I recommend drawing while walking as one way to encourage looser, simpler ‘right side of the brain’ sketching. You’re so busy not falling over/wandering into people, while balancing sketchbook/pencil etc, and trying not to be too conspicuous/creepy that the drawing becomes almost automatic! You have to be fast, and make every line count. Pencil seems easiest to use, and having a double ended one gives you a couple of colours to play with (see photo at end for my current favourite kit modification). I can’t manage the watercolour wash while walking, yet, so add this when I get home. Walking’s a fairly receptive action so if you don’t catch the angle of the foot-fall first time, just wait a moment and catch it the next. From the top here’s Jim holding his daughter Anna’s hand, two strangers with dog, late night winter shoppers, three old friends, my mum and dad, and extended family. The only problem (?) is that you’re limited to rear views, unless you can watch them approaching from a fair distance…
Mostly drawing 
That double ended pencil idea is excellent. Never seen that before, which is always a great
Thanks Julian. Wide elastic cloth tape, sewn into a tight tube, turned inside-out; works for pens and all sorts!
Excellent job on the feet — definitely the most difficult part about sketching people from behind! I sketched while participating in the Women’s March in January — easy because we were walking so slowly: http://tina-koyama.blogspot.com/2017/01/seattles-womens-march.html
Love your two-headed colored pencils! Are those Derwent Coloursoft?
– Tina
Great crowd sketches, love the light brush strokes. The pencils are Coloursoft. After lots of experiments I’ve settled on them as they have the best ‘feel’ on the paper, are highly pigmented and don’t smudge.
Well, I say! Now I have no excuse not to get my sketching started again, no amount of exams to study for could prevent me from sketching while walking to the bus or the store… 😀 Excellent sketches, perhaps my favourite is the first one, you have captured the dad looking like he is leaning over to listen to his girl while he is walking with her. Very sensitive.
Yup, no excuses! I like the one of Jim and Anna best too, his slight stoop as he listens to her. Also the minimal colour; I knew when to stop for once!
Great figures…but i don’t think I could draw and walk! Love the first one.
Thanks!
These are lovely, Ed. I like the first one in particular – the slight incline of Jim’s head towards his daughter is very touching and says so much.
Thanks, my favourite too!