- \n
- Serves as A Quick Warm-Up<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Helps You Determine the Composition of a Piece<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Helps You Remember Important Features<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Helps You Perfect Your Proportions<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Helps You Eliminate Perspective Errors<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Helps You Determine the Best Use of Shadow and Colour<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- How:<\/strong>\n
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- Divide Your Page into Several Small Sections<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Draw Several Iterations of the Same Scene<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Simplify by Using Only One Medium<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Experiment with Values or Color Themes<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How Thumbnail Sketches Saved Me Hours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The process of using thumbnail sketches has saved me some major problems recently when working on two separate commissions for two different clients. It got me thinking that this process is equally vital to urban sketching too. Thumbnails can be extremely helpful if you are intending on spending a significant amount of time on creating any piece of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I produced a rough sketch for my first client and his response was \u201coh, that\u2019s interesting\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I asked him what he meant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just envisioned the piece as being in a portrait orientation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had sketched it in a landscape orientation. My rough sketch also prompted some other very specific things he wanted from the final version that had not been discussed in the initial brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I had not done the rough sketch before jumping into the final piece, I\u2019m fairly certain I would have delivered something to him he would not have been happy with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the second client, I did a series of thumbnails and had chosen one of them to work up a bit further with colour and more detail. The client had initially given me a few photos of the building he wanted sketching from different angles and then said I could find more photos on the internet if I needed. To me, this meant he didn\u2019t really have a preference which angle I sketched the building from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After sending him the rough sketch of the building from the angle I had chosen to work on, he said: \u201coh, do you have any sketches of the other angles\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I showed him the very basic pencil sketches of the other angle. He said, \u201ccan you paint it from that other angle as that\u2019s the one I wanted\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, in my head, I thought why didn\u2019t you tell me that in the first place (!) <\/em>and secondly I am so glad that I did some rough sketches and again did not launch into the final version. I saved a lot of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/IMG_9284.jpeg\")
Spend some time at the start to make important decisions about your sketch…save your future self from some hassle!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Why Should You Make a Thumbnail Sketch for Urban Sketches?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are several reasons for making a thumbnail sketch for your urban sketches, and if you take the extra step to experiment with thumbnails, you may very well find yourself liking the results of your full-scale sketches even better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many artists have found the value in producing thumbnails when creating their work, and urban sketching is no different. If you aren\u2019t convinced that thumbnail sketches are worth your time, read on to find out just why these little planning sketches can be so helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Thumbnail Sketches Serve as a Quick Warm-up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Just as a basketball player would stretch and shoot a few baskets before a game in order to get loose, an artist can benefit from a short warm-up session before engaging in a larger sketch that may take several hours. Thumbnail sketches can be thought of as a technique for getting your head in the right creative space for your work and warming up your skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For urban sketching, thumbnails can be a helpful method of collecting ourselves and gearing up for a drawing session. Many times, with urban sketching, you may pause to draw in the middle of a bustling day or after travelling for some time to reach your sketching location. Thumbnails are a great way to recenter your focus<\/strong> and concentrate on the sketch, rather than all the other distractions that could be floating through your mind just prior to drawing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
>> Check out my post on urban sketching as a mindfulness technique <<<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Urban sketching frequently concentrates on capturing a moment or the essence of a place. This can require a particular amount of alertness, which can be built up with a few quick thumbnail sketches to awaken your senses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Thumbnail Sketches Help Determine the Composition of a Piece<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Arguably one of the biggest advantages of a thumbnail sketch is that it lets you avoid a lot of future frustrations and erasing by helping you plan out the composition of a piece before you start in earnest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you study many of the great Renaissance artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci, you\u2019ll find that for many of their most famous works of art, they have countless sketches and studies leading up to the final piece. Michelangelo, for his famous Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel, has numerous sketches<\/a> representing different iterations of simply the hands in order to determine the ideal position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From these masters, we can learn that thumbnail sketches help to plan a more involved sketch, even if you don\u2019t intend for them to be quite as expansive as the Sistine Chapel. You may find while drawing a thumbnail sketch that your intended subject is too crowded, or at a poor angle. The thumbnail sketch lets you realize this and modify it before you\u2019ve wasted countless hours drawing or painting it in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With urban sketching, don\u2019t be afraid to play around with your composition. Recognize how variations in layout can pull the eye in different directions. Does your sketch feel like it has a balance between objects and space?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A thumbnail sketch can let you quickly see if your desired subject needs to be modified or if you need to add or remove elements for the best final product. This can save you a lot of headaches later in the sketching process, even if you\u2019re only planning a small piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Thumbnail Sketches Help You Remember Important Features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When you start making thumbnail sketches, you will invariably find yourself being attracted to certain details and consistently reiterating them in the thumbnails. In your urban sketching, it may be the scrollwork on an iron streetlamp, or the pensive face of a cafe patron, or the decaying arch of a city walkway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you draw several iterations of these features, you will start to memorise them. Embedding these details in your memory can help you draw them in your full-scale sketch, especially if your subject happens to wander off in the middle of your sketching (we\u2019re looking at you, pensive cafe patron.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4.. Thumbnail Sketches Help You Perfect Your Proportions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
An important consideration in any type of visual art is the proportions. Proportions can not only help make your work feel balanced, but it can also make it more expressive through careful use of scale. Studying the relationship between sizes and shapes can help you truly capture your intended scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proportions can be deceptively tricky. If you start too small, you may find your scene not filling the whole space. Too large, and you may end up cropping out important features or squashing things in at the edges. Thumbnails can help you plan out how much space each element needs to fill in order to utilise the entire sketching space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Urban sketching frequently features a complex assortment of subject matters. We are not sketching carefully arranged still-lifes. Instead, we are often capturing a moment or a particular space, with no control over the elements involved (which is why it\u2019s so fun). As such, it can be helpful to do a few quick thumbnail sketches to make sure we can accurately capture all the varying proportions and make sure they are in harmony with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also use thumbnail sketches to experiment with proportions. Perhaps you feel you have accurately captured the proportions in a quick thumbnail, but you don\u2019t feel the sketch gives the impression you desired. For example, perhaps you want to emphasise how the greenery in a city park is being overshadowed by the urban development around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could try scaling down the trees and shrubbery of the park and slightly overemphasise the proportions of the surrounding buildings and powerlines. Proportions and scale can be tweaked if you are looking to convey a particular sensation, thumbnails can help you home in on this expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nCheck out my ebooks with hundreds of ink & watercolour travel sketches from all over the world. Get some inspiration for your next trip…
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ebook-bundle-thumb-1280x720-web.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\nFIND OUT MORE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n5.. Thumbnail Sketches Help Eliminate Perspective Errors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Perspective can occasionally be tricky to capture accurately. Thumbnail sketches can help you avoid common mistakes in perspective in your full-scale sketch. A proper perspective is critical in order to create the illusion of depth and space in your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to give your sketches a sense of realism, perspective is crucial. Perspective needs to be applied consistently throughout the whole work, and you may have to correct certain areas as you progress. Thumbnail sketches can help you recognize areas that may be particularly tricky and require careful consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The common expression of \u201cpractice makes perfect\u201d definitely applies to perspective. Thumbnail sketches give you some chances to practice the perspective in quick, risk-free doodles before investing much more time and effort in the full-scale representation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thumbnail sketches can also help you determine what point of view you would like to use for your urban sketch. Depending on your viewpoint, you might find in a thumbnail sketch that you are unsatisfied with the location of your horizon line or your vanishing point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These thumbnails can help you determine whether you need to change your location in order to achieve a more appealing perspective before you spend a long stretch of time working on a large sketch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nDo you want to learn how to sketch your own adventures in ink & watercolour?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
GET 50% OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I will show you my exact sketching process in ink and watercolour<\/strong>. I have travelled around the world in the last 3 years and this is my go-to system of creating beautiful yet quirky illustrations to capture the magic of my discoveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We will work through 3 projects, step by step<\/strong> (pictured below), all of which are real-life examples of things I have sketched along my travels. I provide the photo references you can work from.
We will start by choosing a composition, laying in the initial pencil sketch, adding ink lines, layering watercolour and adding the final touches.
This and much more are included in my course, Sketch Your Adventures<\/a><\/strong>, click the button under the image to find out more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Sketch](\"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/projects-web.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n - Draw Several Iterations of the Same Scene<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Divide Your Page into Several Small Sections<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Helps You Determine the Composition of a Piece<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n