Urban Sketch of a train passenger Brugge to Ghent

Day One Hundred Two of Sketching People

Day 102 of my #Kick365 sketching challenge to draw people in ink and watercolour. A day trip from Ghent to Brugge on Monday 20th April.

Urban Sketch with lots of Negative Space and a Strong Diagonal

If I had to choose one sketch as my favourite out of all my travel sketches from his trip to France and Belgium, this would be it.

I really like how much negative space there is on the page. Recently I’ve been adding backgrounds or boxes of colour behind my figures to add an additional layer of interest in the sketch because I’ve felt that my sketches have needed that injection of colour behind them to make them feel complete. But this sketch can stand on its own. I think because of the bold and saturated colours I’ve used and the shape of the figure.

I really like the right-angled triangular shape created by the upright seat at the passenger’s body position. It’s a really strong shape. I just wish I’d planned the sketch a little better to fit his feet in (I need to read my post again about how to Not cut feet off my figures).

The Use of Diagonals in your Sketches

Diagonal shapes add a really interesting dynamic to a sketch page, and I’m going to have to consider the options for incorporating triangles into my people sketches.

Lot’s of page layout and composition tutorials give advice about creating interest within a landscape or street scene by adding a leading line – a strong shape with a diagonal in it to lead the eye. But this is the first time I’ve sketched and seen such a strong representation of that triangular shape in a figure sketch.

For my sketch of this train passenger, I didn’t think about the shape before I started sketching, it was just a happy accident. But it’s a good idea to consider this collection of triangular shapes when I’m sketching people, and a reminder to not draw unnecessary details that lie outside the shape. I think a sketch with a strong shape is more impactful than a sketch with too much detail that serve no role.

I sketch a lot of people sitting down on public transport or at cafes, and they’re usually in a relaxed position, so it’s not too much of a stretch to find a triangular shape for them to fit within.

Urban Sketch of Brugge Street Scene

Other than the train journey sketch, I didn’t sketch any people during my day trip to Brugge. But I did sit at a cafe and have a go at sketching a street scene. Not my usual forte, but I need the practice.

I really want to sketch buildings and street scenes with loose lines, but I’m not there yet. I think in the lead up to the Toulouse Urban Sketchers Symposium, I need to spend at least one day a week sketching a building or two.