Summer Sketching

Sketchbook Ideas for the Season

I find the seasons impact how and what I draw. It’s easy to draw cozy scenes and mugs of tea when the mercury plummets. But when it’s a humid 90 degrees and ice cream sounds like an acceptable dinner? Things shift. When it comes to summer sketching, I’ve found leaning into the season is the way to go. So here are ways I’m incorporating the season into my sketching.

1. Go outside: If it’s not too hot (i.e, you live in Death Valley), go outside. You can look up all the photo reference of a sunflower you want, but getting outside and actually drawing a real, live example? Nothing beats that. A change in drawing location can also shift the way you see the world and shake things up.

2. Draw Big Things: Sketch the pine tree, the mountain, the garden, the lake. What details are important to include? What things are okay to simplify? What is the light like and how do the shadows fall? Sometimes we bomb through life not picking our heads up. It’s easy to do. But when you pause to look at the world around you, it’s a recalibration. And we all need that from time to time.

3. Draw Small Things: Sketch the smallest mushroom you can find, the iridescent beetle that flits by, the seedling poking through the soil in your garden. Take time to really observe the wonder of a wildflower in all its incredibly complexity. Drawing small things forces you to slow down and observe the tiny marvels that are right at your feet, if only you take the time to notice them.

   

4. Line, Shape and Color: What color says summer to you? How do you express a hot day with a line? How does water move and can you translate that to a shape? I painted the sketchbook page to the left with all of this in mind, looking out the window. It’s a helpful exercise, to see if you can reduce things to their simplest form. And from there, I added in details (to the right), challenging myself to think how that abstract shape and color were grounded in reality.

5. Go People Watching: Go to the beach, to the lake, to the busy town center, to the park, a community chorus concert, a parade. People watch. Work on your observational skills and take notice. Really take notice. How do people move in the heat? How quickly can someone eat an ice cream cone before it melts? How does the noonday sun hit a face and what angles does it show?

   

6. Draw Your Ideal Summer Wardrobe: Sketch that perfect swimsuit. Doodle the dress you’d wear when the humidity hits 90%. What kind of hat would perfectly shield you from the sun? Think of this as your own, personal “Project Runway,” but in a sketchbook. To quote Tim Gunn, “Make it work.”

7. Let Nature Make Marks: Experiment with natural inks. Print with flowers, by pounding them onto the pages of your sketchbook. Try sun printing with turmeric.

   

8. Summer Songs: Got a favorite summer song? Try lettering the lyrics. Illustrate what the song is about. Create a pattern that reminds you of how the song makes you feel.

9. Take Risks: For me, summer feels like the perfect time to take risks. The days are longer. The heat everywhere. There’s no time like the present, as you realize the days will eventually shorten and you’ll be back to sweaters and socks in no time. So go bold with your color choices. Make intense marks. Try a medium you don’t typically use. Incorporate collage into your pages. Your sketchbook is for you, so make the art that you need to, regardless of whether it looks “good” or not.

10. Just sit: You’re all ready to paint. You’re setup to draw. This spot on the beach looks great! But maybe it’s time just to sit. Look at the waves. What part crashes down and what part peters away? Is there seaweed swept to short when the breaker hits sand? Don’t rush, watch. And then, go ahead and draw. Summer has a way of feeling endlessly expansive. When you can, tape into that energy.