Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Five Minute Sketches, WIP

I assigned Tuesday's watercolor classes a little warm up exercise: Take your sketchbook out for a 5 minute sketch. Use any simple tool you like, pen, pencil, etc. Take 5 minutes to find a subject, 5 minutes to sketch and 5 minutes to return to the classroom and share your sketches. It was raining, so just a few chose to brave the cold damp weather outdoors for 5 minutes. The rest chose to spread out all around the interior of the building, sketching what they saw out the windows. I was so impressed by what they did. I think they even surprised themselves! (Sorry, I didn't take a photo of their sketches.)
My five minute sketches from Tuesday, ready for a touch of color and narrative after breakfast today.
Towards the end of the day, I discovered this ingenious little light well with its own pocket garden, flower pots ready and waiting for spring, and a Tuscan mural to cheer up those looking out from the windows on the opposite wall. I only had time to do the ink sketch, planning to add watercolor pencil and ink wash later.
A light well hides a secret garden.
My 5 minute sketch with the Sharpie Pen after class.
Here's the result of some simple color and ink washes on the secret garden sketch. I have time lapse video demo on my Instagram feed of the color/wash process. See link in right column.
See my Instagram feed @michelecooperart for a time lapse video of process of adding color.
I managed to get a few trophy shots of my other two 5 minute sketches (see below)
Afternoon sketch. Looking straight across the alley at the cracked wall and weathered window on the next building.
I had planned to go outside and was headed for the elevator for my first sketch when an unusual appliance in the parking lot caught my eye out the second floor window.
I have no idea what this is....maybe a refrigeration unit? But what fun to draw!
I started on the right hand side of my Pentalic Aquajournal in the morning, then added sketches in the afternoon and after class.
Tuesday am sketch demo (right side) and pm sketch (left side)
I have a heading, 2nd FLOOR, but still haven't decided what my narrative will be for the rest of this two page spread in my visual journal. I will post it here when it's finished.


2 comments:

  1. Great captures for your 5 minute sketches. That's a great assignment for students to keep them from fussing for too long.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Joan. I think we all have the same malady from time to time.....overthinking, overworking, overstuffing with too much content.

      Delete