Few things beat a lazy hour with a coffee, cinnamon bun, and a book (or a sketchbook!) on a cafe balcony in Luang Prabang, looking out over the Nam Kam river. Last year, it was a real highlight to finally take my wife Deb to Laos, a place I’ve visited many times before. She met my friends; experienced places engraved on my heart and in my memory; felt the heat; and breathed in the sweet smell of the Far East.
It was a lazy, relaxed trip with two sketchbooks and minimal drawing equipment. But that’s all one needs. I spent much of my time drawing. I tend to sketch quickly, keeping the pencil moving – looking more at the scene in front of me rather than the pencil on paper. I work as much by feel as by sight.
When I draw, invariably before I make any marks, I look. Really look!
In our busy lives, how often do we look, stare at something for a full two minutes? What are the main shapes? The lights and darks? It is good to not only focus on the objects – what about the shapes between the objects. Note the colours. Note the textures. Screw your eyes up and cut out the detail. Concentrate on the main shapes and tones. Take note of your emotions – how does what you see make you feel?
Then start drawing. Capturing what you see. Capturing how you feel.
You don’t have to be overlooking the Nam Kan.
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