What exactly is sketching?

Before we get into the role of sketching, let’s first define what we are referring to by “sketching.”

Semantics suggest that sketching refers to drawings done quickly. But how quickly is quick, and how slowly is slow? The definitions can be hazy and not black and white. Is sketching all about lines and becomes drawing if you add value? Does adding in the background and a theme disqualify it as a sketch? This is probably not the case. Among Repin and Menzel’s sketches, some had backgrounds and others did not. Wu Daozi’s Birth of Gautama Buddhaand Wu Zhongyuan’s Celestial Beings Worshipping Lao Ziwere all line drawings. Are they sketches or not? Sketching is therefore not easy to define and can’t be quantified in terms of time. In my own experience, life drawing that does not take more than one hour can be considered sketching. Basically, all sketches share one common characteristic – conciseness. It can be described as a sense of relief much like how “swiftly the boat sails past ten thousand mountains” and “soon past Xianyang and on the way to Luoyang” in Tang poems.

速寫到底是指那類畫作呢？

顧名思義，當然是指畫得比較快的那種吧。但是，怎麼樣的算快，怎麼樣的算慢？這種判別有時很困難，不像青菜豆腐般一清二白。淨畫線條好像是速寫，而塗了深淺就是素描？或者上了背景、有了調子的就不算速寫？恐怕不能這樣說。列賓和門采爾的速寫，有的沒有背景、有的就有背景。吳道子的《送子天王圖》、武宗元的《朝元仙仗圖》全是用線，算不算速寫？可見蠻不好下定義的，也很難完全以時間來量化。以我個人經驗來說不超過一個小時的寫生都可算是速寫吧。總之，速寫有其大致的面貌和共同的特徵，那就是：簡潔，就是有種“輕舟已過萬重山”“便下襄陽向洛陽”的痛快之感。

The role of sketching

Before the invention of camera, sketching was the main tool to record life and observation. The great masters have left behind countless breathtaking drawings since the Renaissance. Most of these drawings were studies for original oil paintings and frescoes. Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael in particular produced drawings characterized by having well-defined subjects, distinctive features and smooth lines. These early sketches were all relatively modest in size.

速寫的重要性

自文藝復興以來，有許多大畫家留下不少精采的素描作品，這些素描作品泰半是創作油畫和壁畫的手稿，像達‧芬奇、米開朗基羅和拉菲爾的素描畫稿，都具有主次分明、重點突出、筆法輕鬆流暢的特點，這些畫稿尺寸也都不大，不如說這是早期的速寫。

Rembrandt pioneered the use of sketches to record scenes from everyday life such as people at the bottom of society or country scenery. Etchings, brush and ink were used to create an extensive record of Dutch society at the time.

到倫勃朗，他開始以速寫的方式畫了大量的生活畫面，有的是社會底層人物、有的是農村風景；有的用銅版畫的方式，有的用毛筆、水墨，大量地記錄了當時荷蘭的社會生活。

Rembrandt drawings

The most outstanding practitioners of sketching in 19^thCentury Europe were Menzel of Germany and Repin in Russia. Even today, their lifelike portrayal of the subjects and elegance of technique has few peers in the art world. Back then, the art community lived in an age of geniuses. Serov in Russia, Grigorescu in Romania, Sargent in the U.S., Millet and Lautrec in France, Klimt in Austria and Schiller in Germany were all famed for their sketching and left behind some of the world’s greatest treasures for posterity.

十九世紀歐洲，畫速寫最突出的當然是德國的門采爾和俄國的列賓，他們的速寫以形像準確生動、筆法優美耐看而享譽畫壇至今。那時的繪畫世界真是天才輩出，有如群星燦爛。此時，俄國的謝洛夫，羅馬尼亞的格里高萊斯庫，美國的薩金特，法國的米勒、勞特列克，奧地利、德國的克里姆特和席勒等，都以速寫見長，為後世留下了無可言妙的瑰寶。

Ilya Yefimovich Repin – Studies for Figures on the Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg

The Chinese figure painter Jiang Zhaohe created the large-scale figure painting Refugeesduring the war against Japan’s invasion. The refugees in the drawing were all remodeled based on past sketches and Jiang’s figure paintings in ink were stylistically similar to sketching as well.

中國人物畫家蔣兆和先生，在抗日戰爭時期創作了巨幅的人物畫《流民圖》，其中的難民形象都是在速寫基礎上的再創作，而且，蔣兆和的水墨人物畫就極富速寫趣味。

Refugees by Jiang Zhaohe

Xu Beihong left behind many sketches. The large body of nude sketches he drew during his time as student in France already showed a high level of maturity in technique and composition. The dynamic figure sketches he made in preparation for The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountainsduring his visit to India leaves a particularly strong impression.

徐悲鴻留下不少速寫，在法國求學時期就畫了大量人體速寫，筆法、造型已相當成熟。在去印度訪問時期為創作《愚公移山》而畫的人物動態速寫更是令人印像深刻。

How the Foolish Old Man Moved Mountains by Xu Beihong

China has produced many talented artists in sketching in the past few decades as well. The first among equals was naturally Huang Zhou. Huang’s Man Blowing Suo-naand kneeling Tibetan Girlin the 1950’s touched the hearts of many while Chunlanin the 1960’s became a classic among figure sketches.

中國的速寫畫近幾十年也是人才輩出，高手如雲。這麼多大家中首推黃冑，他五十年的代表作：“吹鎖吶的男子”和跪著的“西藏少女”多麼震撼人心呀，加上他六十年代的“春蘭”，成了人物速寫畫的經典之作。

The traditional emphasis on lines in Chinese painting had a direct influence on sketching by Chinese artists. Many Chinese paintings themselves seem to be a refined form of sketching. Ren Bonian, the great master of Chinese paintings from the late Qing Dynasty was an excellent example of this. Ren’s characters, flowers and birds were unique in their varied poses and different perspectives. The minimalist lines captured the life of the subjects and regardless of their dimensions, the paintings all left the beholder in awe: “These characters, flowers and birds are actually sketches!” The fusion of sketching with rich imaginations can therefore be said to be the aesthetic essence of Chinese paintings.

中國繪畫中以線描為主要方式的傳統直接地影響了中國畫家速寫的面貌。有不少中國畫作品本身就像昇華了的速寫。這裡最值一提的就是清末的國畫大師任伯年，任伯年的人物、花鳥獨樹一幟，人物姿態千變萬化；描寫角度無奇不有；筆法簡練形象生動，畫幅不論大小無不令人驚嘆：這些人物、花鳥就是速寫呀！既有速寫的形貌，又是高度想象力的產物，是中國畫特有的美學結晶。

Chinese painting by Ren Bonian

Why do we need to sketch?

If you practice representational art, if you aspire to create studio paintings based on story telling be it of contemporary or historical themes, sketching skills are key to rendering your imagination on paper or canvas.

Sketching allows ideas to be explored through studies and small drawings without falling into the habit of relying on photos. The large number of pencil sketches drawn by Repin is clear proof of this.

Sketching also trains our reflexes and judgment; it hones the observation of the eyes and drawing skills of the hand as well. Basically, there are just too many benefits to be summarized here.

In the next post, we will discuss how to develop and hone sketching skills.

為什麼要畫速寫？

當今的畫家和年青人鮮少人物畫創作作品，即使有也是照片拼湊和剪輯的畫譯，其生硬、其缺乏想像力是顯而易見的。

很多人不會畫當下社會的人物畫創作，更遑論畫歷史畫創作了。其原因除缺乏理論修養外，也不懂如何取材，如何構思構圖，尤其不會畫草圖，其根源就是少了速寫能力的訓練。

不會畫速寫的人通常不能畫創作草圖，速寫能力好的人可以畫創作草圖。速寫好可以自如地將構思在草圖、小稿中探索出來，是擺脫依賴照片陋習之法寶。我們看到列賓大量的創作鉛筆草圖即為明證。

速寫還可以訓練我們快速反應和判斷的能力；也可以訓練眼和手的觀察與描繪的能力。總之，好處太多太多了。

Study for Oil Painting West Side Evening by Yim Mau-Kun

Studies for Oil Painting Xuanzang by Yim Mau-Kun

Study for Oil Painting Xuanzang by Yim Mau-Kun