Travel Sketching Most Asked Questions

Q: How do I start?

A: You have to start before you’re ready. That means get a sketchbook, and a pencil and draw something, if you’re afraid of starting in the first page, start deliberately in the middle page. Starting in the middle incentivize you to carry on. And if that also fails, I recommend throwing your new sketchbook across a park and let a dog fetch it.

Q: How do I enjoy travel and not be stressed about sketching and also be with my family?

A: This makes me want to ask a question first, what is your relationship boundaries with your family. Having a good relationship boundaries means you can ask for time to paint, while the family does other things. You can involve your children or your spouse if they want to. You can also go on your own sketching trip, and adult children and spouses are usually supportive when they realise once you return, you’re a chill, inspired person who just had time enjoying your own interest.

Q: how do I pick a good location?

A: Try this, go from what is interesting to you. If it’s buildings, find the one that speaks to you, if it’s people, go where you can see them but not have to interact if you dont want to, If it’s nature, or still life, or all of it, then pick locations that is beautiful to be in, has good light and inspires you to sketch. If it doesnt inspire you, don’t start there.

Q: With so many places to see and create memories, how do you decide where to stop and paint?

A: This is a similar question to one before, but this sounds like the question comes from a journaling artist, and creating memories is wonderful in a sketchbook. Lessons from my mother who was a travel journal keeper, and famous author David Sedaris, they both would make ‘highlight’ points of what happens through the day, some funny moments as points to expand on later, and sit and splendidly draw from different references you take yourself, and create pages of these memories, in the comfort of your home or studio or a cafe.   

Q: How do you go around deciding NOT to see so many things and instead to slow down and pick one or two. How and when  did it happen for you?

A: This is a tricky question to answer, but I will try. Travel is stressful, and tourist travel agents tend to design their tours for maximum Sight Seeing, and that in turns makes the tourist so tired, and it is impossible to enjoy sight seeing when there’s 1000 others wanting to see the same lake, the same temple etc. I recommend escape the crowds, and find the first thing that captivate your attention, and start sketching it before you’re fully ready, that will take you to the flow place and reduces your FOMO.

Q: What are the No-Nos for someone who wants to try travel sketching?

A : Try saying ‘ maybe I can do it… ‘ instead of ‘I can’t, not good, cannot,…’ to yourself. Say No to negative self talk and too much self-criticism. Try this for a day, talk nicely to yourself as if you’re advising your friend and giving them encouragement. Encourage yourself. See what happens.

Q: How does travel sketching different from urban sketching? 😊

A: Travel sketching to me is a mindset, that means I am always building a curious relationship with the world around me. Travel on its own can be stressful and so we have to be flexible, be resilient, and allow what we cannot control to happen without it causing us too much distress, so sketching while we travel is a way to see all situations outside of our control and taking advantage of it. Travel sketching is taking whatever happens in our travels and making it as memorable and enjoyable as possible.

Q: Do you choose a limited colour palette before you travel?

If so, how do you go about doing it?

A: The answer is yes and no. Sometimes I am in love with what’s in my current palette, and I just want to use it all the time. It doesn’t matter where I go, I will use these colours. Sometimes I want to be more accurate, and reach for colours that is sympathetic to the place I am going to, an easy example: If I go to Santorini, I will bring a lot of turquoise. There is no wrong in this activity. Also read about what I call a Muse colours here

Q: How does travel sketching improve my attention and focus?

A: When we’re traveling, we’re already more vigilant, more attentive, because we are not at home. I find that improved quality of attention a given, but often I find when we are on a holiday mode, that often means something different. So I might ask you this question, what is the purpose of your travel?

A: Travel sketching is giving ourself the gift of attention.

Our attention is a limited gift, don’t throw it away to social media or pilfer it away to undefined and pointless distraction. What you give your attention to expands and grows with you.

Q: How does travel sketching grow you as a person

A: A growth mindset is what I nurture as an artist. That is why I love learning and all activities that can grow me as a person. Travel sketching has taught me a lot about how the world I travel in work, be it just around my neighbourhood, or far away in another country. It taught me resilience, and opens my mind to varieties of life and nature, and teaches me about myself and how to be a mindful world traveller.

Q: What is the funniest thing that happened while you were travel sketching

A:  I’ve got a few of these and the number is growing, the shortest and most common are when a complete strange saw me sketching (this was in a bar in Tokyo) she came and sat next to me, we couldn’t communicate because neither of us spoke the other one’s language, and I end up sketching a picture of her two children from her phone. Sketching became our universal language.

Q: Which comes first. Travel or sketching? Meaning do you plan to travel and then sketch or the other way around?

A: I am an artist first, a traveller second, so even when I travel without a sketchbook, the artist always comes and the mindset of the is my studio is always on.

Q: How do I get the quick hit of satisfaction in my travel sketchbook as a beginner?

• Sketch from a place of curiosity, and not from a place of ‘not good enough’.

• Learn to trust your own judgement instead of using inherited or learned ideas about the world.

• Know where the fun and attractive subjects are and choose the simplest forms and shapes.

• Develop a kinder inner critic.

Love is all around us, capture it on your sketchbook if you can.