How to paint beautiful watercolor sketches from your travel photos
Picture this, you are walking down a romantic tree lined street in Paris, France. You round the corner and there stands the magnificent Eiffel Tower! The sight takes your breath away and you know that you must capture this feeling, this memory and this moment somehow.
You know that a snapshot from your phone will not quite do the trick. But imagine if you can memorialize this beautiful experience in a creative way.
You can do exactly that with a travel art sketchbook!
In this blog post, I will share with you my methods for creating an amazing and personalized sketchbook with easy and affordable techniques. I’ll be covering:
· The tools and supplies I use
· The best types of images to paint
· The no stress way of creating these lovely paintings
If you have always wanted to create special and unique paintings that capture your travel memories, you are in the right place!
Over the years, I have started and stopped sketchbooks, and never had a continuous theme or plan. Recently, my husband and I took a 2-month road trip across the USA. I decided to take a fresh, new sketchbook on the trip with me and all of my travel supplies so I could paint along the way. I was able to create the first 5 paintings during the trip on site. Several months after we returned home, I completed my 26 sketchbook paintings that capture select special moments from our 2021 Epic Summer Road trip across the USA.
A lot of artists I talk to, have hesitations when it comes to keeping a sketchbook. I know that for me personally, I have had comparison issues. I would see other artists sitting outside the Duomo in Florence Italy and they were drawing this elaborate architectural marvel with such skill and artistry and I felt so inferior. I can’t possibly draw like that. Trying to get all of those proportions correct and accurately depict the angles and perspectives while sitting on the curb in the street. Not happening!
Some artists post their gorgeous travel sketches online and I’ll admit, I have a moment of art envy. Their paintings are incredible and so is their lettering and decorative handwriting. Comparison syndrome strikes again.
I made a promise to myself when I begin this travel sketchbook, to just paint like me. No comparison, no envy, no worrying. I just approached each new painting the way I wanted to, mostly very loose, but a few more technical pieces. This gave me all the freedom in the world, which also gave me happiness.
Here’s how I got over constantly starting and stopping sketchbooks and finally completed my first travel sketchbook that I love!
Tip #1- Tools of the Trade
It is important to make your travel sketch kit very compact and simple! Here is a list with links to my favorite supplies:
Stillman & Birn sketchbooks. I like the Beta series for its ability to hold water really well. You can use pencil, colored pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, even acrylic paint! Amazing sketchbook that holds it all and doesn’t warp the paper!
Winsor & Newton travel watercolor set. There are different styles and prices. Just choose one that works for you. Mine has 14 paint colors and several mixing trays. I love it!
Water brush. This thing is miraculous! You can bring it empty on the plane. Then fill with water when you are ready to paint. Magical! I really like it for pen and ink the best.
Derwent Inktense Pencils. These pencils are awesome. After sketching on your page, you barely touch them with water and they create vibrant, intense color. Very fun for sketching!
Mechanical Pencil, Eraser, Ink Pen, Paper towels. Whatever you have at your house, bring a couple of these.
I go over all of these supplies plus step-by-step instruction in my Watercolor Sketchbook Class available here.
Tip #2- Best types of images to paint
Here are my go-to tips on what images to paint:
Up-close image that means something to you- like a flower or pottery or glass. Something memorable from the trip that will fill the page but doesn’t take 8 hours to create.
Simple landscapes- try and capture this with an impressionistic style. Don’t drown yourself in detail. It is all about the general shapes and colors of the place.
Simple buildings- don’t try and tackle a city scape with 25 buildings. This is too much! Just capture the shape and style in a simple manner.
Colors that remind you of that day. Something just simple brushes of color to indicate the feel of that place are enough.
Tip #3- Make it easy!
The no stress way of creating these lovely paintings is to not worry about painting them on site.
I only fully created 5 out of 26 paintings on my actual trip. The rest of them I did at home in my studio working from photos I took with my iPhone. I would put the photo up on my iPad and just work for 30 minutes in my studio when I had time. No pressure and no stress. Just put on some music and enjoy some creativity time for yourself!
If you have any inner anxiety about starting your own travel sketchbook, please allow me to encourage you. Lay all your worries aside and just draw or paint the way you want to. Capture that special place on your trip with colors or pencil or paint or whatever makes you happy. Don’t let that sneaky comparison monster rear his ugly head.
I will go over all of these tips and more in my online watercolor sketchbook class. Click here to learn more!
I love how all of my travel sketches turned out and flipping through my book makes me smile as I remember each unique place and what it meant to me on the trip.
You are creative and you are totally unique. Make art that brings you joy and let the rest go.