Have you ever found that sometimes, it can be tricky to bring the energy and freedom found in the art we make in our Sketchbooks out and onto a painting on paper or canvas?
I’ve been thinking about this a LOT this year, and making adjustments to my practice to help bring that lightness and not-overworkedness into everything I create.
In the video below, I take you with me on the first three days of a painting residency back in April, in the magical village of Crinan, on the west coast of Scotland. While I run around painting and sketching and soaking in inspiration, nature and wildlife, I chat about this very thing: How I’m painting like I’m in my Sketchbook, no matter what the project is. Plus, I hope this is a relaxing vlog for you to enjoy even if you’re not sketching or painting at the moment too. There’s sunsets, views, colours aplenty to enjoy!
I’ve pulled out a few of the tips below from each day for safe keeping, which I hope might help you stay loose too:
Start with no pressure, whatever that means for you! I got in the zone by working in my sketchbook first, to warm up on day one. I didn’t force myself too soon, and I think this really helped me adjust to a new location, notice, and really settle where I was.
Stay in one small location rather than trying to cover lots of ground. I could’ve travelled wider out of the village into the surrounding area, but I’m really glad I took the time to properly see one small spot.
Arriving where you are is super important. If everything is new, I’d probably tense up. So, if that means just sitting and making nothing for a while, do it.
Sometimes, to get out of a sketchbook, we just gotta start painting outside the sketchbook… I’d say expect to make a few warm-ups outside the sketchbook without judgement. Needing it to be good is exactly what will hold us back! It’s getting away from this needing energy that allows us to sink into the process, so warm ups outside of the sketchbook have really helped me here.
Make the change a step rather than a leap: Keep things consistent when moving from sketchbook to paper. Try working on the same size and same paper type as your sketchbook, to make it gentler.
Do you have a favourite subject matter in a new location? Try grounding yourself with a familiar subject matter in a new place. Paint something you know well to settle in (I picked the sea 🌊 before trying new things).
Try a colour picking exercise before you start painting! Mix every colour you can actually see (look really closely here) rather than the ones you assume are there. I tried this after just using blue for a morning, and it really helped me out as a reference for the whole week, encouraging me to be more expressive with colour choices!
MOVEMENT! Getting tense? Overthinking? It’s time to make things a bit more silly again then. Try warm up with something that won’t stay still: birds, moving water, anything that forces you to react rather than think.
In a similar vein to the last point, try picking up the pace. Painting with speed means more instinctual marks. Again, there’s no time to think, so that loose energy carries through into everything you make afterwards.
Getting outside is brilliant for the two above: it forces you out of your head and into the process naturally, so if you’ve been leaning into reference photos a lot lately, try painting or drawing outside again.
As always, I love hearing what works for you! Do you find it hard to leave your sketchbook? Or is it the other way around for you? Do you have any tricks to stay loose?
Happy Sketching, and as always,
P.S: In July 2026 the theme of our art club on Patreon has been Mixed Media Water Studies with Movement and Energy. You can now find on the platform:
a video demonstration sharing how I paint water step by step with mixed media
a Sketchbook Guide PDF summarising how I paint water step by step, with prompts to help you experiment with mixed media too
a zoom workshop recording designed to help you loosen up with your mark making, to capture the movement & energy of water
PLUS a bonus virtual Sketch & Sail video for Studio Play tier demonstrating how I sketch water outside on location, with footage of the landscape for you to paint along too
+ the full archive of all our past month’s themes to explore
Find out more about our Art Club here:
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