Outdoor Sketches
The weather shifted a bit this week, trading the frigid wind for hints for sunshine.
In celebration of not having to wear 16 layers to go outside I thought I would take a little sketchbook, a stick of water-soluble graphite and the pup, and head out into nature.
As we were walking in the woods I kept an eye out for interesting forms and textures. Having the dog with me requires I make these sketches quickly, so I worked with mostly blind/semi-blind contours.
I’ll take these back into the studio and add water and color next. Follow me over on instagram to see the final product!
Materials Used:
Sketches from Mackinac
We went up to the Mackinac/Mackinaw area this weekend.
I’ve been wanting to get away for a weekend; to sleep in, see the water, find a diner for some greasy breakfast and explore nature with the pup (And of course, to paint a bit…) so we decided to make the 4 hour drive northward.
I had just gotten a new sketchbook that I was really excited to try out. It’s an accordion fold from Hahnemule with really heavy watercolor paper. It felt a bit like a AAA map from road trips of yesteryear, so I decided to make some contour drawings of the land and use the colors of our drive to be a ‘map’ in another sense.
I also brought along these water-soluble ink blocks from Derwent that I tried out a few weeks ago.
It was a beautiful drive up. Seriously, Michigan is a gorgeous state.
We got in a bit later than planned, so we let the pup walk around and headed straight to dinner. I was hoping to make a few beach-side color studies but had lost all my light. Sketching would have to wait until tomorrow.
Mackinaw City Sunrise.
The next morning I was greeted with a spectacular sunrise and whatever irritation I felt for missing a chance to sketch by the water last night, was totally gone.
Once the sky had lightened enough I gathered my ink blocks, drawing board and a fresh rolled canvas from Fredrix and set up on the chilly, windy beach.
I didn’t exactly dress for the weather, so this was a quick painting session. The Inktense blocks worked beautifully on the canvas (pre-gessoed) allowing me to get the color and motion down in quick strokes.
A new thing I just discovered with the pup; usually I bring back my work to dry on the hotel floor. I can’t do that anymore unless I want to add little paw prints to the design ( paint is definitely not something that should be on dog feet…) so I had to get creative about where to store the wet canvas overnight.
Luckily, there was a perfect sized luggage rack in the cabin’s closet.
We’ll head home in a few days, hoping to get a few more chances to paint along the water - the colors up here are just so incredible.
Hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend!
Supplies for Sketching Outside
Gathering my supplies!
I love working outside. I try to get out in nature to sketch as often as I can (though with our new pup it’s been a little harder to get away recently! ) and I’ve been meaning to check out our local botanical gardens (Matthaei Botanical Gardens) so I thought I might head over there for an afternoon.
When I’m doing little day trips like this I try not to go overboard on bringing supplies and just keep it to what I can carry in one hand + backpack. Especially if I want to walk any trails; carting a lot of paint around can be sloshy, heavy and potentially very, very messy.
Here’s what I’m bringing today;
(Some links below are affiliate links, so if you purchase using that link there’s no additional cost to you, but a little comes back to me to help keep this blog going!)
Paper;
1.) 18 x 24 Strathmore Watercolor paper
2.) 9 x 12 Strathmore Watercolor paper
3.) 4 x 12 Watercolor sketchbook
4.) 9 x 12 Watercolor sketchbook
I bring multiple sizes of paper and sketchbooks so I can work quickly, moving from page to page as the previous one dries.
Tools;
1.) Lyra Watersoluble Graphite (9B)
3.) Caran D’ache Watersoluble pastels
4.) Zen Art Black Tulip Watercolor Brushes (faux-squirrel)
5.) Empty water containers x2 (recycled from Sunbasket delivery)
On little outdoor adventures like this, I don’t bring any liquid paint. Just the watersoluble graphite and pastels, which apply dry and when water is added they become watercolor-esque.
Extras;
1.) Caftan throw (for sitting on, or shielding from sun)
2.) Sudio Earphones (bluetooth headphones for maximum concentration!)
I ADORE these earphones. I talk a bit more about them on my instagram story, but these have been a staple in my bag for the last few months. I always forget to plug in blue tooth headphones, resulting in dead batteries and no music. I’ve had to plug these in twice since getting them and they are still full battery. Small and super comfortable to wear, they go with me everywhere now. AND! If you want to try a pair for yourself, use code: ellenthelemon to get 15% off your order!
Not-pictured;
1.) Sunscreen
2.) Waterbottle
All the supplies fit!
Everything is coming with me - except the pup. The botanical gardens do not allow the doggos.
I walked for a bit before I found an area a little ways off the trail, with some shade (because I burn SO fast…) and some grass to lay out drying work.
I like to sit in the space for a few minutes first, take in the smells, sounds and try to connect with the moments I want to sketch. For today I mostly focused on the reflections in the water, the ripples made by passing turtles and the way the sunlight sparked along the edges of the pond.
First I made a few color swatches, mixing and matching the water-soluble pastels to align with the colors of the pond. A note here - try not to let the pastels be in full sun for long, they tend to get soft and can break easily. I usually pull out a few to work with, then put them back in their tin inside my bag, rotating through so none get too damaged by the heat.
Onto the big paper!
I use my headphones outside to keep me focused, but I don’t play loud music. I love to hear the birds, the frogs in the water, the sound of the wind in the trees - but could do without the noise from the parking lot. When I’m working outside I play the same thing on repeat; just loud enough to direct my thoughts but quiet enough to still hear nature. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (just the peaceful songs, I made a playlist without the fight tracks) is my old faithful.
I made a few more sketches, a few more contour studies and then packed up for the afternoon and headed home.
I wanted to make it over to the conservatory - but that will have to wait, it’s time to walk the pup <3
Baltic Adventure Part 3; Sketching in a Tallinn Courtyard
Tallinn is amazing. The old city is gorgeous, the new city is beautiful and bustling with friendly people, and the food. Oh the food. I could beets for the rest of my life and be so happy.
We’ve been here for a few days now, so I thought I’d take a bit of time to sketch in the courtyard of our hotel.
Starting with a little graphite volume study.
Adding the water-soluble pastel.
Wet paint.
It’s still pretty chilly, so I’m wrapping up with this sketch here and heading back inside.
The plan is to translate these to my Fredrix roll canvas later on tonight, once we get back from a dinner which I hope involves more beets.