I really enjoyed being able to draw from direct observation, as I often find that I work from photographs, which is useful for capturing fleeting moments and lots of detail, but it often doesn’t allow me to capture the depth and atmosphere of the subject. I think that the best thing about drawing from life is you can turn your head or body and actually understand how the volumes, light, and shadows you are looking at work in space. My favourite drawings that I produced on this trip were done in biro pen, as it allowed me focus on capturing the shadows and highlights without being distracted by colour, as I had a limited amount of time, as well as allowing me to easily add in smaller details. I’d definitely like to continue doing more direct observational drawings in my practice as I think I can more easily capture the atmosphere of the subject whereas when I draw from pictures I tend to get caught up with exact accuracies.

I think that doing the 5 minute sketches was beneficial to my drawing practice as it forced me work quickly, to develop an eye for what the important elements are, and capture those in quick gestures, rather than focusing on smaller details, which I often find myself obsessing over being exact and accurate when I’m drawing. It also improves my confidence in my ability to draw free hand without any pre-planning.