Exercise prompt
What
Make a series of 6–8 location studies outside using portable media, varying viewpoint and subject to build observational acuity and a felt sense of place.
How
- Before making any mark, pause and look: is the view balanced? Are there enough elements to make the study engaging?
- Make your first study; aim for no more than 30 minutes (some may take only 10).
- Move or shift viewpoint significantly before each new study — close-up, from below, reflected, rotated.
- In at least one study, prioritise capturing movement or the effect of light rather than static form.
- Afterwards, review the sketchbook: which studies best capture a sense of place? Note observations in your learning log.
Study 1
It was a sunny day but I must say the outdoor sketching is not my thing! I prefer to snap photographs and take them home with me. I was in the park with my daughter and my spouse on one of the first spring sunny days. I took a series of snapshots as prompts for this exercise. The first that caught my eye was this “obstacle”. I love the ambiguity of the fish feet and the hard shadows. I could see myself painting this! The picture has my feet in it and I debated whether to include them. I also liked the texture of the fish/feet but I ran out of time to add them.
Study 2
I was trying to be more fluid, loose and bold with this second version. I lost the accuracy. There is part of me who just wants to let go of the loosey-goosey and would rather spend the next three hours on doing this “properly” rather than moving on to the next study, but I have more snapshots so will resist.
Study 3
This study was loosely inspired by a snapshot of my daughter and my spouse getting ready for skating in the park. I tried to free myself from the photograph while still conveying the mood.
Study 4
This was a difficult study. I wanted to convey movement but there was also a wonderful expression on my daughter’s face which I also wanted to convey except I could not get it. I spent so much time on that inch square! In the end, with a bit of luck and perseverance I got to a point where I could finally let go by giving up on the idea of getting the face “right” and leaving it up to the viewer to make it up! Looking back I feel I have captured her hesitant confidence on the skates.
Study 5
I tried different materials just for fun. I like the texture of the charcoal. These were XL blocks so they forced me to be less precise. I was trying to capture the light in the scene. The sky looks a little too dark as the only blue graphite block I have was already quite dark.
Study 6
For this last study I used another snapshot at the park. I like the composition. I tried to free myself from the reference and focus on the feeling and the light. The lined background was a little random and experimental to get me started. I like using that synthetic brush and lines.
Final thoughts
Did I enjoy this project? I think so! The tension between wanting to produce a satisfying end result and using the study as a tool to learn about my subject was real. But as I progressed through the study, I realise these were not to be “concluded” drawings like my drawing of a tree before. It was a struggle to keep the inner critic voice down and instead focussing on enjoying the process of thinking through making. I think I find it hard to simply looking without doing anything. I would happily just use a graphite pencils to draw the source. In fact I have done so in the past. My studies usually tend to be more refined but the challenge to complete several studies at once forced me to loosen up. I liked them all. Possibly studies no. 4 and 6 are my favourite ones, although when choosing one image to feature, I picked study no. 2 so I guess this one was my true favourite!
