Six tips to learn to sketch in public with no fear

Sketching at the Farmer’s market
Nap time
Micron pen in Stillman & Birn Delta Series sketchbook

A quick Google search for “fear of public sketching” yields millions of results. That’s a lot of people afraid to draw in public, and it shouldn’t be that way!

I get it. I’m shy about sketching in front of people I don’t know. Or even those I do know, unless I trust them. Criticism—real, implied, or imagined—isn’t helpful when you’re nakedly displaying your drawing chops for all the world to see.

I’ve been sketching in public for years, and I’m still trying to get over the feeling that people who look at me while I’m painting are grading me or rejecting me. I think it goes back to an old boyfriend who once said, “You’re not going to be one of those artists who draws in public all the time, are you? People will look at you!”

And people do look when you sketch in public. They crane their necks to look at you, stand over you and breathe on you, make comments. It’s disconcerting. But of course they look at you! One of my teachers, David Hardy, once said to me that “people want to watch you create art because they are fascinated and consider you special. You have added to the excitement in their life.”

“People want to watch you create art because they are fascinated and consider you special. You have added to the excitement in their life.” —David Hardy, artist

We don’t often think about how magical it is to watch an artist create. And how much energy we can absorb from the interest of other people.

I’ve been working on solving this problem, because one of the things I really want to be able to do before I die is sketch freely in public, with no shame. If that’s your goal too, here are some suggestions that have helped me.

1. Plan your public sketch trip as if it were an expedition to an exotic country.

Expeditions are hard. They are arduous. They can be dangerous. They are adventure that takes a lot of effort, so think ahead. Select your materials with care. Decide where you’re going (make a map if it helps you). Know how you’ll provide for your basic needs (what you’ll eat, where you’ll be able to go to the bathroom.) Once you’re on your expedition, be curious, look around you, document the expedition with sketches to describe the customs of the natives.

2. Choose public places where you can sketch in obscurity.

At first, it helped me to sketch in large public places like parks, where I could sit on a hillside with my back against some bushes (so no one could creep behind me and look over my shoulder at my drawing). I drew people who were far away, so they didn’t get self conscious that I was drawing them. I could have been drawing them, the view, anything. And I did draw them, the view, anything.

3. Pretend you’ve got no choice.

Once I went to the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass festival armed with a sketchbook and pens. I pretended that I was on assignment for a brutal editor and had to come away with ten sketches. I just didn’t have any choice. I had to do it. The sketches didn’t have to be particularly good, but there had to be 10. That worked for me, as I’m used to deadlines and assignments.

4. Keep it simple.

Don’t try to create a masterpiece. That’s way too much pressure. Draw stick figures if you must. Anyone can draw a stick figure. Try just to get the action or composition down using stick men as shorthand. Stick figures are amusing, and a low commitment for the artist. Later you can hang skin and clothes on the little figures in a place where no one can look over your shoulder and criticize. Same with a landscape. Just try to get the bones of the landscape. Don’t worry about drawing every bush, tree, or leaf.

5. Take some classes to improve your skills.

Sometimes fear is built around a lack of know-how. Even a simple beginner class can increase your confidence.

6. Stop criticizing yourself

Remember that people don’t see your work the way you do. We artists tend to be our worst critics. We see flaws; others see beauty, or effort, or the coolness factor that you’re an artist. They may even be thinking, “gee, I wish I had the courage to do that.”

I hope this helps! Sketching from life is one of the best ways to increase your skills and confidence, and provides a record of your days that can bring back all the sights, sounds, and feelings of times past.

Plus, it’s just darn fun!

Sketching at the Farmer’s market
Dad with baby
Sigma Micron pen in Stillman & Birn Delta Series sketchbook