I made it. Ok, it took me 8 days, not 5. And I think some of my earlier ones are actually better. I should probably have stopped after the 5 days, when my enthusiasm was still high.
Conclusions:
- Sketching from life is more exciting than from a photo. But a video is pretty good too - with the advantage that you can pause it if it goes too quickly! And the subject is not going to come over to you and ask to have a peep at your drawing (not that anybody did - this is Ireland after all, where Bono could be walking down the street and the Irish would just nod at him!)
- Getting closer to your subject makes for a more interesting sketch - vague silhouettes might be good for populating an urban sketch, but I had more fun sketching when I could actually see my subjects' features - sketching while standing on a crowded tram was super fun!
- Sketching people walking away from you isn't great - they just end up being a general shape.
- Don't be shy - I'm sorry I didn't take out my sketchbook and pens on some occasions. I was meeting a friend on Friday and I should have taken the opportunity to sketch some of the people in the café. But I haven't developed the talk-while-you-sketch technique yet - I still go into my little dream world when I have a pencil in hand. Something to work on! All friends, be warned. You will be my guinea pigs!
- Drawing from a newspaper was good - I am not into rugby but sports action photos make for vivid subjects. It would be really interesting if I could go to rehearsals of something like ballet or opera. If anybody knows someone in Dublin who could facilitate this, I would be delighted. I must also keep an eye out for Dr Sketchy sessions!
- I discovered the possibilities of Sktchy, where people post their photo in the hope that someone will draw/paint them. I've only done two so far, but got lots of positive feedback. So, a good one to remember for days when I need a confidence boost.
- I tried out www.line-of-action.com, which not only offers some interesting (sometimes weird) models, but also some very useful instructions on how to approach a life drawing.
So, I'll definitely will be up for the challenge again next year!
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