What helps you simplify a busy life drawing scene into confident lines?

[JoshuaD]

I’ve been trying to sketch more from life lately, but I keep getting stuck on how to simplify a busy scene into just a few confident lines. My sketches end up looking either too cluttered or weirdly empty, and I can’t seem to find that sweet spot. Does anyone else wrestle with this when doing quick observational drawing?

[Daniel_G]

Observational drawing has a way of teaching patience I guess When a scene feels busy I look for the most expressive line and let the rest fall away The mind fills in the gaps and the page breathes

[MilaLH]

From a theory angle you can see a busy scene as a stack of planes and lines If you decide the main shape first the rest becomes a set of choices about whether to echo it or offset it This keeps the sketch legible in observational drawing

[Isabella.W]

I sometimes start by tracing the movement of one eye catching detail The rest then feels optional not a failure The line work carries the mood and people dont notice the small gaps

[Eric_R]

I wonder if the problem is the goal not the method Maybe a busy scene is not meant to be simplified to a few lines It might be about capturing a moment rather than a map of the room

[KennethJ]

Maybe the frame of the task sets expectations If you think of it as a sketch diary rather than a formal image you may not chase perfect clarity The idea becomes about tempo of lines and the feel rather than a clean composition

[JoshuaA]

Try a rapid gesture drill in observational drawing where you draw with your whole arm not wrist The aim is to produce a confident line that can stand in for a shape even when the scene is busy