Location drawing

Location drawing is my biggest and best discovery  of 2020.

It started off with a chat with Ness Wood, mentor at Orange Beak Studio , where I booked

an online tutorial to see how I could improve my art.

Ness's suggestion was to "go out and draw from observation", 

and since it was summer, and lockdown in the Uk had been lifted, I decided to give it a go.

The first times I mostly had to do with my fear, on the page, but every time I went out to draw, it got a bit easier. Easier to accept mistake and to brave experimentation.

I tried new materials, less paint and more dry tools, like coloured pencils and markers (easier to carry).

I used gouache to correct things, and that made me feel more relaxed: mistakes can be fixed!

If there was a sketch I particularly liked, once back in the studio I carried on working on it. 

I could see new themes, likings and rhythms coming up.

Generally I try to go out once a week, even now that is autumn. I plan my day according to the forecast. The coldest I sat down to draw was 4 degrees, and it was bearable for an hour, to lay down the composition and fix in my mind the values, take some pictures and... lots of hot rosehip tea.

Location drawing reminded me that I got a BA degree in landscape painting... it seems ages ago!

At university we went out with giant canvases and paint what we saw, and what I like was to be out, but not so much to paint realistically.

What  I really love of this new habit , is that I can travel light (ish!)

and that I can play with my imagination. Wildly.

I see stories and animals in my drawings, and I let them in.

I can decide which colours to use, even if they are not true to nature

( as long as I stick with the values, light and dark areas).

This excites me immensely. 

Nature and art are my favourite things on the planet, and I got to enjoy them both at the same time!

The way I decide about my subject is

by walking around, and waiting to see a place, even just a corner, that makes me feel

the magic I felt when I was a child.

I loved to tuck myself under trees and bushes and imagine I was a creature of the woods.

I lived their stories in my mind, by finding their homes.

What I take with me , basically is:

-Sketchbooks, I use Royal Talens

-My colour sketchbook, a place where I note all my favourite colour combination

-Markers, I like Tombow dual tip and Ecoline Brush markers

-Coloured pencils, my favourites are Luminance by Caran D'Ache

-A selection of acrylic gouache , by Holbein Acryla Goauche

Then a tiny container for water, couple of kitchen papers or tissues, and a

small plastic box with a secure lid,

where I put some wet tissues and some tracing paper cut to size on top, 

and this is a simple "stay-wet" palette if I need.

Brushes (nothing fancy), sharpener and rubber. 

Ta-daaa!

If you feel inspired, in the spring I will do more of my Arty walks

on the Isle of Wight,

where I share tips and inspiration to sketch outdoors.

On my Instagram feed, 

Lucia.elfina.para 

I post also the photos of the places where I go,

if you fancy a look!