Drawing people is one of our favorite challenges, and some students take their urban sketching, figure drawing, and portraiture one step further by capturing those around them engaged in their own creative projects. Observing the people around you building, fixing, creating, or tinkering can give you a new understanding of the pieces that make up the fabric of your community. Bob Altwein is a frequent urban and rural sketcher in British Columbia. Bob decided to draw a friend working on an ancient water boiler-turned-kiln, creating a personal and interesting story about Brian, and his work.
Next time you’re out and about with your sketchbook, look for the construction workers across the street, the utility worker scaling a light post, or the farmers in the distance working with heavy machinery. Whoever you see hard at work might make a fantastic subject and provide a better understanding of a trade or craft you might not have appreciated before, and the person behind that practice.
— Morgan Green, Dean of Students
