I’m still enjoying my loose morning sketching sessions – there’s a family of magpies hopping around the neighborhood that make for very entertaining models. I found that doing these loose warm-ups directly in the morning also takes away some of the stress I’ve been feeling and helps me to be more mindful. Maybe it even helps to loosen up any brush strokes I make later in the day.
Here’s an introduction to this drawing technique in case you’re interested:
https://juliabausenhardt.com/exploring-new-drawing-tools-simplification-with-shapes/
https://juliabausenhardt.com/loose-sketching-with-shapes-new-class/
A few more insights for sketching loosely with graphite sticks:
- Stand up: Movements flow so much better when you’re standing and can use the whole arm. I have propped up a drawing board on a chest of drawers so that I have an angled surface, which makes it a bit more ergonomic. This also allows me to step back and reassess what I’m doing.
- Speed: I try to draw quickly, I spend maybe one minute per drawing. This isn’t about placing each line after checking several times, it’s about loosening up muscles, eyes and strokes.
- Glove: Using a glove has been a huge help to avoid messy fingers. I like white cotton gloves from the drugstore since you don’t sweat in them, but any kind of latex or rubber glove would work.
- Fixative: Spray fixative helps to keep the drawings in place. I don’t plan to keep these sketches forever so it doesn’t even matter that much, but in case you want to store them you’ll have to use some kind of fixative to make the graphite/pigment stay in place, especially when you use very soft drawing tools (anything beyond 2B graphite or charcoal).
The page to submit ideas doesn’t work. My suggestion is The Japanese word for writing with an ink stick is “shodō” (書道), which translates to “the way of writing.” This art form emphasizes the beauty of brush strokes and is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. The Japanese word for writing with an ink stick is “shodō” (書道), which translates to “the way of writing.” This art form emphasizes the beauty of brush strokes and is deeply rooted in Japanese culture.
Hi Jim, excuse the tech issues, I’m still working on integrating the feature into the site, so please apologize if not everything runs smoothly. It might have been the Japanese characters? In any case, thanks for this suggestion, is there anything specific you’d like to see around this topic. I’m completely unfamiliar with it, but willing to look into it. :)
Thank you, Julia for sharing your own practices and the ways you change and grow. That prompts me to try new ideas, too. I especially enjoy the birds in this new style. I can see the flow and movement!
Yes doing the birds in this style was really enjoyable, bird shapes really work well with this approach.
Hi Julia. I love these sketches. Birds are my favorite subject and these look so free and alive!!! I have watched and enjoyed your loose Sketching with Shapes class and am excited to try out this technique. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Jane, yes I love the sense of movement you get in these shape sketches. Hope you enjoy working in this style!
How fun! and a great example of how a few simple strokes tell the story – Good tips to reduce the mess of using this type of medium.
Yes it has been more enjoyable once I figured out how I can keep the mess to a minimum!
Thank you for your wonderful tips and instruction. so inspirational!