#OneWeek100People: Day 01 Warmup Video: Watercolor over Gesture Sketch
Hey everyone! Are you getting ready? This Monday is the official Day One of #OneWeek100People for 2022!
I hope you’re inspired to go out sketching :)
Maybe on the street, or maybe you’ll meet some friends for life drawing class? That’s what I’m doing tomorrow – a fun evening workshop right before the week officially starts. If I get anything good I’ll post them later in the week.
But of course, it’s perfectly ok if you’re sketching from photos or video. I know that everyone is not able to go back into the world yet. But – just me personally – I’ve crossed a kind of threshold.
Of course the pandemic isn’t over everywhere, (just recently been reading about Hong Kong), and – with the end of masking requirements in a lot of areas – plus probably a diaspora from the war in Europe, I expect we’ll get another wave.
But! I’m trying not to talk about negative things. Right now I find myself willing to consider more managed risk. I’m quadruple vaxxed myself. I ended up getting offered an extra shot, so I took it. And I plan to keep masking and social distancing for the foreseeable future. So – considering these measures, I’ve decided to go back to public life.
I’ve returned to life drawing classes (and writing groups) – and that means I’m taking the subway again! Which also means – I was able to make this little video for you.
My only goal here is to show how you can take a VERY SIMPLE sketch – the kind of incredibly basic line drawing anyone can do in 10-30 seconds – and then improve that drawing later – to the point where it’s unrecognizable. (For the better I hope! hah!)
You might choose to doodle on location, then stop at a café and visit with friends while you color.
Or you might take snapshots with your phone, and draw from those later? That’s what I did for the video, because, well that’s the only way I can capture it for you.
Or, you might just fill a sketchbook with visual notes and then only finish the very best ones? Or even re-draw them from your own sketches? There’s a lot of ways to do it.
Any way you want to approach it – the simple gesture isn’t really the end-goal. It’s a stepping stone. You can just use it to improve your skills, or – you can literally improve the best of your gestures like I’ve done here.
So, hope you enjoy this quick bit of inspiration – and we’ll see you on Monday March 7th for #OneWeek100People!!
Thanks! ~marc
Citizen Sketcher 
Marc…It’s so nice to have you ‘back’ and many thanks to you (and Liz) for revving this up again!
Marc- you are a outstanding teacher ! Keep it up and thank you
Hi Marc. I love your sketches and have your book out of the library right now! I have one question, what exact brush are you using? I keep wanting to foray into watercolour but I haven’t yet, and I really like the idea of having one brush that does it all. I love using brush pens. Thanks!
It’s not so much an exact brush as this: I like a pointed round with a stiff hair. So – the Windsor and Newton pointed rounds are good, but so are the Escoda or even a Chinese pointed round, like they use for calligraphy. I also like the Princeton Velvetouch synthetics. So really, it’s not the brush, it’s the shape – pointed round is much better for drawing with the brush than a regular round! (Or a mop). Hope that helps :).
Thanks so much. I have some calligraphy brushes. I just thought you might have a favourite, and a particular size you frequently use. Love your sketches!