Travelling through sketches

What does a travel blogger do when she’s not travelling? Of course I’ve answered this question before, but that was 5 years ago and a choice! This year it’s a case of not being able to travel, and already having cancelled one holiday I’m expecting the same will apply to others. After ramping up my travel sketching on my most recent trip to New Zealand, I’ve been spending time finishing some of these off, with a bit of colour. Then I started travelling through sketches, creating from photo’s from some of my past trips.

Capturing a moment

I often have to remind myself that sketching isn’t about being able to draw, it’s about capturing a moment. This is ideal when on my travels, or when out and about. It’s a lot like keeping memories in my Smashbook or compiling my Project Life albums. Sketching is recording an impression, some people do this with photographs but I haven’t yet mastered photography so have been attempting to improve my drawing… and practice really does help.

What I enjoy about sketching out on location is that you some how record memories associated with where you are. Of course, sketching out an image helps capture something visual, but when you look back at that picture in the future, you remember other things, bringing some of the moment back. There have been times when it’s freezing cold and my hands are frozen, or it started raining which made the paper wet, or worse, smudged whatever I had managed to get down on paper! I often have to complete a drawing retrospectively, so always snap a photo to help with this. There is often a story to tell and also plenty of sketches that never get finished, especially when I’m waiting for someone; I’ve had mixed results…

If you need a bit more inspiration, check out these sites:

Liz Steel travel sketching – there is enough inspiration here to just admire and forget about drawing, but I love the way she documents her travel sketches as well as sharing tips along the way. The everyday tips are a good place to start if you are unsure where to begin.

George Butler – check out his reportage sketches for something a little different.

Erin Hill – a workshop in London with Erin in 2019 was probably what finally convinced me that it’s not about being able to draw, but getting the simple shapes down on paper the way you see them. Her online prompts during the pandemic have kept me inspired to continue despite not being able to travel.

Apologies for the lack of actual travel posts, of late, but here’s a few sketches from my recent photo reminiscing. Why not give it a go yourself…

 

 

Where should I sketch next I wonder?

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