12/20/17 Maple Leaf neighborhood |
Yesterday in my review of Virginia Hein’s book on landscape sketching, I mentioned that
she offers ideas and tips for pulling yourself out of a rut. I wasn’t
consciously feeling like I was in a rut, but as I started blocking out this sketch,
I realized I was: Whenever I sketch a traffic circle, invariably I choose a portrait
format because, you know, trees are usually taller than they are wide. But the
tops of these trees weren’t nearly as interesting as the long shadows they cast
– why not turn the page to a landscape format? A very simple change – hardly even
an “idea” – but sometimes I need to read something in a book to stop myself
from sketching on autopilot.
Sometimes we do sketch on autopilot. That's why sometimes I like using a square sketchbook because it gives things a different look.
ReplyDeleteSquare -- that's a great idea, too! I used one years ago -- I should give that a try again.
DeleteGood reminder to look at the shadows too!
ReplyDelete