As I suggested in the introduction, sketching on the spot can be, and should be, very individual. Tweak the concept to fit your needs, and you’ll find creativity everywhere. There are no rules.
Think about what it is you truly want to sketch. Do you want to explore the bustle of a busy market or a live performance? Perhaps you’d prefer something more peaceful, like a tiny mushroom by a path, or a golf course in the midst of a desert. How about an unfamiliar bird at your feeder or a beloved pet? Or maybe you’d like to get out and sketch a local art museum, a botanical garden or a fashion show?
What speaks to you? What makes you stop in your tracks and grab for your pencil or watercolors? It could be anything. Remain open to inspiration, to serendipity and to your muse. It’s absolutely unique to you, even if the subject has been done countless times. Your response is what matters.
Look all around you. Lie on your back on a picnic table and look at the interlaced branches of a tree, and consider what creatures make their homes there. Perhaps you’ll spot a squirrel’s summer nest. Look down at your feet. What is that tiny flower? What kind of fossil is that? Draw it and identify it later! Before you know it, you may have a field guide to your own life.
Look to the horizon if there is a glorious sunset, and then, as Mary Whyte suggests in her lovely book, An Artist’s Way of Seeing, turn around and look behind you. Maybe the subtle, less showy afterglow is what stirs a response, making your fingers itch to get it down on paper.
My first North Light book, Painting Nature’s Details in Watercolor, focused on finding the small beauties at our feet by discovering something close by to inspire us. My husband, Joseph Ruckman, also an artist, is drawn to the grand, sweeping vista, but those are often few and far between unless you live in the mountains or by the shore.
You can always find something to paint or draw if you’re looking for it, and if you’re open to inspiration.
I enjoy sketching live performances. It’s good practice, and it gives me an excuse to sit close to the music! This is our godchild, Molly Hammer, rocking it in Kansas City.