Germany (Mainz)

Jenny Adam

Jenny Adam (*1986, Germany) is a Product designer & Illustrator based in Hamburg. While studying in Barcelona, she discovered Urban Sketchers and has enjoyed drawing together and sharing her sketching experience ever since. She co-founded the USk Rheinmain chapter in 2013 and hosted the first german national meeting of USk in 2015 in Darmstadt. She has curated, organized and participated in many Urban Sketching events, including exhibitions and workshops in Germany and abroad.
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Workshop 3 (German): September 18, 09:00-12:00
Workshop 9 (German): September 19, 09:00-12:00
Making your mark – Bright colors and bold shapes with acrylic markers

In this workshop, we will focus on using a new material: Acrylic markers. We will apply them to Urban Sketching and use them to our advantage, creating bold and beautiful sketches in the process.

In contrast to watercolours, acrylic markers are not transparent but opaque, which means you can work light over dark, and cover up marks you already made. Also, the texture of the paint flowing from the tip is thicker, and matte, and creates uniform color in line and shape, which makes for an interesting, graphic approach- Your drawings might even look like screenprints!

We will start by getting to know our new medium and go through simple drawing exercises that help us make the most of the marker: thinking about shapes, masses and how to loosen up our linework through blind contour and broken line drawing. Think less is more! Next, we will study and define light and dark areas in our sketch and sketch them in monochrome. Then in later exercises, we will create evocative sketches with a limited, abstracted color palette where we emphasize value rather than color.

Learning goals:
  • Understand how acrylic markers work and become confident in their use
  • Loosen up lines and focus on shapes
  • Create high-contrast drawings through an emphasis on value
  • Create bold and atmospheric colour drawings using a limited palette and abstract color schemes.