10 tips to overcome the fear of drawing in public.

Sketchbooking is a practice in observation and like a drawing gym. So give yourself space to fail and just have fun being an artist. However, some people are shy about sketching in public.

How to draw in the city if you are shy

Sketchbooking is a practice in observation and like a drawing gym. So give yourself space to fail and just have fun being an artist. However, some people are shy about sketching in public.

When I was about 20 I didn’t care so much if people saw me draw. I was thinking this is probably what artists do.  So this made me overcome the shyness back then. But, now I get these thoughts and I hear it from friends and students too. So, I will share some tips to overcome the shyness and get started.

Some of the questions I get are: “What do I do if the person I am sketching discovers that I am drawing them?”  “What if you get people over and they start to talk, and my sketch looks rubbish?” “What do people think about me sitting here?” I will tell you how to avoid this

9 tips to overcome the fear of drawing in public.

  • Find a place where you can sit “hidden” from other peoples eyes.
  • If you sketch a person look to the side of the person and a bit further back and flick your eye back and forward onto the subject. They can’t tell if you are looking at them.
  • Take a photo on your phone so that you can combine it with observing the person directly.
  • Don’t move your head up and down to much, move your eyes instead.
  • Go with a friend or even a small group. You will be less conspicuous and give each other confidence.
  • Set a date specifically for sketching, I usually pick Fridays.
  • Remember that sketching on location isn’t about making real art, it is a time to relax, to feel free and to explore.
  • You don´t have to finish the sketch or painting immediately, You can always add details at home.
    • To draw people – find a cafè at a train station or bus stop. It is a great place to practice movements and what is most important.
    • The last one is wearing a hat and headphones! Thank you, Carolina, for the tip! Please check out her web side yesterdayafte.

     

Here is an article about 4 tips for sketching outside

Sketchbooking is a practice in observation and like a drawing gym. So give yourself space to fail and just have fun being an artist. However, some people are shy about sketching in public. Read more about it here Once a month, a friend and I go somewhere to do some sketching and painting. We found a café that is perfect for sketching people who are walking by and hanging around waiting for a bus or the train. We are inside a cafe in a quiet corner at the window, so people don´t even know we are there.

Sketchbooking is a practice in observation and like a drawing gym. So give yourself space to fail and just have fun being an artist. However, some people are shy about sketching in public.

A place like this is perfect, I had a cup of coffee, relaxed and made a drawing in my little sketchbook from Hahnemühle.

A small sketchbook, watercolors, pen, and pencil are all you need – and perhaps a pencil case or similar to keep it all neat and protect your bag from ink and graphite.

 

Drawing by Cathrine Gilje

sketching in stavanger , read more about urban sketching     sketchbook for urban sketching  Sketchbooki work in public.  read more , mini paint box for watercolor

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If you like this and want to know more about watercolor and art, I am holding some painting retreats in Vence on the Cote dÀzure in France in Mai and October 2021 and you can take my online class on drawing faces.

 

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5 thoughts on “10 tips to overcome the fear of drawing in public.”

  1. What a nice post Magny and great advices! I go sometimes at the cafe’ in a bookstore lots of people there! Usually I am working on something I have already started, but yes when people are passing by and they’re looking at my sketchbook sometimes they smile stop and talk! Another way to avoid talking while sketching is wearing a hat and headphones! 😉 lol

    1. AAAAAAaaa yea! great advice for holding people away using headphones or a hat, and it sounds really nice to bring something you are working on out. Thanks for sharing these experiences it is so useful.

  2. I’ve also found sitting in a corner, or against a wall can give me a good view of the café (or etc. scene) while not allowing people to walk behind me and see what I’m doing in my sketchbook. A bag or a pile of books on the table in front of my sketchbook and mini-paint box also helps hide my artwork. 😉 Great post! Shared it on Twitter…

    1. Thank you so much for sharing your story it is always so interesting to read about what other artists do, it is inspiring ! And thanks a lot for Tweet

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