Ep 18 - Gone Digital with Rob Sketcherman
In this episode, I speak with Rob Sketcherman (website), an urban sketcher and digital artist in Hong Kong. Rob is popular in the global urban-sketching community for making his work exclusively on the iPad, and for being the host of USk Talks.
Rob’s artistic journey constitutes decisions motivated by both curiosity and pragmatism. It was a combination of curiosity and pragmatism that led him to urban sketching when he was trying to become a better artist, and the same thing led him to the digital medium when he was becoming a better urban sketcher.
Listen on your choice of streaming service
Spotify | Apple | PocketCasts | Google | Web | Gaana | JioSaavn
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the SneakyArt Podcast. I'm your host, Nishant Jain. In today's episode, I am speaking with Rob Sketcherman, an urban-sketcher and digital artist based in Hong Kong. Rob is not just a digital artist but an iPad ninja, able to wield his weapon of choice at a moment's notice, and make colorful, beautiful, expressive depictions of his world. You may also have seen Rob as the host of USk Talks, a weekly live show on Instagram and YouTube from the Urban Sketchers Organization. Here he speaks to other urban sketchers and connects with Urban-Sketching chapters around the world.
I know some artists who make art on the iPad, but Rob is the only artist I know who makes all his art on the iPad. And this is significant. The digital medium allows him several interesting choices at different stages of his work. It makes him a versatile artist, able to set up shop anywhere that he wishes to draw at a moment's notice. It makes his art supply kit compact, irrespective of the size of his canvas or the diversity of "brushes" that he wants to use. For example, he has the freedom, everytime he draws, to go in first with color or with line, to jump between color choices, to switch inking styles and pens. And of course he holds the enormous power that comes with an undo button.
Rob took to urban sketching for a fundamental reason that resonated with me - the desire to become a better artist. And at one point in his journey, he switched completely to digital art.
The practice of digital art is a few decades old, but the ability to create it away from a big screen and a giant CPU under the desk, is a lot more recent. The iPad has been an art-tool for just about than ten years. In this conversation, Rob and I will talk about the start of his relationship with the iPad, how it came to define his art, and how it saved his marriage.
Rob and I recorded this conversation in early March, so - just a heads up - some of our COVID talk is a little dated and not reflective of the current situation.
This episode is important to me because digital art was a crucial part of my learning journey. For a time, I faced obstacles in traditional art - on paper with pen or pencil - that I was unable to overcome. I needed the digital medium as a sort of lab, where I could try different ideas, color techniques, etc in a "safe space", i.e. without the cost of "ruining my drawing". The bonus commentary to this episode will go deeper in this direction, sharing some ideas for how the digital medium is invaluable for traditional artists, and why digital artists also need to practice art in the analog world. You can access that bonus commentary on my BuyMeACoffee page, for which there is a link in the shownotes.
This episode is made possible with the support of my monthly patrons - Anne, Emma, Mark, Marta, Russ, Sanket, Ruth, Becky, Ellen, Santosh, Dinah, Megan, Etienne, Mark, and Marta. I would also like to thank the other listeners who visited my BuyMeACoffee page to buy me coffee, and shared their thoughts about the show. Direct listener support is a win-win. It makes me directly accountable to you, and allows me to focus on the most important thing - making a great show. So if you like this show, if this episode is useful to you, consider buying me a cup of coffee. To do so, use the link in the shownotes, or visit my website - www.sneakyartist.com.
Returning to today's episode, I think we are lucky to be alive at a time when intellectual gatekeeping is on the decline. There are infinite resources to learn all the things in the world, and a lot of great knowledge is completely free. I hope that Rob's journey inspires your own self-education, if you haven't, I hope you pick up an iPad to make some digital art.
05:10 They talk about COVID situation (early March). Rob explains how important the outdoor surroundings are for Hongkongers, because of the small size of the average apartment. Nishant raises the point of how our relation with our local neighborhood changes if our homes are small. They talk about the value of public transport and walkability.
11:15 Formal introduction finally! Nishant explains how the podcast began.
Nishant shares his motivation for this conversation - to use the iPad more for USk.
Rob shares why he started drawing digital art. Discusses the enormous potential and the convenience + economy of space. Rob's discovery of urban-sketching as an art practice came about the same way as Nishant, from simply looking for more things to draw, and trying to become a better artist.
"Nothing has made me open my eyes as much as urban sketching. I think that's one of the greatest gifts we get from doing this."
They talk about the support and openness within the USk community. Being able to ask questions of anybody and learn from anyone's work. Nishant talks about the idea of needing permission from other artists.
23:25 Rob talks about how he got into art and the journey to becoming an urban sketcher.
Being encouraged to draw and observe things, as a child. Learning to draw from comic books. Running a freelance graphic design business.
Learning from various groups and online courses until he ran into urban sketchers. Becoming more observant, more patient, more curious with the practice of urban sketching.
Did Rob immediately enjoy using the iPad? How did he make the jump to digital sketching?
Rob shares the various reasons why he moved to the digital medium, and the reason it finally clicked for him. His experiences with Procreate, and his interactions with the Savage Interactive team at an Apple event. They discuss the simplicity and beauty of this app, which demands only a single one-time payment, and offers incredible updates every year.
44:45 What configs does Rob use on Procreate? Rob talks about canvas size and brushes, keeping in mind that any drawing could become a sale and be printed in all kinds of sizes.
Nishant brings up the value of being able to try things digitally that he wouldn't on paper, saving time and financial investment in different brushes and media.
Nishant asks how Rob convinces hesitant traditional sketchers to try the digital medium, at his workshops. They discuss the various places that the hesitation comes from.
On the realism of drawing on the iPad, and the useful customization options for artists of different styles.
67:50 What does Rob seek when he goes out to draw?
"Sit and observe what's happening, and try to get a feel and essence of that place. Urban sketching also helps you develop a richer memory."
"I find that I love that sense of descending into the flow of the moment... which involves all the senses - what I see, what I hear, what I'm feeling, the emotional feedback... music takes away one aspect of that richness."
Do things change when you draw on commission? They discuss if and how the vision changes, and the style changes, when you draw for someone else?
How does Rob go about making art in protests and large public events where one cannot always be comfortable?
Incorporating factors like the hunt for a story, basic safeguards, capturing the scene without trying to do everything.
"If you could do a line drawing that captures an element of the scene, that is also telling the story."
Nishant adds that the time constraint - needing to draw quickly - is a very powerful educational tool.
Nishant asks if Rob has a strict workflow, or if it's dictated by circumstances and subject.
How does the digital artist learn from traditional urban sketchers? Rob refers to Don Colley's fingerprint touches and how he brought that into the digital field, and the spirit of play.
Nishant adds the importance of not knowing "too much", an element of naivete when entering into something big.
Rob talks about learning from other artist colleagues in the USk community - Shari, Marion Rivollier, Virginia Hein.
93:15 Nishant asks about Rob's experience doing the USk Talk sessions, what he has learned from the experience.
(on USk Talks)
"What I loved was talking to a different sketcher and getting a different perspective every week. The show itself is an hour or so, but the prep is weeks before that. So we're getting into the headspace and subject matter already. If its not a technique based show, it's about the chapter, so that is also very satisfying and fulfilling."
They talk about the diversity of members in the urban sketching community. Rob talks about non-artists who love USk because it's a creative outlet and has a meditative quality.
Non-artists who are sketchers also have a clearer sense of what they want from the exercise, and are - in one sense - the true sketchers. Nishant talks about the goals vs systems-based approach to life and learning.
"Urban sketching is a doorway into art appreciation."
Rob talks about the ripple effect of a pedestrian seeing someone sketch, then looking up to see the scene in a totally new light, with more appreciation. Nishant shares his experience of drawing in rural Wisconsin and showing his work to people who had lived there for many years.
"If you can help someone see their world again, but in a fresh way, that's such a big thing you've given them." - Nishant.
Final question about Rob's youtube channel and upcoming online workshops.
Bonus Commentary
In this one, I will share my experience alternating between digital and traditional media in order to become a better artist. I will also reference Rob’s account, and connect that with other guests who have pursued a similar path of self-education via urban sketching.
Bonus commentaries are free to my monthly patrons. To become a member, and read more details about it, visit here.
Visit Rob's website to find his IG, YouTube and news about upcoming workshops - www.sketcherman.com.