Description

How do you tell a good story with limited time and tools while drawing in a busy place? In this workshop, instructor Rita Sabler will introduce you to the basic ingredients of a visual story and teach you how to put together one of your own using a simple formula. You will be learning how to capture the essence of what is going on using a handmade accordion sketchbook or a larger sketchbook spread.

Distance to sketching location:
0.2 mile
Average walking time:
4 minutes

Learning Goals

In this workshop, participants will: 

• Get an overview of how urban sketchers can approach visual storytelling in this condensed introduction. A handout outlining the key concepts will be provided.. 
• Understand what makes a visual story
• Learn how to communicate the sense of place and time in drawing
• Choose a protagonist
• Learn one simple formula for choosing what to draw in order to tell a story
• Design and compose your story on a page or concertina

Supply List

• Favorite line making tools: Graphite pencil or black ink pens with waterproof ink (Artist Pitt pen by Faber-Castell or similar)
• Inexpensive sketch pad for quick studies and exercises (Clairefontaine Crok’ Book 8″ x 12″ Sketch Pad or similar)
• A sheet of watercolor paper that could be folded into a concertina (no bigger than 48 cm x 20 cm) or a landscape sketchbook with a double spread of at least 48 cm. Alternatively, students can create a concertina with these dimensions using small sheets of paper following this tutorial
• Pentel Water Brush with large round tip
• Portable watercolor box with lots of surface for mixing and favorite watercolors
• Watercolors (can be purchased in tubes and squeezed into half pans, student grade watercolors are fine)

Optional Supplies

• Color pencils, not watercolor
• Portable sketching stool