Capturing the impression of a place quickly – basic landscape sketching tips

Something that came up in the recent run-through of my class Sketching Fundamentals and that is also a frequently asked question generally is how do you capture the atmosphere of a place quickly (in drawing or painting) before the light changes, and how to you find a good place to set up and work?

I will answer this as it applies to landscape sketching or for smaller intimate scenes (tree portraits, or individual plants or animals with a bit of vegetation around them). For smaller subjects like individual plants it’s usually possible to find a spot that’s in the shade so that your light doesn’t change too much, but for landscapes that is sometimes not the case.

Find your composition

The first step for me is usually finding an interesting spot that leads to a good composition, and then looking around if there is a place nearby that lets me sit or stand comfortably, and without standing in the way for others. I often decide based on the subject or terrain if I want to paint standing or sitting. Make sure you have organized your tools in a way that you can quickly set them up and get started within a minute. If this is interesting for you, I will show how I get ready for sketching in the field and set up my things in a video. Of course getting out a pencil and a sketchbook is a bit faster than setting up a tripod and a palette for a longer session. My approach is using minimal equipment so that I’m most flexible.

Find a good place

I like to set up my gear in places that are not so frequented by people, so that I can concentrate on my sketch. When you’re painting out in nature in a rural area, this is not a big problem. There have been days when I haven’t met a single person – which is weird in itself. And if you happen to meet someone, people are usually curious and friendly. When you’re sketching in an urban area, there might be more people around, but they’re usually busy. I’ve had the longest conversations when I’ve set up my painting gear in or around small towns or villages. I’m not very good at painting and chatting at the same time, so I usually take a small break when someone comes up to me.

Whether you sit or stand depends on your preference and your subject, and on your tools, sometimes you will get a better view sitting and sometimes standing. I like to make use of benches when possible, often these are in very nice locations with nice vistas, and it’s great to have additional space to put your things. When you’re standing during painting, you will need some kind of easel to hold your paper and water container, since you want your hands to be free to hold brushes and paints.

Find a comfortable spot for painting

I decide whether I sit or stand based on the gear I brought and the kind of view I want to have on the subject, and I often move around a bit in the area before I decide on a spot. Once I sit down comfortably I’m not as motivated to change that. Comfort is another important factor – you’re more likely to do a longer painting session when you’re in a cozy spot.

This means having a nice place to sit or stand, but also things like shade, practical clothes, something to eat and drink, protection from the sun (or from wind and rain), and a practical setup that doesn’t fall apart while you’re sketching. The first thing to go away will be your motivation to paint if you don’t organize yourself well, at least that’s the case for me.

Put down a framework first to capture the essence of a scene

One thing that is important to understand about sketching landscapes is that the light will change very quickly outside. After 20-30 minutes the light situation usually has changed if it’s a sunny day, and you either want to be finished by then, have a good light concept like a small thumbnail, or you need to have a good memory (or a memory aid like a photo) to finish your painting. Even though the light changes, I often find landscape sketches to be very forgiving and adaptable, and even with watercolor you can adapt the lighting and mood a bit during your session.

What I try to get down first are big masses, big shapes based on value. This is something we have to train ourselves to do, because the human brain is wired to notice details. Squinting helps to simplify shapes and do a quick pencil sketch. Don’t lose yourself in details right from the beginning. You will need a structure for your sketch, a framework that you can later refine.

This will also help you to capture the essence of a scene – what it is about. I always try to establish from the very start to show what I’m interested in in a scene, and I focus on that. Is it the sky? Then show the sky. Is it a pond that has interesting water reflections and small grasses overlapping at the edge? Then focus on that, and show it. Fade out the rest of the elements in your landscape, they are only the backdrop. You don’t need to add details in every corner of your painting. If you have detail and information everywhere, then your sketch or painting will be about nothing. You need to lead the eye to a focal point, and you do this by adding more information to some areas, and less information to others. So think about the places where you want to add contrast, highlight, texture and details – it can’t be everywhere.

Basic rules for landscapes

One very important ingredient for good sketching and painting is close and thorough observation. Even for small, quick sketches it pays off to really observe what shapes and angles look like. So take your time and understand what you’re looking at before you make one decisive stroke with your brush – this saves time too.

Usually in the back of a landscape sketch we have lower contrast and low details – this is the principle of aerial perspective. Things are usually paler and bluer and less pronounced in the distance. So establishing a pale background with a few strokes is one great technique to create a stage, a 3d space for the things that happen in the foreground.

When you’ve painted for a while and have added a number of elements, take a look and see where you can soften edges, or where you can add accents. Details should always come last.

Focus on values instead of colors

Working quickly in the field also means being comfortable with your tools, and being able to mix quickly. This will come with practice, and overall for painting I find it’s much more important to get the values right, than any exact color. Usually you will want to show a certain mood. Similar to the big shapes, it’s helpful to find unifying colors in your scene, so that the painting doesn’t fall apart. This can be done with very few colors and mixes, so you don’t have to mix each green exactly. Landscape sketches are very forgiving, and they often work better when you leave out details instead of putting more details in. This will help you to move quickly, and capture a scene in less than 30 minutes.

When I’m in the middle of a painting and I see that the light has already changed and my time is running out, I often take a photo, so that I can finish the sketch at home, and have a reference for the details. You could call this a painting insurance. Another technique you can try is to do a quick color thumbnail sketch at the beginning, or try to memorize the most important aspects of a place – often it doesn’t really matter what something really looked like, but more how it fits into your painting. You will notice that you will change small things in your sketch anyway – this is your creative license when making art.

Consider the weather

You can paint very early or late in the day, this will give you interesting light and it will be less hot in the summer. Often the early mornings are the only time I can get a quick landscape sketching session finished, since it will be scorching hot later in the day. On sunny days or in the middle of the day, I always try to find painting spots in the shade, and when that’s not possible or the light is a bit unstable, I bring a small white umbrella that I can sit under. This umbrella is for covering the paper, I cover myself with long clothes and a hat. This can also keep bugs away. This is not optimal when it’s windy, but overall it works. I don’t advise sketching outside on excessively hot days in the middle of summer, or during heat waves – take care of yourself and make art in a shady, cool place if possible, and drink enough water (not your painting water though).

Rain can be a problem when the air is so humid that your sketch won’t dry, but if you have an umbrella or paint from under a roof, you can shield your painting from moisture, and plan in some time to let everything dry. In autumn, I often only bring (colored) pencils and dry media, and add watercolor at home. I haven’t painted in the snow in a long time, but I know a fellow artist who uses alcohol as his painting water, since it doesn’t freeze. My scenario for sketching outside in winter would definitely include a hot water bottle and mittens, but I have to admit I more often sketch through the window or from photos during that season.

Choosing the right tools

And of course, a practical sketching kit is also important. I generally make sure I don’t bring too much equipment, since I have to carry it all and I still need some energy for making art. Transporting sketching equipment on the bicycle can also be a good alternative, and the bike can act as an easel. I always bring a mat or a small stool to sit down everywhere, and I try to make sure to organize each part of my painting equipment, so that I don’t have to search very long for anything. If you want to see my current sketching kit in detail, I’m happy to show it in another post – I’m always adapting it, but right now I’m very happy with my setup. Most important for me is that I find all my tools quickly and can reach them with one hand, and that I don’t risk losing them in the field (this happens from time to time..I’m currently mourning the loss of my trusty mechanical pencil)

One last thing: Painting outside will never be as comfortable and easy as is painting in the studio, just be aware of that when you struggle. It’s ok to be a bit uncomfortable the first few times, but very likely you will be happy you tried afterwards, and you will have lasting memories of that day!

Simple rules for quick landscape paintings:

• decide what the painting is about
• Observation is key – take your time for this
• start with big shapes, group values together
• big to small
• value is more important than color
• leave out details that don’t add to the essence of the painting
• add contrast and details and edges where you want the viewer to look at, add accents last
• keep comfortable when you’re sketching
• bring practical tools

I hope this contained a few useful ideas for your next (or first!) outdoor sketching session and took the mystery out of plein air painting a bit.
I’m also currently thinking about a video class on landscape sketching to include more practical tips and demos, and I’d love to hear if you would prefer a short and more spontaneous class with a bit of useful theory and some field sketching demos, or a longer more comprehensive class with more theory and concepts plus demos, that will take several weeks to complete and include assignments (not unlike my recent Sketching Fundamentals class). Let me know in the comments if and what you’re interested in!