- What materials do you use? I nearly always use ink and watercolour. I love my Lamy pen (it is a lamy joy pen with a EF nib) filled with Noodlers Ink. My watercolour kit contains a selection of Winsor and Newton and Daniel Smith watercolours. I also sometimes (rarely) use a brush pen or watercolour pencils. - What do you want to, but never manage to sketch? I want to draw people!!!! People moving and portraits of my friends. Not sure why but I just don’t have much confidence when drawing people - something that I am trying to overcome!
- What is the mental process you follow when you are sketching from start to finish? Sometimes there is little mental process!!! - I just am seized with a desire to sketch what is before me my hand just starts going and then I splash around some paint. Other times when I am not quite in the groove like that, I map out the main outline of the shapes (in red pencil) before drawing directly with ink -starting with the big elements and then fill in the details later. I paint from light to dark and rarely wait for one wash to dry before dropping in more colour... the more pigment interaction that happens on the page the happier I am. I try to stop before I am finished - and get on with the next sketch. I often review and touch up the darks when I get home.
- How have affected the Urban Sketchers to your creative process? Seeing so many different styles is inspirational to try things that you wouldn’t normally attempt. But I think the most important contribution of USK to my sketching is giving me confidence - confidence to be me (work with my looseness not against it) and confidence to get out on the streets more- not afraid of sitting in prominent places and not afraid of people looking over your shoulder! - Who are your favorite sketchers? I have way too many to list ..but I can tell you that there would be a number of Spanish sketchers on my list if I was to write one. At the moment I am particularly interested in
sketchers who have a very loose approach and/or those that really make the most of splashing watercolour around. I also think that after meeting a sketcher in real life, you are drawn to their work even more - the work is so much richer when you know the person behind it! - What would you never sketch? Hmm... I don’t think I would ever sketch someone who didn’t want to be sketch. I will also never sketch in church during a service. But... wherever I am I can always think of things to sketch!
iMomento de mayor orgullo del oso. iThe bear’s proudest moment.
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