May Newsletter: Boosting my body battery one sketch at a time
Starting an urban sketching or plein air painting practice, a zine you can download for free, and upcoming events
Hello, friends!
Spring sure was a long time coming here in New England this year, but finally—finally!—it arrived, and just in time for school vacation week in Massachusetts. I have to admit, in those first cold, gloomy weeks of April, I was sinking into a small pit of despair. I was even losing interest in my 100 Day Project, as I had hoped to take my project into the fresh air with some plein air painting, but the weather kept laughing at my little human plans.
But all is well again, my friends, because the flowers are blooming, the breezes carry the hope of summer, and we’ve been graced with days of blue blue sky.
Back in February, I told you about the ways we cocoon ourselves in at my house in winter. Well, last week, we finally threw open the insulated curtains to let the sunlight in and unsealed some windows to let in the fresh air. What a relief! Soon enough, we’ll be closing those curtains again to keep out the summer heat, but for now I’ll savor this shoulder season.
My favorite way to savor a beautiful day is by sketching outdoors. Whether I only have time for a quick ink sketch or I couple hours to set up my easel for a painting, the experience of being outdoors and closely studying the scene before me always calms my nerves and fills me with peace. Even when the sketch doesn’t turn out the way I had envisioned, the act of sketching is a balm for my soul.
In fact, after sketching sessions, my Garmin fitness watch regularly alerts me that my “restful period” has “boosted my body battery.” Even my high tech gadget agrees—sketching is restorative!
If you are interested in starting your own urban sketching or plein air art practice, here is some advice to get you started:
Keep your supplies simple. All you really need is some paper, a pencil, and an eraser. It’s tempting when you’re beginning to want to bring all your art supplies with you to keep your options open, but too many options leads to the paradox of choice and decision fatigue. Limiting your tools and palette will allow you to relax and enjoy yourself instead of being overwhelmed.
Focus on process not outcome. I think of this as the plein air mindset. The goal of working en plein air is to enjoy a beautiful day in nature, to notice things you’ve never noticed before, and to learn something about how to render the 3D world into 2D art. If your efforts result in something wall-worthy, that’s a bonus, but whatever you produce, if you were in harmony with the day and you learned something, you have succeeded.
Stay close to home. You don’t have to go any further than your backyard or front porch! Your subject matter need not be monumental. It is enough to paint some rocks and plants in a garden bed. Get comfortable with your outdoor set up in a low-stakes environment before taking your show on the road.
I’ll be teaching a one-day plein air workshop this June! If you want to learn with me, check it out at the Two Bridges Art Academy website.
In addition, I have made a little pocket guide to plein air sketching, which you can download for free and print out. It is designed to be folded into a zine. To do this, you fold it in the right places and make one cut, and then the page magically pinwheels into a little book (see my reel below). For instructions on how to fold and cut a one-page zine, visit Austin Kleon’s website at this link.
Studio News
I don’t have anything out in galleries at the moment, but I am deep into my 100 Day Project, and I am having so much fun. Today is day 68.
For my challenge, I am sketching from life for at least 15 minutes per day. Given that, as noted above, the weather has been lousy for much of the challenge, I have done quite a few sketches of items around my house, including childhood toys, climbing gear, and potted plants. I have been exploring all sorts of media—watercolor pencils, water soluble crayons, pen and ink, pastels, and watercolor (of course). My confidence in my drawing skills has grown leaps and bounds.
Here are some pieces I’ve created in the past couple of weeks:
You can follow along with the rest of the challenge on Instagram!
Upcoming Events
As I mentioned above, I will be teaching a one-day plein air workshop on June 14 in Shrewsbury, MA. Click here to register.
Other than that, I am taking the summer off from teaching, but stay tuned for information about fall watercolor classes.
Cheers,
Diane