Or why it’s worth the effort to go out sketching!
This year I have vowed to make the most of sunny days; they are a chance to get out of my studio to sketch, and to just enjoy being in nature, and feel the connection with the landscapes that I love to paint. In the middle of winter, a day that sparkles with bright sunshine feels like a joyful gift.
No excuses
So often these rare sunny days slip by, as my ‘to do’ list is too full, or I have a deadline to meet. Or just lately I haven’t had much energy, as it has taken me months to get over covid.
But on the very last day of January, after weeks of rain, the sun came out and I grabbed my bag of pastels and ran for it. Well actually, I ran to the car, and drove off for Dartmoor, to get up on high and look at the vast moorland landscape.
It was a chance to remind myself of the energy we will be capturing in my zoom pastel workshop on Monday 3rd February, ‘You Can See for Miles’, which is all about capturing fresh sunshine and depth in landscapes.
So I went back to the same tor on Dartmoor to refresh my memory and get some creative inspiration.
The things we miss if we don’t get out there
I know that it is hard for some people to get out into the landscape, but even stepping out into a garden and closing our eyes for a few seconds can bring a heightened awareness of the natural world around us. And then just looking around, slowly and carefully.
I love the way that the light keeps changing!
Things I noticed yesterday on Dartmoor that weren’t in my photographs:
- The huge range and the subtleties of colour
- A sense of scale; I really can see for miles!
- The ever-changing light as the clouds pass over
- Engaging my senses to experience the place, such as;
- The sounds of a place – birdsong, the whisper (or howl) of the wind, sometimes the silence was amazing
- Feeling the sun warm my skin, the wind on my face, the hard rock I was sitting on, the softness of the wet grass as my boots sank in
- Smelling the wet earth, the sweet grass, the clean air
Nature is a tonic
I always find it inspiring and stimulating to be out in the landscape. Nature never disappoints, it always blows away my cobwebs and wakes up my senses. And just lately I have realised that it will show me what I need to do if I look and listen carefully.
It’s nice and cosy to paint from photographs in the comfort of my studio, but being out in the landscape, even just in nearby fields, recharges my creative batteries. I see SO much more than what is captured on a photograph, but I also hear, smell and feel more.
Nature refreshes and engages our senses, and that informs our paintings that we do at home.
Being prepared
It really helps to be ready to ‘seize the day’.
If we have to search around to get our art materials together, we can lose the impetus, get distracted, and just have another cup of coffee instead. And the moment has gone.
So after months of not being used, my ‘go bag’ was still sitting there, ready prepared, with a few mixed boxes of pastels in it, some sheets of paper clipped to card, and something to sit on. I use a supermarket ‘bag for life’ so the pastel boxes sit in it without needing lids. I just have to make sure it always stays upright!
People probably see me out walking with my ‘bag for life’ and wonder where I did my shopping.
Top tips to lighten the load;
- A gardening kneeling mat is great to sit on and very light to carry
- I don’t bother with an easel as it would blow over anyway
- I use one or two sheets of mount card instead of a drawing board – much lighter!
- A sheet of plastic or tarpaulin is very light and covers damp ground to spread my pastels out
The weight of my kit really matters – it may seem manageable in my studio but it actually increases dramatically depending on the length of the walk and the steepness of the hill. There is no point getting to my sketching destination with lots of materials, but no energy left to use them (and feeling grumpy).
Mmmm, this hill is getting steeper….
Fashion Tips
I certainly look strange when I’m out sketching in the winter. No photos please. The sun may be shining, but the higher you climb, the fresher that wind gets. I wear layers of fleeces under my pastelling coat, which has a big, protective hood. I have an extra pair of lined trousers which I take in case I need them.
My favourite fashion item – a pair of fingerless gloves made from an old pair of socks. I just cut off the ends and cut a hole for my thumb. I can wear them covering my whole hands when walking up the hills, or just have my fingers exposed for sketching and taking photos, or pull them back to my wrists if they get in the way while I’m sketching.
I was given hand warmers for Christmas but didn’t need to use them today. I’ll save those for my next day at the races, which will involve 3 hours of standing out in the cold.
Pick your Spot
I pretend that I am tough and used to the great outdoors, but actually I really have to be comfortable when sitting sketching, so I have 2 basic rules;
- In cold situations, I have to be out of the wind
- In warm/hot situations I have to be out of the sun
I found a nice sheltered spot looking south. A bit sunny but that was welcome in January!
The shelter that you get from a rock, a tree, or anything solid is the difference between sitting in peace, quiet and warmth, and being blasted by a gale (which will blow your pastels away). I sat in the warmth of the sun and felt that Spring had arrived. When I left to walk back, I nearly got swept away.
The spot I used for ‘You Can See for Miles’ was too windy today so I had to look elsewhere, round the other side of the tor.
Getting started
I like to start with a little black and white thumbnail sketch with charcoal and a cream pastel.
These sketches are tiny, just 14 x 10 cm (6″ x 4″) but worth their weight in gold. They help me to know that I have picked a view that I like, and I can get to know it a bit.
And start to have fun!
I like to spread my pastel boxes on the ground (on a plastic sheet if its very wet) so that I can see them all to pick from. They are all Unison Colour soft pastels.
My basic palette starts with our New Pastel School Small Starter Set combined with our Wild Landscape set, and then I select from the other mixed boxes that I bring with me, chosen from my pastels at home, in boxes of mainly yellow to greens, blues and purples, and warms, reds and browns. I also have tissue to keep them clean. My Winsor pastel paper is clipped to a piece of card.
I worked from the sky and cool background, through to the warmer colours in the foreground.
Just have Fun!
I used to put pressure on myself to ‘produce good work’ when I was out drawing and painting, but after all that preparation and a 45 minute drive, I want to enjoy myself. And pressure doesn’t usually result in enjoyment, so my philosophy now is to treat it as time to enjoy the place, to be part of it, and connected to it. Drawing and painting help me to really appreciate it, to look more carefully, and to lose myself in the moment.
And my pastels are part of the enjoyment. It’s a chance to experiment with them, work quickly, call it a sketch (immediately reducing the ‘masterpiece pressure’) and most importantly to RESPOND to the natural world around me. I’m not trying to copy it, I am responding to it, absorbing it, and showing my love of it. Without pressure and judgement, art is so much fun!
So I am really glad that I seized the day yesterday. I only did a couple of sketches, and they are not finished pieces, but I have recharged my landscape painting batteries, and I am really looking forward to sharing my love of it at our zoom workshop on Monday.
For those of you who like the detail, I was on Ripon Tor on Dartmoor.
I will be sharing more of my adventures in the landscape soon, here and on future YouTube videos too.
In the meantime, happy pastelling and painting to you!
You can find out more about my monthly zoom workshops here
