Sketching En Plein Air Blacktoft and Yokefleet

 Sketching En Plein Air Blacktoft and Yokefleet

A line of poplars near Blacktoft.

I sat in the car and painted this view. It was early spring. I chose yellow ochre to capture a sense of the season. I had been reading about the artist Lois Dodd (American, born 1927) who works entirely in front of the subject to capture the light at the time she sees it - and before it changes. She quickly sketches the scene on masonite boards in yellow paint to begin with, which she thinks is a good colour because it makes it easier to alter the image if necessary.

Fence near Blacktoft.

A charcoal sketch made whilst sitting in the car. I think that the small sketch has a sense of immediacy.

Barn, Yokefleet.

A view of the barn as seen from my car. The barn was huge and there was a strange looking red metal container beneath it. The bright red stood out from the rest of the more natural colours.

The sketches I made whilst sitting in the car gave me the opportunity to experience making observational sketches in relative privacy whilst also being “on site” and taking in the atmosphere. I also got out and took a series of photographs. The exercise demonstrated the benefits of spending more time in a place whilst working on a drawing or watercolour sketch. It allowed me to soak up the feeling of a place more than just taking photos. The memory also seemed to linger on better in my mind.

I found that the angle of the view was different to what I would have done from a photograph. Sitting in the car I was at a low angle and the view restricted. If I had done a painting of this location from a photograph, I would probably have used a much wider angle. I don’t think that either is right or wrong – just different.