These three things help The Sneaky Artist to illustrate moments from his daily life.
"Your sketchbook is your tool to observe the world."
That is just one piece of wisdom from our recent demo with The Sneaky Artist, Nishant Jain. Following the release of his book, and subsequent book tour, Nishant met up with Gwartzman's own Jackie G, to talk about his drawing process and pinpoint How to Build a 5-minute Drawing Habit. His number one rule? Be curious.
"When you draw the things you like, it helps you to build the habit", he explained. Flipping through his sketchbook Nishant demonstrated how a sketchbook could be used as a visual diary and to tell a story, simply by directing your attention to a subject of interest. From black ink, to brown, to red, his illustrations span the Vancouver waterfront, greek columns, communal parks, and special moments with his son.
Aside from the imparting genuine excitement and inspiration in attendees, the Sneaky Artist also gave some tangible building blocks to help artists at any stage draw with intention and make it a habit:
- Trust the line
- Focus on the 'why' in your scene
- Use the spiral technique
So what do these mean? Firstly, going in with pen and ink shortens the amount of time needed for each sketch. Its permanence also encourages you to really focus on your subject. Nishant spends no more than 30-45minutes on any given scene. Secondly, when you focus on the 'why' of your scene you create something that is representative of yourself, in that it reflects what caught your eye. This speaks to the things that matter to you, and by choosing to draw areas of your own special interest that spark of joy makes you want to do it all over again. Thirdly, the spiral technique - i.e. drawing in your subject, then working outwards - helps you to focus on the subject while creating a composition around that point of interest.
Nishant explained that giving yourself some creative boundaries, not only makes a simpler travel kit for a daily 5-minute art habit, but also encourages your creativity to push the limit. He often travels with a limited palette: 1 sketchbook, 3 pens (fountain, fineliner, brush pen), and 1 highlight colour. When asked if this would inhibit his ability to create drawings accurately, The Sneaky Artist explained that even if he does not have a particular tool or colour on a given day, using just what he has with him is material enough "to represent that moment as honestly as [he] can do that". As you might notice just taking a peek at his book Make Sneaky Art, even facial details are not the most important to create a memorable scene, but rather, getting to the root of what stokes his interest allows him to represent what is meaningful to him.
Bottom line? Draw what you like; leave out what you don't. The goal is ultimately to enjoy making art, and the rest will follow.
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