For the last class with my Crealde Urban Sketching students I often take them to Baldwin Park Dog Park. At Crealde I do an in depth lesson on how to draw dogs doing lots of sketched on the chalk board.
Once My students are warmed up and have enough dog sketches under their belts, we head over to Baldwin Park which is a short drive away.
Once in the dog park I do a quick demo showing that the dogs are not the biggest focus of the sketch. Instead the focus it the large trees and the far shore of the lake. People and dogs are scattered throughout but they are tiny compared to the expanse around them. On this day there was an orange utility fence blocking dogs access to the lake.
I work on the demo I sketch I started but walk around and share each stage of the sketch and offer each student thumbnails to show how I might tackle the scene they are sketching. By this class I know what level of finish each student will bring to their work I encourage them on their journey.