I’ve been crazy busy for weeks with day job work and planning workshops for this year, so it’s high time that I posted a sketch. This was a present for my neighbor –whose house is literally magazine-ready beautiful and all decked out for the holidays–as a way to say thank you.
I quickly fell into a slow and steady pace…it took almost 3 hours for the linework and maybe an hour and a half for the color. Anyone who has taken my workshops knows that I start all my sketches with a simple rectangle, or the “Big Shape.” Here it was the rectangle at the back of the dining room. Next, I locate my vanishing point and eye level, and in three steps, I’ve got everything in place for the entire drawing. I worked in layers going left to right to minimize smearing of my 2B pencil, cleaning up, darkening and correcting lines as I go. Detail comes last. The hardest part? The shape of that table!
It was a lovely, quiet moment during the holidays in which I forgot everything else and just focused on this sketch, calming and restoring my soul.
Want to jump-start your summer sketching? I’m squeezing in another perspective sketching workshop before summer officially hits. Three classes, three Sundays, three kinds of perspective views…and lots of watercolor technique too! Where else will someone diagram for you how perspective works and WHY it works the way it does?! Like I always say, perspective is easy when you know what to look for.
What are these workshops like? This course is a 100% live, interactive 3-part online class taught via Zoom in which you’ll learn by drawing along with me in real time in a small group. Rather like a college class, we’ll take notes and sketch together as I present perspective concepts in a crafted PowerPoint presentation, then we will apply those concepts in a step-by-step sketching demo that we will draw and paint together. Yes, you’ll learn lots about watercolor technique too–it’s really two workshops in one…perspective AND watercolor!! You’ll see me work up close (even better than an in-person workshop), and I’ll answer your questions LIVE. They are geared for any artist or sketcher at any level. OK, some people actually tell me that they are the best classes they have ever taken!!!
Sunday, May 19: Class 1: The Essentials of One-Point Perspective: Creating a Sketching Road Map to Follow Concepts of Perspective, developing the “good bones” of a perspective sketch in 3 simple steps AND Intro to Watercolor using a limited palette
Sunday, May 26: Class 2: Two-Point Perspective: It’s All About How You Sit! View Angles and View Eye Levels, One & two-point perspectives—what’s the difference?
Sunday, June 2: Class 3: Multiple Vanishing Points Streets that twist and turn, stairs and roofs
+ DATES AND TIME Classes are 3 Sundays, May 19, 26, and June 2, 2024 at 9am PDT Seattle time (12noon New York, 6pm London) for 3 weeks. Each class is expected to run about 4 hours long (it goes by very quickly and is PACKED with info.)
+ Total WORKSHOP FEE is US$300.00 Included are 3 jam-packed classes on perspective and watercolor urban sketching with live crits of your work during the classes. Classes will be limited in size to a small group maximum of around 20 so that I can provide individual feedback on your work.
I’ll send scans of the completed demo and sketched diagrams for your reference after each class. You’ll have access to view recordings (not download) on Zoom for one month after the course ends. Information about how to pay, list of supplies, etc. will be emailed to registered participants.
+ HOW TO REGISTER Registration is open now. Please email me at stephaniebower.workshops@gmail.com to sign up or for more information. Thanks so much!
Understanding this above, allows you to accurately sketch this below!
Breakfast in Paris? Oui! There are only a few spots open in my upcoming perspective and watercolor workshop in the dreamy City of Light, and the discount price ends in only 2 days on April 20! If you are interested, information is here.
So why a workshop in this city? I can think of no other city in the world that offers such beautiful and abundant outdoor public parks and spaces (and people use them!), amazing architecture that seems to glow, elegant fountains and glorious details, not to mention incredible food, wine, cheeses, pastries…when Brenda from Studio 56 asked where I wanted to teach, my first choice was THIS city!
Did you notice that in this sketch in the elegant Places des Vosges, the fountain appears as a stack of ellipses, with the shapes above eye level looking different from the shapes below eye level? (There is a free demo of sketching this fountain on Studio 56’s YouTube page.)
This is why I LOVE to teach perspective! I can’t think of anyone else who really explains how and WHY perspective works. Sure, you can draw from profiles and edges, but that doesn’t really tell you about WHY what you see appears the way it does. And amazingly, this is the part that is skipped in most demos!!! This is why I teach perspective, I love seeing when folks finally understand how perspective works… it’s not hard once you know what to look for.
Take a look at this sketch from Amboise…can you tell it has multiple vanishing points? I’ll explain how that works in the Paris workshop!
So join me along the Seine for a toast with french wine, bread and cheese, sketchbooks in hand at all times, for a wonderful 5+ days in one of the most beautiful cities in the world! It will be a blast, and you’ll have so many ah-ha moments! À Bientôt!
GOOD BONES | SAN ANTONIO TX | an Urban Sketching Workshop| April 13-14, 2024
I always say that good sketches start with Good Bones! In this workshop, you’ll learn the simple steps to set up the foundations of a great architectural sketch in perspective and watercolor. How do you start a location sketch? Where is the darn Vanishing Point? Watercolor is too overwhelming! Held in the beautiful and vibrant historic THE PEARL, an award-winning urban development along the famous San Antonio Riverwalk, this workshop offers 1.5 days of instruction in perspective and watercolor location sketching.
Day 1 | FULL DAY | Saturday, April 13 | 9am – 5pm* | Meet in front of Cure by 8:45am
Morning: Introduction to basic watercolor tools and techniques, using a simple palette of colors. Shade/Shadow.
Afternoon: Learn perspective basics and a simple step-by-step process to construct an architectural perspective sketch, how to build the sketch in layers and add architectural watercolor.
* One hour break for lunch.
Day 2 | HALF DAY | Sunday, April 14 | 9am – 1pm| More perspective and watercolor to cement the concepts.
GOOD BONES | SAN ANTONIO is open to 15participants with any level of experience, but it’s targeted to sketchers who want to improve their basic sketching and understanding of perspective and watercolor. We will focus on how to sketch buildings and urban spaces, and The Pearl is the perfect setting!
Workshop Registration opens Friday, February 9 at 12noon CST (San Antonio) (NOTE: as a thank you for following this blog, you have early access to register starting Thursday, February 8 at 12noon CST (San Antonio)
To sign up, contact Stephanie by email at stephaniebower.workshops@gmail.com. The first 15 emails will be accepted—first come, first served. A waiting list will be created in case spots open up.
Workshop fee is $225.00payable by Zelle or check once you are notified via email of a confirmed spot in the workshop. Instructions will be sent to all registered participants.
Cancellation In the unforeseen event the workshop is cancelled, all fees will be reimbursed. If you have to cancel your participation, please contact the instructor by email ASAP. If you cancel after March 15, 0% of workshop fee is reimbursed. A materials supply list and additional information will be emailed to registered participants.
I hope you can join me! Lots to sketch, great setting, great food, great fun!
Yes, back by popular demand (for real!) UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE is a 3-class urban sketching workshop on perspective and watercolor that’s LIVE on Zoom in February. If you have ever feared or faked perspective, or just want to know more about how to paint, this workshop is for you! Info is here.
Hi y’all! Yes, I’m doing another workshop at the fabulous Pearl in San Antonio, TX. Registration is open now, so contact me ASAP at stbower@comcast.net to be pencilled in!
GOOD BONES SAN ANTONIO Texas | Perspective + Watercolor Sketching Workshop March 13-14 + 15, 2020 Good sketches start with Good Bones! In this workshop, you’ll learn the simple steps to set up the foundations of a great architectural sketch in Perspective and Watercolor. How do you start a location sketch? Where is the darn Vanishing Point? Watercolor is too overwhelming!
Held in the amazing historic PEARL DISTRICT along the Riverwalk, this workshop offers 2 full days of instruction. The first day is devoted to learning the fundamentals of on-location perspective through demos and sketching on-site. Day two introduces basic watercolor mixing and techniques. Day 3 is a half day that puts it all together in an open sketch meet up!
GOOD BONES Day 1 | PERSPECTIVE | Friday, March 13 | 9am – 4pm* | Meet in front of Cure We will learn perspective basics and a simple step-by-step process to construct an architectural perspective sketch, how to build the sketch in layers; learn what to look for when sketching perspective on location—how to find your eye level and vanishing points to provide the good bones of any sketch; learn how to measure proportions and relationships of spatial elements. GOOD BONES Day 2 | WATERCOLOR | Saturday, March 14 | 9am – 4pm*· We will learn: an introduction to basic watercolor tools and techniques, using a simple palette of colors; learn how to use watercolor to enhance the sense of architecture and space in your sketches; in the afternoon, put perspective and watercolor together. * One hour break for lunch. GOOD BONES Day 3 | OPEN SKETCHWALK | Sunday, March 15 | 10am – 12:30pm Anyone can join us! An important, optional half day to cement what you’ve learned, joined by other sketchers.
GOOD BONES SAN ANTONIO is open to 15 participants with any level of experience, but it’s targeted to sketchers who want to improve their basic sketching and understanding of perspective and watercolor. Workshop Registration is open now. To sign up, contact Stephanie by email at stbower@comcast.net The first 15 emails will be accepted—first come, first served. A waiting list will be created in case spots open up.
Workshop fee is $250.00 payable by check once you are notified via email of a confirmed spot in the workshop. Cancellation In the unforeseen event the workshop is cancelled, all fees will be reimbursed. If you have to cancel your participation, please contact Stephanie Bower at stbower@comcast.net By February 1, all fees reimbursed; By February 15, 50% of fee reimbursed; After March 1, 0% of workshop fee reimbursed. A materials supply list and additional information will be emailed to registered participants.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This workshop is in a FABULOUS location! The Pearl District in San Antonio is one of the best urban spaces in the country. Beautiful renovated old buildings, farmer’s market, cafes and shops, great tex-mex, interesting architecture, all along the glorious San Antonio Riverwalk. I hope you can join me!!
Drawing Perspectives 