Opportunity Sleeps

I had written earlier about drawing ideas for busy people. Here is a quick sketchbook idea-sleeping children. Tonight, my son fell asleep in our recliner waiting for his mother to come read to him. While he missed out on storytime, he did provide an opportunity for me to put my own advice into practice.

I grabbed my sketchbook, a technical pencil, a kneaded eraser, and a compass for comparing proportions, then pulled up a chair and started sketching. Using a technical pencil for quick outline sketches is great because you always have a sharp point to work with. I didn’t intend to focus much on shading, my primary goal was to capture somewhat of a likeness with sketchy outlines and imply some minimal shading for form and cast shadows. Leaving my lines light and sketchy keeps me going fast and reduces the urge to want to erase.

Working and Learning Fast

Even though my son was asleep, he could still shift sleeping positions. What is shown here is actually my second attempt. The first attempt was more straight on and more challenging. After about 5 minutes I just couldn’t grab onto anything that gave me confidence, so I erased it. My son shifted positions about 30 seconds later which made me feel more justified in starting over.

What is shown here is my second attempt which I was much happier with. This represents about 20 minutes of work. Notice the lines have a scribbly feel to them. This shows the rapidity with which I worked. I’ve always liked this look because it has an honesty and rawness that cannot be replicated with carefully drawn works; it just screams that it was done from life.

This was how I learned to become an artist, by doing sketches like this every day. It only takes about 20 minutes or less. And despite how the sketch turns out, the fact that you tried is where the real success resides. Happy sketching!

If you enjoyed Quick Sketchbook Idea-Sleeping Children, be sure to check out advanced charcoal techniques. To see my artwork, visit www.JasonTako.com and visit my YouTube channel.

Jason Tako is a nationally known fine artist who specializes in western, wildlife, plein air, and Historical Native American subject matter. He spent his learning years sketching the wetlands and wooded areas of rural Minnesota. He has been featured in Plein Air Magazine and Western Art Collector Magazine and he was the Featured Artist for the 2020 Southeastern Wildlife Expo. See his work at www.JasonTako.com and his demonstrations on his YouTube Channel.