Popular Questions Answered
If you’ve always wanted to know what Ian Fennelly is thinking about when completing an urban sketch, or maybe how he chooses his colour palette?
Perhaps you’re new to urban sketching and need some helpful pointers? Maybe you’re taking one of Ian’s courses and need some extra guidance on drawing perspective? Or choosing brush pens? Or getting the proportions right on your page?
Perhaps you want to know what materials Ian uses? Or how he picks locations? Or, maybe you’re curious to know what projects Ian is working on at moment?
Here are just some of the questions that Ian answers during this lively and fun Q+A.
How do you choose colours?
Here’s a snippet of what Ian says:
“The choice of colours is always a huge big thing because colour is very personal, we all have our favourite colours! My default two complimentary colours are ultra marine blue and burnt sienna, but they may not be other peoples. So it’s a very personal thing.
However, what I try and do is pick a local colour to begin with, something that I can actually see in the location in front of me. Let’s say brown for example, as that is often on the buildings. Then I will pair it with a complimentary colour, such as a blue to see how those colours play together. This then gives me an idea of what colour I think would go within the scene next. “
How do you choose your brush pens?
Here’s a snippet of what Ian says:
“Start off by limiting your choice of brush pens to around 4, I tend to use about 6 but you can get away with 4.
I would suggest these colours:
N15 – black
N60 – cool grey
N79 – warm grey
N89/95 – light grey”
How much water do you use?
Here’s a snippet of what Ian says:
“The amount of water is a really important thing and it can really affect the painting process. If you put too much down, your colours will be all over the place but if you don’t put enough you won’t be able to push the colours around the page with your brush. So what I try to do is, using the flat brush, I will push the water across the page. Similar to taking a line for a walk, but with the water. This really helps me mark out spaces that I’m trying to describe.
I also keep a paper towel handy to mop up where there’s too much!”
What happens if you can’t sketch the scene you want to?
Here’s a snippet of what Ian says:
“There’s lots of wonderful buildings in the world I would love to draw but often they’re too impractical. Sometimes they’re really busy, or the lighting is all wrong, there’s a whole host of reasons why!
In these cases it’s a compromise, I sketch for me so it’s important that I’m happy at the scene. I want to have as much fun as possible on location so try to make as many of the factors involved as enjoyable as possible. Often the second best location is actually more engaging as I’m safer and more relaxed.”
