If you want more you can also join my NEW FREE COURSE! Join HERE - www.sketchloose.co.uk/tendays Here are your next videos: Urban Sketching Outside for Beginners - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kqLNF5anuoU.html Start Fountain Pen Sketching - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TNq9ibB7lYE.html Urban Sketching for Beginners, Step by Step - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DdbQLBdhMcY.html How to Sketch Loose - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-52iiL-dN32s.html
I’ve gone round the sun 75 times and you’ve just given me one of the most important pieces of advice - “Don’t count the windows.” That’s more profound and pertinent for me than you can possibly know. Thank you!
I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I'm far too critical of things I do and after a while that can start to have a negative effect on you. I'm hoping that taking up loose sketching and watercolours will help me let go of perfection. I think your videos are going to become very useful.
I can only hope so! Perfectionism is really hard to let go of, I find art my release from it (most of the time). At least once or twice a month I still have a sulk though 🤣
I cannot thank you enough for these videos. You have instantly transformed me from a procrastinating perfectionist who never paints out of fear or failure to actually enjoying this whole process. I love the way you think and how well you communicate your thoughts.
“Now it’s just an apple with character” is probably my favorite little teaching tool I’ve seen in these sorts of videos. Really really well done, and thanks for some tips that seem really fun.
Loose sketching is certainly a more comfortable way to start for a beginner 🙂. It also makes sure we remain within the parameters of a true "sketch" and not extend ourselves into a painting, architectural drawing etc. Thanks Toby for sharing as always !
Tried, again, the continuous line technique but hold the pen much higher. Wow, wobbly indeed. So, it seems as if the later tip re PRACTICE is central to getting the loose sketch going. TY
Thanks for the tips, your loose approach is so so refreshing. Often when we try to get that vertical line super straight just takes the fun out of drawing. Always reminding myself enjoy the process which is far more gratifying, the outcome is just in that one instant.
You are a minimalist and a wonderful artist. You put back the fun into sketching, my friend. I have a nineteen-year-old niece who has loved art since she was five. Somewhere she has lost the joy in art. I took up art in the last 2 years and have never found such satisfaction in a medium as I have learned to sketch and create. My father was a top-of-the-line landscape artist, he sold his work, but I had never found the skills. I am a photographer, a film videographer, and even a skilled writer. It wasn't until the last year or so that I sat down and seriously considered entering this field. So my conversation with my niece is centered with a small amount of knowledge and experience. I believe she spent too much time drawing what she enjoyed, forming habits critical to her journey of maturity. I believe criticism whether good or bad influenced her decision to fall back. I routed her towards photography, which for an artist with her understanding will learn plenty to bring her around to the arts. Just a long-winded note, but I hope you find it interesting.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I think you cured me of my fear to make a mistake. It has improved my existing style and I discovered a new joy in my art. God bless you!
I love drawing animals, and I'm getting better at quick sketches of people, but I struggle with buildings. Your tips actually make it look fun - especially the continuous line idea - so I'll definitely not give up quite yet. Thank you.
This reminds me of Quentin Blake's artwork and I adore his style. Up until recently, I wasn't familiar with the terms 'Urban Sketching' or 'Loose Sketching ' at all. I just used to see paintings made with ink and watercolor and something about the style would feel really lovely to me. Now that I am exploring it a bit more, your channel is one of the few I have found to be encouraging enough to not feel intimidated by the thought of maybe giving it a try myself instead of just appreciating others' paintings haha. Thank you so much and please keep up the good work! :)
Thank you So much! You shared what I needed to hear from an artist to remove barriers to starting!! I’ve been acquiring supplies, watching art, but now it seems I’m open and ready to go for it!! 🥰🎨
Thanks. I needed this. New to art, I’m starting by teaching myself to draw from observation. And frankly, while fun at times, it’s been discouraging that drawing even simple objects that I think I know well is surprisingly challenging… Plus I’m learning to draw in pen to build that muscle memory. Which results in lots of paralyzed moments in front of the the paper trying to work out the proportions and shapes and lines and even then making lots of mistakes. They say thinking while drawing trains you to see things right but I could use some loosening up too
I can't thank you enough for your videos, I have been watching and practicing what I have been learning for the last couple of weeks. My wife and I are planing a trip to Crete and I am wanted to keep a pen and ink and watercolor journal of our trip. I love your style and I love how your break things down. Thank you!!
Hello Toby! Your creations are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your tips and interesting perspectives. I need to loosen up a lot and appreciate your good advice.
This is everything I wanted to do in art. many, many thanks, I'll get to work right away. Love the bit about the advantage of a fountain pen and how to hold the pen, which is an important key for me. I always struggle with applying the wash just to ruin the drawing. I would love to see a video on wash colouring a drawing after you have finished the loose drawing. Now subscribed.
Toby what a wonderful tutorial on loose sketching. I really needed it since you couldn’t pry the pen out of my fingers with a crowbar. My grip is way to tight and it shows in my work.😊
Lovely to hear you found it useful. Perhaps try covering your pen in butter if your grip is too tight? 🧈 That'll make it hard to hold tight 😉💪 (please don't hehe just joking 😃)
Great video. I love using my sailor fude, because it has really loosened me up, and I like the different lines I can get. I also like how I can fill in dark spots quickly. But, in my quest to have the smallest, lightest sketching kit to carry on urban sketching journeys, fountain pens are a bit problematic. I didn't like having to pack the extra ink on my latest trek, and sometimes the fountain pen got clogged which interrupted my flow. Following your tip to hold the pen further back... I just tried a few other pens I have to see how they would work. My cheap and simple bic pen worked wonderfully! But of all the pens I have, I personally like the feel and flow of the uni-ball eye micro. Please keep the videos coming!
My biggest psychological barrier to drawing more is that I'm always looking to create something perfect... I can't bring myself to loosen up. Thanks for the tips here.
Thank you so much, I have a lot of trouble getting loose sketches. My hand just wants to do it's own thing, and then I'm unhappy with the sketch. I have made notes of your suggestions and will make a poster for my studio. Subscribed, thanks.
Very inspiring ... and the tip of holding the pen almost at the end surely gives a looser look. And funny enough ... after giving this tip you hold your pen from 25% to 50% from the nip!! 👍
Great video. Absolute beginner to watercolour ( 69 too) here. Would you suggest ignoring brickwork on buildings and just sketch them as a plain wall? Cheers.
Yes, that would be my approach for most watercolour art. You can move 'beyond' that if you like and it suits your style - but broadly... I wouldn't bother!
Hey buddy just discovered your channel.. I love it,, iv subbed and will look forward to watching more of your vid.. 😊 I’m just starting out with my channel.. been a slow start.. anyway all the best 😊
Thanks for the sub! Don't be disheartened - it's always a slow start, it takes real persistence and a bit of luck, but you'll get there if you stick with it! Just make sure you doing something you enjoy is my biggest tip!
@@TobySketchLoose thanks so much for the tip… I really do enjoy what I do.. and now finally starting to truly find time to do more art .. I will keep going with it.. you take care 🤗👍
Great tips, having been trained as an architect getting to draw straight and firm lines is built that also is pleasurable and fun way to draw too but will try to make it loose and add your tips into my sketches.
Great video! Just wondering what ink you use in your fountain pen? Does it have to be water proof? I worry over ruining my more expensive fountain pens 👍
Check urbansketch.co.uk/supplies - for this style yes, waterproof is best. But I also have videos on soluble ink... here are three popular ones ... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CiQALT76TLA.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oiuFeTr9e0g.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CiQALT76TLA.html
Just happened to chance upon this video whilst having breakfast. Great tips. I have written them down as a Mantra to remind me whenever I am tempted to get too fussy or detailed. Do you have a similar video for getting loose with your painting? I find I do a nice sketch and then spoil it by painting it. I put on too much paint, trying to cover every inch of the paper. I try to be too literal with colours - sky is blue, grass is green, shadows are grey etc and I worry about going over the lines like a 7 year old with crayons! In essence I sketch loosely but then try to paint 'tightly" ( if that's the correct term?). Thanks Martin 👍
Hi Martin, thanks for the thoguhts and ideas. At the moment I don't have a specific loose painting video I don't think... but I've put it on my list, I'll try and brainstorm it for soon as it's definitely missing! I believe you're on skillshare? (or there are two Martin Webbs??) if so, I do have a class on there which is similar to what you're asking for - it's called something like 'loose techniques in urban sketching' and focusses more on watercolours than inks
@@TobySketchLoose Thanks Toby, yes that's me. I think I may have had a look at that skillshare class but it's probably worth me revisiting now and doing all of the exercises on there 👍
For acrylics I think anything goes - I normally do an underlying sketch with an acrylic pen, but I also use permanent markers. If you're sketching on acrylic paper then pencil can work well too, but on canvas I tend to find the pencil doesn' last so long :)
Toby...I have a comment/question. I do most of my sketching in a little 6x9 sketchbook from Barnes & Noble (though I can't find another like it). It's just the right size. The paper is not meant for water media, but I use it anyway and I like the way the pages of the book are all slightly buckled. The issue, though, is that paint dries differently on this paper--far different from how it does on watercolor paper. There is very little time to "adjust". I keep searching for a sketchbook that will work well with pen but also have a bit of texture like cold press. Your thoughts? PS Really enjoy your videos. They get me/keep me sketching.
@@eioclementi1355 it doesn’t say. My guess is maybe 70…not even 90. It’s maybe a tad heavier than computer paper. Perfect for sketching . It’s not made for water, but accepts light washes - just absorbs differently
@@ritzie3131 a good way to find out the GSM is the weight the book and devide by number of pages. Watercolour you like GSM 180-240 per page and take in mind surface
I love this technique. I have a few Lamy pens- which ink do you use in them when using them before adding the watercolour, so that the ink does not run. I inject ink into the cartridges, and use converters, but haven’t used waterproof ink yet. Which would you advise please?
I want to desperately learn to draw but my mechanical background drives me to perfection. I have never heard of loose drawing before and appeals to me because exactness is not required. Can this style be done in pencil?
Using a fineliner kind of adds the the benefits of loose sketching. If you make a little mistake it just becomes part of the sketch and you move on. You don't want it to be perfect, and if you use pencil you spend more time erasing than drawing (well I do anyway) XD
Well, one of my art teachers used to say, “You want to know what makes an artist? An artist is someone who failed more often than you have ever tried…”
Your recommendations are so helpful and inspiring. Your diction and pronunciation are almost impossible to understand. Please try to speak more slowly and clearly. Thank you. I enjoy your videos , otherwise.
