Painting loose isn’t just about wobbly lines. Inspired by a video by Whee Teck on how to paint more loosely, I absorbed his advice about disrespecting the lines to create a looser feel to sketches.

I revisit a loose watercolour sardine sketch I painted before I arrive din Portugal in 2022, and have another attempt at an empty can, this time with loose lines and loose watercolour and plenty of splatter.

Sketch of a building and street scene in Santa Luzia next to Tavira. Used loose Ink lines and watercolour application to create a dynamic sketch. And evaluated what aspects of the sketch worked, and what improvements I could make to future building sketches.

Urban Sketch of a local washing line I walked back from Conceição to Cabanas on my way back from an…

This is my first Reportage Urban Sketcher Profile, and features Norwegian illustrator Per Ragnar Møkleby. I cover Per’s method for using text to convey mood, embracing wonky lines, not being a slave to reality, daring to urban sketch, sketching complex scenes with simplified figures, and how self-portraits can save the day.

Day 36 of sketching people. This sketch is from a photo I took of the water taxi ride from Cabanas Beach to the mainland. I used a continuous line style, and evaluated how I could add more depth to this sketch with colour and line variation.

Day 27 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. A chunky man for the Drawing Earthsworld Challenge portrait. A people sketch compilation for a postcard Swap. And three sketches of people from travel photos I’ve taken in Turkey and Portugal to show a difference between illustrative and looser sketching styles.

Want to loosen up your sketching lines? Here’s some simple tips to help beginning sketchers build this skillset.

The 100 Day Project is starting on February 18th 2024. I’m taking part. Are you?