Last year I painted a lot outside, but I didn’t draw as much as I had hoped. While traveling there were many times when I had 10-20 minutes where I could have pulled out my sketchbook, but I always talked myself out of it because I assumed I wouldn’t be able to complete anything “good” in such a short amount of time. While I fully admit 10 minutes is nothing in the grand timescale, it’s also something. And something is better than nothing. It’s a psychological barrier I needed to overcome.
I always assess my goals at the beginning of each year, and improving my drawing skills is high on that list. So I asked myself, why am I struggling to draw – especially outside – when it’s something I love to do?
Then it dawned on me. In my enthusiasm for plein air, I overlooked the importance of tools that have maximum effect. My standard approach to drawing was a 0.5 mechanical blue pencil and a method of hatching that visually appeals to me.
The results are a little more illustrative, but I just love how it looks.
In this session at Elgin Cathedral I was comparing different methods. My blue pencil with minimal shading vs. a soft shading with regular graphite below.
I quickly learned the regular graphite with soft shading was much faster and I think I was able to capture more realism in a shorter time. I added watercolor to the top because on it’s own, the blue drawing was kind of lackluster.
So that got me rethinking my whole strategy of drawing outside. Maybe my tools were holding me back?
It’s a thought I’ve always rebelled against because I was of the belief that tools don’t really matter, it’s how you use them.
But in this case I was wrong.
Enter: drawing tool competition!
Contestant: Sarah Burns
Judge: Sarah Burns
Cathedrals are a great subject to test my theory, because they are massive and complex, and drawing one quickly is darn near impossible. However I thought I’d give it a go with different tools. Ink, clutch pencils, markers, you name it. In the end, my eye always fell back on the lowly pencil.
That’s a joke by the way. I love pencils. The simplicity and power of pencils is underrated.
Anyways, fast-forward to the end of 2024, when I was very low on energy and barely leaving the house. I found myself in bed with a sketchbook and a pencil. Lots of pencils, in fact. Pencils of every description and size and softness. Erasers of all shapes and consistencies. Sponges and blenders.
By the beginning of this year, I was falling back in love with the soft shading that’s possible with graphite.
I’ve been doing something of a hybrid method – using hatching and contour lines alongside soft shading and blending.
And best of all – it’s fast. It might be the solution for me while traveling.
The problem I found with my previous method of hatching was that it was tedious and time-consuming to fill in larger areas. Doing anything larger than a few inches would greatly increase the time required to achieve enough dimension.
Time is precious when drawing on location, especially while traveling, and especially when traveling with others, and ESPECIALLY when they are not artists and they want to keep moving.
So I’ve been playing with my new hybrid drawing method to figure out how I can render forms in an aesthetically pleasing way while still maintaining my desire for the linework and illustrative quality I’ve grown to love.
Taking it Outside
I have yet to test this method outside more than a few times – it’s been very cold and windy because it’s winter. However earlier today I did manage a small tree while walking to the cafe. I pass by this tree so often and have never stopped to draw it, even though its twisted trunk calls to me.
Not bad for 10 cold minutes. It gets me excited for what I can do when my fingers aren’t freezing and I have a bit more time. I’ll continue experimenting with this and report back in the future, especially when I get a chance to draw some architecture.
I’d love to hear from you – what are your favorite drawing materials and methods?
Current Favorite Drawing Materials:
- Graphgear 1000 0.9 clutch pencil
- Tombow Mono Zero
- Jackson’s softcover square sketchbooks
- Stillman & Birn Beta, Alpha, or Zeta sketchbooks
- Makeup blending sponges