The term ‘sketch’ is normally applied to any drawing that is done in a fast or casual fashion and is not intended as a finished work. It comes from the Ancient Greek word ‘schedios’ which means made suddenly or off hand. There are a number of well known and not so well known steps and techniques that a person can employ to make them a better sketcher. Most new artists create sketches of certain objects or people in order to develop skills and familiarisation with sketching methods. One important tip when sketching is to let go of your controlling conscious mind and this is one of the things I will mention in this article.
Sketches are generally used as a way to generate ideas and record images for later use. Although some sketches have been sold for a lot of money, this is normally when an artist is so well known that even their rough ideas command a great price. A sketch can be done in almost any media, however it normally refers to a dry media such as pencil or pastels. Sketching can serve as a study for a later and more developed work in a more expensive and less forgiving medium such as paint or sculpture. There are many things you can do as an artist to help you to create the best sketches possible.
It is always a good idea to find yourself a good comfortable position in a nice quiet location, somewhere you can let yourself go. Make sure that your tools are at your disposal, whatever they may be. If you are sketching a model then you are obviously going to need to have it at the correct distance and set up with the correct lighting. You can either start drawing and think as you go or work to a well thought out plan.
It is important to think about shapes and relationships between shapes as your initial markings could maybe end up as a masterpiece. Take light strokes and be gentle at first with the image in your head. You are allowed to use an eraser while sketching, some people seem to think that sketching doesn’t involve correction, but most artists continually self correct their mistakes. Having a good and sharp pencil or equivalent can also make your life so much easier as you may not make as many mistakes.
The number one most important thing you can do to make yourself a better sketcher is to get out of your own way, that’s right, the simple act of thinking less can lead to much greater results. Art is a right brain activity and by letting go of your reasoning and controlling functions you can develop better spatial relationships and a better sense of shape and scale. In order to reach this place you need to be in a relaxed situation and in a relaxed place, with everything you need right at your fingertips. Then let go, take it slowly at first, and start you first steps to becoming the best sketcher you can be.