Sketching Practice

Ink pen and pencil crayon

Sketching, why does it tend to be sporadic? I love doing it and sketching is necessary as not only a watercolour artist but also as a textile artist who paints with dyes and sketches with the sewing machine. The processes of sketching allows you to slow your eyes down so that you see the individual shapes and negative shapes (the space between objects). It gives you a chance to study the interplay of colours and their values (lights and darks).

Challenging myself to make a sketch a day or to fill a small sketch book when travelling is a great motivator. Without that motivation, I find myself slipping into the pattern of only sketching when beginning a painting. One of the best ways, I have found to sketch regularly is to have the tools readily at hand. If sketching interests you, try carrying a small 5 X 7” sketchbook and fine nibbed felt pen or other drawing tool with you wherever you go. That way you are reminded to make use of those small moments of time during your day. Even a 5 minute sketch is great practice. Don't worry if there isn't enough time to complete it. This is for practice not for framing.