Landscape Sketching at Wildflower Center

 

Here are some of my sketches from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center workshop taught by Margie Crisp this past Saturday. The upper sketches are the thumbnails that we developed in pencil outdoors of architectural elements, flowers, cacti. Then we developed a thumbnail into a larger format. I chose my agave and the lower left is a charcoal sketch on a very large 18 x 24 sheet (with a HUGE block of charcoal- 4" x 4" block), then ink pen, the green one is in oil pastel, the dark one on the same page is vine charcoal then the larger one on the bottom right is on a large sheet done with India ink and a very large Chinese paintbrush. It was really an informative class, Margie went over composition, perspective,  other design elements, techniques. Margie stressed that drawing is the crucial component to any other painting - good drawing makes a good watercolor, pastel, etc. And one seemingly obvious key to successful sketching that Margie stressed is to be comfortable outside - good chair, sunscreen, water, sunhat, etc. Fun class, this was the last of the 3 workshops at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
I am going to take a sketchbook around and try to make myself sketch, sketch, sketch. I need to improve my drawing skills and develop confidence in them. It is much easier to gather information with thumbnails and notes to supplement photographs then use that info  to develop finished paintings in the studio.