Capturing details in the dark

 

During an urban sketching class recently, a student asked me how to capture all the tiny details within a building or in the dark. I told him that I don't see the details as object. Rather, I see them as small random shapes. And I only draw the shapes I see. I don't try to define the objects because I can't really see what those objects are, visually. Just draw the shapes. And I colour everything else dark. In this case, I intensified the dark, giving it more contrast. This results in a more graphic look, which I personally like. This is a technique I'd use for when I'm drawing backgrounds for comics. What I learn in urban sketching helps me draw better scenes for comics.

Here is a video on how I did it: https://youtu.be/DI4FsO0Hp6o?si=ikt8D0B1C3VkDW58