San José, USA

Uma Kelkar

Uma Kelkar, was born and brought up in Pune, India but has lived in San Jose, USA for the past 20 years. She is a watercolor painter, as well as an urban sketcher who sketches in ink, gouache and on the iPad. She has taught at Urban Sketchers International Symposia (2017, 2018, 2019) and is author of the “Urban Sketching Handbook” for the iPad. She believes heavily in cross-pollination and borrowing ideas from various fields to improve sketching. She is an engineer by profession. She volunteered as Secretary on the Executive Board of Urban Sketchers from Aug 2019 to July 2022.

Website | Instagram
Workshop Language: English



Thumbnailing as a Composition Tool (with directwatercolor)

Thumbnailing is often demoted to being a beginner’s tool. This workshop will revive its use for you as problem solving tool. Flow and learnings from this workshop:

Exercise 1: Uma will show her method of going from large shapes to details shapes using thumbnails. We will make a string of 16 thumbnails of 360’ view from one spot initially in shades of black, followed by 1–2 colors.
You will learn how to:
  • Control consistency of pigment for direct watercolor thumbnails.
  • See big shapes and decide which shapes to keep.
  • Trust the process by practicing and seeing gems in the 16 thumbnails.
Exercise 2: We will walk to a new spot to repeat 4 slightly larger thumbnails that are approximately postcard size (150 mm x 100 mm). Using full color palette and directwatercolor.
You will learn:
  • how to insert interest into large shapes that appear static.
  • how to insert interest into large shapes while moving them into focus or out of focus.
Exercise 3: We will elevate a postcard size thumbnail to a more finished sketch still using directwatercolor.
  • You will learn that fleshed out thumbnails fit the space between a very rough idea and a very finished fine art piece, while still relaying enough story.
  • You will hear from Uma how to take the semi-finished wet on wet thumbnail sketches and combine into a page for urban sketching reportage.
Material:
  • Watercolors, limited palette preferred, tube paints (no cakes)
  • Brushes: medium round (size 10 or 12) and a small round brush (size 2). Uma will use “mop” brushes or “wash” brushes. The size for the mop brushes is #2 for the medium and #0 for the smallest.
  • Tube of white watercolor/gouache
  • Watercolor sketchbook, marker, stool, and a light pack as we will move a lot in this workshop