My sister in law Lisa told me about Sketchbook Skool. I always liked drawing, but from the age of 9 when my Grandmother Emma ( who was a painter and art teacher) died, I lost the initiative and always felt I did not know what to draw. Throughout my life I have done many painting, watercolour and drawing classes and trained as a Ceramic Artist, but always felt ‘if only I could draw….”
I always felt inadequate, that my drawings were boring, that I lacked composition skills and that I could not find inspiration. So I resorted to learn photography as a way to capture scenes, but I know now that the best way to enjoy a place is to see it with the eyes of the drawer.
In Sketchbook Skool my journey was a bit bumpy, I started with Stretching, but found the approach of the teachers was very graphical and not attuned to my style. Non the less I caught two or three gem teachings: I enjoyed
- Lapin’s portraits
- France Breville approach to cross hatching and cars and Ipad 53
- Miguel Herranz was the turning point giving me freedom to take from each scene and teacher one thing I like and putting them together even on a the same page, to create something truly personal to me
- Jason Das for capturing the moving scene and the skill to practice at drawing people, he said he was not good at it and then he practiced and learnt.
Then I did the Seeing course and here my hero was
- Liz Steel I learnt to use pen and ink and watercolour washes, to paint teacups (I am a maker of teacups so this is very important and rewarding!) and I joined her online course on Edges at Sketching now
I started to hear about groups and FB groups like Everyday matters and Urban sketchers where I could share my drawings adding motivation to my work. I started to draw everyday and post pictures of my drawings. I joined Urban Sketchers London on an outing and found how nicer it is to draw in company. It can be daunting to draw in the street with people looking.
I bought Lynne Chapman book on sketching people and I am having a go sometimes from the television sometimes in cafes.
In a few weeks I will join the first three day course of Urban sketchers in Brighton and I hope that will be another jump forwards.
I am seeing the power of drawing as a way of keeping track of my life and seeing the world in a different way and noticing more of what is around me. I wish I could stop the car in the middle of the road to draw quickly a piece of architecture I just saw. In my bubble I feel freer than standing on the pavement. My latest project id to draw my parents in law’s house because sadly they are no more with us, to keep the memory of it.
laura creates 