Wednesday, February 8, 2012

'Sketches from Italy'
Hand (dye) painted panel on cotton
Artist: Eileen Gidman

Sketching - How to get more of it in our lives.

One winter I kept a small 5 X 7" ringed sketchbook with me and because it was there, I filled it. It was fun to take advantage of little bits of time to sketch whatever happened to be around. The subject doesn't always matter but the ongoing practice definitely hones drawing skills.

At other times I have challenged myself by buying a sketchbook with a moderate amount of pages, say 25 and have given myself a certain length of time to fill it. This works as there is a finite time and a finite amount of sketches. I have tried the sketch a day idea and although I like the thought of it, it wasn't practical for me.

When travelling I often have a sketchbook and this panel is the result of sketches from a trip to Europe. There is a cohesiveness of imagery and by choosing a similar colour combination throughout, the panel's unity is also maintained. Try and find a way for yourself that inspires you to sketch.

1 comment:

Win Dinn, Artist said...

The sketchbook idea is a good one, Eileen - I keep a 4 x 6 one in my fanny pack which goes everywhere with me. Invariably it comes in handy while waiting for coffee partners or meeting starts!