Sketching While Traveling

In this photo below, its March (2013) in Manhattan and the snow hasn't quite left Washington Square and my daughter and I sat down on a bench because there was a young man playing a piano ("Claire de Lune" by Claude Debussy). I pulled out my pocket sketchbook and did a quick sketch of the scene.

Sketching in Washington Square, Manhattan, N.Y. in March 2013

Later, when we got back to the hotel room in the evening, I created an art journal page (below) of everything we did and everywhere we walked that day.

Art Journal: Saturday March 9, 2013

Sitting in Brooklyn in 2015 and sketching the Manhattan skyline with the NYC Urban Sketchers group

Both practices, travel sketching from direct observation and creating a visual diary/journal of your travels, are rewarding practices that I intended to use in my travels through Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales in 2019.

Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales 

2019 

Preparing for this trip, I think I spent more time worrying about which art supplies I should pack instead of thinking about the clothes I needed. I had big plans for sketching everywhere we stopped. 

Ireland was primarily a genealogy trip with my brother and sister, and the next leg of the trip was purely for touring with my daughter and what I came to learn was that there actually wasn't a lot of time to stop and sketch when traveling with non-sketchers. Even so, I still managed to get some sketching in.
 

Art supplies, travel agenda and travel books for Ireland

Sitting and sketching in Edinburgh, Scotland in the rain before catching our Rail/Sail to Ireland

Testing paper in new travel sketchbook: Study of Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland

Exploring a limited palette

Galway City, Galway

In Kenmare, Co Kerry, we stayed in a lovely cottage called "AN SMACHTLANN" (Irish language meaning 'the slammer' – as it was used as a temporary place of detention in the mid-1800s. )which was originally constructed around 1790 and recently lovingly restored by the owners.

I did a quick sketch to leave as a thank you for our hosts

A quick sketch of our AirBnB in Kenmare, Kerry, Ireland to leave as a "Thank You" for our guests

Why Travel Sketches 

Are Better Than Photos 

When Traveling

In the preface of "Sketches from Japan" Frank Ching names three reasons why it is worth recording (travel) impressions in drawings rather than with a camera. (Source: Squidoo; also Frank Ching on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/33296611)

1. There is no special equipment needed, the eye, a fountain pen and a sketchbook is enough to note anytime and anywhere thoughts, observation and memories. There is no set form, ultimately it is a very personal thing. 
2. If our experiences are put down in drawings we connect to our environment and give it more attention. Images and events have been perceived and processed by our senses before they hit the pages of a sketchbook. This requires a selection and filtering, we can not draw everything we see. The gathering, selecting and describing of what we see leaves an almost indelible impression of a place or an event. 
3. We can not just only draw or note what we see. We can also use drawing as a method to gain insights and perhaps even to find inspiration. Drawing stimulates the mind, stimulates thinking and can make aspects visible which are hidden for the naked eye.We can think about the history, the making of something, of how the parts fit together and we may even try to describe noises and smells as well.

I love this quote by Frederick Franck "I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen." and it certainly rings true for me. 

A photo of Rijksmuseum on the day of the 'Big Draw' ( Rijksmuseum )

It rings true for the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam as well where they have asked visitors to PLEASE not take pictures and they provide sketchbooks instead.

Through their campaign called ‘#startdrawing’, curators at Rijksmuseum are hoping people will “discover and appreciate the beauty of art and history through drawing.”

“In today’s world of mobile phones and media a visit to a museum is often a passive and superficial experience,” their website reads. “Visitors are easily distracted and do not truly experience beauty, magic and wonder."

A photo of Rijksmuseum on the day of the 'Big Draw' ( Rijksmuseum )

Travel sketching is a worthy goal even if the challenges of traveling with non-sketchers or traveling on a tight schedule means you dont get as much sketch time in as you planned. I can tell you this, the sketches you do make will be the memories that rush back most vividly ...the temperature, the smells, the sounds ...things you cant put into your sketch ... will come rushing back.

Below are some more links to help you plan your next travel sketch adventure.


SKETCHING IS GOOD FOR YOU links:

• Researchers from the University of Waterloo found that even if people weren't good at it, drawing, as a method to help retain new information, was better than re-writing notes, visualization exercises or passively looking at images. 
• The CBC recently posted an article urging visitors to “Pack a sketchbook” for “An artist's guide to the Museum of Anthropology” 
• The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam encourages people to bring their sketchbooks and draw the beautiful paintings, prints, and sculptures in front of them–as opposed to quickly recording it all on their phones."

SEEING Links

• What is Seeing? Kim Manley Ort references Frederick Franck
• 13 Quotes on seeing from John Paul Caponigro
• 10 Books on Seeing Kim Manley Ort 
• Seeing is Forgetting (inspired by Robert Irwin) Kim Manley Ort

TRAVEL SKETCHING Links

• National Geographic: How to Create Your Own Travel Sketchbook (Candace Rardon) 
• Globe and Mail: Why I prefer to travel with a sketchbook instead of a camera and this quote: "Drawing is to photography what walking is to driving: it’s more work, it’s slower, it demands patience and it’s something we’ve increasingly forgotten how to do."
• Marc Taro Holmes (Citizen Sketcher) Travel Sketching: Mixed Media Video Course and a link to a FREE 11-page PDF pamphlet Making Expressive Pen and Ink Drawings on Location.
• 6 Travel Sketchers to Follow
• The Bored Panda: I Sketch On Every Single Bus, Train And Airplane I Board
• Drawn On The Road: a blog FAQ
• Lonely Planet: Sketching for travelers: reasons to swap your smartphone for a pencil or paint
• Citizen Sketcher:  Travel Sketching in Ireland Part One : Five Strategies for Sketching in the Rain
• Citizen Sketcher: Traveling Travel Sketching in Ireland Part Two: What did I learn?
• Will Kemp: An Art Material Addicts Guide to becoming a Minimalist Sketcher 
• Parka Blogs Video:  Drawing on Public Transport, Trains, Stations (tutorial)