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Sketching on the road ~ Elizabeth Smith

We had to travel from Florida to Alabama a couple of days ago, and to while away the hours as a passenger (9 of them!),  I did  some sketching and painting in the car.

Now, picture the scenery flashing by and the challenges of capturing a semblance of it!  My first tries were not very effective, but as I fell into a flow of observation and a combination of gesture and contour drawing, I made some progress.  I found myself remembering the large shapes and referring to similar landscape details to fill in.

What resulted were composite sketches and memory drawings.  I feel that these exercises really strengthened the way I looked at things.  That was my focus, rather than the resulting drawing.  I used a kind of "wandering pen" line, searching out shapes, textures, and values.

As we traveled from south to north, I found myself noticing subtle changes in the land and the foliage - things I had seen before, but now I connected to them more deeply.  I also found myself being more aware of the interaction of time, weather and distance as I wrote down details. 

When we stopped for gas, I had a little more time to sketch an oak tree (the sketch at the top of the drawing).  The sketch at the bottom turned into a composite of several majestic oak trees hung with Spanish moss that occasionally lined the highway.  When stopped at a rest area, I was able to collect a twig and leaves for detailed study. 

I know this type of sketching might not be enjoyable for everyone, but for me it was a wonderful chance to keep my hand in.  These were sketched with a Pitt artist pen (XS size) in my Aquabee sketchbook (6x9 inches).

~  Elizabeth Smith, Naples, Florida, USA  (on the way to Alabama!)

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