Hello to everyone out there in the Do Art Nation! I hope your art projects are going swimmingly as we start what promises to be an incredible summer of creativity. I’m writing this out in western Missouri after a pair of assemblies: our brand new Wacky Art Gameshow! The kids draw animals in their own unique, WACKY art styles–we bring the energy with drawing, comedy, music, and more!
After a week of events, it’s nice to head out into nature and find inspiration out beyond the buzz of people. I got to spend the weekend in Shawnee National Forest, camping right next to the Garden of the Gods recreation area. I got to practice one of my favorite, but under-utilized, drawing exercises. You take a notebook or a piece of paper and a pencil, and you draw what RIGHT in front of you! You can take as long as you like, but circumstances often conspire to ensure that you only have a few minutes to render something that looks like what you’re seeing. You find yourself sketching broad shapes at first, trying to refine it line by line.
I added an extra challenge this time: I walked out to the park from my campsite and drew the scene in front of me standing on a rock while the sun went down. As I drew the trees and the dark abyss below me, the notebook got more faint as the lights got dimmer, and the moon above got brighter. I had to dash off something quick before it got too dark and I had to head back to my campsite.
Results may vary. I’m not always satisfied with the drawings that result from these exercises–some of my best pictures have been self-portraits or drawings of friends, where after a few minutes drawing what’s in front of me I find myself letting go of pure visual perception and trying to capture the moment more broadly, as the path between the drawing and reality forks and the drawing comes into its own. But whatever the results it’s a beautiful way to commemorate a few minutes spent making a moment last through art.
Do you like to make art when you go camping? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to KEEP CREATING!
