{"id":699,"date":"2020-07-16T17:07:15","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T17:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/?p=699"},"modified":"2023-06-13T17:19:50","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T17:19:50","slug":"guide-to-people-sketching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/guide-to-people-sketching\/","title":{"rendered":"An Urban Sketchers Guide to People Sketching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the context of urban sketching, we could be talking about two major angles when discussing people sketching:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. A person or people are the main focus of the sketch
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  2. Adding people to your sketch of a larger scene that\u2019s predominantly focused on architecture<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    In this post, we shall discuss point 1, where the focus of the sketch of a person or people, rather than including figures in an urban sketch of a scene.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For a more in-depth discussion of point 2, check out my post \u201cadding figures to your urban sketches\u201d.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This post pulls together everything about people sketching I have researched from the best resources I could find as well as my own experience. We will look at what people sketching is, examples and advice from prominent urban sketchers, the best video tutorials on people sketching and how to start practising out on location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The aim of this post is to be an overall guide to people sketching which you work through and can keep referring back to over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What is people sketching?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Sketching people, in the context of this post, is different from drawing a portrait, or rendering full anatomically correct figures like you would in a life drawing class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Urban sketchers record the world around them. While some sketchers purely focus on a singular piece of architecture that captures their attention, others like to render entire street scenes and others are more interested in capturing the people around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As mentioned, this does not mean a portrait of their face, it may not bear too much resemblance to the person in front of them. In fact, some sketchers blend several people into one person if their subject moves before they\u2019re finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sketching people in this context is about capturing a person in that space and time, doing whatever it is they are doing. It may be one person or a group of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Koosje, a co-founder of Sketchbook Skool, demonstrates merging different people into one in her video below about reportage sketching. She goes to a coffee shop to document the people there but obviously people at the counter order their coffee and move off so she shows how she morphs or blends one person into another. It\u2019s not the resemblance of a person that\u2019s important, it’s the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    https:\/\/youtu.be\/B3IcMhmOTo0<\/a>