Art by Wendy: outdoor sketching art retreat

Showing posts with label outdoor sketching art retreat. Show all posts

Jun 5, 2023

AWESOME VIEW, But what to Paint - Painting & Drawing Tips

I know you have been there.

Standing on a point, looking across the river, admiring the mountains, amazing view. Then you feel it. That overwhelming doubt. What should you paint?

Awesome view from the Brook's Point, Pender Island

Stop. Take a deep breath. You don't have to decide this minute.

Take a walk. Look around and take in the surrounds. The goal is not to rush and set up and paint. I know time is limited but you can always take a photo and finish later. So spend a bit of time looking and enjoying the sight.

*** There is a YouTube video to accompany this post. AWESOME Scenery BUT What Do I Paint.

Driftwood always makes interesting Subjects

What catches your eye?

The mountains in the distance. The reflections off the water. Maybe its the clump of trees by the shore. I was in that situation on my last sketching trip to Pender Island. Standing on the beach, looking over the water, more Southern Gulf Islands in the distance, framed by a hazy view of the coastal mountains. A great view but nothing to focus on for a 'grand vista'.

The large stand of trees came into sight, and with the fence made an interesting view of the bluff

I walked around a bit. Actually, Max is a good partner for my outings as he makes sure I walk around a bit before painting.

Things started to come together for me. The trees on the bluff held lots of secrets painting spots.

The trees with the small islands in the distance suggested several subjects

There was more driftwood further down the beach.

This large piece standing up above the rest, would look interesting alone or with a seagull perched on it.

And of course, you can really zoom in on the vegetation. The salmon berries were shining in the sun, wild strawberry flowers were poking up through the grasses and the pretty pink wildflowers were everywhere. I love to add a few drawing of the plants and flowers to my pages.

I decided to try the bluff with the lighthouse on the point.

I loved the bluff towering over the little Lighthouse.

I settled down and worked on my picture and wouldn't you know, a sailboat came by to really add a final touch. Unfortunately, I was done by then. But, there is always next time!!

Wild Flowers and Gowlland Point Lighthouse

Have fun with your sketching.

*** There is a YouTube video to accompany this post. AWESOME Scenery BUT What Do I Paint.

Awesome Opportunity - 2 Artist Retreats in the Shuswap

June 23-26 or September 15-18, 2023

Join me for 4 DAYS of Outdoor Sketching, nature walks, deck and beach time, creative conversations, gourmet meals and simply relaxing

Your Hosts, Joanne Denis and Myself. Cost: $450 single room or $300 shared room
Art instruction, transportation (from Lower Mainland), meals and lodging included (Bring your own art supplies. Space is limited to 8-10 attendees, Register Early

Outdoor Sketching Classes - Dates are HERE!!

Outdoor Sketching Classes

Thursday, June 29, 10-12:30pm;  July 6 & 27, 10-12:30pm
  August 3 & 10, 10-12:30pm

Experience the Joy of Sketching in Nature with Wendy .
2.5 hr classes; located in Surrey Parks;  Beginner to Advanced Welcome.
Class Size: Max 3 $55 per session

Available for booking special outings for you and 1-2 of your friends. Gift Certificates Available.

Contact Wendy for More info

Always Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work,

Be sure to like and share my posts. You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

Mar 27, 2023

How to Make your Art Retreat a Super Experience? - Painting & Drawing Tips

Whippee!!! I am off to not One but Two Art Retreats this summer!!
Not only will it be fun to hang out and work with fellow Artists, but I will be the Instructor. You probably already guessed what the topic will be, that's right. Outdoor Sketching.

Getting OUT THERE is half the FUN!!

The Adventuras Retreat will be in Shuswap, BC, June 23-26 & September 15-18, 2023. It's a worry free event: Transportation (from the Lower Mainland), food, accommodation and instruction are all included. $450 Single Room $300 Shared Room. More info at the bottom of this Post.

This will be our Cabin on the Lake

An Art Retreat is a chance to get Out and Just Do It. Can you imagine, no cooking, no planning, no mucking about. A chance to be pampered and relax. Of course for me that means settling down somewhere and sketching, reading or following a trail to see where it goes.

But to really enjoy yourself there is PREP than needs to be done . . .

Albas Falls Trail, not far from the cabin

Being prepared before heading out on a Retreats, really can add to the experience. (Ok, I will admit it. I was a Girl Guide when I was young. "Be Prepared" is kind of my middle name.) But when travelling away from your home base things go better with a few extra preparations.

When packing remember the KISS theory- Keep It Simple

Ways to Make your Art Retreat a Super Success

1. Keep all your Organization Material Together: When you Register for an Art Retreat it is usually well in advance. A year ahead is not uncommon for a long 10-14 Day Retreat. And certainly 3-5 months is pretty common for shorter ones. That means that lots of information is passed out at the beginning and you don't really look at it again until a few weeks out from the event.

Set up a folder (ie. Art Retreat 2023) in you email Inbox to store all the emails pertaining to the event. (Google can help you figure out how to do this) Try and use the same email thread for all the correspondence so you have all the information in one spot.

Heading out for walk and stopping to sketch is the Icing on the Cake.

2. Organize your Art Supplies: You will get a supply list from the Instructor with both suggested and optional items. Keep it Simple. Less is Better. It is no fun hauling a heavy container of 'art stuff' around. Don't forget you also need things like water, snacks and weather gear.

My Kit (4.5 x 7.5) & My Sketchbook

For my Outdoor Sketching Retreat let me show you what that looks like. Supplies: sketchbook,

2B Graphite Pencil, eraser – white vinyl & kneaded eraser, .03 & .05 Mircron Pigma Permeant Ink Pen,
pack of watercolours, water container, watercolour brushes – 10 & 6 round, paper towel, Container to hold everything.

For more information see my Post: My Really SMALLmendous Art Kit My art kit doesn't vary but the size of the sketchbook may get a bit bigger depending on where I am going.

The beauty of Outdoor Sketching is you can do it Anywhere.

3. Give Your Art Kit a Test Run: This is CRICIAL! Imagine Hiking up to Machu Picchu, Peru stopping to sketch the moment and your brand new pens are dry. (Actually I always take extra pens as I find sometimes the air pressure when flying can upset them)

Making a Title Page for your Book is a good way to give Materials a Test Run (of Course you need a gondola picture when going to Italy)

Use your kit in the studio and take it out on a few local trips. See how everything will work for you. You might find a bigger/smaller water container is needed, a larger/smaller brush would be nice or the sketchbook isn't really working. Certainly understanding how your paints work with your sketchbook is important. I find books and paper all have their own quirks, sum papers grabs the paint and it is hard to do a wash and others float the paint so much it is hard to get a good dark. There is no right or wrong but playing with things ahead of time really helps.

Many have found this helpful:

Blog post: 5 Tips to Get Ready for Outdoor Sketching

YouTube: 5 Tips to Get You Outdoor Sketching with Joyfulness

4. Get to Know Something about Where you are Going: Maybe this is the Girl Guide in me but I like to have an idea of what things are like at the new place. Things like: Sight Seeing Points; Weather; Terrain; possible hiking spots; history about the area. These are things that can add to the experience. When going to a different country I also like to collect images of symbols and common sights of things to decorate my sketchbook.

This Gyrfalcon became my cover picture for my trip to the Northwest Territories

Whether you join me on the Shuswap Retreat or head off somewhere else, I wish you a great trip. The camaraderie of a group with a common interest is so inspiring. You will have great memories to keep you creating on those cold, dark winter studio days.