Did you ever wonder, why your observational drawings don't look right? Often, this is because we are not in a suitable viewing mode. In everyday mode, most people cannot see exactly what is really visible in front of them, but they think they see what they know about the object. This can be seen in their drawings.

This course is about ways of seeing ("seeing modes") and how to switch to a suitable mode for drawing. I show you four effective and simple warm-up exercises for drawing from observation. The last exercise is also a technique for "real" urban sketches or travel sketches, a quick approach to drawing everything you see. Even complicated subjects like architecture or people become much easier if you can perceive exactly what is visible in front of you.

I am teaching urban sketching courses in Switzerland since 2011. The exercises in this course are the basic exercises with which I start most of the courses because seeing what is visible (instead of knowing about the object) is the basis for all drawing from observation.

Who should take this course?

This course is suitable for beginners as well as for advanced students with too much routine who want to learn to see again with "beginner's mind".