Urban Sketching using Marc Taro Holmes's Techniques

I have been loving Marc Taro Holmes's Craftsy classes, Sketching People in Motion and Travel Sketching in Mixed Media. I love how he understands the constraints of urban sketching - especially when people are moving, you're on vacation and your family wants to keep moving, etc. To sketch people in motion, Marc teaches us how to capture gestures quickly with pencil and then move onto fountain pens, brush pens, and watercolors. In terms of travel sketching, Marc teaches us to do single line drawings, then 5-7 line drawings (cinq à sept), use shading and brush pens, watercolors, and eventually, watercolors alone. 

I recently practiced these techniques in my hometown, Walnut Creek. 

Liberty Bell Plaza -- Main St. & Mt. Diablo Blvd.

Mt. Diablo Blvd. & Main St.

And practiced these urban sketching techniques using photographs from Sktchy.

I followed Marc's demonstration using watercolors only

I practiced sketching people in motion at Chloe's gymnastic show.