–4.ThenIaddeditslegs,andfinallyitslongneckandhead.

B.InthisstageIdefinedtheshellshapesandtheshadowareaunderthetortoise.C.InthefinalstageIusedmyblendingtooltocreatesomelight-valueshading.Totalsketchingtimewas

threetofourminutes.

ButterflyonFlowers

Studythissketchforafewmomentsbeforeyoustarttodraw.Alsoreviewthesketchingsequencetofamiliarizeyourselfwiththestep-by-stepconstructionofthesketch.

The goal is twofold: (1) You are trying to create a sketch that lookssomethinglikemine,and(2)youaretryingtosketchitfairlyquickly.You'llseethattherereallyisn'tawholelotofdetailinthissketch.Keepitsimple.Refertothesketchingsequenceifyougetlost.Onceyoucandoonethatlookssimilar,tryitagainwithoutconsultingthesketchingsequence.

1.Quicklysketchthebutterflyleavingroomfortheflowerbelow.Thencomedownbelowthebutterfly'sbodyandsketchsomeflowersandstems.

2.Afteryou'vedrawntheflowers,attachthebutterfly'slegstotheflowers.Thenextendsomeantennaeupfromthehead.

3.Nowyou'rereadytoaddafewleaves.Addanotherstemwithaspentblossomupbehindtheleafonthelefttoadddimensiontothesketch.

4.Thelaststepistoswitchtoyourblendingtoolandlightlyshadeoverthewhiteshapesinthebutterfly'swings,andthenshademepetals,stemsandleaves.

CombiningBasicShapes

Sketchingandshadingstructureismucheasierifthesubjecthassomedistinctiveshapes.

Here are some sketches from my children's Zoo Artists class at theClevelandMetroparksZoo.Theirsketchesshowhowwellchildrencandowhentheyareshowncorrectsketchingsequence.

First I have the students stand close around me and watch the order inwhichIdrawtheshapes.Theywatchmefocusonaspecificshapeandthendrawthatshape.ThenIhavethemfollowmyprocedurestepbystep.

In this way they are able to build a rather accomplished-looking sketch,whichreallyencouragesthem.

Notetheconfidenceofthesechildren'ssketches.Notimidlineworkhere!

Inallthreeofthesekids'sketches,theywereabletofollowthesequenceandshapestructurequitewellfortheirages.WhatIlikedmostwashowstrongtheirlineworkwas.Itmakesitmucheasiertoseeyour

mistakesifyoucreatebolderlines.Atleastthenyoucanseewhatyouneedtofix.Ifyourlineworkislightandtimid,itmakesitmoredifficulttocorrecttechnique.Beboldandfearless!

BuildPelicansShapebyShape

HerearesomesketchesofpelicansdoneinFloridaonCaptivaIsland.Theseareexcellentexamplesofhowtobuildanimageshapebyshape.

Asyousketchasubject,anysubject,literallyassembletheimagebitbybit.Thusfar themainemphasishasbeenontwothings:(1) lookingfordistinctiveshapesand(2)rapidlyestablishingthoseshapeswithboldlinework.

Now take a careful look at these sketches shape by shape. Study theindividualshapesandcomparethemwiththefinishedsketchestoseehowthey

worktogether.

1.Inbothpelicansstartwiththedistinctivehead,neckandbillshapes.2.Thenaddthetorsoshape,whichlookslikeakindoflumpysweetpotato.

3.Thetailfeatherscomenext.4.Nextaddthelegsdownintothefeet.

5.Addthepierpostunderneath.6.Theshadingthentiesitalltogether.

DeannaandIhadspentallmorningsketchingandphotographingthewildlifeandlandscapeintheDingDarlingbirdsanctuaryonSanibelIsland.ThenwedrovefartherouttoCaptivaIsland.

Hereisoneofthepagesfrommysketchbookthatday.Everypyloninthemarina was capped with a pelican resting and dozing in the heat of the day.Thesepelicansaresousedtohumansinthemarinathattheyallowedmetogetquite close to them without flying away. Each sketch took only a couple ofminutes,soIwasabletosketchtwodozenbirdsinvariouspostures.

TakeMentalSnapshotsforLiveSubjects

Liveanimalssuchasthiscloudedleopardcubareexcellentsubjects,buttheyrequireyoutoworkveryfast.YoucanseethatIconstructedthesesketcheswithjustafewshapes.

Takeamentalsnapshot,thendrawfast.Thisisthekey.Youhavetolookatyoursubjectcarefully.Takeamentalsnapshotofaparticularposture.Holditinyourmind'seyeforafewmomentswhileyoulookdownatyoursketchbookandsketch.

Whilethementalimageisstillfreshinyourmind,trytoquicklysketchthebasicshapesasshownbelow.Thiscanbearealchallengeatfirst,butwithpracticeitbecomessecondnature.

Don'tAlwaysStartWiththeHeadIusuallystartwiththeheadshape,butinthisinstanceitwasthislargelegandthighshapedrapedoverthetreelimb.SinceIhadonlymoments,Ifoundmatbydelineatingthisshapetherestcameeasy.

Onlyafteryou'veestablished thepostureandcriticalelementsshouldyoueventhinkaboutthespots.Thentieitalltogetherwithshading.

Ididthisentirepageofsketches,beginningwiththelargestone,asaclassdemoinmyZooArtistsclasses.Ihadthekidswatchmedrawthelargesketchfirst.Then I showed themhow to see the simple shapes thatmakeup the cat.Finally, I showed them how to put it all together with the shading, tying theshapesandspotstogetherintoacompleteimage.

TwoShapesandaTail

ThesketchbelowisanotherfrommyZooArtistsclasses.Onthisdaythemalelion,whohasamagnificentmane,wasrestless.He'dgetupandpaceaboutroaringandsniffingtheair.Thenhewouldplophismassivebodydownlikedroppingabagofcementoffatruck—kerplunk!

Wehadjuststartedsketchingclassandthekidsweretotallybewilderedbytheideaofdrawingthislioninsuchanagitatedstate.

Itactuallyhelpedthatheneverfacedus,butratherkepthiseyesandearstrainedontheenclosuredoorwherethekeeperswouldsoonslideinhislunch.

Ipickedupmypencil,heldmysketchbookhigh,andinthirtysecondsdrewthese twoshapesanda tail.ThenIhad thechildren lookcloselyat the lion toexaminethetwomainshapesIhadidentified.

Thenalltwentyofthemdrewthesesametwoshapesquicklybeforethelionmoved.Oncetheyhaddrawntheshapes,Ihadthemaddthetailandthentakethetipoftheirlittlefingersandsmudgetheirdrawingsasshown.

Itwasmiraculous!Theygot soexcited that theyhad in factdrawna livecreaturethatitmadetherestofthedayperfect.

ItDoesn'tTakeMuch…I'malwayslookingfordesignsthatcatchmyeye.ThesehipposintheClevelandMetroparksZoofitthebillnicely.Youcanseethattosketchthesecreatures,allyouhavetodoiscombineabunchofroundedshapestogetherandthencarefullyshadethem.

HowcanIgetmoredetailinsketchesofliveanimals?

Whenworkingwithlivesubjects,youcandoaninitialsketchandthenuseitasreferenceforasecondorthirdsketch.Theideaissimple:Sketchsomethingas

fastaspossibleinordertocatchaspecificmovementormoment,thenusethatsketchasreferencetodoanothermoreslowly.

In the first sketch, try to capture some basic features, postures or details.Lookatthesubjectmorethanatyourpage.Doanumberofthesekindsofquicksnapshot sketches until you get something you like. Then focus on the firstsketchthatyoulikeanduseitasreferenceforanothersketch.

Inthissecondsketch,slowdowndramatically,spendingmoretimeonthesubtle lineworkandshading. Ifyouneed toclarifysomethingnot inyour firstsketch, you can always glance back up at your subject to observe and gainneeded information. I highly recommend this procedure and have a goodexampleofithereforyoutostudy.

AsilverbackgorillaatClevelandMetroparksZoo.

Aboveismyfirstsketchofalargesilverbackgorilla.Hehadbeenhighlyagitatedaboutsomethingwithinhisfamilytroopandwasthunderouslychargingabouthisenclosureexertingdominanceoveralltheothergorillas.

Then, inan instant,hecametorest right infrontofme,withhismassivebackinmyface.Ashesatthere,masterofhislimiteddomain,withalmosthalfof his rear end hanging off the rock, I rapidly did this little sketch trying tocapturesomeofthemassivepowerofthisgreatape.

Iactuallydidawholepageofquicksketchesfromthisvantagepoint,butthefirstonewasmyfavorite.Iusedthissketchasthereferenceformysecondsketch on the top of the next page, only looking back up at the silverbackoccasionally.

This isanextremelyhelpfulsketching technique, foryoursubjectcangetupandmoveat anymoment—whichhedid shortlyafter I finished this initialsketch. This way you can capture something very quickly, then refine it at aleisurelypace.Iusethissameprocedurewithpeople.

Inthesegorillasketches,thesketchingsequencewasasfollows:

1. Theentiretorso,backandhead.2. Thesupportarm.

3. Theotherarm.4. Thetinybitofahandattheendofthesupportarm.5. Andfinallytherockthathewasperchedon.

Thiswasmysecondsketchusingthefirstasareference.Itwasdoneusingthesame9Bgraphitepencilasthefirst.

ThenItriedoneusingmy6Bcharcoalpencil.Thispencilisblackerandsofterthanthe9Bgraphite.

NoticehowinthesecondandthirdsketchesaboveIwasabletoslowdownandtryabitmoreshadinganddetails.Thefirstsketchtookonlyaminuteortwo;thesetookthreetofiveeach.

This technique helps eliminate one of the most difficult and frustratingaspectsofworkingwithlivesubjects.Itallowsyoutouseyourfastestskillstoquicklycapturesomethingaboutyourchosensubject,andthenyoucancreateabettersketchataslowerpace.

I'llrefineasketchtwoorthreetimesonlocation.ThiswayIstillhavethesubjectbeforeme if Ineedmore information. Iback itupwithsomeslidesaswell.

Thesesmallersketchesareadditionalfirst-generationsketchesasthegorillamovedabouttheenclosure.YoucanseehowIrapidlysketchthroughstructuretodefineashape,thentieitalltogetherwithshading.

Laterthatevening,backinmystudio,IdidthiswatercolorstudyonArchesroughwatercolorpaper.

DevelopingIdeasFromSketches

In1992theClevelandMetroparksZoocommissionedmetocreatetheinauguralposterforthegrandopeningofitsrainforestfacility.

We decided upon a singular image of the orangutan.Over the next threemonthsIspentnumeroushoursatthezoostudyingthesecreatures,lookingforpostures and behaviors that wouldmake a good painting and would translatewellintoaposterformat.

This is thekindofprojectwheregoodsketchingskills reallyhelp.Belowleftareafewsketchesfrommyfirsteffortswiththeorangutans.Theyconsistofquickshapescatchingonlythebasicposturesoftheorangutanasitcrouchedonarock.

Forseveralweeks,thisisallIdid.PostershavealonglifeandIwantedjusttherightpose.Therestofthesesketchesweredonebackinmystudioworkingfromslidesandfieldsketchesdoneon-site.

OrangutansattheClevelandMetroparksZoorainforestfacility.

Afteracoupleweeksofsketching,Ibegantofocusonafewideasthathademergedinmymind.1neededtorefinetheseideas,whichrequiredthatIgetanumberofexcellent35mmshotsoftheorangutaninveryspecificpostures.

Thisisnoeasytrick.ThelightingintheoldMonkeyHouseleftmuchtobedesired.Iworkedwiththekeepersintimingmyvisitstotheorangutans'naturalfoodandrestcycles.Ididn'twanttousemyflashequipmenttotaketheshots;thatwould disturb the animals and create an image inwhich the lighting andcolorationsweredistortedbytheflash.

Eventually I was able to shoot enough images that I could work in mystudioeffectively.ItwaswhenIdidthisstudiodrawingatrightthatIknewIwasontherighttrack.ThisistheimageIeventuallysettledonforthefinishedwatercolor.Ihadahardtimemakingthefinaldecision.Virtuallyanyoftheseimageswouldhaveworkedwell,butIhadobservedthisoneorangutanstretchoutlikethisagainandagain.Hewouldgrasptheropewithhishandandfoot,extendhimselfoutatextremeangles,andthendropintoabigswingingarcacrosstheenclosure.Ilikedthevisualtensionthisposturecreated.

TodothesesketchesIworkedonheavyweightvellumtracingpaperinsteadofinmynormalsketchbook.

Thisisastandardtrick/techniquethatprofessionalillustratorsuse.Idothesketchonthefrontsidewithonlythelineworkandthenworkwiththeshadingon the back side of the vellum.The thickness of the vellum creates an actualvisualdepthtothesketch.Italsosoftenstheshadingabit,providingsomenicesubtlety.

Thesedrawingstookaboutfifteentotwentyminuteseach.So,accordingtomydefinition,theyareinfactdrawingsratherthansketches.Totheleftisaquickportraitofoneoftheorangutans,donesittinginchesawayseparatedonlybythethickglass.HeseemedcaptivatedbywhatIwasdoing,andposedbeautifully.AfterwardIturnedthesketchbookaroundandshowedhimthesketch.Hestudieditintentlyforaboutthirtyseconds,thensimplyrolledoverontohisbackwithutterindifference.Youjustcan'texpecttopleaseeverybody!

AcloudedleopardattheSmithsonianInstitution'sConservationandResearchCenterinFrontRoyal,Virginia.

Drawingvs.Sketching

Bycomparisonyoucaneasilyseehowmuchmorerefinedthedrawingoftheleopardatleftisthanasketch.WithitIwantedtobecarefultoindicatethewhiskersbydefiningtheirnegativespacewiththesurroundingdarkbackgroundvalue.Thiswaytheywouldappearwhite.

This sort of careful detail requires more time to delineate than doessketching.Noticealsohowcarefullytheeyesaredrawn,includingthehighlightintheeyereflectingoffthebrightforeground.Iliftedthisoutwithmykneadederaser,somethingIwouldnevertakethetimetodowhenIamsketching.

The shading of the midvalue gray indicating the leopard's coat was alsodonecarefully,evenallowingforacouplemorewhiskersthatIcutinwiththetipofmyblendingtool.Icarefullydefinedthebackgroundandtheleopard'scastshadowwithmanyshort,definedstrokes,bearingdownquitehardtodeepenthedarktone.ThenIshadedoverthesestripeslightly.

Allofthistakestime.IwasworkinginmystudiodrawingfromaprojectedslideIhadtaken.IhadallthetimeIneededtonoodlethisdrawing,whichtookabouttwentyminutes.Whenyouaresketchingfast,youdon'thavetimeforthiskindofdetail.

Notice the difference in the faster linework that created this tiger sketch.The shading was also done quickly and is therefore less precise. The facialcharacteristics are only hinted at, while the shadow is just a few quicklyscumbledlinesthatareshadedlightly.

This is trulyasketch. Itwasdone inonlya fewminuteswhile I stood infront of the Siberian tiger enclosure at the zoowith a crowd of about fifteenpeoplewatchingme.Thetigerwashotandrestless,onlyholdingstillfortentofifteensecondsatatime.Ihadtoworkfastunderdistractingconditions.Thisiswhengoodsketchingtechniquecomesinhandy.

ASiberiantigerattheClevelandMetroparksZoo.Totalsketchingtimewasabouttwoorthreeminutes.

TigerSequence

Studymystepsforafewminutes.Thenstartwiththefirststepandtrytore-createthistigerrapidly.Ifittakesyoumorethanthreetofiveminutes,tryagainuntilyoucanworkinthatamountoftime.

Staylooseanddon'tsketchlightly.Beardownabitsothatyoucanseeanyerrorsmoreeasily.

1. First,quicklyoutlinetheshapeofitsheadincludingtheears.Thisestablishestheplacementofthehead.Oncethisisdoneyoucanbuildtherestofthebodyfromthere.

2. Sincethetigerwasmovingitsheadmorethantherestofitsbody,1quicklysketchedintheeyes,noseandmouth.

3. Oncetheheadshapeandfaceareindicated,attachthechest,legsandpaws.4. Thenaddthelegthatextendsouttotheleft.5. Addthetail.6. Nextsketchtheotherpieceofalegandfootstickingoutfromunderneath

thetiger.7. Addstripesonthecoatofthetigerandquicklyscumbleinacastshadow

withafewlightlinesinsidetheshadowshape.

YoucanseehowimportanttheshadingisbycomparingthefinishedsketchonDrawingvs.Sketching

NoticeatthisstagethatIhaven'tbotheredwiththestripesatall.Remembermyruleofthumb:Leavethespotsandstripesuntillast!

WorkingFastinCrowds

Totherightisasketchbookpageshowingthreegood-sizedsketchesIdidofliveeaglesattheSmithsonianInstitution'sConservationandResearchCenterinFrontRoyal,Virginia.Ididthesesketchesinalargecrowdthathadgatheredtoseetheserarebirds.Thelargeeagleatthebottomwasthemostspectacular.Iquicklynotedhowhewouldrepeatthispostureeveryfifteentothirtyseconds,soIchosetosketchitinthisposition.

Sketching incrowdsdemandsgreatconcentration,becausepeople love towatchyousketch.Thiscanbecomearealdistraction.Remembertofollowtheprocedures by building your sketch piece by piece, shape by shape and thenshadingitin.

SketchingSequenceAswithmostportraitsofpeople,birdsoranimals,Istartedwiththecircularshapeofitsheadastheeaglepeeredintentlyatme.Youcaneasilymakeoutthecircularshapesurroundingitseyesandbeak.

Once theheadwasestablished Icould thenattach thewings,and then itslonglegsandfeet.Asyouknowbynow,thebolddarkmarkingsonthelegsandtailfeathersweredonelast.Noticehowsomelightshadingprovidesjustenoughcontrasttoestablishalightsourceandshadows.PaintingFromMySketchThiswassuchagreatbirdthatthenextdayIdidthiswatercolorstudyofit,workingfromthesketchIhaddonethenightbeforetocreatethis18″×24″(46cm×6lcm)watercolor.

If you can get used to using your blending tool in just the right way toestablishyourmidvaluerangeofgraysinasketch,itthenallowsyoutodeveloppaintingsmucheasier,eitherrightthereonlocationorbackinyourstudio.

In this typeofsituationwherephotographyis impossibleyou'llonlyhaveyour sketching ability andyourmemory.This iswhat Imeanwhen I say thatbeing able to sketch effectively broadens your creative options and makes itpossibleforyoutotakeadvantageofuniqueopportunitiesthatarise.

DevelopingaComplicatedIdeainMinutes

DeannaandIhavevisitedGoa,India,atropicalparadiseonthesouthwesterncoastofIndia,anumberoftimes.Iamalwaysimpressedbythesheernumberofgray-headedcrowsthatseemtobeeverywhere.They'llsitoutsideinthepalms'fronds,asshowninthesketchbelow,andmakearealracketwiththeirraucouscallstoeachother.

Thispaintingideahasbeeninthebackofmymindforsometime.UntilIsketchanidea,Idon'tknowif itwillmakeagoodpainting.Totest thedesignelementsofanideatoseeifitholdstogether,tryprojectingreferenceslidesonasmallrear-projectionenlargerinfrontofyouandrapidlysketchingoutideas.Reviewthefollowingsketchingsequenceandgivethesketchbelowatry(ittookmeaboutsixminutes).

1. Sketchalightoutlineshapetodelineatetheouterreachofthefrondtips.Thenrapidlysketchthelowerbirdfirst,followedbytheonethatisrightbehind.

2. Carefullypositionthethirdbirdatthetop.3. Afterestablishingthepositionsandposturesofthethreebirds,sketcheach

palmfrondouttothelightoutlineyoustartedwith.Thisactuallyshouldgoquitefast.Startdowninthelowerleftandprogressupward,carefullyweavingthefrondsaroundthebirdsandestablishingthecentralstalkofthepalmbranchforthemtostandon.

4. Takeyourblendingtoolandquicklyshadethemidvaluegraytonedowneachfrondandacrossthegrayheadsandbacksofthebirds.

TwoDifferentMediums

Hornbillsaregreatbirdstosketch.Theirlargedistinctiveshapesandmarkingsmakeiteasy.ThegraphitesketchesofIndia'sgianthornbillbelowweredoneintheNewDelhiZoo.Atrightisoneofmyquickwatercolorstudiesdonefrom

thissketchinmystudio.Youcanseehowsimilarthisgraphitetechniqueistothewatercolorstudy.ThisiswhyIlovethistechnique;itallowsmetothinkinwatercolorwhilesketchingingraphite.

Thesketchtotherightwasmyfirstsketch,doneveryfastwithonlytheessentialsofthepostureanddesign.Itwasusedasareferencefortheoneabove.Sketchthedistinctivefeaturesfirst,andfast!

1. Thesebirdsexhibitverydramaticpostures,soalwaystrytoestablishtheirheadandbeakshapefirst.Thenbuildingthebodyandtailiseasier.

2. Addthetorsoshapenext.3. Followwiththepuffylegsandfeet.4. Thisallowsyoutocorrecdyplaceitsdistinctivetail.5. Thelimbishardlyanything.6. Thencarefullyblendandshadethesketch,addingthedarkmarkingsonthe

tailaswellasitsblackfacialmask.Thesearedonelastbecausetheycanbeaddedevenifthebirdmoves.

ThinkFastandImprovise

Iamfascinatedbybigbirds.Someoftheworld'sstorksandcranescangrowtonearlysixfeetwithgiganticwingspans.AfewyearsagoIwasworkingonaposterprojectfortheInternationalCraneFoundation,inBaraboo,Wisconsin.Aftertwotothreedays'sketchingandstudyattheirfacility,IhadeverythingIneeded,exceptforgoodstudysketchesofthecrownedcranes.Iwasabouttogiveupanddepart.

AsIwaswalkingtomycar,Isawtwocrownedcranesrightnearthefence,soIapproachedthemslowly. Ididn'thaveanyofmysketchingmaterialswithme,butIdidhaveablackfelt-tippeninmypocket.SoItookitoutanddidthequick linear sketch (shown at right) on a piece of note-paper from my lapelpocket.

Iwasveryhappywiththesketch,andwhenIgothomeItookawatercolorbrushwith a littlewater and simply brushed over the sketch.This produces anice watercolor-like effect that worked great. When you're in a pinch, usewhateverworks.

HereisanothersketchofthesamespeciesofcranefromtheNewDelhiZoo,usingmybasicgraphitepenciltechnique.1.Asusual,Ididtheheadandcrownfirst.

2.Then,Iaddedtheneckdowntothetorso.

3.Nextcametheentiretorsoshape,andIdelineatedthedramaticdarkandlightmarkings.

4.Thelegswereaddedlast,andthenthesketchwasshadedcarefullytoindicatestrongoverheadlightcastingshadowsoverthecrane'sfaceandtheneck.

Hereisasketchofadifferentbutequallybeautifulbird,aharpyeagleattheColumbusZooinColumbus,Ohio.1.Istartedbycarefullydrawingitsbeakandeyes.

2.Oncethefacewasestablished,Iproceededtobuildtheplumedheadframingitsface.

3.Therestofthebodywasaddedquicklyandwithoutmuchdetailatall.

SomeSubjectsSketchThemselves

Elephantsareoneofmyfavoritesubjectstosketchbecausetheyreallyonlyconsistofafewlargeshapesthatarefairlyeasytodefine.Isuggestyoubeginwiththebackendoftheelephant.Allyouhavetodoisgettheinitiallargeshape—includingthebackside,spineatthetopandlegsandfeetatthebottom—andyou'realmostfinished.Afteryou'vesketchedthisshape,simplyaddearsstickingoutinfrontalongwithsomefrontlegs,trunkortusksand,ofcourse,atail.Thenquicklyaddsomeshadingforvolumeandyou'vegotyourselfanelephant.

IdidtheseelephantsketchesattheClevelandMetroparksZoo.YoucanseehowIsimplydrawshapesinordertoestablishthemquickly.Inthesmallsketchatright,whatshapedidIdrawfirst?Ifyouguessedtheheadandtrunk,you'recorrect.NextIaddedthetusksandears,andthenIproceededtoaddthelargetorso

shapeandlegs.Shadingthegraphitecreatesaunifyingeffectthatmakesthesketchreadasawhole.

Elephants,bothwildanddomestic,havebeenanintegralpartofthedailyfabricoflife,cultureandreligioninIndiaforoverfivethousandyears.Soitneversurprisesmewhenwehappenupontheminunusual

places.Ilovetosketchandpainttheminthelateafternoonwhenthemahouts—theelephantkeepers—takethem

totherivertocooloff.It'ssuchanexoticimage.NoticeinthissketchhowIsimplyoutlinedtheuniqueposturalshapesoftheelephants,andthenoutlinedthemassiveshadowshapesaswell.It'stheshadingthattiesittogether.IaddedtherideronlyafterIhad

drawntheelephant.

UnusualAnimalsMakeGreatSubjects

Boththisone-hornedrhinoandthelargecrocodilebelowmakeexcellentsubjectsforsketching.Thesewerebothdonefollowingmybasicproceduresofassemblinganimageoutofparts.Withtherhinoit'seasytoseetheseparts,becausetherhinoisactuallystructuredlikearmorplating.Insketchingthiscrocodile,Istartedwiththeoutercontourlineoftheupperjawandcontinuedonaroundbuildingitsheadandmouth.Thefoldsthatmakeupitsbodywereeasyandfast.Iaddedtheteethlast,and

shadedinandaroundthemwiththetipoftheblendingtool.

Trythissketchofabullseal.Lookcarefullyattheinitiallineworkbelow.Thisisthepartofthesketchthathastobedrawnasfastaspossible.It'sjusttheoutlinecontouroftheshapewithsomesimpledetail.

Inlivesituations,youhavetoworkfast,beforetheanimalmoves.Thesealonlyheldthisposeforfifteentotwentysecondsbeforelungingbackintothepool,soIhadtoquicklycaptureitsessentialshape.

HowcanIcapturethequickmovementsofveryactivesubjects?

Noticehowtrulysimpletheseoutlineshapesare.Theyarejustaquickoutlinewithacouplelinesindicatinglegsandfeet.Itistheshadingthatgivesthemweightandvolume.

Hereisadifficultsubject.IwasintheNewDelhiZoosittingonabenchunderatree,andaflockofaboutthirtycattleegretsswoopeddownacrossfrommeandstartedracingabouteatingbugsthatwerecrawlingaroundunderthetree.

Capturingtheessenceoffast-movinglivesubjects like these takescarefulobservationofposturalshapescoupledwithfastsketching.1.First,watchtheheadandbeakofabirdforamoment,tryingtospotauniqueposture.2.Thentakeamentalsnapshotofthatpostureandquicklydrawtheoutlineonly.3.Ifyoulikethebodyposturewithitsneck,head,beakandtorso,addthelegsandfeetwithverysimplelinework.

Then, try another and another, simply adding them across and down thepage.Eachindividualbirdheretooklessthanthirtyseconds.4.Afteryouhavedoneadozenorso,switchtoyourblendingtoolandlightlyshadethegraytoneintotheirbodiesandnecks,andthecastshadowsontheground.Thisprovidesvolumetothestructureofthebirds,aswellasestablishesalightsourcequickly.

CattleegretsattheNewDelhiZoo.

IndiankitesatmeNewDelhiZoo.

DuringthemonthsofFebruaryandMarch,NewDelhihoststhousandsuponthousandsofhawks,kitesandegretsontheirannualmigrations.

Therewere literally thousandsof thesebirds in the zooon this particularday, so Iwasable to study their flightposturesandshapesagainandagainastheyliftedoff,landedandliftedoffagain.

Rather than sketching several birds lifting off at once, these are actuallysecond-generation sketches using faster first sketches for reference, andincluding a number of different birds over a twenty-minute period ofobservation.

UseaCamcorderinSketchingActiveSubjects

InthelastfewyearsI'vedevelopedasketchingtechniqueusingmySonyCamcorderwithitsside-viewscreen.ThishasbecomeoneofmyfavoritefieldtechniquesbecausewiththecamcorderIcantakeawideassortmentofimagesandfootage,evenunderextremelydifficultconditionsandlightingsituations.ThenIcanrewindthefootageandfreezespecificframeslongenoughtodoaquicksketch.

This is an incredible imaging tool for situations where your subject ismovingaroundsomuchthatit'svirtuallyimpossibletogetanythingworthwhilequickly.Thistechniqueworksforvirtuallyanysubjectthatmovesveryfast.

Oneofthegreatthingsaboutthistechniqueisthatthesmallscreenforcesyoutodealwithonlythemostimportantfeaturesofyoursubject.Youcan'tseealotofdetail,soyoutendtosketchfasterandlooser,whichisideal.

The freeze-frame features of these hi-tech camcorders are not reallydesigned for this kind of use in that they don't usually have a frame-advancefeature likemanyVCRs have.Butwhen you're out on location and you onlyhaveavery limitedamountof time toworkwitha subject, this technique justmighthelpyousucceed.

RecentlyIwasvisitingtheSmithsonianInstitution'sConservationandResearchCenterforsomemeetingsinpreparationforitsFallConservationFestivalandArtExhibition.WhilethereIwasaskedtodosomesketchesofthemanedwolves.Thewolvesarenocturnal,soarrangementsweremadeformetocomein

earlythenextmorningwhenthekeepersfedthewolves.ThenextdayIwassketchingfivefeetawayfromarareSouthAmericanwolf(shownaboveandatright).Ithardlystoodstillformorethanafractionofasecond.AtfirstallIwasabletosketchwerefast,rough

posturalscribbles.AsIstudieditsmovementsIwascaptivatedbyitslonglopingstride,accentuatedbythisspecies'extremelystrongshouldersandlong,thinlegs.

Itookthecamcorderandlaiddownaboutfivetotenminutesoffootage,makingsurethat1gotsomevideoofitlopingalonginstride.Minutesafterthekeeperleft,thewolflaydown,butbecauseIhadmy

camcorder,Iwasabletositinmycarandsketchfromtheside-viewplaybackscreen.Withinforty-fiveminutesIhaddoneallofthesesketchesandmanyothers.Ihadcreatedvaluable

referenceforfuturework,andthecenterhaditssketchesforimmediateuse.

SometimesYouOnlyHaveTimeforSingularShapes

Therearetimeswhencertainsubjectsdefyyourbestefforts.Live,activemonkeysarerightatthetopofthelist.TheseCelebesmonkeysattheClevelandMetroparksZoowereinaveryexcitedstate,havingjustawakenedandbeenfed.Theywouldcometoamotionlesspositiononlymomentarilybeforejettingoffacrosstheirenclosurechasingoneanother.

Working this fast trying to capture some essence of theirmovements andpostures requires intense concentration. But you can see frommy sketchbookpagebelowthatIcouldnotgetmuchdetail,onlyposturalstudies.

Withsubjectsthataremovingaroundthisfast,you'llfindthatitreallydoeshelpifyoubeginsketchingtheheadpositionfirst.Byplacingtheheadpositionfirstyoucanthenaddtherestofthebodyeasierandfaster.There'snotimeforfingersandfeet,earsoreyes—justthesimplestshapes,almostassilhouettes.

The other thing to dowith fast-moving subjects is to look for an overallshaperatherthantoomanyinteriorshapes.Tosketchtheseshapesathighspeedyouhavetoworksmall.Bigsketches taketoomuchtime.Judginghowbigorlittletomakeyoursketchestakessomeexperience.Myruleofthumbforactivesubjectsisthemorethesubjectmoves,thesmallerthesketch.

Thesemonkeysaredarkallover,withonlyafewwhitemarkings.Theirmostdistinguishingfeatureisthetinywispofhairstickinguptoapointonthecrownsoftheirheads.

Forthesesketches,Iuseda6Bcharcoalpencilthatissofteranddarkerthanmy9Bgraphitepencil.Iwouldlookcloselyatthemonkeysastheystruckapose.InaninstantortwoI'dquicklycapturethatshape,hardlylookingatthesketchbookpage.ThenI'dscumbleinsomequickfilllinesandblenditwiththetipof

mylittlefinger.

LangurMonkeys

HerearesomeofmyfavoritesketchesoflangurmonkeysfromourlastexplorationofRajasthan.Thisisactuallyasecond-generationsketch,similartomysecond-generationsketchofthegorilla.Ididthisoneafterdoinganearlyfaster,roughersketchofthislangurleapingofftheparapetoftheAmberFort.

Trythissketchfollowingthissequence.1.Startwiththedistinctface.

2.Thensketchthemonkey'srightarmfromtheshouldertothefingers.3.Completethewholetorsonext.4.Bringouttheotherarmandhand.

5.Nowyou'rereadytoaddtherightlegfromthehipdowntotheknee.6.Thendothelegfromthekneetothefoot.

7.Sketchtherightfoot,standingonitstiptoesasittakesoffthroughspace.8.–9.Quicklyaddthebacklegandfoot.

10.Carefullysketchthedramatictailshape,addingaslightlydarkerlineunderitsbehind,indicatinglightsource.

11.Roughinastoneledge.12.Carefullyshade,preservingthewhiteareas.

Thesketchbelowisalsoasecond-generationsketchdonefrominitial,muchfasterposturalstudies.Istartedbydelineatingtheirfacesandheads.ThelastthingsIsketchedweretheirdistinctivetails.Againyoucanseehowimportanttheblendingtoolisinsketcheslikethese.Itprovidesjusttherightgrayvaluesoftlyand

subtly.

HowcanIrememberfinepointsandkeepideasalive?

Whenyouareworkinginthefieldwithlivesubjects,alotofideascanbegeneratedquickly.It'sagoodhabittouseyoursketchbookeffectivelytokeeptrackofallkindsofsubtledetailsthatyoumighteasilyforgetotherwise.Quicklysketchanideaandmakevariousnotesregardinglighting,colorsanddetailsyouwanttorememberbackhome.

AtrightisaworkingpaintingideaIdevelopedasIworkedwiththecranesattheInternationalCraneFoundation.

Asketchofred-cappedcranes,withnotesincluded.

ThesearesketchesofsecretarybirdsattheClevelandMetroparksZoo.Thelargesecretarybirdatleftstruttedoverinfrontofmeandproceededtorootaroundinthedeepgrasslookingforsometidymorselstobestirredup.Itwasasummerafternoonandagood,stiff,hotwindwasblowing,soeverynowandthenthe

birdwouldstopitshuntingforgrasshoppersandstandmotionlessfacingintothewind.Thisgavemeagoodopportunitytojotdownthesequicksketches.YoucanseethedistinctshapesandpiecesIusedtoassembleeachsketch,startingwiththewhiteheadandneckshape,followedbythetorso

shape.ThenIsketchedthedarkwingshapeandfinallythelonglegsdownintothegrass.AlsonoticeinthesketchtothelefthowIpresseddownabitharderwiththeblendingtoolasIshadedthe

taperedtailfeathers,creatingthenaturalgradationcommontothisbird'sfeathers.

SketchingtoRememberLater

AtrightisaquicksketchIdidafewyearsagoafterobservingalargetigertryingtobeattheone-hundred-degreeheatintheshadeofadensebamboothicketinIndia'sfamousKanhaNationalPark.Ihadthegoodfortuneofseeingthreetigersintwodays,andthedeepblue-grayshadows,speckledwithgoldengreenishlightbreakingthroughthebamboocanopy,inspiredmealmostmorethanseeingthismagnificenttiger.

WhenIreturnedtomycampIquicklyscribbledoffthissketchsothatI'drememberthepaintingideaI'dcomeupwithoutinthejungleforest.ThisishowIgetmybestideas.Iseesomethingthatcatchesmyeyeandthenworkwiththeidea, mentally evaluating how I will re-create that specific effect, lighting orcompositioninwatercolor.TofurtherthisprocessI'llwhipoffafewreallyroughsketchesthathelpcrystallizemyinspiration.OnceIdoeventhecrudestsketch

ofanidea,Icanthencomebacktoitlaterandtheinitialsketchkick-startsmymemoriesaboutthesubject.

ThesketchaboveatrightwasoneIdidwhenIgotbackhome,takingtheideaabitfurther.InthissketchIhadtheideaofhavingthetigerlyingindeepgrassintheshade.

Thisiswheretheideastayedformorethantwoyears,untilIwasbeginningthefinalpreparationforthisbook.Iwaslookingthroughmysketchesandgotexcitedaboutthisideaonceagain.Ispentthenextweek

doingthewatercoloratright.Thisishowsketchingworks.Itpreservesyourinitialon-siteexperiencesandperceptionsinavisual

formatthatcanassistyouevenyearslater.

BambooShadowstransparentwatercolor

18″×24″(46cm×6lcm)

KeepHabitatinMind

SnowleopardsliveinsomeofthemostinhospitablepartsofAsia.IhavetraveledvasttracksoftheHimalayasmanytimesovertheyearsbuthaveneverseenasnowleopardinthewild.Theyarejusttooelusive.Solikeeveryotherartistwhopaintssnowleopards,I'vestudiedtheminzoos.

The Himalayas are a vast primitive landscape that stretches before you,peak after peak, as far as the eye can see. It's an incredible landscape thatinspires me like no other. So over the years I have developed and painted anumber of watercolors of snow leopards that do include authentic landscapesandvistas.Manyartistswhopaintsnowleopardsactuallyfocusinverytightsothatallyouseeisabigbeautifulcat,lyingaboutinrocks.Thisisbecausefewhaveeverseenoneinthewild.

Forme,however,thelandscapeisasimportantasthecat,foritsremarkablehabitatdefinesthismagnificentcreature.Thesesketchesareallfrommyvariousexpeditions and efforts to create a definitiveworkdepicting this big, beautifulcat.

ThestudyatthetopleftshowsanactualridgeinKashmirnearMahagunasPass.Thepassisatanaltitudeof14,500feetandliesalonganancientpilgrimageroutethroughtheinnerrangeoftheKashmirHimalayas.Ourhorsemantoldushowtheshepherdsseldomtaketheirflocksintothisfarridgeofmountainsbecause

thisiswheretheshorslive—thebigcats!IkeepgettingnewideasforpaintingsofsnowleopardsgoingabouttheirsolitarylivesinthesehighpeaksandeventuallyIpaintthem.UntilIdo,though,it'smysketchesthatkeeptheseideasaliveandfreshinmy

mind.Sometimesit'syearsbeforeIfullydeveloptheideas.

TakeSketchesaStepFurtherWithWatercolor

Upgradeyoursketchingskillssothattheyserveyoucreatively.Theideaistosketchinamannerthatallowsyoutothinkthroughpaintingorsculptingideasquicklyandeffectively,bothinyourstudioandinthefield.

As soon as you feel confident in your sketching skills, try this advancedtechnique:Finishyoursketch—developingyourideas,designsandcompositions—then, instead of shading the lineworkwith your blending tool, paint itwithwatercolorsoracrylics.

Theimageatthetopofthispagewasdoneinmyhotelroomafteraday'sintensive sketching in India's Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, anastoundingwaterbirdsanctuary.Workingwithmyfieldsketchesfromthatday,Iquicklyroughedoutapaintingideabasedonmyexperienceswithlargefeedinggroupsofpaintedstorks.

I had run out of heavier watercolor paper, so I used a sheet of verylightweightstockthatwrinkledbadlywiththewater.ButIwantedtotryoutthisideawhileeverythingwasstillfreshinmymind.Eventhoughthepaperwarped,Istilllovethisstudy,foritdidindeedcapturetheessenceofmyexperience.

ArtisticFreedom

Yourabilitytocreatememorablepaintingsbeginswithyourabilitytodevelopcreativeideasonlocation,inadirectvisualrelationshipwithyourenvironmentandsubject.Ineedthiscreativeconnectionthroughmysketchesinordertodomybestwork.

OnceI'vesketchedandstudiedinthefield,Icanthenimplementmyideasinto finished paintings. For me, sketching has been an incredibly liberatingexperience.Although Iusephotographyextensivelyas abackup tool, it isnotmyprimaryimagingsourceformycreativeenergies.

Myabilitytosketchandpaintinthefieldhasliberatedmefromaslavishdependencyupon thephotographic image. Ihope thatyoualsocanexperiencethissameartisticfreedominyourlife.

Right:Meditation,watercolor,24″×18″(6lcm×46cm)Below.JungleShadows,watercolor,20″×30″(51cm×76cm)

LastyearIwascommissionedbytheSmithsonianInstitution'sConservationandResearchCentertocreateapaintingofitsresidentcloudedleopardsforaninauguralfineartposter.Afterthreetofourdaysof

sketchingsessionsnexttotheiroutsideenclosures,IhadenoughmaterialtocreatenotjustonebutmanypaintingsofthesemagnificentandelusivebigcatsoftheAsianmountainforests.ThepaintingtotheleftwastheoneIcreatedfortheCRC.Ididmorethansixtysketchesonlocation,andbackinmystudioIdid

anothertwentysketches,severalcompositionstudiesandsixfull-colorwatercolorstudies.Althoughtheoriginalartwork,tothelowerleft,wascompletedoverayearago,myinitialintensityforanidea,onceestablished,cangoonforyears.Ibecomevisuallyfascinatedwithasubject,andstriveagainandagaintocreatesomethingnewandfresh.Myoriginalsketchesfuelmyartisteyeandimaginationwithnew

ideasandcompositions.Andbeforeyouknowit,you'vegotawholenewslantonapainting.Thepaintingaboveismymostrecentefforttodojusticetothisremarkablespeciesofcat.

IwantedtoendthisbookwithwhatIconsidertobesomeofmyverybestexamplesofthetechniquesthatI'vepresented.Remember,practicemakesperfect.Themoreyousketch,thebetteryourskillswillbecome.