#4 - Gardens and parks illustration world Tour : Mr & Mrs P. garden - Nantes - France
I left France with my family during summer 2021, and just like everybody in this situation - moving from one country to another - we had to spend a few weeks "in transit" and homeless. This is not just a home-transition, it is much more like a life-transition. Those moments often come with a lot of stress and a sensation of vulnerability. This is why it is so important to find a refuge with family and friends. Fortunately this was our case this time again. The house of our friends Mr. and Mrs. P. in Nantes was my 2021 summer refuge before the big departure and their garden became a wonderful source of inspiration for my drawings.
Boxes were all fully packed, however I always keep some gouache, pencils and sketchbooks with me. Summer is the perfect season for an outdoor drawing session, and nested in a private garden is also perfect for me since I am still quite shy for drawing in public - I don't feel comfortable when someone is looking over my shoulder to see what's happening on my sketchbook -
The result of this outdoor session is different from what I usually create but it is also more spontaneous and free.
Would you like to dive into this garden sketchbooking experience :) with me ? Let's go....
SKETCHBOOK
Outdoor sketchbooking session
DRAWING ON THE SPOT
This is not something easy, especially because you are not very comfortable, and also because you don't have all the supplies you usually have on your desk. The main difference is also the fact that it is usually a time limited session. Nature is always changing and even if you come back just a few days later it will be different. The weather is also important because it can change the all scenery and it can also shorten your time if rain comes suddenly.
However, the most disturbing point for me is the possibility of getting spectators... especially if you draw in a park or in the street. I would love to draw easily with people looking at my work in progress over my shoulder but I am still not comfortable with it. So the best solution for me is to draw on the spot only in restricted or private places like this one, otherwise I take pictures and notes of the atmosphere of the place. This is not easy when you love drawing parks and gardens !
I hope one day I will be able to draw in public areas without feeling stressed...
MY MUST-HAVE LIST FOR A GREAT GARDEN SKETCHBOOKING SESSION
Basic art supplies ready to use : a dried gouache palette, a set of approximately 10 colour pencils, a sketchbook with a panoramic format - it's great for landskapes -
A sunny day 🌞 - difficult to stay outdoor drawing on a rainy day... and summer 2021 was very rainy but I was lucky enough to get at least 1 sunny weekend
A comfortable camping chair and a mini table - of course it's always possible to draw on your knees, sitting on the ground, but if you plan to stay drawing for more than 1 hour or if you just want to be comfortable a chair is definitely a good option
A great outdoor scenery... and if you can add great memories to the place you are drawing it is even better. I was lucky to have both on that day 😃