What Is Sketching and Why You Need a Sketchbook
Hey there, welcome to the Experiment Portal! Today, I’m diving into the world of sketching and sharing a small but inspiring collection to spark your creativity.
So, what exactly is sketching? It’s pretty straightforward: it’s the art of making quick, spontaneous drawings. Ever doodled on a piece of paper? If you’re not an artist, it’s high time to give it a go. You’ve probably scribbled swirls, curls, or random shapes during a boring class, a long phone call, or while waiting in line. Well, once you hone those doodles into something more deliberate, they become sketches or studies, often captured in a sketchbook.
Originally, sketches were virtuoso, rapid-fire drawings of cityscapes (travel sketching), architecture, people, fashion looks (fashion sketching), objects, or cars (industrial sketching). The technique thrives on speed, stylization, confidence, freedom, and even a touch of mischief.
Nowadays, sketching also includes interior drawings, ranging from light, modern styles to more academic approaches. These can be meticulously detailed sketches—think interior illustrations or hand-drawn visualizations, sometimes so precise they rival photographs.
To start sketching, all you need is a sketchbook, a notebook, or any paper, plus a basic pen or pencil. Simplicity is key. When inspiration strikes, you won’t care about the brand of your pen or the grade of your pencil. Once you’ve got a few sketches under your belt, you can add color. Watercolors work wonderfully. If you’re new to watercolor, try a beginner-friendly set like Crayola. Alternatively, go for water-based markers, colored pencils, or pastels. Today, sketching is often associated with specialized markers like Copic, Stylefile, Chartpak, Promarker, TOUCH, or Molotow.
The best way to improve is to sketch daily. Practice makes perfect, and soon you’ll be a pro.
What Is a Sketch Illustration?
A sketch illustration is a more involved version of sketching, requiring extra time and care. It’s a step-by-step process: gathering references, crafting a composition, selecting materials thoughtfully, and refining details. The result might be a framed piece of art, a thoughtful gift, a postcard, a magazine illustration, or a poster.
Now, let’s explore the different types of sketching and sketch illustrations out there.
Types of Sketching
Industrial Sketching
This type demands skills in rendering objects in space, understanding their structure, and conveying volume. You’ll need a grasp of composition basics to arrange your project effectively on the page. Precision, speed, confidence, and a steady hand are crucial. Common materials include metal, plastic, glass, and wood.
Travel Sketching
The heart of travel sketching is capturing the mood and atmosphere of a place, seizing the moment. Accurate scale and proportions matter, and speed is often essential. Since you’re sketching on the go, you rarely have hours to linger at a plein air session, so you must distill the essence of a scene and stylize it graphically.
Architectural Sketching (Urban Sketching)
Architectural sketching focuses on illustrations and studies of buildings, structures, and city streets. It requires a solid understanding of perspective, a sense of proportion, and the ability to depict volume. Often called urban sketching, this style appeals to those enchanted by architecture, as every city has its unique vibe. It overlaps with travel sketching and is widely used by professional architects, architectural firms, and design studios.
Interior Sketching
Interior sketching involves creating drawings, sketches, and illustrations of interiors, interior design, and decor. It demands knowledge of perspective, proportion, volume, and the ability to render various materials and textures. Designers, architects, decorators, and illustrators use it to present ideas or create works for magazines and dining establishments.
Fashion Sketching
This type requires understanding human proportions (body and face) and stylizing them—often exaggerating figures to appear taller and slimmer, with heads fitting into the body’s height 10, 11, or even 12 times instead of the realistic 8. The focus is on showcasing the clothing design, not the figure or facial likeness. You’ll also need to depict materials like leather, hair, fabrics, and metal convincingly.
Food Sketching
Food sketching often intersects with travel sketching but stands on its own. These sketches are typically commissioned to make dishes in menus or ads look more appetizing, boosting a restaurant’s marketing and sales. Alternatively, people sketch food for personal joy—to capture a moment, a mood, or simply because that pastry was too gorgeous not to draw.
Floral Sketching
Floral sketching involves drawings of flower arrangements and interior decor for events. It overlaps with botanical illustration, requiring skills in that area. Florists and decorators use it, as do illustrators creating designs for cosmetics, eco-friendly products, and advertisements.
Landscape Sketching
Landscape sketching covers designs for parks, squares, gardens, and private estates. It often pairs with architectural sketching and is primarily used by landscape designers. Imagine a blank plot of land slated for a house and surrounding greenery. A landscape designer must vividly illustrate for clients how the area will look, including ponds, shrubs, flowerbeds, and hedges.
Sketch Portraits
Sketch portraits can also be considered sketch illustrations. This vibrant and engaging type uses materials like markers, pencils, and watercolors. Some illustrators stylize their work in a pop-art vibe or draw figures with exaggeratedly large eyes.
Conclusion
When creating sketch illustrations, shapes and forms are simplified and stylized, so don’t worry if your first attempts aren’t perfect. Start with online tutorials or webinars, or join a live workshop for hands-on guidance—it’ll make learning sketching a breeze! Create and draw wherever inspiration takes you. And remember, all it takes to begin is picking up a pencil and letting it dance across the page.
Sketches for Inspiration
As promised, here’s a little treat. I’ve always loved watching masters at work—it’s mesmerizing. I’ve curated a collection of sketchbooks from talented artists (photos and videos). Enjoy the inspiration!
