There is nothing worse than starting a sketch and realizing there is a something wrong with the composition or shading. To avoid this, thumbnail sketches are mainly done to rough out an idea of what the final sketch might look like.
Why makes thumbnail sketches useful?
Help explore multiple ideas quickly.
Give a chance to experiment with different perspectives and techniques.
Serve as a memory aid to remember important features.
Help you place major features like large objects or the horizon.
Help you plan for different colors and textures.
Process:
Draw a box to resemble the format you are going to use.
Imagine the subject of your sketch without any details (try squinting your eyes).
Place an abstract version of the center focus of your sketch.
Add different tones and shading with different hatches (light, middle, dark).
You can also take notes of your observations alongside the sketches.
These thumbnail sketches of the Pantheon in Rome show how different composition, perspective, and shade could be assessed before starting. Although the sketches are small and rough, they represent different line width and shading options.
Thumbnail sketches can be used to compare different views as well. In the following sketches, you can see two compositions labeled as 'left centered' and 'center' at the bottom of the picture with the final sketch attached above.
Stationary:
You can sketch out your thumbnail sketches with basically anything. But, here is a list of my most used pens to plan out my sketches:
From top to bottom:
- Pitt graphite/ Faber-Casttel
- Medium nib fountain pen/ TWSBI ECO
- Fine nib fountain pen/ Lamy Pens
- Black promarker/ Winsor & Newton
Hope that was helpful.
Don't forget to name, sign, and date your work.
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