For Quick Sketches, this single tool never fails.
Why I love a good brush pen and how to use it
January 2024’s first newsletter is late as I just returned from almost a month in India. While there was no Zoom Sketching session this month, there will be two in February to make up for it, so if you’d like to join in, sign up for an annual membership today!
I sketched in all sorts of settings throughout my trip, but when it came to having to capture action quickly, I inevitably reached for one tool over and over: my indestructible Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. Whether I was quickly capturing marlin being unloaded from a fishing boat, or monks eating momos at the table next to me,
0r drawing quickly disappearing human beings and Kathakali dance performers, the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen was the tool of the hour.
What makes this pen so fabulous? For starters, it’s a bold, wet tool, which means the ink flows out quickly enough to not skip, even if you’re drawing quickly. Since it’s essentially an Asian brush in a convenient pen form, it makes a range of marks that vary depending on angle and pressure. Hold it close to horizontal to the paper for its thickest mark, and vertical for its thinnest one. And of course, you can get every thickness of mark in between and even vary line width in a single stroke. You can make dry-brush marks with this pen too. To do this, make swift marks that barely skim the paper surface. A rough textured paper or a drying-out pen will do the trick too.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
ONLINE WORKSHOP with Early Bird Pricing
People Alive! Sketches Full of Life: March 2024
Date and Time: 4 Saturdays in March 2024: March 9, 16, 23 and 30, 8-10 am PDT
Location: Online on Zoom. Or watch the recording each week.
You asked for it, I brought it back: A four-week online workshop to get you sketching people without fear!
In this 4-week long, zoom-based workshop, we will consider many aspects of people sketching, starting with shape and contour drawing, then adding an understanding of proportions to take those sketches to the next level. We’ll explore gesture drawing to capture drama and action and take a closer look at drawing the head. Lastly, we'll move to principles and strategies that help bring people and places together for a sketch that tells a story.
All teaching is online from photos and videos but is geared towards learning to sketch on location.
Sign Up Now for Early Bird Pricing
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/people-alive-sketches-full-of-life-march-2024-tickets-769764324817?aff=oddtdtcreator
Use code EARLYBIRDDISCOUNT at checkout for 10% off your ticket price for a limited time.
Do you want to capture vibrant colors on your page? Do you wonder how to find jewel tones in the drabbest of scenes?
In this color-centric workshop, I will share some techniques for finding color in any scene through a series of exercises. You will develop an eye for seeing color everywhere, learn to balance vibrant colors with quieter ones and use mixed media to add that extra zing of color to your artwork.
Join me online on Saturday, March 2nd from 10am–12:30pm Pacific Time for this workshop. Sign up here:
https://arttoolkit.com/workshops/color-that-pops-with-suhita-shirodkar/
Spring Sketching in Mixed Media: A Celebration of Color in Santa Fe
Last few spots in this spring 2024 color-filled workshop with Maru Godas and me. We’re excited to teach some of our favorite color-forward techniques inspired by the colors of Santa Fe. Learn to use color—regardless of media—more fearlessly, boldly, and vibrantly in your art. More details and signups are here.
Save the Date for these Upcoming Events
I'm teaching a workshop at two events this summer and they promise to be very exciting. If you’d like to attend be sure to save the dates now!
Urban Sketchers Chicago Seminar
July 12-14, 2024 • Chicago
More details coming here: https://urbansketcherschicago.org/
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Sketcher Fest Edmonds
July 19-21, 2024 • Edmonds, Washington
Get updates here: https://sketcherfest.com/
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And with this year’s workshop in India all wrapped up, it’s time to get your name on the interest list for the Gateway to India, 2025 Edition
January 2025, 10-day urban sketching workshop in 2 locations in India with Suhita Shirodkar and Zainab Tambawala.
Learn to sketch in India and you are guaranteed to be a confident sketcher anywhere in the world!
Details coming soon. Email suhita@gmail.com to get on the mailing list.
Random Interesting Stuff
- If you are as big an 80s pop fan as I am, you will enjoy the movie “The Greatest Night in Pop” about the night spent recording the song “We Are the World”
- No one puts play to use to fuel ideas like Debbie Mackinnon. Follow her here or here.
- If you enjoy WindowSwap and love trees, tree.fm might be for you.