I mentioned the act of observation in the previous chapter as
the most important part in sketching. Here I would like to reem-
phasize it. A good sketch begins with careful observation and
creative seeing. Creative seeing has to do with learning how to
isolate things. Earnest Watson said in his bookTheArtofPencil
Sketchingthat “in pencil drawing ,one always avoids any leaning
toward photographic simulation.” How true that is. Sketching is
about capturing the essence of the real thing. A sketch repre-
sents a new language ,very much like a shorthand that records
the real thing with abbreviated symbols of lines and textures.
Creative seeing is about finding the prominent feature ,showcas-
ing it ,and discarding the rest. It is about capturing the skeletal
structure and the spirit that transcends it. Surely ,the real
thing can be a disorganized mess, but a good sketch knows what
to discard.Composition is part of the entire creative seeing process. It
involves visual selection, visual ranking, and visual focus. Perhaps
we know what to discard, but what do we do with the items that
we keep? How do we rank them in the order that we want to
emphasize them in a sketch? For example, should the focus be on
the doorway or the windows? How do we isolate the point of
interest and use contrast to highlight the importance? How do we
balance tone and value, and how do we frame the sketch in order
to visually lead the viewers into the picture? By addressing these
questions successfully, a good composition has the rare ability to
unite the artist and viewer both visually and emotionally.COMPOSITION
Nagoya Castle, Japan; 314 pencil