The Power of the Free-Hand Sketch: Part 3

Someone always stop by to see what I am doing. They are curious to see what I am sketching and to see the progression. Try not being uncomfortable with visitors. It’s a nice way to make friends and they are usually appreciative when they view your other sketches.

On-site sketching is more rewarding than drawing from a photograph. The camera already performs the complex establishment of the station and the vanishing points, as well as, the “mapping-out” of the overall perspective image. And with digital technology we are quick to take many photos, knowing that we can choose the better ones later. No such luxury when you are sketching on site. Once you start your sketch, you progress to completion, and at the end of the day, there is satisfaction.

But what is your sketch going to say? That is the question my sketches always ask even before I put my pen to paper. Forget about all the geometric, technical and practical requirements that you already know about the art of sketching, the question is: “What is the meaning of the sketch you are about to launch?” And answers to that always need different philosophical approaches. “Will I speak to others or is it just for you?” (The sketch asks). I try not to sketch a scene because I think it is “nice or beautiful”, but rather because it is interesting and it tells my “story”. I know that when I review my earlier sketches, I can relive the moment, the time, the emotional sensation, and the story that is in the sketches.