Sketchbooks filled while on the road often are really souvenirs, full of stories and memories to savour, rather than just good art. I love the narratives and quirky observations of sketch travelers.
Gerard Darris was in the French alps when he stopped to sketch a herd of cows with trademark alpine bells. “But when we draw sitting motionless, the cows approach closely and become very curious, one starts to lick my backpack and I fear that it will take on my picnic ! I have to change places to continue my sketch !”
The most interesting travel sketches rarely are predictable, or done at tourist sites. The best ones give you a little slice of something unexpected. Flickr user kh_anele found a bit of wilderness in Berlin, where a natural oasis had developed, “wedged between the railway lines of the long-distance and S-Bahn and interspersed with overgrown tracks.”
These observations about people, transport, animals and life in general (above) while on a bus in India are stellar examples of how to use a travel sketchbook. The artist sketchrboy is a Flickr pro with multiple pages of similar examples. (Click on the image, then click on the URL to read all the text.)
And then sometimes, it’s just the colours and glorious technique that catch the eye (see original here)
See many more sketchbooks in the Art Junkie Sketch & Draw category, here.
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Wow, so cool
It is the colours and glorious technique that caught my eye. I’ve always like the Sketchbook posts.
I can get so lost in sketchbook browsing, in a good way.
I really love this kind of art.
There will be one every Saturday! Glad you like the genre.
This is great. I am not a trained illustrator, but want to give it a try.
Do it! If you scan Flickr’s “sketchbook” tag, you’ll find all kinds of untrained sketchers’ works, some extremely beginner basics.
Oh, thanks for the tip. I will do that!!