I love summer because I’m always on the go. It’s the best time of year to travel, and I just can’t seem to say no to any outing or adventure that comes my way. Want to take a road trip through the Carolinas, Court? I’m there. A holiday to Chicago? Sign me up. A vacation in California’s wine country? I wish, but yes!
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Pastels, like the ones used to create
Convict Lake by Colleen Howe,
have such rich color and are easy to transport. |
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But with all this moving around, I want to make sure that my sketchbook doesn’t get ignored, so I’ve come up with a few on-the-go sketching and painting strategies that I want to share with you.
A Part, Not the Whole: Even with pastel, I find that I still work pretty slowly. When it comes time for me to set out on my travels, I know that time is going to be of the essence, so my plan is to target one part of the scene instead of hurriedly sketching everything in.
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Pencil sketches and color notes
can allowyou to create art
while traveling.
Artwork by Colleen Howe. |
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For instance, at a roadside fruit stand, I may see bunches of people and dozens of inspiring compositions, but I’m going to focus on just a corner of the action. This way I can make the most of my limited drawing time.
Color Notes: I love sketching with color, so pastel drawing is a great travel option. One of the ways I like to work best is to abstract a scene and just focus on color. This can be a great way to make a sketch for something you might paint later in the studio. It can also stand alone as a fun memento of a time and place that meant something to you.
Different Strokes: Paring down what I work with when I travel means using versatile tools and getting creative about the different strokes I use. I really give my implement a workout. The few tools I bring must allow me to create fine lines and broad strokes, hatching or dotting on my surface, or incorporating wet brush techniques that I only need a single brush and some water to do. For example, wet brushing pastel softens my lines and disperses color in a really subtle way.
Thinking this way has gotten me even more excited about the sights I will see this summer because I’ll have a way to take a little piece of them with me when I leave. But to get ready for this, I want to sharpen my technical abilities so I feel confident about the way I work when I’m on the road. That’s where
The Pastel Emag came in for me. As a resource guide it covers all media and gives instruction for techniques that work great whether you are practicing pastel drawing on vacation or in your studio. And do you have any summer sketch tips to share? Leave a comment and help me add to my list.
