Speed and Accuracy
In times of great distress, I don't feel like doing art at all. However, experience informs me that this is yet another trick the brain plays on me. If I start, I'll get into the flow and actually feel better. So far, I have only missed sketching one trip to the LGS (changed bag, brought supplies but no paper). I didn't force myself to draw much when I really did not feel like it, but even a loose doodle or a contour drawing would usually help. Showing up doesn't have to be difficult, but also not as perfunctory as the Duolingo streaks.
With that kind of feeling, I went to yet another sketchwalk. This time we went around a residential area bordering a forest creek, an arguably challenging place to sketch in compared to the ones I attended before. It was a mix of inadequate shade and uneven contour (complete with a pretty steep hike), plus nowhere to sit along the way. Not even low fences or sidewalk pavements. Oh, and the bugs. So many bugs. The sketchers who went down to the creek said the mosquitoes weren't so bad but the ants got into everywhere.
Me?
I like old-style houses more than I do mosquitoes, unfortunately. I stayed a good ten minutes away from the forest, still firmly in urban area.
I did all of my sketches standing. I wouldn't blame the condition for the wonkiness of the resulting sketches. I was actually happy I got pretty quick in capturing the scene so it never get too uncomfortable (around 20-30mins per spread, then I would move). However, I couldn't deny I sometimes envy the more detailed drawings I saw in the throwdowns. Improving accuracy is neat, though I try not to be too hung up on it as it's something that would come as I put in pencil miles. (pen miles?)
Besides, it's kinda refreshing to utilize a completely different style from my studio works. I think. I don't know, sometimes it sounds like I'm coping. Negotiating with your own brain can be very confusing.
I digress.
The last half an hour of the sketchwalk I got invited into the house I sketched. The owner was nice enough to let us sit and chat, so I got to label my works on a proper surface. I'll say, I wouldn't have been able to chat with a random person on the road like this had it not for urban sketching. The friends I invited got to enjoy themselves and make some new friends as well, so all's good.