sketch in the city

Seems to wonder | wander | women like the times are getting rougher and tougher. It's been hard to work at home with all these worries whirling through our heads.

Art, as always, soothes our anxiety. Without too much planning, we pick up a trusty waterproof pen and our favourite paint. Simple doodles with pure colours are best: pick one colour from the palette and let your drawing grow around it.

We don't know much about the little characters in our paintings. They are successful, powerful, self-confident. They are exactly where they want to be. We catch them at peaceful moments in their lives.

Maybe they have overcome great obstacles to be there in those moments. Maybe trouble gathers on the horizon. But right then, life is just as they like it.

They are perfectly present, ready to appreciate this sweet moment or quiet time. They could be surrounded by nature, alone in a cozy room, or in a bustling city. 

We have had these moments, although recently they have seemed few and far between. But we recapture peace by painting these little vignettes.

Just moving your workspace to a different place can provide inspiration. It seems counterintuitive, but sometimes a busy cafe or workspace can help the noise in your head die down.

Lately we have been inspired by the loose, vibrant work of animation background artist Jules Engel. He was an art director for United Productions of America, and was legendary for his sketchy, modernist background art.

As well as direct copies of Engel's work, we tried his quick brush style for ourselves, using photos we had taken on our travels.

Drawing directly what you see is special, though. It's harder to decide what you want to focus on and often our studies end up a bit of a mess. But there's something about seeing in three dimensions and pulling it through your eyes and hands onto the flat page. We took a while to get this street scene sketched out, but it was worth it.

Next time instead of snapping a picture, try drawing what you see. Even a "bad" drawing can help settle a busy brain and get the creative juices flowing. We wish you the joy of drawing order out of chaos.