Something that came up in the recent run-through of my class Sketching Fundamentals and that is also a frequently asked question generally is how do you capture the atmosphere of a place quickly (in drawing or painting) before the light changes, and how to you find a good place to set up and work?
Essential Techniques of Landscape Drawing
This beginner’s guide to drawing in graphite pencil uses step-by-step exercises to teach fundamental methods for rendering all aspects of the natural landscape, with additional lessons on using charcoal, colored pencil, pastel, and other media.
Following in the footsteps of author, artist, and art instructor Suzanne Brooker’s previous title The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting, this book pairs the most universally-pursued topic for artists (drawing) with the popular subject matter of the natural landscape. Brooker breaks down landscapes into their various elements–including the earth, water, air, and trees–to convey how the fundamentals of drawing are applied to capture each aspect. Using the graphite pencil as her baseline instrument, Brooker provides you with step-by-step lessons that help you improve your rendering skills and re-create the beauty of the world outdoors. Examples from art history and contemporary masters supplement these lessons. The end result is a drawing instruction book that provides artists with everything they need to render landscapes no matter their skill level.
About Essential Techniques of Landscape Drawing
This beginner’s guide to drawing in graphite pencil uses step-by-step exercises to teach fundamental methods for rendering all aspects of the natural landscape, with additional lessons on using charcoal, colored pencil, pastel, and other media.
Following in the footsteps of author, artist, and art instructor Suzanne Brooker’s previous title The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting, this book pairs the most universally-pursued topic for artists (drawing) with the popular subject matter of the natural landscape. Brooker breaks down landscapes into their various elements–including the earth, water, air, and trees–to convey how the fundamentals of drawing are applied to capture each aspect. Using the graphite pencil as her baseline instrument, Brooker provides you with step-by-step lessons that help you improve your rendering skills and re-create the beauty of the world outdoors. Examples from art history and contemporary masters supplement these lessons. The end result is a drawing instruction book that provides artists with everything they need to render landscapes no matter their skill level.
Find your composition
The first step for me is usually finding an interesting spot that leads to a good composition, and then looking around if there is a place nearby that lets me sit or stand comfortably, and without standing in the way for others. I often decide based on the subject or terrain if I want to paint standing or sitting. Make sure you have organized your tools in a way that you can quickly set them up and get started within a minute. If this is interesting for you, I will show how I get ready for sketching in the field and set up my things in a video. Of course getting out a pencil and a sketchbook is a bit faster than setting up a tripod and a palette for a longer session. My approach is using minimal equipment so that I’m most flexible.
I like to set up my gear in places that are not so frequented by people, so that I can concentrate on my sketch. When you’re painting out in nature in a rural area, this is not a big problem. There have been days when I haven’t met a single person – which is weird in itself. And if you happen to meet someone, people are usually curious and friendly. When you’re sketching in an urban area, there might be more people around, but they’re usually busy. I’ve had the longest conversations when I’ve set up my painting gear in or around small towns or villages. I’m not very good at painting and chatting at the same time, so I usually take a small break when someone comes up to me.
Whether you sit or stand depends on your preference and your subject, and on your tools, sometimes you will get a better view sitting and sometimes standing. I like to make use of benches when possible, often these are in very nice locations with nice vistas, and it’s great to have additional space to put your things. When you’re standing during painting, you will need some kind of easel to hold your paper and water container, since you want your hands to be free to hold brushes and paints.
Find a comfortable spot for painting
I decide whether I sit or stand based on the gear I brought and the kind of view I want to have on the subject, and I often move around a bit in the area before I decide on a spot. Once I sit down comfortably I’m not as motivated to change that. Comfort is another important factor – you’re more likely to do a longer painting session when you’re in a cozy spot.
This means having a nice place to sit or stand, but also things like shade, practical clothes, something to eat and drink, protection from the sun (or from wind and rain), and a practical setup that doesn’t fall apart while you’re sketching. The first thing to go away will be your motivation to paint if you don’t organize yourself well, at least that’s the case for me.
Put down a framework first to capture the essence of a scene
One thing that is important to understand about sketching landscapes is that the light will change very quickly outside. After 20-30 minutes the light situation usually has changed if it’s a sunny day, and you either want to be finished by then, have a good light concept like a small thumbnail, or you need to have a good memory (or a memory aid like a photo) to finish your painting. Even though the light changes, I often find landscape sketches to be very forgiving and adaptable, and even with watercolor you can adapt the lighting and mood a bit during your session.
What I try to get down first are big masses, big shapes based on value. This is something we have to train ourselves to do, because the human brain is wired to notice details. Squinting helps to simplify shapes and do a quick pencil sketch. Don’t lose yourself in details right from the beginning. You will need a structure for your sketch, a framework that you can later refine.
This will also help you to capture the essence of a scene – what it is about. I always try to establish from the very start to show what I’m interested in in a scene, and I focus on that. Is it the sky? Then show the sky. Is it a pond that has interesting water reflections and small grasses overlapping at the edge? Then focus on that, and show it. Fade out the rest of the elements in your landscape, they are only the backdrop. You don’t need to add details in every corner of your painting. If you have detail and information everywhere, then your sketch or painting will be about nothing. You need to lead the eye to a focal point, and you do this by adding more information to some areas, and less information to others. So think about the places where you want to add contrast, highlight, texture and details – it can’t be everywhere.
