Location
Parque Independencia and Puerta del Conde
Instructor
Thomas Thorspecken
Workshop description
This workshop will focus on how to find and capture events in your community and abroad. I will stress the importance of getting connected via social media and newspapers to keep up to date about events in your area. Once connected, people in your city will send you invitations making research effortless. The events will find you. Every sketch done helps promote art and culture. Find and celebrate the creative people around you. A daily sketch habit once started becomes a lifestyle. Every sketch outing is treated as a hunt for just the right image to tell the story.
Having come from an animation background, two things are essential, the story and staging the scene so the story point is obvious. Walk around the event and search for a dynamic composition. I often take into account what features should fit on the left and right side of the page. Space in the middle of the page is often fudged knowing most viewers of the sketch will not judge perfect distances. If the sketch is done in a hard bound sketchbook then important details are kept to the left or right of the centerfold. People and objects are often moved for convenience of the composition. I compare the creation of an event sketch to a jig saw puzzle where the pieces are in constant movement in deep space. Decisions are made one at a time and pieces are frozen in place when they help the composition. If someone stands right in front of you, it might just be the foreground element you need. Getting annoyed is not an option.
One immovable object should be picked for stability. I call this object the anchor, or the Alamo. It is a place to return to if people walk away or a view is blocked. Most people automatically follow movement with their eyes. That is why artists might often find themselves sketching an individual who is about to walk out of the picture. The key is to pick individuals who are in focused moments of activity who will likely be in the post for up to five minutes. Patience and a belief that an individual will return to a pose are important.
Many of my sketches focus on deep space. Sometimes you must position yourself a distance from the action to be able to sketch all the participants. I often build the sketch from the floor upwards. People are added to the sketch the same way, starting at the feet and building upwards. Most of the focus at first is on gesture and how the person’s center of gravity is balanced. The first quick composition is blocked in lightly in pencil. Details are added later in ink. If someone moves I often borrow costuming ideas from other people. The important thing is to relax because you aren’t creating a tight portrait.
When traveling, search local newspapers for possible cultural events. It is best to find places frequented by locals rather than tourists. Talk to the people you sketch, find out their stories. These stories and life lessons are what make Event Sketching so rewarding. Always finish the sketch. I’ve been kicked out of events but always have found a way to complete the sketch.
Everyone will branch out and sketch then get back together several hours later to compare sketches. I will offer suggestions to sketchers who want advice.
Learning goals
- Improve ability to slow down and observe, and understand what is seen and what should be depicted.
- Demonstrate fundamental techniques of my sketching and drawing for the purpose of documentation.
- Understand the mechanics and methods of creating the illusion of form, proportion, and space.
- Demonstrate a successful application of the Principles of Design for creative and unified compositions.
- Develop visual organization and communication skills.
Reference images
"I have been teaching traditional hand drawn animation at Full Sail University for the past five years or so. Having worked at Disney Feature Animation for 10 years, I apply the basic principles of design. Design, appeal, weight, staging and storytelling all apply to any sketch done on location."—Tom Thorspecken
