Sketching

Once Upon a Time There Was a Little Child Who Loved to Sketch...

...Once upon a time, there was a little girl and a little boy who loved sketching and drawing.

They would sit for hours, sketching everything they saw—from the trees in the park to the cozy corners of their home. Every line they drew told a story, and their imagination knew no bounds.

As they grew older, their passion for sketching deepened. They decided to pursue their dreams and enrolled in architecture school. They honed their skills, mastering the art of design and architecture.

Eventually, they opened their own design firm, where creativity flowed through every project. But as time passed, they became wrapped up in the demands of daily routines, meetings, and client deadlines.

The joy of sketching, which had once sparked their creativity, began to fade. Sketching felt like a distant memory, replaced by endless tasks and schedules. But one day, they realized something important: the magic of sketching still lived within them. It just needed to be brought back to life. And so, they made a vow—to bring the fun and spontaneity of sketching back into their lives and their designs.

Now, it’s time to do the same for you!

Honestly, we, adults, are simply overgrown toddlers. The more I watch creative people in my life (myself included :-) — the more I come to this conclusion. We need fun, we need creativity in our lives.

Join the Sketching Retreat 2024, where we’re putting the fun back into interior design and architecture!

This October, we’re opening the doors to a completely free retreat with over 50 amazing workshops led by top instructors from around the world. I’m truly honored to be teaching one of these sessions, where I’ll show you how to draw interiors quickly using markers.

Let’s rediscover the joy of sketching together!

Here’s the link to join the fun:

I hope you enjoyed my little fairy-tale, my dear Creative :-)

See you on the inside!

Olga Sorokina

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The short story "You're in Florence"

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The short story "You're in Florence."

Author: Olga Sorokina

You are in Florence. Or better - in Firenze... How delicious it sounds in Italian! 

You live with two friends two minutes walk to the Duomo in a 13th century stone house. This flat is rented to you by a classy Italian woman of about 45, she smells strongly of expensive perfume and you really like her large earrings. In a white trouser suit and heels, she shows you around this chic apartment and casually mentions:

- You even have your own access to the roof. Behind this door, up the stairs to the top.

The flat still has historic wooden beams in the great hall with three huge windows and even two stone fountains with lion masks built right into the wall. The view from your bedroom is like a postcard: hundreds of terracotta roofs of the hot daytime city, pigeons cooing just outside the window, and you already imagine waking up early tomorrow, sitting in a silk shirt by the window, putting your elbows on the sill and watching the city wake up, listening to its sounds, soaking in the colours.

It's a very hot summer this year, +40 C, you and your friends even seriously considered switching to living at night and sleeping during the day. Climbing Giotto Tower this morning up the narrow endless stairs was a challenge for everyone (you were really worried about the old lady who bought tickets after you) but the view from the top was worth it. There's a reason they call Florence "the stone bag." It's also hot.

My friends say:

- We're going to go buy bread, wine and slices.

You close the door behind them and run to that door.

Climb a few steps up a very narrow and short stone spiral staircase, open the heavy old door, hear the sounds of dozens of wings of disturbed pigeons and say on an exhale:

- Wow!

In front of you is a mosaic of the city in all shades of terracotta and ochre. You suddenly understood why these colours have Italian names: siena, umber... And the main thing is the dream view of the Palazzo Vecchio. You drew it in the second year of the academy in perspective classes, and now you see this tower, these proportions with your own eyes. It's like you're in your old art history book. It's breathtaking.

Your feet are already touching the warm and rough tiles and your mind is flashing :

- I hope it's not as old as this house, just as long as it doesn't go!

You tread carefully on it. You sit down, enchanted by this moment and stare at the city for a long, long time. You want to paint, but you don't want to go anywhere, not even for a moment to lose this view. You're alone with the city. It's as if you were in a Vrubel painting now.

It's evening, the heat of the day is gone. You think of the Renaissance, of all those old masters who lived here. They were young, they loved and they created. History was being made in this city in the 15th century: the kind of culture and painting that would influence art for centuries to come. And you are here now. 

Painting like the old masters... friends barely got you out of the Uffizi Gallery yesterday. The bells of the Palazzo Vecchio are ringing, the long diagonal feather-like clouds are coloured apricot pink. 

You squeeze your eyes shut:

- It feels so good!

You suddenly realise that Florence is your favourite city in Italy. You hear the front door open, the voices of friends and the rustle of packages and, anticipating the taste of ciabatta with salt and olive oil, you run downstairs.

From my Italian memories. 

Olga Sorokina, June 2024

Please write your feelings, impressions from this story in the comments below and let me know if you want more such short stories from me in the future.

© Olga Sorokina

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    Welcome to Sketching Retreat 2023: The #1 Online Event for Interior, Architecture, and Landscape Sketching

    Are you passionate about sketching, perspective drawing, architecture, or interior design?

    If so, you're in for a treat! Imagine having the opportunity to learn from your favourite instructors, artists, architects, and designers during a six-day online event that's absolutely free.

    Welcome to Sketching Retreat 2023, the #1 online event in the field of interior, architecture, and landscape sketching!

    This year, I will be teaching perspective drawing: “1-Point Perspective Made Easy: Sketching the Iconic Neuendorf House”. I can’t wait to see you on the inside!

    What is Sketching Retreat 2023?

    Sketching Retreat 2023 is a remarkable event that brings together creative minds from around the world to explore the art of sketching in various domains. This six-day online extravaganza is a treasure trove of more than 30 workshops, each tailored to enrich your knowledge and skills in architecture, interior design, and landscape sketching.

     

    What Will You Learn from the Workshops?

    At Sketching Retreat 2023, you'll immerse yourself in an abundance of knowledge and creativity. Some of the techniques and applications you'll master during the workshops include:


    - Pen & Pencil Drawing: Unlock the secrets of creating intricate sketches with the simple tools of pen and pencil.

    - Colour Markers: Explore the world of vibrant colors and learn how to bring life to your sketches.

    - Watercolour Painting: Dive into the world of watercolors and transform your sketches into colorful masterpieces.

    - Morpholio Trace: Discover the power of digital sketching with the Morpholio Trace app.

    - Procreate: Unleash your creativity with the popular digital art app, Procreate.

    - Concepts: Explore innovative sketching techniques and concepts that will elevate your skills to new heights.




    These workshops will be led by a diverse array of instructors, including artists, architects, and designers, each offering their unique style, techniques, and mediums.

     

    Meet the Host: David Drazil

    Sketching Retreat 2023 is hosted by my friend, the talented David Drazil from sketchlikeanarchitect.com. David is architect, content creator, speaker, and book author. David's passion for sketching and design is incredible, and he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the event. I am sure, his expertise and vision will undoubtedly inspire all participants.

     

    How to Register:

    Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to enhance your sketching skills and learn from some of the best in the industry. To register for Sketching Retreat 2023, simply follow this registration link:

     

    Sketching Retreat 2023 is not just an event; it's an experience that has the potential to transform your creative journey. Whether you're a seasoned sketch artist or just beginning to explore the world of architecture, interior design, or landscape sketching, there's something here for everyone.

    Embrace this opportunity, and join us at the #1 online event for sketching in 2023. Register today, and let's embark on this artistic adventure together. Unleash your creative potential like never before!

    I can't wait to see you at Sketching Retreat 2023!

    Olga Sorokina

    Read other articles on my blog:

    My 5 tips if you want to draw architecture sketch commissions in Procreate

    In my today’s article, I simply welcome you to watch this quick 16 min live stream I did on Instagram:

    🤓✍️ “My top 5 tips if you want to become a sketch artist and draw architecture/interior sketch commissions in Procreate”.

    WATCH NOW (16 min)

    Here is my latest architecture sketch commission I did for my client from the US:

    ✍️​ Quick links to my latest resources:

    1. Online course on Procreate interior sketching for beginners: here

    2. THE CLUB, my membership platform (Bringing sketching back to interior design)​, here

    From Pencil to Palace: My Fashion Illustrations for Danish Royal and Celebrity Couture

    In this blog post, I'm thrilled to present my sketches depicting the exquisite custom wedding and evening dresses crafted by the talented Danish designer, Rikke Goodnitz.

    These dresses grace not only the wardrobes of the Danish royal family but also find their elegance embraced by stars of Danish television.

    The focus of this article centers around the remarkable outcome of my collaborative venture with a distinguished fashion designer based in Copenhagen.

    Rikke, the visionary behind these exquisite creations, entrusted me with a special opportunity. She commissioned a series of illustrations for her upcoming collection, enriching her catalog with my artistic renditions. Moreover, my drawings will adorn her showroom, infusing it with the essence of my creative perspective. This collaboration has not only allowed me to delve into the world of Danish design but also to contribute a unique touch to Rikke's artistic vision.

    For an extended glimpse into my fashion illustrations, explore my Fashion Sketching Instagram page: @olgaart888fashion

     

    In this video, I share some behind the scenes of working on this commission + my secrets in fashion sketching:

     

    Check out my online course on fashion sketching for beginners

    Join my free 3-day fashion sketching challenge

    My YouTube was awarded "Essential Design Voice" by @morpholio

    Famous Morpholio announced the top YouTube creators for Architecture and Design, so honored my channel was also on that list.

    You can read more about “12 Essential Design Voices“ on their blog: here.

     
     

    Let me share with you my top three playlists from the channel:

    1. Interior sketching with markers

    2. Architecture sketching

    3. Perspective drawing

     

    3 most common fears novice artists have and how to overcome those struggles

    Many beginners in drawing in general and interior sketching in particular have certain fears and concerns related to drawing.

    Obviously, everyone has their own fears, but they are basically very similar to each other.

    My next blog post is going to be about these problems of beginners in sketching, painting and drawing and how to cope with them.

    Have inspiring and useful reading!

    GET MY PDF LIST OF MATERIALS FOR SKETCHING,

    PLEASE ENTER YOUR NAME AND EMAIL IN THE FORM:

     

    Many students write to me that they have never drawn before, so they are afraid to start. Some of them are nervous because they have no art education, while others were drawing 10 years ago and now they think it is too late, that they have forgotten everything, lost their talent, etc. In general, people who are creative by nature are often afraid to start, afraid to go back to drawing, afraid that nothing will work out.

    On the other hand, they realize that time flies by without action being taken. It is also common for someone to think that they are not creative at all, but they draw, paint, create and design in their dreams.

    What to do with all this and how to get things moving? Let's take it in order.

     

    1. “I am afraid to start drawing as I have no art education”

    This is the number one fear, based on my students' letters. Actually, this fear is one of the most popular and most paralyzing fears I've come across among beginners. Speaking specifically to it, I have a very strong and powerful argument. Have you ever heard of the fact that most famous artists didn't go to art schools when they were children, and many of them simply failed to enter the Academy of Arts at the first, second or even third attempt, while many who did enter were expelled from the same Academy for being “untalented” or “unsuitable”?

    “Most famous artists didn’t go to art schools when they were children, and many of them simply failed to enter the Academy of Arts at the first, second or even third attempt.”
     

    Names, surnames? How about these, for example: Salvador Dali, Ivan Kramskoy, Vasily Surikov, Konstantin Savitsky, Pavel Filonov, Mikhail Shemyakin... All these brilliant and genius artists were once expelled from the Art Academies. The list can go on and on, if you look deeply into the biographies of the famous artists.

    And do you know the story of Auguste Rodin, for instance? He tried three times, three times (!) to enter the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but each time he failed, which made his father furious and shouting that Auguste was completely untalented and would never achieve anything in art.

    “Auguste Rodin tried three times to enter the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but each time he failed, which made his father furious and shouting that Auguste was completely untalented and would never achieve anything in art.”
     

    Do you really think that art school would have made an artist out of you if you had studied there as a child? That's not a fact. The fact is, you're the one who makes the artist out of yourself. That's all. Definitely art school gives you some basic knowledge and skills in using various materials, but it also depends on the teachers: some can inspire a child to create more, while others simply discourage them from drawing. Fortunately, I have been mostly lucky with teachers: at art school (Children's Art School No. 4 “Alexandrino”), at the Art and Aesthetic Lyceum No. 190 on Fontanka, at the Academy (Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design).

    To me, the most important thing about art school is that you practice, that you are surrounded by creativity and people who share your interests from an early age, and that is strength. What subjects did we have in art school?

    Painting, drawing, sculpture and art history. By the way, at children's art school (I studied at the Children's Art School No. 4 “Alexandrino”), we only drew in watercolor. I remember that I first tried tempera, gouache and acrylic paint in grade 8 of the Art Lyceum No. 190. I did my first oil painting in 2011, after graduating from Stieglitz Academy, and I tried professional markers for the first time in 2012 (it was Copic and Promarker, as I still recall).

    “Do you really think that art school would have made an artist out of you if you had studied there as a child? That’s not a fact. The fact is, you’re the one who makes the artist out of yourself. That’s all.”
     

    Do you know what talents are revealed without any art schools? What bright personalities and amazing styles they have! You can start revealing yourself at 30 or even 40/50/80! I recall now how at my Lyceum (Art and Aesthetic Lyceum No. 190 on Fontanka Street 22) there was a termly review of drawing and painting and how everyone gathered around one girl's drawings and everyone was impressed by her work for its originality, creativity and strength, and our drawing teacher, who said: “This is what a child who is not spoiled by art school is like”. By the way, she is now a successful graphic artist and book illustrator.

     

    2. “I'm afraid it's too late for me to start.”

    This is probably the number two fear in terms of frequency. It's a waste of time to think, “Oh, my time is gone, my parents didn't send me to art school as I was a child, now it's too late, I'm already 30/40/70 (insert your own) years old and time is lost, opportunities are lost...”

    Of course, it's late, you're not 7 years old enough to enter a children's art school (by the way, I was accepted at 6; as always, I was the youngest everywhere: in art school, school, lyceum, university). Many of today's most famous artists started their careers in their 30s, 40s and later. Take Van Gogh for example, he started at almost 30 and created an incredible number of paintings in less than 10 years, a real legacy to the entire art world. And you're still wondering, "Is it too late to start?"

    “It’s never too late to learn, it’s never too late to start drawing.”
     

    I'm a little surprised by the comments "You draw so beautifully, I wish I could draw like you" or "I'll never learn to draw like you", and there are always ellipses at the end. I can't really understand people like that, why should they draw like me when they can express their individuality? Sure, copying is useful (especially the old masters) for training your hand and mastering your technique, but you have your own style, which you need to reveal and develop. Perhaps, sometimes you're just too lazy to spend time drawing and fill those minutes and hours when you could have been drawing by falling down the rabbit hole of social media, losing an hour or so there every day. Start drawing instead, you won't miss anything crucial if you don't look at the newsfeed. The key is to devote your time to drawing, you know? Take your time. Regularly.

    You should take a sheet of paper and a pencil and immerse yourself in a different state, a state of art and creativity, rather than consuming an endless stream of information. Why draw like any other artist? Why be like him or her? It feels like something out of adolescence when you want to be like a certain actress or singer. Being yourself is the most interesting thing. Anyway, one day you will miss the real you and “come back” to yourself.

    “The key is to devote your time to drawing, you know? Take your time. Regularly.”
     

    I started drawing before I could talk. Just imagine what it would be like if you drew so much. For as long as I can remember, I have been drawing all the time, drawing when I felt bad or sad, drawing when I felt good or happy, drawing at art school, drawing in chemistry and physics classes, drawing when I was on the road. And there have been times in my life when I haven't touched a pencil or paper for a month or even two or three months (which happened, by the way, only after I graduated from Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design) and I have focused entirely on interior design, on drafting or on 3D MAX. It used to literally get me down, physically and emotionally. However, when I feel really down, I start drawing and things gradually get better, that's the magic.

     

    3. “I'm afraid I've forgotten how to draw.”

    It is even harder mentally to go back to drawing than to start. The beginner's advantage is that they progress quickly and see their instant growth. But coming back is much more difficult because you used to draw really well, perhaps even went to art school, you were praised, admired and applauded as a talented child, and then, when you come back to drawing after such a "long break" (sometimes several decades), of course, you get enormous self-doubt. Trust me, all artists have a “fear of coming back” to drawing, and I am no exception. And the longer the period of "not drawing", the harder it is.

    “And you have that chill all over the skin and a thought flashes through your mind: “Oh, is my talent really lost?!””
     

    Here's a vivid example from my life, which I would call "The triumphant comeback after summer to painting classes at the Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design”:

    Oh, those summer days, the long summer holidays, two whole months, during which not many of students took up paints and brushes, except for pencil sketches and the occasional “scribble”.

    And then, in early autumn, you go to your first painting class, confident, satisfied, full of energy, rested and tanned. They put on a beautiful performance with a model and draperies; you take up the brush to create a masterpiece and in the first minute you realize that the brush is somehow strange to hold and you get scared, scared of the feeling that you have forgotten how to paint. And you have that chill all over the skin and a thought flashes through your mind: “Oh, is my talent really lost over the summer?!” And such a chill runs down your spine and a thought flashes through your head: “Oh, is my talent lost over the summer?!” You start to panic, lose your heart in frustration, and nothing seems to be working out. You can barely draw before the break and as the new class starts, you muster up the courage to ask your groupmates, “Guys, am I the only one who feels like I've lost the painting skills over the summer?” And you hear the relieved exclamations and giggles around you: “Huh, I thought it was just me!”, “Yeah, it's me too!” It makes you feel better immediately, and by the end of the second class the brush is running faster and faster across the sheet, the strokes are becoming more agile and confident; the ‘talent seems to be returning”.

     

    What is the lesson here? Well, it is important to go back, it is important to start drawing again, to just start, to take the first step and to do it without criticism, without self-condemnation. Indeed, this is always the hardest part, but afterwards it will immediately get easier and you will be surprised to notice how quickly your rusty wheel of creativity speeds up.

    “All artists have a fear of coming back to drawing. And the longer the period of “not drawing”, the harder it is.”
     

    My God, there are so many fears and doubts like this:

    The fear that ‘it's not time yet”, the fear-excuse “later, later, when we move in / when my daughter passes her exams / when summer comes and I start drawing”, etc. Fear of comparison and judgment from others is also highly popular. There's one answer to all these fears, and it's both simple and complex - just start drawing and never stop at the first failure. Just keep doing it all the time.

    It's really dangerous to put creativity “on hold”, to put your interests and yourself on hold because the further and longer you put it off, the weaker your belief in yourself gets, but the stronger your fear becomes and the harder it will be to overcome later.

    “There’s one answer to all these fears, and it’s both simple and complex - just start drawing and never stop at the first failure. Just keep doing it all the time.”
     

    One last point I want to make in this blog post:

    Every aspiring sketcher has his or her strengths. Everyone does. The challenge is to develop them. One has a natural talent for painting in watercolor. How many times have I noticed among my students that even if a person has never painted in watercolor before, when they do their first work in watercolor, it is obvious that they have a good feel for the proportions of water and paint and feel this technique instinctively. In others, I've often noticed an amazing sense of color and coloristics. Perhaps you have a special talent for composition, don't you? And what about your innate sense of proportion? Otherwise, you may be a hidden master of watercolor or markers. 

    You will never know until you try! Reveal yourself, explore yourself! If you're afraid that you don't have any of that and still suffer from not having an academic education, try to look at your situation from a new perspective: you are not "spoiled" by art school or any other educational system, you are an individual, you are a natural genius. Not having an academic education can also be a strength, depending on how you look at it.

    I just recalled the words of my favorite Dali: 

    “Even at an early age, I acquired the vicious habit of thinking of myself as different from everyone else and behaving differently from other mortals. It turned out to be a gold mine!”
    — Salvador Dali
     

    Creativity shows your identity, your uniqueness. No one will ever draw like you. It's definitely good to copy the masters, to know the techniques, to be surrounded by other creative individuals - that's what classical art education is all about, and that's its strength. The most important thing is not to think about what you've missed or what opportunities you've lost in your life at the moment, but to focus on all the wonderful things you have to discover and learn! Especially nowadays it's so easy to do and you are well aware of it: how many courses both offline and online exist, how many master classes, drawing challenges and contests are held! Get involved in all this! Immerse yourself in creativity.

    By the way, join my Free Perspective Drawing Challenge: here

    “Every aspiring sketcher has his or her strengths. Everyone does. The challenge is to reveal them.”
     

    It’s important for you to discover your uniqueness, to be who you are by nature, to develop the things that are in you and above all you need to stop focusing on this thought that keeps replaying in your head: “Why didn't I start studying earlier? Why didn't my parents enroll me in an art school? Why did I decide to enter the wrong university? Why? Why? Why?” Just change your mind and allow for another thought: "Maybe it's all for the best? Is it even better for me?" And once you have that idea and mindset, attend courses, read art books, join marathons and master classes. Certainly, you don't want to find yourself at the end of your life as someone who has buried their talents in the ground and never used them.

    What fears do you have about drawing? What do you think about this post, was it relevant to you, what ideas and thoughts have you come up with? Please share in the comments below, it will be useful to all of us.

     

    P.S. If you liked and found this blog post useful, please share it with your friends on Instagram or Facebook. Thanks a lot!

     

    © Olga Sorokina

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    8 ideas to sketch more often and make your 2023 even more creative

    ,

    Happy New Year, my dear Creatives!

    I know a lot of you wrote your goals and aspirations for the New Year.

    But have you set your goals in Sketching?

    As for me, I plan to upgrade my skills in watercolour portraits and oil painting.

     

    Here are a couple of sketch ideas to enrich your (and mine!) 2023:

    1. Get yourself a new tiny sketchbook (appx the size of your hand) and make a new habit to take it wherever you go (with a pencil of cause!). You never know when inspiration will find you

    2. Take your sketchbook and draw from a cafe

    3. Draw from a new place for you and optionally experiment with your technique (for me it was drawing from a beach today)

    4. Join any free sketching challenge or set it up yourself (Wanna try "sketch a day" for 30 days?) Here for instance you can draw your life for 5 min a day: be that a cup of tea, a car, your hand, or anything that surrounds you

    5. Read a book on sketching/drawing (here is my blog article on top 5 books on perspective drawing)

    6. Go to a class on drawing from a live model

    7. Go en pleinair

    8. Take a course on sketching

     

    I talk more about introducing more creativity and sketching into your daily life in my latest Instagram live stream: link

    P.S. If you enjoyed this article, please share it, that would mean the world to me.


    © Olga Sorokina

    read more from my blog:

    What is sketching and the 4 most popular types of it

    Your # 1 Online Course Which Teaches

    All the Basic Techniques You Need to Implement Sketching in Your Interior Design Practice

    what is sketching in drawing
    what are the different types of sketch

    In this blog post, I will explain what sketching is and what are its five most popular types.

    P.S. I took this text from my book “The SKETCH“.

    You can listen to this article in audio format

    (12 min)

    What is sketching?

    Basically, it is about making a quick drawing, a study, which helps you to represent a design idea. And it has a plethora of applications:

    Travel sketching (or sometimes city or urban sketching): expressive, energetic, and usually speedy drawings of architectural details, city views, restaurants, etc.

    It can be made both in the open air (“pleinair” in French) and working from your memory – recollections of your trip when you are back at home, or using photos and creating compositions out of them. It includes “cafe sketching” as well.

    Fashion sketching: people, fashion-looks, and accessories. It is used mainly for illustrations or magazines, e.g., for brand promotion. It helps designers during the first stages of the creation of their collections and helps to introduce changes.

    Industrial Design sketching: probably the most known and popular branch of sketching. Obviously, it was created by industrial designers; a good example is car sketching. In this case, all sketches are made with great speed and confidence.

    The type of sketching I teach my students via online courses, Instagram Lives, and YouTube tutorials is a little different, it’s an interior design sketching, and we usually start by creating a precise measured perspective with the help of scale rulers. This is followed by freehand rendering, which may take 1-2 hours, and for this stage, we will be using markers. Once you have mastered the construction technique, you will develop the ability to produce quick freehand sketches of interiors.

    1 point perspective drawing
    “Sketching is a fantastic skill that lets you transfer your design idea onto paper in the most fun, fast and effective way.”
     
    marker interior sketch restaurant
     

    Sketching is a fantastic skill that lets you transfer your design idea onto paper in the most fun, fast and effective way. In other words, sketching is a unique instrument for visualizing your concepts. Nowadays, it is associated mostly with such media as specialized professional markers, for example, Copic, Stylefile, Chartpak, Promarkers, ZIG, etc. Sketching “palette” is vast and versatile: you can start from scratch by using a pencil, charcoal, or black liner and end up by using different types of colouring techniques, for instance, watercolour, coloured ink and pastel or watercolour pencils. It is possible to mix various media, for example, markers + pastel or watercolour + coloured pencils. There are so many creative opportunities for you to test and explore! It is a good idea to try several and pick a couple of “favourites”.

    Illustration from my book “The SKETCH. Interior Design Drawing“

    Illustration from my book “The SKETCH. Interior Design Drawing“

     

    A range of this kind of media in the art-shops can impress and confuse at the same time. But don’t worry, my friends, in this article on my blog I recommend you a nice and compact set of marker colours, which I use most of the time. But why do I recommend markers? In my opinion, markers are the most easy-to-learn-how-to-use and easy to implement technique for beginners (especially in comparison to watercolour) and, at the same time, sketches which are done with markers usually look more vibrant. As a matter of fact, in my interior design practice, I used to use watercolour and coloured pencils for my drawings, whereas now I opted for markers only because I simply see how much better they perform on paper for interior design purposes.

    How do I start sketching with markers

    GET MY FREE PDF "MUST-HAVE MATERIALS FOR INTERIOR SKETCHING",

    ENTER YOUR NAME AND EMAIL HERE:

    The reason why sketching became so popular today among designers of all kinds not only in Russia, Europe, the USA, Asia, and the rest of the world is that artists nowadays tend to be overwhelmed by computer programs such as CAD, Revit, Sketchup, 3D Max, and Maya. In the old days, artists were earning their bread by, literally, their hands, and now they are desperately wishing to go back in time when ideas were transferred through hand drawing, which is far more natural and organic way of doing it.

    Take a look at what is happening right now in our creative lives: we rarely, if ever, write with a pen, and mostly type on a computer, iPad or iPhone. We do not send handwritten letters and cards anymore – the epistolary genre is almost gone for good – and even our thoughts and ideas we capture in “Notes” on our iPhones. It seems that we have forgotten the meaning of “handmade”, handcrafted, which is precious because in creating it, you include a piece of your heart, love, and memories. Do you remember what we were told as children: “The best present is the one that is made by hands”. There is a profound meaning in that.

    Just observe that we no longer “create” on paper but “work” on a computer, in Photoshop, Word, or AutoCAD. The words we use, especially verbs, bear deep meaning. With that in mind, ask yourself, is it better to render or to hand-render; to work or to create? They say that 3D Max was invented by those who can not draw. Clearly, there is a number of advantages in using 3D and computer-generated imagery, I used it myself a lot back in the days, but let us not lose the command of our hands and the link between the brain and the heart that hand drawing fosters.

     

    4 main types of sketching 

    As I mentioned before, there are different types of sketching, and here I would like to talk about each one in a little bit more depths. Let’s take a quick look at the main features of the most popular of them by splitting them into key concepts and keywords.

    1. Interior sketching

    For this kind of sketching, it is highly important to understand the laws of perspective and train your eye to judge scale and proportion. It is always good to be able to execute your drawings within different time frames because sometimes you will need to draw your idea quickly in front of your customer. As an interior designer, you should have an eye for beauty, a feeling for harmonious colours, and a perfect palette. And, as in other types of sketching, you should be able to render a variety of materials such as fabric, wood, stone, and glass. Check my video courses on interior design drawing.

    Interior drawing from my ecourse PRO. Check other sketches here.

    Interior drawing from my ecourse PRO. Check other sketches here.

     

    2. Fashion sketching

    For this type of sketching, it is crucial to have a good understanding of human proportions (face and body). You should know how to stylize figures in your drawings. More often than not, body proportions are elongated in fashion sketching. For example, the total height of the human body in fashion sketching is 10, 11, or even 12 times the height of a human head as opposed to real-life proportions of only 7.5 to 8 heights of a human head. The most important aspect of fashion sketching is to be able to capture a design idea in the best possible light. Hence a facial-portrayal of a human figure is usually not significant. In this case, it is critical to be able to deliver the idea of the designed collection to the best advantage. In fashion sketching, it is essential to bring the clothing design into focus, and a life-like portrayal of the figure is usually unimportant. You will also need to know how to convey through hand-render the look and feel of such materials and textures as skin, hair, different types of fabric, metal, etc.

    top fashion sketch artist.png
     

    3. Industrial sketching

    You will need the ability to draw objects in 3D, clearly showing their structural design and volume. To be able to render a professionally looking arrangement of component part on a piece of paper, you will need a firm grasp of the principles of composition. You will also need to perfect your technique and speed in order to develop an assured line and confident hand. The most common materials that need rendering in industrial sketching are metal, plastic, and glass.

    What are the different types of sketch car sketching
     

    4. Travel sketching

    In this type of sketching, the most crucial skill is to manage to convey the feel, the ambience of a place, to capture the flitting moment and, at the same time, to deliver the correct scale and proportions of the object. More often than not, you will also need to be able to perform at high speed, as you will be sketching while travelling, while on the road, when you do not have several hours at your disposal the way it would have been the case with "plein air" sketching. In this type of sketching, it is important to grasp the intrinsic traits of the place you are observing and afterwards graphically stylize it in your drawing.

    Check the process of creation of this sketch on my YouTube here.

    Check the process of creation of this sketch on my YouTube here.

     

    P.S. I hope you enjoyed this article, let me know what is your favourite type of sketching in the comments below. Please share this article with your friends on social media. Thanks in advance!

     

    © Olga Sorokina, 2021

    "BASE": a Course Which Teaches All the Basic Techniques You Need to Implement Sketching in Your Interior Design Practice

    (For Interior Designers & Architects)

     
    interior sketching olga sorokina.jpg

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