ROVING JAY

The January edition of the East Algarve magazine is available to read online.

Today’s Earthworld portrait challenge resplendent with bath teeth.

Sharing my admiration for loose style portrait artists Felix Scheinberger, Ulrike Selders, and Roz Stendahl, noting their vibrant use of color. Currently practicing Stendahl’s techniques, I share reflections on two portraits created in her style.

Being commissioned to create a birthday sketch inspired me to explore the art of caricature.

Taking time to sketch visual reminders of our 4 weeks in Turkey. I sketched using a paired down urban sketching kit. And sketched people on ferries, in cafes, on beaches, and some business offices. A real variety of locations and people sketches.

My very paired-down urban sketching art kit for our 4 week trip to Turkey. Traveling Light with just split primaries, one brush, one pen, and a watercolour book.

Have you thought about using Needle Tips pens for urban sketching? Read about the pros and cons here.

I’ve always thought Life Drawing was so different from urban sketching. But recently I’ve realised there is an overlap.

Sketching on different papers is an interesting way to experiment with different tools and techniques with great results.

See what inspired me to draw during a day out at Loulé Market with the Urban Sketcher’s Algarve group.

A couple of tips that I use to make art tutorials more engaging and relevant to me.

Sometimes you don’t go looking for your watercolour style choices, they’re just happy accidents.

Discover how I’m approach June’s Tonal challenge with my current urban sketching watercolour kit.

Find out what I learned from Andrey Shmatnik’s Urban Sketching Tutorial on Etchr, and how he sketches different versions of people in the foreground, mid-ground, and background. Including how he stylises his carrot people for more character.

Find out how I overcame by creative block by using Blind Contour sketches to get inspired and motivated to sketch again.

A review of the Hahnemühle Watercolour Book, which is ideal for urban sketching.

The first 32 people sketches for this year’s One Week 100 People.

Read about art classes, events, and other Algarve resources.

Need motivation to sketch people? Join the 2023 One Week 100 People sketching challenge in March.

The Direção Regional de Cultura do Algarve printed a set of our urban sketched postcards of Tavira market, as part of the Mediterranean Diet festival this year. One of my sketches was included.

Here’s how I experimented to reduce the greens in my travel palette from 3 to 1.

Get inspired by the World of Urban Sketching – a new book by Stephanie Bower. Full of sketcher’s insights and great drawings.

How adjusting your sketch speed or where you hold your pen helps you find your sketching style. My assessment of the Find Your Line tutorial by Jen Dixon, and what I discovered by adjusting my pen grip and speed to help me determine what lines feel right, and which ones feel forced or contrived. And How to develop a line style that feels natural.

If you can’t get out and sketch, Sketching People from Travel Photos is a great alternative. Especially when you review your sketches to learn from them. Here’s a selection of sketches from our Cambodian Trip.