Paint your own sketchbook reference library
Make a habit of keeping a sketchbook, says Carole Baker, as it will be a great source of inspiration and ideas for future paintings
Make a habit of keeping a sketchbook, says Carole Baker, as it will be a great source of inspiration and ideas for future paintings
My inspiration comes mostly from rural landscape and I head out on many adventures with my kit to gather source material for use in forthcoming projects. I know at any point in the future I can draw on these amazing reference books and paint from them; they help to restore memories and suggest new approaches to old subject matter, which can be an excellent way to develop.
A travel journal
I started keeping proper sketchbooks almost 20 years ago – by which I mean recording my travels in the form of watercolour and mixed-media sketches, notes and photographs. These sketchbooks are more like personal diaries or travel journals. I tend to use a new sketchbook for each location and then file them chronologically. Having a library of sketchbooks to draw on during the recent lockdowns has proved invaluable.
I like to draw/paint from life before I launch into a considered painting – it is much more than recording a subject or scene, it is about the ‘feeling’. I found that concept difficult to understand when I was told to paint the feeling but once you have sat in front of the view and experienced the warmth of the sun on your back, the breeze, how warm or cold you are, the smells and the textures – you get a real sense of place and then you can bring that into your work. The hardest thing is deciding where to start. A viewfinder helps to sort the composition out but what I tend to do is start from what drew me to the subject in the first place. I start with the focal point and work out from there.
It does not have to be a perfect view on a sunny day. Inspiration is all around us – it is whatever makes you stop and encourages you to look and see. On my daily walks I am constantly looking for painting possibilities – maybe a gateway and the way the sun is casting a shadow. It may be pouring with rain but it creates mood and atmosphere and exciting possibilities. I remember being told once that if you look and think there is nothing worth sketching, stop and sketch it anyway. I have done this many times and produced successful paintings from the experience.
DEMONSTRATION Low Light
This spot was nothing spectacular and most people would not even notice it. For me it was the play of light and how the low sun lit up the clouds. I also like an interesting foreground so together with the contrasting lights and darks, this view appealed to me.
STAGE ONE
I loved the fence posts in the foreground and the low sun peeking through the trees. I used a charcoal stick to mark out a minimal amount of drawing – I wanted it to be loose, free and spontaneous, not a picture-perfect sketch
STAGE TWO
I laid down the lights in the sky first, followed by the darker clouds, using cobalt blue, indigo, quinacridone gold, ruby red and Naples yellow
STAGE THREE
Next came the line of tree in the distance and the golden field of the middle ground. I loved the way the sun was lighting up the grass. This was a mix of quinacridone gold and a touch of indigo, using the side of the brush to pick up the texture of the rough paper and create a sparkling effect
STAGE FOUR
While the paint was still wet, I mixed a dark green to suggest the foreground and then took a small palette knife and scratched into the wet paint to lift out
STAGE FIVE
For the foreground tree silhouetted by the sun I started with the gold, then dropped in some ruby red and indigo, using plenty of pigment, and let the paint mix on the paper. I used my palette knife to drag out some of the fine branches. I then added cobalt blue to the mix and strengthened the darks in the foreground
STAGE SIX
Finally I used some pastels to add a few highlights to pick out where the light was hitting – adding some ‘zing’! Small touches of complementary coloured pastels, especially in the dark areas to bring out textures – made marks that suggest plenty going on
FINISHED SKETCH
Low Light, mixed media, 8319¾in (20350cm). The completed sketch took 15 minutes! It’s captured the essence of the evening and it will definitely make a good reference for a future painting
Carole Baker Is an elected member of the Royal Society of British Artists and exhibits in open exhibitions and art fairs throughout the UK. She also runs a busy programme of workshops (including online), painting holidays and demonstrations. www.carolebaker.com