Headed off for an afternoon sketching recently on the banks of a small estuary, here in West Cork, only a few miles from where I live. After sketching an old boat moored at the tiny stone jetty the cold started to creep in. I put down my pen and watercolour box and as I did I noticed an empty crab shell on the ground beside me.

It was the last little sketch I did that day before the chill evening air caused me to lose touch with my fingers.

I used two pastel pencils from a small set I had purchased in Tuscany over the summer. Ahhhh Tuscany, the heat, inexpensive delicious wine and food and great company.

I went into my Studio today and one of the results was this loosely sketched watercolour. It’s here not as any big deal as a sketch but instead to celebrate turning up at the ‘coalface’ and finally getting immersed in sketching.

I went to the local Supermarket and bought three chillies. Back in the studio I got engrossed in doing studies of them for over four hours using different media. All just to get back into the flow once again. Some of the sketches at the beginning were, err, not good.

This sketch is the one I liked the best, it’s the last of nearly two dozen sketches. Sometimes it requires a lot of digging to get to the vein of gold but it’s always worth it. In all areas of life as well as art.
- Barry -

3. Keep your sketching materials simple, light and portable.

Too much equipment can not only be heavy to carry, it gets in the way of spontaneity. It also attracts attention which is never a good thing. At best it’s distracting and at worst it’s dangerous. A good rule of thumb is take a Sketching Kit which enables you to sketch standing up in the likes of a doorway or on a street corner. This rules out the likes of oils and acrylics, remember this is sketching.

4. You don’t have to travel too far to find things to sketch.

Don’t spend large gobs of time driving aimlessly around. Once the car gets going it’s hard to stop. Especially at the beginning like for subjects in the immediate vicinity.

5. Don’t get distracted by the mundane or your habits.

Most of us don’t sketch by habit, we do other things instead. Especially when on a break, whether it’s an afternoon or a full day, when heading out to sketch forget about stuff like shopping. Get into a rhythm of sketching by making a start first thing. Otherwise it’s going to be another day full of good intentions but no sketches.

6. Shoot a photographic record

In case you don’t get finished, perhaps due to weather, bad light, or just plain fatigue, shoot a reference shot using the same composition and viewpoint you’ve decided on when sketching, plus a series of close ups for detail, using the zoom on your camera from exactly the same place you sketched from.

7. Start exactly where you are.

Your first sketch of the day is the most important. Be willing at the beginning of each day to just get going. Draw the scene on your breakfast table. Draw the view from your house or hotel or whatever. Draw your hand if all else fails, (yes I know you’ve done this before). Just get going. Once started you’re in the flow for the day, you’ve gone beyond the habit mode. This is important.

8. Tell other people you’ll going out sketching and promise them you’ll show them the results when you get back.

Better still, like our group in France, commit on a time and date to go out with a friend, or friends, or Sketching Buddy. A corny name I must admit, but you know what I mean. Like jogging regularly, it’s easier to keep with a plan when you’ve made some kind of a promise with other people.

Let me know your own experiences to add to the list.

Part One

First to set the scene, four of us travelled to a place called Lassay on the Normandy/Britany border in France in early March with the sole purpose of spending 10 days en plein air sketching. We all stayed in a small house kindly donated by a friend of one of our group. We’re all members of the same Artist Group and all full time professional artists. Working Artists Studios

The weather was generally dry and bright but with a very cold biting wind. On some days there were very heavy showers of sleet and rain. So fairly challenging context for a Field-Trip throughout, certainly not warm and balmy.

Lassay in France

1. You need to be able to stay warm, dry and comfortable to be able to sketch outdoors for any length of time.

We all draw and paint mostly indoors, at least I do. So we take it for granted to be in a dry, warm environment to work, even when it’s pouring rain, freezing cold or a heat wave outside. Outdoors is way different! Some of my sketches turn into two hour studies, at least they do when I’m comfortable. If I’m too cold or too hot or physically uncomfortable, I’m very lucky to get past 10 minutes. So dress like outdoor enthusiasts by using layers you can put on and take off depending on the conditions.

If it’s cold add gloves with the tops of the fingers cut off to keep your hands warm. Get one of those hand warmers used by fishermen if it’s particularly cold. Sketching stops when you no longer have control of your fingers! Take along a lightweight, windproof thermal hat, one you can pull over your ears.

For rain take a lightweight waterproof jacket but also a pair of light waterproof over-trousers, Agu from a bicycle shop is an excellent brand, with a pair of waterproof hiking boots. Yes I keep repeating the word waterproof because a lot of casual wear is far from waterproof as its intended to cover nothing more challenging than the walk from your car to to the supermarket and back! Getting cold and wet is a show stopper when it comes to sketching, indeed for most things.

For bright sunny warm days you might want to consider sunglasses and sketching on darker coloured paper like light brown or blue. The glare from white paper in bright sunshine can be dazzling to the point of becoming impossible to work. I experienced this especially in my travels in South America. Don’t forget sun-cream and protect your body, such as arms, shoulders and the back of your head. Sitting still sketching on a fine sunny day can turn into a long session. It’s so easy to forget the effects of the sun and get really bad sunburn as a result. A baseball style cap with an large brim can be great. Even better is one with the back of the neck protected, French Legionnaire style.

2. Food and water

A bottle of water and a packed lunch with snacks is really handy. I must be honest here. The bottle of water I always have with me but the rest I usually forget or am too lazy to bother, well not until around day three when I realise how much time it takes to go looking for a cafe that’s open and serves snacks at reasonable prices. Certainly in France the opening times were not what we were familiar with here in Ireland. Most places close from 2:00 pm to around 4:30 pm. Even if they didn’t, the nature of sketching coupled with random inspiration means eating times can very erratic. Not only that you could be in a tiny village or in the depths of the countryside, far away from shops and cafes.

Often I was well into sketching all through what would have been my normal lunchtime. So prepare the classic lunch-box along with a Thermos flask full of hot soup or coffee. It can keep you going and save a load of time and money. Sketching is all about being flexible and spontaneous so take your own cafe with you in your small shoulder bag or day pack.