Summer Sketching



Our annual summer camping trip is always a good time for sketching and creative ideas. I’m not sure exactly why that is - different setting? Outdoor living? No household chores? Feeling more relaxed?

This year I filled almost a whole sketchbook, and just loved how comfortable it became to put pencil to paper. (I find that drawing can feel a bit daunting if I’ve procrastinated about it for a while).



I try not to set high expectations for my summer sketching, but do like to have a few ideas to pursue in my sketchbook. I don’t set out to make my sketchbook a finished work of art - it much more about capturing and exploring ideas for me, so I’m ok if it gets quite Scribbly.

Here are a few ‘wins’ from my two weeks of sketching:

  • feeling comfortable in my sketchbook

     

  • Finding sketching a relaxing thing to do

  • Getting comfortable all over again with drawing children in all kinds of activities

  • Filling pages with small drawings that will feed into illustration work throughout the year

  • Finding pages and pages of new quilt ideas spilling out of my pencil and onto paper (I can be making quilts for years from these drawings)


Here’s what I took this year, as far as art supplies go:

my eucalyptus sketchbook

A pencil pouch with Blackwing pencil

A travel watercolour set

A water filled paint brush (Pentel)

A colour pencil

A pencil sharpener that catches the shavings

White gouache

A block of watercolour paper

Two extra paintbrushes (not used)

I really liked how compact this ‘kit’ was. (I love to travel light).The water filled brush was just perfect, eliminating the need for a jar of water, and a flat surface to work on. And if we were heading out and about, I could also just grab the sketchbook with attached pencil pouch.I share my summer sketching in more detail in thisvideo.