Tip 1: Active
Out on location, you are physically involved in the scene. You are recording so you sometimes need to get up, move around and see things from different angles. Also you need toilet breaks and coffee breaks and even a cake break so either way you are moving around. If it’s cold you need to jump around to keep warm and don’t forget to stretch off before you begin. You also need to get there. Even a small amount of daily exercise has been proved to keep the body, and more importantly the mind fit.
Tip 2: Connect
When Urban Sketching, you often go with other artists, either as part of an Urban Sketch group, a workshop, a symposium or just a bunch of like minded mates. You all draw and paint the world differently, but essentially you are doing exactly the same thing; carefully noticing what you see and recording it. This connects us to each other as it reinforces what we have in common, improving our mental wellbeing. Sharing these sketches on social media is the perfect way to connect with others. What a wonderfully creative world we live in.
Tip 3: Give Back
Tip 4: Take Note
Urban sketching offers the opportunity to really take notice of the world that surrounds us. So often we pass through with our heads buried in a screen. But with a pen and a piece of paper in your hand you can just stop, really slow down, and look and find the little details that really matter.
A crack in a cobble or a satellite dish on a wall; something that takes time to be noticed, but when it does it
feeds the soul. Put your life on hold for a minute, take in your surroundings and discover the moment.
Tip 5: Learn
Never stop learning. There’s always someone out there who can offer you advice and support. It moves you forward and gives a greater sense of achievement. You will also learn from yourself by recognising internally the things you need to improve on – perspective, colour, tone, composition, whatever. Everyone needs to keep learning. Learn about the location you are sketching in; the history, the culture and the people. Focus on where things have come from, how they’ve got to be where they are and where they might end up. Keep an open mind and the world is your oyster.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading our 5 tips for creative wellbeing. For more tutorials from Artist Ian Fennelly, take a look at our Urban Sketching for Beginners Course below.
