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.
Tags: Sketching