Now that I’m participating in The 100 Day Project where I’m focused on 15 minute sketches of buildings, I’ve taken my eye off sketching people – and I miss it.

So last night I went out to dinner, not because I wanted to eat, but because I wanted to sketch a captive audience.

It’s still a little out of season here in the Algarve, so in our little village quite a few of the restaurants aren’t open every day of the week. But just around the corner is Coral, which I’ve been to a few times, and I knew it was open. Because of the lack of competition, Coral was brimming with people, so I had my pick of who to sketch.

Couple eating dinner

I’ve realised that in order to sketch people there has to be something that intrigues me.

In this scene it was that this lady was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and her hair looked like she’d been dragged through the hedge backwards and her dinner companion was engrossed in his phone. Maybe that’s why she has a grumpy look on her face.

I also liked the wall decoration that looked like a bunch of different placemats.

Double Date

These four were sitting directly behind me, and I do love sketching the back of people’s heads, so they were my next “victims”.

In this scene I loved the juxtaposition of the women’s wardrobes. One was in pink scarf and jumper with a red coat handing not the back of her chair, while the other favoured cooler blues. I wondered whether their wardrobe matches their personalities? I also wondered whether the two men were brothers, or at least related.

Why I sketch

I urban sketch to capture a scene and tell a story, and my sketchbooks are a visual reminder of the questions and observations I make.

I don’t sketch expecting anatomical perfection. (I sketch quickly and from life – so perfection is impossible). But as long as my sketches tell a story, then they’re perfect enough for me.

When people look at my sketches, I want their interest to be piqued. They may see a different story within them, and that’s fine. We all view the world differently. You just have to make sure to look up from your phone often enough, to take in your surroundings.

Bonus lunchtime sketch

A couple of days ago we had lunch at Snack Bar Paraíso. On Wednesday’s they serve British-style fish and chips (delicious), and the lady on the next table had a severe pout or severe under-bite. Either way – I had to sketch her.

I also was intrigued by her posture, and how she was sitting side-saddle on her chair.