Sketching

May 12th, 2010 Inspiration, Reviews Matt Falco

Something I haven’t made time for is sketching. I used to sketch in college. Maybe I was forced to in a watercolor class, but I wish I got back into it. Since college, it’s been pretty infrequent. I hope to change that. Maybe I should be more rigorous and force myself to sketch? Not sure if that will keep me interested in the long run. But, I did stumble upon Michael Nobbs. He’s a great artist and is very inspirational. He just published a FREE e-book that I would recommend checking out!

Here are some of my thoughts regarding sketching.

Why Sketch?

Honestly, I don’t know the answer. Maybe it’s good for the soul? Sketching is definitely therapeutic. But, you have to LET yourself sketch. You have to hold back your self judgments and just take it for what it is…sketching. It’s not an exact art. The colors may not be just right. That tree you sketched may only be a tree…to you. Who cares!?! You know what my seal of approval was? I sketched my shed and my three year old said, “Oh, look at the shed!” Case closed, another satisfied customer. And, you don’t need anything fancy. Just start with a writing instrument and some kind of paper.

Keeping Record

Sketching is a lot like journaling. In fact, it IS journaling. If you don’t like to write, then sketch. Or, sketch and write a little summary of your sketch. What’s the date? How’s the weather? Anything particular happening, or going to happen?

Get Involved

I follow an incredible group of sketchers online called Urban Sketchers. The guy in charge is Gabriel Campanario. He’s a great artist and a really nice guy!

Also, you should find out about your local sketchcrawl. This is similar to a pubcrawl, minus the pubs…unless you want to sketch in a pub? Huh, that could be fun, especially after a few. But really, this is a regular event that happens all around the world. Check it out.

It all starts with that first line. Happy sketching!

photo credit: nancymaewi

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Matt Falco

I am an architect living in the Chicagoland area. I am also a small business owner that tends to spend way too much time in social media.

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User Responses

5 Responses and Counting...

Michael Nobbs
May 12, 2010

Good luck for getting into the habit of regular sketching (and many thanks for spreading the word about Start to Draw your Life).
Matt Falco
May 12, 2010

Michael, thank you for the great comment and book!
Matt
May 12, 2010

I draw all the time. But it’s all stuff from my imagination. I started sketching from life again and it does take a different approach.

First is the concentration on the subject, you have to be in the moment, vs. an illustration you can put off and come back to.

Thanks for the post Matt!
Matt Falco
May 12, 2010

Matt, thanks for the great comment! No doubt it takes effort, but sketching is a lot of fun!
David Pohlmeier
May 12, 2010

Matt, Matt and Michael, maybe you could share some of your sketches with us on Blueprint for Design. Maybe some sort of special gallery type post?

Or, anyone else who reads our blog, we’d love to add your sketches or artwork.