Sketching From Nature

Lump of Moss
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 20.3cm cm (5.5" x 8.0")

Since October 2023, I've been reading a section of the Curious Nature Guide by Clare Walker Leslie each week and using it as the inspiration for a sketching exercise. 

Rosemary
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 20.3cm cm (5.5" x 8.0")

Using a prompt for what to sketch is helpful for a couple of reasons: 

• It cuts down the time I need to procrastinate about what to draw.
• It encourages me to try subjects I might not have otherwise chosen.

Early Autumn
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 20.3cm cm (5.5" x 8.0")

The sketches have been of varying quality, but the results aren't that important. What matters is the time I've spent drawing and intently studying a subject. The pictures on this post are my favourites. You can see all 13 sketches on my YouTube channel (Sketching From Nature – Getting Started).

Lavender
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
20.3 x 14.0cm cm (8.0" x 5.5")

My motivation for drawing at least one sketch from life a week is to make sure I keep training my hand eye coordination and the skills to accurately draw a subject. I want sketching from nature to be a reason to get outside and explore. I would like to become more knowledgeable and to develop a joyful appreciation of my environment. I'm keen to visually document my feelings about a place; the mood, the atmosphere and other things that a camera doesn't always capture. The sketches can then be a source of inspiration and reference material for paintings.