Urban sketching themes

Hi sketchers, we are fine-tuning the Symposium's schedule and will release it by the end of next week, along with instructions on how to sign up for each field sketching session.

We are scheduling time for 36 sketching sessions and 20 lectures over the 3 days so everyone has the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with the instructors. It's going to be a great event!

Field sketching sessions will cover six different themes. The first 3 themes are related to the main types of subject matter a sketcher will find when exploring a city: people (pedestrians or patrons depending of the scene being outdoors or inside a locale,) architecture (buildings, houses, streets, industry,) and nature (parks, water, trees.) The second group of themes covers elements related to style and technique: composition (horizon line, foreground and background elements,) color (wet vs. dry media,) and line (pencil, pen, brush, etc.)

Here are some highlights about the themes:

• Urban people: How do you incorporate people into a sketch that is basically a street scape? Drawing a crowd. People in the foreground and background of the same scene. Close-ups and portraits. How to connect with your subjects.
• Urban architecture: Basics of perspective. Overcoming the fear of perspective. What can architects learn from artists and vice versa.
• Urban nature: Flora and water add life to the urban landscape. How can they give life to your sketches. Line versus color when drawing water and trees.
• Urban composition: A well composed scene is half of the sketch. How to identify the right composition before starting to draw. Basic layout principles.
• Urban color: How to use color on location. Best tools. Color palettes. Wet versus dry media. Understanding values is the first step to getting color right.
• Urban line: Minimal lines can be enough to make a powerful sketch. How to develop quality line work. How to add depth and texture to your line work.

Registration is almost two thirds full already, so if you are considering attending we encourage you to do so as early as possible in order to secure your spot.

Stay tuned for more information and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Portland!