My name is Ian Fennelly and I am an artist and more specifically an urban sketcher; or to be even more precise - I make art in a busy location while looking at buildings and street furniture.
I’ve always been drawn to the urban environment; where people interact with the busy spaces that surround them. I try and draw people without actually putting them in - partly because they never keep still. But I like drawing the spaces they’ve been in, or the cobbles they’ve walked on, and the windows they’ve looked through. I love location drawing as it enables me to record the experience of being in a busy place.
My urban sketches typically take around 2 - 3 hours to complete. I used to be a lot quicker but I notice things now. The more you look the more you see the more you understand.
If you're interested in my style then take a look at some of my videos or online courses with Urban Sketch Course.
I think what you said is the transition from artist to master. All the “masters”, at one point got tired of just painting what people wanted (for earnings they still did) & in the style of predecessors. They began to paint what they had in heart in their own style for their own times ; their vision … and that is when they became “masters”. Of course, it may not be appreciated at the time by contemporaries & public but one never knows how it will affect artists decades later. VanGogh is one of the biggest examples of such. Just my .02 . Thank you for those heartfelt words … so true.
Herzlichen Dank für dieses wundervolle Video. Es hat mich sehr berührt und mich darin bestätigt, dich als meinen Lehrer gewählt zu haben... es war das Beste, das ich tun konnte im Mit der Plus Mitgliedschaft lerne ich so viel, dass ich sehr dankbar bin... liebste Grüße die Christina aus Berlin
Thank you for your nice video. Apologies in advance because I am a grammar pedant and I can’t help it. The title should be “things I wish I had known earlier.”
A great reminder... thankyou Ian. Any tips you have on colour are very welcome, as the colours in your work are amazing! And also how & where you place your colours. Your art is phenomenal!
Thank you so much for showing us the different stages of drawing a difficult subject. Loved the way you used your pens for describing the angles. I used this info on my next painting and put my image within my paper! Such a treat, thanks for sharing.
Very Helpful. Do you mix your shades before you start your project (do you know what colors you will be using before you start working), or do you mix as you go?
