Digital Plein Air

My last sketch for Scavenger Hunt 27 is digital.  I sketched on my iPad on the porch, so this is a digital plein air as opposed to the air conditioned plein air in my previous post.  I used the app, Brushes.  I am more familiar with that app so I don't have to spend much learning time.  I don't use layers or any of the fancy stuff.  I do use different brushes and some that use shapes like the one in the trees in this sketch.  I try to make it a real sketch by not using the "undo" and "eraser" very much.

 

Number 11, vehicle and Number 12, people/figure/self portrait

I usually go for the easiest and fastest items to sketch.  It is stretching this to call such simple shapes a vehicle and person.  This is the last day of the Hunt so I don't feel as obligated to be complicated.

The OutdoorPainter newsletter has a good short article by Richard McKinley.  McKinley is one of my favorite pastelists.  He lists 7 tips for greater expression in any media.  They have a pastel of his to begin the article.  I like that he uses lots of purple.  To me, this painting is more purple than usual.  Nice.  I reviewed the 7 hints this morning to pick a favorite or most important, but I like them all.  Good advice.

https://www.outdoorpainter.com/7-tips-for-greater-creative-expression/

 

James Gurney has a link to a 9 minute or so video about sketchbooks at the Tate.  Interesting.  Near the end one of the artists talks about using a sketchbook as a learning tool.  I was thinking if I was a teacher I would give the students a small sketchbook at the beginning of class and see how they use it planning their projects.  Would be interesting.

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2022/06/sketchbooks-and-their-people.html

 

When I was working on the big coffee table sketchbook I got away from using it to plan and experiment and other things, like lists or reviews.  It sort of defeats the purpose of calling it a sketchbook.  Some of my other sketchbooks have baseball scores, grocery lists, phone numbers of people or hotels, scores from our games of cards (Telefunken) and notes from art classes.  And, of course, the Scavenger Hunt lists.  They tell stories and are much akin to journals and diaries.  I date the sketches and some of the books cover several years with lots of memories.  I think you remember better with sketches than photos.

If you don't carry a sketchbook .... you should.  I thank Sue Modrak for pushing me to sketch all the time.  Yay for Sue!  We haven't seen her for a few years.  It is about time for a meet up.  Don't know how we can do it, but we shall see.