Try this:

 

1 The basic shape

Don’t be too precious to begin with; simply look at the basic shape and start drawing with your HB pencil and the rubber. Keep your pencil sharp, as you are focussing on form and soft lines can be blurred and less defined. Keep looking and looking; you are in front of the subject now, make the most of it!

 

2 Shade, colour and definition

Once you are happy with the basic shape, you can start to add shade, colour and definition with the watercolour pencils. I find it best to avoid adding water too early. When drawing on top of damp paper, the marks can be thick and difficult to water down. Instead, observe the darker and lighter areas and simply sketch as if you are using normal pencils. Once again, observation is essential and don’t assume you know what colour is needed. Look carefully and experiment on a separate sheet or by the side of the drawing.

 

3 Add water

Once you have finished the sketching, add water using an appropriate brush. This can bring your drawing to life and the results can be very exciting. Don’t be too hasty here, work from dark to light or vice versa. This avoids muddying the colours. Always work with a clean brush, too.

 

4 Finishing touches

You could finish off with chalk and charcoal. These few finishing strokes add definition and tone to make your drawing complete.

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Stones

Working from the photograph (above), I sketched, coloured and added water. The sketch (below) was finished with chalk and charcoal to enhance the effect of light and shade.

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Lynette’s Top Tips

• Pack two or three different sized sketchbooks; this way you can work with as much freedom as you like. A large A1 blank page could be intimidating when you’re warming up, whereas a small A5 page could be too fiddly for a full observation of the landscape around you.
• Go along with few expectations. By thinking you know what you will draw and how your drawings will look, you will become restricted in what you choose to focus on.
• Pack lightly. The less you have to carry, the more you can move around. The more you can move around, the more you can see and draw!

A sketchbook should be treated freely and with fun. Those notes you made can be added to the edges of your drawing to remind you of the atmosphere and the way you felt at the time. If you combine your thoughts, notes and photographs with sketches, both rough and finished, the effect can be quite beautiful. Rather than one polished image, you will have a permanent reminder of your whole experience – this can then be a useful resource in the future and a valuable work of art in its own right.