The Value of the Sketch

I love to start right into my art, that is to say that I want to start right into the final product. However, most times I have to plan what I want to do. I use the sketch to do that. It would be a shame to start right into the final product with expensive materials and find that it doesn't work. A sketch will tell me where to position things, what my focal point will be, how to enhance my focal point, what values will look like. It will generally tell me if my plan will work and if it will be pleasing to the eye, a good composition.

I take a small sketch book along with me to most of the places I visit. I have several sketch books that document places I have been and I often leaf through these books seeking inspiration for paintings or other artwork. Many of my fabric cards were inspired by some of these sketches.



A colour sketch of the Humber River Valley near my house.
This sketch was done in a 5"X7" book.



I will also sketch ordinary everyday things.



I also sketch to keep up my drawing skills. If you want to draw well, you need to practice and the sketch is good for that. A sketch helps me to observe my subject and observation tells me things about how something is put together, about the colour, about the values. It helps me to draw the illusion of 3-dimensions on a 2-dimensional piece of paper.

Sketches can be very quick and linear with very little detail or they can be very detailed depending on what your goal is. I have sketched with pencil primarily but I also use fine point permanent ink pens if my goal is to record value or watercolour pencils if I want to record the colours I am observing.



A quick pencil sketch to determine composition.



A sketch of a rural Ontario farm, many of which are slowly
disappearing from the countryside.



A more detailed sketch of the Northern wilderness.



This sketch was one of many, each was a different
view of this house that I later painted with watercolour for the owners.



This sketch was done by combining two photographs
I had taken. The final product ended up a little different
than the sketch due to the fact that as I was painting it,
I felt the left side drew my eye right out of the picture. So
I added a dark tree to that side to keep the attention inside
the painting.



These last two sketches were done in permanent ink pen
so I could determine the values of the overal work and the placing of the canoes.



They are slightly different but I get a different feel from
each of them. The top sketch makes me feel like getting
into a canoe and exploring the large expanse of lake
behind them and this second one gives me the feeling
that someone has just returned from a paddle and is now
resting by the fire overlooking the beautiful and quiet
scenery.



Sketches are not meant to be finished pieces of art but I love the look of sketches and feel that they could be framed and displayed. The fact that they are done quickly gives them a spontaneous feel that appeals to me.