A look at why I’m inspired to sketch the people I sketch, and how I approach choosing the starting point, and focal point of each sketch. What happens when I’m not inspired, and what happens when I leave objects out.

Day 91 of urban sketching people at the cafe. Sketched onto a watercolour paper background of coffee stains. I also prepped some page for my next cafe sketching trip, experimenting with different ways to apply the coffee and vary the patterns created.

In this article I look at a collection of people sketches by Tiago Crus and analyse how he uses a hierarchy of line, colour, and contrast. How he establishes a focal point, and how he creates a strong visual pathway to lead the viewer’s eye.

Day 79 and 80 of sketching people. Urban Sketching people during my train journeys around the UK. I sketched at Kings Cross, Doncaster, and Hull, on the train, and at the cafe. Experimented with some limited palette compositions.

Day 74 of sketching people and also the first day of One Week 100 People. Got more continuous line practice in by sketching a crowd scene at a cash point machine from a photo. And a page of random portraits for skin tone practice.

Day 66 of sketching people. Ink Sketches and tonal shading, with vivid spot colour added during the Pencils4tea speed sketching event on zoom, where every pose is the length of a music track.

Kick in the Creatives is hosting a month-long challenge called February Faces, so I decided to do month of blind contour self portraits in ink, and then finish them off with watercolour. I’m using their daily prompt list to drive the poses I’m sketching.

Day 61 of sketching people. Urban Sketching at a cafe, I used a comparison between objects to build a composition and plan the story I want my sketches to tell. Then Urban Sketching at a Pétanque game, where I had to rely on capturing a scene that developed organically into a pleasing composition. On this sketch I also used a collage element to fill some negative space.

Day 60 of sketching people. An erratic collection of people sketching today, including speed portraits from the Drawing is Free zoom event online, with collage and using my photo booth format. A timed portrait from a YouTube video. And a sketch from a photo of a fellow sketcher, using a distorted perspective to make the sketch more dynamic.

Day 58 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. A visit to the Tavira Municipal Museum with the Urban Sketchers Algarve chapter of the Urban Sketchers Org. A warm-up sketch of Tavira rooftops and washing line, and while other sketchers were sketching the Tile Exhibition, I focused on sketching my fellow sketchers.

Day 57 of sketching people. Pencil Sketches during the Pencils4tea speed sketching event on zoom, where every pose is the length of a music track.

Day 57 of sketching people. A visit to a local bar in Cabanas to sketch in the sunshine to sketch groups of people, to practice compositions with a group of people. And also try out a new sketchbook format in the shape of a photo booth strip of images.

Day 56 of sketching people, and today I attended the second half of the speed sketching portrait zoom event called Musink. Each pose is the length of a music track. I sketched in pencil for the big shapes and then sketched in ink.

Day 55 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. Speed Sketching Portraits for the Drawing with Dylan live Zoom event. 6 minute poses with tonal shading and primary colour Tombow brush pens. Experimented using my Noodlers Flex Nib Pen and Carbon Ink, which didn’t dry quick enough for my liking.

Day 52 of 365 Days of Sketching People. A couple of urban sketches of people in Tavira, and the sketches I did while attending two tutorials about sketching people with distorted proportions and perspectives.

Day 50 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. Speed Sketching Portraits for the Drawing with Dylan live Zoom event. 6 minute poses with tonal shading and primary colour Tombow brush pens.

Day 49 of sketching people. Drawing is Free 8am speed sketching event on zoom. Sketched a series of portraits, where every pose is the length of a music track. Experimenting with colour pencil and biro sketches, as well as fineliner and watercolour. Simple lines, gesture sketches, and loose watercolour.

Day 46 of sketching people. A visit to the Tavira Plaza to sketch groups of people in the cafe, to practice gestural sketching in pencil, before adding ink and watercolour. I also sketched portraits at the weekly Pencils4tea speed sketching event on zoom. Experimenting with ink lines with bleed.

Revisiting a Marc Tarot Holmes Craftsy tutorial about Sketching People in Motion. Breaking down his approach to gesture sketching in pencil to capture the expressive nature of the line of action. Making me evaluate my decision to always sketch directly in Ink, and hoping gesture sketching will help me fit more feet on my page when I’m urban sketching people from life.

Day 44 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. Speed Sketching Portraits for the Drawing with Dylan live Zoom event. 30 second to 6 minute poses. And a series of blind contour self-portraits.

Day 43 of sketching people. 13 tonal portraits with spot colour sketched during the speed sketching event on Zoom – Drawing is Free, where every pose is the length of a music track.

Day 40b A collection of portraits sketched at the weekly Pencils4tea speed sketching live zoom event, using colourful backgrounds with tonal sketched portraits.

Day 40a of sketching people. A collection of sketches of instructors who are hosting workshops at the next Urban Sketcher’s Symposium in Toulouse. Sketched from their promo videos

Day 39 of Sketching people in ink and watercolour. Social Commentary urban sketch with a short poem about doom scrolling, and today’s Earthsworld portrait challenge from Facebook.