#OneWeek100People 2024 : Day One : How to draw 100 People in a Day (even though I didn’t make it this year :)

It’s (almost) spring in Montreal, and the city is coming back to life – or – that’s just me I suppose. There’s plenty of people who enjoy winter, but I’m not one of them!

In the dark months, I go into hibernation. When March finally rolls around, it’s time for #OneWeek100People – it’s become a pagan ritual for me. A wild celebration of street drawing :) All work stops, I skip the gym, drop the home-reno projects, and I can eat anything I want when I’m out sketching!

For the last few years, I’ve been somewhat pulling back on Urban Sketching (as you are no doubt aware – you’re probably one of the dedicated subscribers who’s stuck with me :) This week is the first drawing I’ve done in months. Thus, I always start with the basics. Some years I do ballpoint, sometimes just a brushpen – the most basic kit possible. This year, I went with three tools. I always say, you only need two – the thinnest line, and the thickest line (which is usually a brush for me.) Today I have a crowquill nib, and my trusty steel brush, though I also brought a worn out sable so I could do a little drybrush. Since we don’t have color, at least we can have a little texture.

I wanted to do my show-off thing and do all 100 on the first day, but somehow, I couldn’t manage it. I’m going a little slow this year. Maybe I’m getting out of shape, maybe it’s because I have a little dental trouble right now. (Have to have a tooth pulled – they want $6K for an implant! That could be a sketching trip anywhere in the world!) but MORE LIKELY, the problem is I’ve become too picky.

When I look back at the first year, I see I was much more relaxed about the drawing. Less concerned with finding the right person. I would just draw anyone who passed in front of me. Doing 100 drawings in one day demands that you are sketching constantly, with as little downtime as possible. They’re just gesture drawings, but it’s still a lot of work. When I did it last year, I stayed out for 12 hours. This year I was lazy and knocked off at eight, AND, I didn’t even start till afternoon (it was too cold in the AM).

So here’s some tips for doing all 100 in a single day, even if I *failed to do it this year*!

How to draw 100 people in a single day:

• Use only one tool. Just a ballpoint, or just a brushpen: So you stay in the same ‘mark making language’ the entire time. Work direct-to-ink (or color). No pencil and drawing over.
  
• Stay in one place, draw whoever passes by: Don’t spend a lot of time looking for ‘interesting shots’ (my mistake this year!) – make each person interesting by how you draw them! Pick a populated place; such as my 2017 marathon where I went to a sold out show at the museum of fine arts.
  
• Draw small: I use a small pad, maybe 6×9″ and I tear out all the pages in advance so it’s just loose sheets. Then I can tear up a bad drawing, or just flip it over – whatever it takes to keep drawing. (These images are multi-page collages.)
  
• Pace Yourself, and; “Quantity is Quality”: The marathon is the goal today, not the individual drawings. I number my sketches as I go to pace myself – maybe I have to pump up the numbers with a messy crowd scene (or a page of tiny figures. If you really want to ‘win’ – go for the doodles!) I should actually count DOWN from 100 – that would be more motivating. I’m doing that next year!
  
• It’s a marathon – carry snacks: Just like a runner – chocolate is a good idea when you need to bribe yourself to stay put and keep drawing.
  
• Keep your mind in the game: I listen to podcasts or talking books. Sketching is reflexive for me; it’s eye-to-hand with no brain in between, so I like to keep my mind occupied. Conversation with a sketching buddy works too, but it’s hard to find someone that’s up for 8-10 hours of drawing and a lot of random walking.
  
• Remember your goal: You’re getting better with every drawing; even if it’s a failed drawing; even if it’s a boring drawing; you are getting better.

This year I bought myself a 5 Day metro pass so I can travel around from station to station and pop up on the street. I don’t want to be feeling stupid for paying for only one stop, or backtracking on my route.

One downside of subway sketching is you’re getting a lot of ‘people on the phone’ sketches. I used to feel this was a mistake, that it’s a boring pose – but I realize now it doesn’t matter. If you consider the subject to be more important than the drawing itself (I don’t know, a fire-eater or an exotic dancer, both things I’ve gone out of my way to sketch), then you’re on a treadmill chasing experiences. This can lead to a lot of fun adventures (one time we went out to draw rock climbers). But that’s not sustainable. Eventually you’ll be investing more time and energy in the travel than in the drawing. (Not to mention it gets expensive).

Maybe that’s grumpy old man talk. You should absolutely draw strippers when you’re young and dumb. You probably won’t feel up to it when you’re older :)