Sketching -1 - 2 - 3

 There comes the time when the hills become higher, and the likelihood of your ever climbing to a favourite sketching spot, becomes but a dream. Time then, to pullout the photo album and put it up on the screen to relive a moment and make a quick sketch.....

It's here where creativity, or as some might call it interpretation kicks in. I'm looking at my computer, a screen saver that's going to close in a couple of minutes, so I grab what information that I can and begin to scribble. I don't hope to copy the landscape before me, just a bit of the essence.... and then I lose the image and start to put together a drawing.

Come back in a couple of days to see what I've managed....

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I managed to work on the drawing for a wee bit. It's a long ways from finished, but you'll understand that making a drawing can be as difficult as , or more so, than making a watercolour painting. Drawing, painting, as I've mentioned, is all about personal interpretation. In the case of making a drawing it's all about line and tone attempting to interpret light and shadow.

Lake Superior Provincial Park II.                        Graphite Drawing

So, come back again in a couple of days should you get a chance. I'll probably have the drawing finished by then.....

It was a struggle, but I've finished the drawing......

From the Ridge. - Lake Superior Provincial Park.  Graphite Drawing. 2021

One might say it's only a pencil drawing, what's so hard about that? For most, in this day and age it's almost an impossible task as drawing as a discipline is rarely pursued. Most wannabe artists would rather smear paint, and make something that "looks like" this and that. Don't believe me, give it a shot - lets see what you can do.....

Here's a couple of watercolour sketches from the same ridge...done while sitting on a comfortable rock....

I remember that day well, a perfect day, a cold autumn day in the park. The sketches were done several years ago when I was much younger, somewheres around 75 years of age. I was beginning to become a bit breathless during the climb, and wasn't all the confident on my feet. Glad that we did the hike, however, as now several years later, heading into my 80s, there's no going back. Sketches, much better than photos, bring back memories of time spent, even if the view is from a comfortable rock.

So, here's the thing, I'm suddenly feeling a bit old, and having shared hundreds of drawings, sketches, and paintings, as well as some of our experiences, I'm taking a bit of a breather from posting. I may be back. Who knows, but for the moment let me wish everyone well. I do hope that some of you may have gotten some good out of my ramblings, and will do a bit of exploring and make some sketches. Important if we're to bring to the attention of others that this old planet of ours needs some tender loving care and recognition for the paradise that it is, and is worth saving.

Stay Safe, and Happy Sketching,

ERNEST ANDREW SOMERS

CANADIAN ARTIST - NATURALIST