Sketch or Photo?
which one dominates for you
Welcome,
In one of my recent notes, I mentioned taking lots of photos when I’m out and about with a view to sketching them later, but then not getting around to it. I wanted to explore why this might be.
As it is entirely possible to enjoy both drawn art and photographic art then perhaps this answer is the obvious one. It is after all so much easier to point, shoot, view, keep or delete, it would seem obvious that you have so many photos ‘ready’ for sketching.
With this example of the leaves against the house I think there was also something else at work in my mind (sometimes there is 😊)
Having been drawn to the vibrant colours I had every intention to try this as a sketch but my tendency to want to reproduce pictures more accurately started ‘blocking’ me. I sort of knew getting the realistic look of the leaves would be almost impossible (at the moment), so I filed it in my sketch idea folder!
I also loved the colours so much the feeling of not doing it ‘justice’ and thereby ruining this visual image etched in my mind, was the overarching thought.
Now, I might be rambling, but if any of you ‘produce’ art you may be understanding what I’m going on about!
Do you have the same thoughts? How do you choose your topics? Do you take a photo as a prompt too?
By the way these pictures were from October 2023 during a walk along the Old Tram Road by Restronguet Creek on the way to Devoran, Cornwall, UK.1
I now have so many photos in my ‘file’ I can’t possibly say I have ‘artistic block’ but I still catch myself sometimes with that thought.
When this happens I find I just need to start putting something on paper. It could be pencil, ink or watercolour but something always helps. In fact, the thought process of just writing this piece has given me the motivation to just try and represent the vibrancy of the colours (or some interpretation of the colour if your colour mixing skill or palette lets you down occasionally, like it does for me).
I’m going to put this one from the ‘file’ to the top of the list and just get some paint down. Keep an eye out for it in the coming weeks as a note.
Always happy to hear from fellow enthusiasts in the comments👇
Till next time, happy sketching………..or photography 👋.
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I have a very similar photo which I did paint, but only to create a birthday “card” for our granddaughter in the UK. I didn’t want to rely on the mail during Covid so emailed a copy of it instead. Like you I get too anal with my art, I really must try and loosen up!
I do this with colour too, I'll take a photo as the colour combo calls to me so deeply but then I find that i end up diverting away from the idea or it doesn't look so good when it comes to art in 'real life'!