I adore sketching. I do urban sketching (sketching on-location) as much as painting. Currently I am studying this wonderful book introduced by a local urban sketcher called “Fast Sketching Techniques by David Rankin“. The above is a quick sketch from a reference deer photo. Mr. Rankin advised to use a 9B graphite pencil when sketching because basically you can create values after the sketch by using a blending tool (artist stump or your fingers) in shading it. It’s a very bold pencil after all.
I apply a light mixture wash of burnt sienna and pthalo blue for the painting. I love the way the colors suggest where the light and shadow are without having to paint in detail.
The learning process never stops. And the one thing that I keep reminding myself is to keep learning. We never run out of things to learn, do you agree? One moment I have learned this and then another new idea or knowledge is introduce. It’s a never ending process.