How I Sketch Overwhelming Scenes (Step by Step)

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!

Urban sketching scenes can throw a lot at you at once. Buildings, trees, people, maybe even traffic. It's easy to freeze up before you've even put pencil to paper. In this week's Draw Tip Tuesday video I'm tackling exactly that, sketching in the garden of the Royal Palace in Paris.

Relax

I settled into one of the chairs in the shade by the fountain, and that turned out to be tip number one: get comfortable first. Having a good spot to sit and relax in already takes part of the overwhelm away. From there it's all about taking things step by step instead of trying to capture the whole scene in one go.

Simplify

Another great tool is to know when to simplify. Not every detail needs to make it onto the page. If something feels like it'll complicate the drawing too much, it's fine to just leave it out. Working with a small, limited set of tools helps with this too. Less materials to choose from, means you make quicker decisions instead of getting stuck overthinking.

Click image to watch the video

The real takeaway for me is what happens once you stop worrying about how the drawing will turn out. That's when you get into that wonderful creative flow, and time just disappears. That's the kind of sketchbook magic you can experience anywhere, on location or in the comfort of your own home. 

Materials I used:

• Watercolors, Daniel Smith and Schmincke

• Pentel Aquash water brush

• Derwent Inktense water soluble pencil, black

If you'd like to sketch with me in person, I run workshop trips around Europe where you'll fill sketchbook pages and pick up plenty of new ideas for your own art. More info at koosjekoene.com/workshops.