Last summer my son started taking karate class. It didn’t take long for me to realize that while it’s fun for him, it’s BORING as a parent just sitting on the side the entire hour. So I decided to turn my son’s class time into my own dojo of speed sketching. I have a classroom full of cute models so I had to take advantage of that.
Since I’m mainly a digital illustrator I try to keep my analog skills fresh by keeping a sketchbook (so no iPad sketching for me). My goal was to loosen up and try to exercise my drawing hands. It seems obvious but trying to draw a dojo full of moving kids is tough. Eventually I landed on a strategy where I just focused on capturing the general motion. I filled in the details like the face and hairstyles later.
Another strategy was to use a pen instead of a pencil. That way you avoid the temptation of being timid and laying down light lines so you can draw over it. With a pen you’re forced to commit to a line and it either works out or it doesn’t. You can’t be precious with it.
With this kind of sketching you end up with a messy sketchbook with half-formed lines and blobs that don’t make sense. But once in a while I hit on that little drawing where everything comes together and that makes me happy.
Tools used:
- Sketchbook: hand•book journal co.’s sketchbook
I really like the weight and texture of the paper. It has just enough tooth that it takes ink and watercolor really well. - Brush pen: Kuretake Fountain Brush Pen
I know this pen is a little pricier than the popular Pentel Pocket Brush Pen but the Kuretake’s brush is shorter than Pentel’s and this makes all the difference in giving me more control over the lines I make. - Ink: Platinum Carbon Pen Ink Cartridge
I use this ink because it’s waterproof.
