Add people to your sketches.

Including people in your sketches adds interest and perspective, and it turns it into a story – it is quite simple and they don’t have to be portraits. Check this sketch I did of a road we walked often near our home in France. The first is without a person, then I added a person and it changes it, I think for the better.

Like many of us sketchers, I avoided sketching people because… well they did not turn out like a photograph of them. Sketch them looking away and you won’t have to worry about getting the face exact, it also ads a bit mystery as they are sharing the view with you. Next I learned a four step way to easily sketch a person.

It is really quite easy, give it a try.

This also works in photographs. If you follow this blog you know that I am not at all a fan of selfies, or people posed in front of someplace. But people in photos that are part of the story, or the action, can make the photo more interesting, just as it does a sketch.

Here is a photo Tricia took of Gull Rock with me painting, and one where I cropped me out of it. The photo without me in it is a beautiful photo of that wild water and rock, but the one with me in it adds interest and tells a story. Tricia does this well, though I am not sure of her choice for a model.

Another blogger who makes good use of selectively including people is Grand Misadventures. Check out this recent post of a hike they did, notice how in many of the photos including people told a story, and helped us understand the size. None were staged, just using people as part of what was happening.

Practice sketching people using the simple formula, and soon it will be easy too add them into your sketches, have fun.