Drawing and sketching outdoors is a great way to learn about art and to experience nature and when you first go out it can be a daunting experience, where do I go! what do I sketch I can here you say. Just about everywhere there is a little bit of countryside where you can go and sketch and it doesn't have to be in the country. Look for a public footpath and have a stroll down one day, there are some lovely scenes which are good for sketching, farms, cottages, old broken down buildings, animals, fields, trees, windmills, streams and a whole lot more. Just down my road I must have drawn and painted at least half a dozen scenes.       


 

It can be a good idea to carry a viewfinder with you, that is a small card, like a small picture frame without a picture in it so you can hold it up to a scene and move it around to capture a scene that you are happy with. Sit on a wall or on the grass or take a little stool with you, a pencil, a pad and something to eat and on a beautiful day it can be a lovely experience to draw from nature. Sketch everything in sight, that is the best way to learn.

If you paint in say watercolours, get yourself a lightweight easel, a sketchpad some watercolours and brushes and sit yourself down in a field or stand like I do and paint away, its great. Once you have found your scene make sure you have a good center of interest whether it is a tree, a group of people or whatever and get that down onto your paper, check where the light is coming from because don't forget the light moves all the time so once you know where it is coming from, either from the left or right or above you can keep this in your mind. You cant chase the light, you cant suddenly half way through your drawing or painting think oh,  there's some sunlight there I've missed! it just doesn't work that way so always know where the light is coming from and stick to it all the way through your drawing or painting.
 

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