At FXFOWLE, new experiences are usually good experiences, so when fellow designer June asked if I was willing to lead a sketch crawl, I was happy to oblige. Luckily, I didn't have to lead much, since June had outlined a great itinerary and kept the entire group on scheduled. In fact, the entire afternoon felt like being on a guided tour where we could just sketch and enjoy being outside.
The crawl began as a small group of five sketchers at Madison Square in front of the Flatiron building. As always, the most difficult part was getting started, particularly for the few of us who had not sketched in a while. There was so much energy and various distractions surrounding us, but after a few minutes, we all entered the "sketcher's zone" and lost track of the noises around us. The chairs in the square were also great, and enabled each of us to find our own comfortable spot to sketch from.
From Madison Square, we made our way to Bryant Park where we were joined by Luis, Thomas, and Osman. We all loved this park, enveloped by Sycamore trees and beautiful architecture. The live music and perfect weather made it hard to leave, so we extended our time there.
Luis, an experienced sketcher shared his tools with us and introduced me to the water soluble charcoal bar.
When we were finished, we shared our sketches, done with ink pens, graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, and watercolors on sketchbooks of varying shapes and sizes. It was interesting to see everyone's interpretations of the scenery, and the differences in tone, style, and technique.
The sketch crawl was a success, and hopefully a new FXFOWLE tradition. I left still feeling inspired, and continued sketching on my own all the way back home to New Jersey.
The crawl began as a small group of five sketchers at Madison Square in front of the Flatiron building. As always, the most difficult part was getting started, particularly for the few of us who had not sketched in a while. There was so much energy and various distractions surrounding us, but after a few minutes, we all entered the "sketcher's zone" and lost track of the noises around us. The chairs in the square were also great, and enabled each of us to find our own comfortable spot to sketch from.
From Madison Square, we made our way to Bryant Park where we were joined by Luis, Thomas, and Osman. We all loved this park, enveloped by Sycamore trees and beautiful architecture. The live music and perfect weather made it hard to leave, so we extended our time there.
Luis, an experienced sketcher shared his tools with us and introduced me to the water soluble charcoal bar.
When we were finished, we shared our sketches, done with ink pens, graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, and watercolors on sketchbooks of varying shapes and sizes. It was interesting to see everyone's interpretations of the scenery, and the differences in tone, style, and technique.
The sketch crawl was a success, and hopefully a new FXFOWLE tradition. I left still feeling inspired, and continued sketching on my own all the way back home to New Jersey.