Urban Sketch at Lisbon Airport about to board the Toulouse Flight
Day One Hundred and Forty-Six of Sketching People
Continuing on with day 146 of my #Kick365 sketching challenge to draw people in ink and watercolour during my travel day from Faro to Toulouse.
Travel Sketching on my way to the Urban Sketcher’s Symposium in Toulouse
Last Tuesday (July 14th) I took a couple of flights to reach Toulouse and attend my first Urban Sketcher’s Symposium. There was a direct flight from Faro, but it didn’t get into Toulouse until really late, so I opted for a connecting flight via Lisbon. I don’t mind travel these days, it just gives me more opportunities to observe and sketch people.
Uber Ride to the Airport Sketch and Poem
There’s nothing worse than a sketchbook full of blank pages, so I couldn’t wait to start sketching and break my new sketchbook in. Even though it was early in the morning I decided to jump right into sketching as soon as I’d jumped into my Uber to the airport.
The great thing about sketching in the car is that you know you’re not going to be able to create a “perfect” sketch, and you’ll end up with a lot of wobbly lines. But this is a great way to get over the fear of all those blank pages. Once you’ve “messed” your first page up, it’s plain sailing herein after – the only way is up!
He's an Uber driver in the dawn, who's up and out before his yawn.
I'm safe and quiet in my seat, It's Faro Airport soon I greet.
Faro Airport Urban Sketches
I’d forgotten – or hadn’t really considered it – that my first flight was a domestic flight, so I really didn’t need to be at the airport 3 hours beforehand. But at least it meant I had a lot of time to sketch. There’s no chance to get bored when you have a sketchbook and pen, and time on your hands.
In shorts of lime, a hue so bright,
She naps on her bag, not a comfortable sight.
While the clocks tick away, she's blissfully free,
A snapshot of calm, in this bustling spree.
Double Page Spread of Waiting Passengers
I really liked the leaning posture of this first figure at the cafe area of departures. So drew it quite large and elongated so that it spread across my A6 page and on the facing page. Then I started drawing other figures from the departure lounge using an overlapping technique. For the first three figures their feet overlapped and I liked that connection. Of course they were sitting in different areas of the departure lounge, but I connected them in my sketch.
I added a fourth person into the sketch, which was a bit of an anomaly because she was standing and not sitting. I wish I’d left some space between her and the other figures to accentuate that feeling of being out on her own. As it was, I got a bit confused with the overlapping areas between her and the figure next to her, and it ended up looking clumsy. Space and distance would have worked well for this final figure on the page.
Passengers in Stripes at Faro Airport
There’s a French urban sketcher who sketches people and chooses who he sketches based on a single colour or a fashion accessory, so I took inspiration from that and sketched people in strips at Faro Airport. I was headed to France, and I always think of stripy tops when I think of France.
Urban Sketching on the Plane
I kept with my limited colour scheme of pink, green, and tonal shading for today’s sketches, but for my final sketch on the plane, I added a little bit of sky blue through the window.
Urban Sketching at Lisbon Airport
It wasn’t a long layover in Lisbon. Just enough time to have a leisurely lunch, before heading to the departure gate. For this sketch I abandoned my limited colour palette and went for something more colourful and representative a reality.
The guy had a French football shirt on, so I made him the focal point. I really like the connection of the negative space on his white shirt, with the negative space on the Toulouse sign. Together, these two elements punctuate a sense of place in the sketch, and the importance of these elements has been accentuated by the use of a dark background.
