Today I held another wonderful Travel Sketching class in Melbourne. Nine enthusiastic sketchers joined me to hear and learn about the concept of travel sketching and also using watercolour pencils to capture their travels on the page. Some had sketched a little before, others a bit more, many already owned the watercolour pencils.  

I have held a few travel sketching classes in the last year and a few areas of discussion seem to come up each time. A common issue is not knowing where to start when sitting in front of a scene, and so then not starting at all. 

On Saturday when we walked out the front of East Melbourne Library where the classes are held, a lovely street scene met us.  What to draw? Where to start?

  I have found that setting a short timeframe helps people.  I choose 15 minutes sessions in my class. When travelling you need to seize opportunities to sketch. In 15 minutes you have to make a decision very quickly on what to sketch.

Sometimes  at first, people panic, but settle on something. We then move areas and sketch another view or subject. It is easier the second time (or the third) to choose what to sketch. When you look back on your page it is a reminder of what you can achieve in a short time frame.  Of course, over time and with practice and confidence in your ability and tools, you can achieve more in a  short time frame.

These are two scenes that attracted me The ironlace terrace and the little cottage against the large brick wall. 

The majority agreed that when you sketch you forget everything else – time goes quickly 

I also learn so much . There are so many people who don’t start, even though they want to because they ‘can’t draw’, who then produce amazing lines on paper capturing the event and how proud they are of what they have on the page.

I also am reminded of how very fortunate I am to have the passion for sketching and the opportunity to share it with others.

Join me next Saturday for Travel Sketching Food and Drink. The same concepts but applied to food and drink travel sketching as the travel sketching class. The meals that you have along the way are part of your own unique adventure and can be captured on the page. You can have your cake and sketch it too! Book here https://www.trybooking.com/386957