Composite sketch of people in the waiting room at the medical centre

Day One Hundred and Seventy-Two of Sketching People

Continuing on with day 175 of my #Kick365 sketching challenge to draw people in ink and watercolour, during my visit to the clinic and one of the cafes.

In the Waiting Room

Like a lot of places in Portugal, the queuing system is driven by a machine that spits out numbers printed out on bit of thermal paper. When I arrived at the clinic today for a blood test, I took a number, but because there was so many people ahead of me – I settled down to sketch. I got so engrossed, that I missed my number and had to take another.

I incorporated both of these tickets into the sketch, because they add context. I just realised, that the first time I took a number I toggled the machine to English, but the second time around I knew what to press, and the ticket printed in Portuguese. Something so simple as a thermal ticket, and it creates another element in this chaotic sketch to tell a story tangent.

For quick urban sketching I don’t usually take a watercolour palette with me, but I do like to take some Tombow markers, to add some shade and shadow if I have time. There is so much going on in this sketch cluster, that I decided it would be better to keep it as black and white, and just use contrast to navigate the eye around the page. Busy sketches like this need some element to simplify the scene, and in this case is the dark grey areas that create some simplification amid the complexity.

Another way I added some simplicity to the chaos was to create the strong W-shape in the top row of sketches. There’s a central figure in the middle with her back to us, a seated figure either side of her, and then a standing figure at the counter, position at the outer edges. The figure person I sketched was the lady with the head-covering, and the sketch grew from there.

The row of figures beneath this W was a lot more random, and I wasn’t particularly happy with the end result. But I feel the structure of the top row, carries the messiness of the rest of the page.

I had to squeeze in my text, but text was a necessary part of the sketch, so it had to be done.

Urban Sketching at the Cafe

After the clinic, it was time for a coffee and another sketch. I really loved this solitary figure at the cafe. She was alone, but didn’t seem lonely. She seemed confident and comfortable in her solitude. I wasn’t sure how to fill the rest of the page, but when I got home I added some colour to the sketch, and I realised I should add some text to reinforce her demeanour.

I could have done a better job of laying out the lettering, and giving it a better placement. But that’s something to bear in mind for my next sketch with a quote. The trick to keeping a sketchbook is that you need to give yourself permission to have fun and experiment. I recently heard a John Cleese quote – “You can’t play if you’re being careful” – the rest of his interview discussed how when you’re trying to to make mistakes, it destroys your creativity. So a sketchbook needs to be a place to play and give yourself permission to make mistakes.