Lesson 6 - Keeeep .. sketching!

Top Art Tip - Keep sketching on a regular and frequent basis - ideally, have a little sketchbook for this, e.g A5. It can go with you on your travels and stay near at hand at home. 

What to sketch - ANYTHING! Anything that catches your eye because of its shape, colour, pattern, lighting, subject... Sketching anything will improve your powers of observation and your drawing skills. 

Click on any picture to see it enlarged:

Sleeping pets...

 family members...

 Family members...


                                      Pictures in magazines..

 Animals on a day out...

Clouds...

Pets, more animals on a day out...

Sleeping pets... 

 Interiors..

Horses seen from a window..

 Boats at sea

Views on holiday - here, Rouen, in felt-tip pen  

When to sketch - as often as possible. At home, on holiday, on days out...

How long to spend sketching - even just 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes will be enough to record basic shapes. Learn to record essential shapes quickly, e.g  in 5 or 10 minutes. SIMPLIFY!
Obviously if you have an hour or two to spend you can create a more finished sketch...

What materials to sketch with... pencil, biro, pen and ink, felt tip, coloured pencils. watercolour pencils, watercolours, pastels... etc... or any combination!

 Bordeaux garden in watercolour

Clouds in coloured pencil

Roses in biro

Beach in coloured pencil

Garden in watercolour

My husband reading, in watercolour

Ornaments, in watercolour

Oyster shell, in watercolour

Another oyster shell in watercolour

View from my bedroom window

Sleeping cat, pencil. Note: uncorrected.

Local view, watercolour pencil

 In my daughter's flat

Flowers in my mother-in-law's house

More flowers in my mother-in-law's house

While sailing in Ibiza

While sailing in Ibiza

Sailing home from Ibiza

As you see above, a sketchbook will also provide a useful reference for future paintings if you record shapes - cats, dogs, boats, clouds,  children playing on the beach, flowers or plants in your home, trees in your garden, household objects, people sitting, standing or walking, houses around you, mountain shapes...