Outdoor sketching - how and where to start

One of the first things that strikes everyone as soon as they arrive to sketch, is what am I going to draw or paint? In this post I outline 3 things that can help you make a confident start.

We went to Highdown Gardens as a small group and it became very apparent that we had so much to look at and consider, in fact maybe too much! It took us a while to walk round and look at suitable places to sit and draw. This is the actual starting point of outdoor sketching - finding the right spot for you. It may be different for others

Highdown in full spring is so beautiful and also very complex to draw and paint

Part 1

Think of the outdoors as a series of structures/shapes.This will help narrow down your choice of where to sit. Ask the question what interests me out of the following?

1. Large Structures - shapes of trees and shrubs/houses/fields/skies/water (sub group - interesting shapes/connecting shapes/contrast shapes

2. Medium structures - trees in distance/groups of trees/lead in lines such as paths/houses etc in middle ground

3. Small - flowers/up close/branches/people maybe in distance/groups of flowers as a mass shape

Consider also how close you are to what you wish to draw as this will determine what type of distance you want to portray. For example; imagine you are taking a photo of a tree - if you are standing close to the tree you will not get it all in so you move back but find that you can only get a bit more in - the distance you move away from it will give you different view points. Equally if you want to draw flowers you may need to zoom in - just as you would with your phone using the zoom.

In the end the main thing to think about when you go outdoor sketching is - what is it that I like about that tree/that flower/those hills?….

Once you have this in mind you can then set up your equipment and focus only on that. It is a lot easier to blot out everything else around you and focus solely on the one thing rather than be overwhelmed with the whole place.

I went back to Highdown yesterday and it was quite busy, I wandered around where we had previously set up for a little while and decided on a spot in front of a big tree that had some very interesting pinky shadows. I loved the light falling on it, it had interesting multiple branches. Read the next blog post about how it went and what I thought about the end result.

More blog posts to follow about outdoor sketching. If you fancy coming along and are a beginner do join us, all levels are welcome. Benefits? High amount of birdsong and relaxation!

Join us for outdoor sketching! We have a WhatsApp group to join text me on 07779 499294

Jane