Late afternoon sketch & walk

November 1, 2024 | 2 Comments


In addition to my morning coffee and sketch routine, I have an afternoon sketch and walk practice that I’m trying to be more consistent with. It’s always a bit of a challenge, as the point of the walk is exercise, not stopping to sketch, so the sketch has to be very quick (under 5 minutes).

I generally walk in the afternoon/evening and have sometimes tried to incorporate a super quick sketch while doing my exercise. I had a separate small kit (with a random collection of 10 coloured pencils and a few different-toned paper notebooks) that I would use. Once home, I would glue my sketch into my sketchbook.

Here is an example of my toned paper approach from last year. And a few more examples of these types of sketches can be found here.

But these days, I want to sketch directly into my book, which means that I have to carry my big, heavy A4 sketchbook with me. I carry it in my hand and then choose a few tools to include in a tiny cross-body bag.


Sometimes, it’s a small sketch…


…that I fit into a spread I’ve been working on during the day.


Other times, I work larger and start a new spread. This creates an incentive to do more sketching in the evening to complete the spread. 🙂

Two closing thoughts:

  1. My goal with my everyday sketching is to capture moments, not create masterpieces, and these two examples of super quick sketches are (once again) modified versions of my 7 Lines and 5 Shapes techniques from Travel Sketching.
  2. How I approach a particular sketch is usually determined by Sketchbook Design considerations, and I’m constantly asking myself: Where should I put a sketch? How big should it be? Will I be able to add more sketches to the spread later that day?

2 Comments

  • Jacqueline Lee says:

    Hi Liz,
    Your emails have been my companion for many years. I have done a few of your classes, and I am making slow progress.
    What I love about your daily sketching is not just the documentation of the scenes around you, the teacup you use…. What I look forward to, is your Bible verses. What an awesome way to praise God. Reading them in your sketch book is so special. Your dedication to your daily sketches shows your relationship with Him. I enjoy following you on your walks, both physically/visually and spiritually. Thank you for sharing His love and your journey. ??

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