Last week I did a sketch at Cabela’s outfitters. My mom was looking at some clothes and I wanted to pass a little time. I chose to sit at the cafe area and work on my one-point perspective skills. I used a pencil to sketch in a few parallel lines and find my eye-level line, then I began sketching in the display racks in front of me, the floor, the pillars and items for sale. At first it wasn’t coming together well and I had to make a couple adjustments in my lines. I inked it in, then began to add washes of light color. After they dried, I passed over it again, deepening values. An employee came by and asked me what I was doing, so I told him “Sketching” and showed him my work. He wanted to know why I was doing this. I described my sketching classes and how I wanted to create another example of perspective to show them, plus I was waiting for my mom. He worked in the archery section and knew all about people waiting for other people while they went to the gun shop, so he seemed satisfied with my answer. Once I got home, I deepened values a little more, went back with my pen to accentuate a few more details and added the splatter paint. I have learned many times as an artist that sometimes you have to push through, even if a painting or drawing looks like a train wreck. Often with a little work, you can save it and get it to a place where you are satisfied. But it’s the pushing through “the ugly time” that is hard, when your instinct is to quit and trash it. I pushed through and got a sketch I am happy with!
Cabela’s
