In episode 3 of the Savvy Painter podcast, plein air painter Kathleen Dunphy talked about her daily sketching habits and mentioned a book that is helping her tackle more complicated subjects in her drawing.
My guest on this episode is the author of that book- Sketching from Square One – to Trafalgar Square: Richard Scott.
Richard teaches sketching and watercolor techniques in Southern California. His architectural renderings have been featured in numerous national magazines.
Key Takeaways of the Show:
- Painting is a form of meditation.
- Don’t feel like you have to share everything. Let your sketchbook be private so your mind has room to explore.
- Draw everything the same way: remove from your mental labels of what that thing is, and deal only with abstract shapes.
- The answer doesn’t lie in technique. The answer lies in clearing your mind and seeing accurately.
- Abstraction is critical, but make sure you can draw the shapes that inspire you accurately.
- There is a difference between changing a drawing because you are making a decision as an artist as opposed to changing a drawing due to lack of skill.
- Be clear about what it is about the subject that attracts you or matters most.
- Paint like a poet, not like a journalist.
- Any drawing mistake tends to be a seeing problem or not being clear on what matters most.
- Get the most value out of a workshop experience by trusting the process of the instructor and removing your pre-conceptions of your own work.
Other Artists Mentioned:
- William Wray
- Ray Roberts
- Peggi Kroll Roberts
- Richard Schmid
- Kathleen Dunphy
- Daniel Pinkham (and the painting Richard mentioned is called “Looking Within”)
Buy Richard’s Book:
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Find out more about Richard
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Excellent interview!
So glad you enjoyed it 🙂