Live Portrait Sketching: Hand-Drawn Event Art

There's a unique magic in sketching someone live and seeing their face light up. This video captures some of my favorite moments in Vietnam, where I drew portraits of strangers. Their raw, unfiltered reactions are the real treasure and the reason I love what I do.

The moment I decided to start painting portraits live, everything changed for me. Here’s a gouache portrait I created during a live session. It’s not perfect, but it represents a leap of faith and a new chapter in my artistic adventure.

People often tell me I seem bad at live drawing, and maybe they are right sometimes. But with practice, I'm getting better at capturing a person's likeness. This video shows my process of sketching a stranger in a cafe, a reminder that every attempt is a step forward.

I couldn't leave Auroville without sketching this cutie, Maxi. While others were taking photos, I wanted to capture his warm presence with my watercolors. Some moments just deserve to be held on paper, and this was one of them.

A day spent sketching with the Urban Sketchers Bengaluru group. I captured this moment of a man with his cat at Cubbon Park. It’s these quiet, everyday interactions between people and their pets that I love to observe and draw.

I'm not much of a reader, but give me a canvas and I can get lost for hours. Here, I painted a stranger engrossed in his book at the park. It’s fascinating to capture someone so deep in their own world, and I even got to say hello to his dog, Ringo.

Plein air painting isn't just about the art; it's about the connections you make. These kids gathered around me while I was painting, their curiosity and smiles adding so much joy to the process. Their presence was a beautiful reminder of why I do this.

I spent an afternoon painting a cityscape from a friend's rooftop, and his cat, Techno, decided to join in. Having a furry companion watch over my work added a special, comforting vibe to the whole session.

Live painting has been a game changer for me. I used to feel like I was bad at it, but practicing outdoors has helped me understand light, shadow, and color in a new way. It's a magical experience to see your skills grow with every piece.