The students who joined me for my third annual Day of the Dead sketching workshop…
Sketching people in a scene

This sketch was created as part of my demonstration of techniques for improvising a scene by combining elements that are not necessarily visible at the same moment.
The blue wash is the result of my dissolving a couple of tiny figures at the bottom of the page. Then I began again, with two people who were seated in different areas of the market. The whimsical sheep and goat are papier mache creatures hanging from the high ceiling. Signage, a striped awning motif and light fixtures were added, to represent several similar items scattered throughout the market scene.
Drawing people from behind is often advisable, in order to be sneaky, and to avoid having to depict the face.