This is not to be underestimated because when you’re back in your studio you’ll never be able to conjure up the sense of time and place purely from a photographic reference, even though you think you will when you are on location.Ī drawing no matter how sketchy, will be invaluable.įor the sketch above I used a mix of Faber-Castell PITT pens, a Micron Fine Liner 0.3 and a Pental Brush Pen. When I look back at my sketchbooks of the past I can be instantly transported back to the smells, the noises and sounds from that environment. The one critical thing to remember is no matter how short the time that you’re actually sketching, be it one-minute or one-hour, you subconsciously absorb so much more of the atmosphere and feeling of the space around you when you draw it. The tendency can be to take hundreds of photographs thinking you will decide what to paint later on, however, making the decision when you are on location is a much more productive approach. When you’re deciding on a scene to paint you naturally become more selective if you know you’re going to be spending the time drawing it – rather than taking a quick photograph. Once I’ve established that a sketch ‘works’ compositionally, I take shots for colour references or more details I might need later for the painting.Īrmed with the sketches and photographs, I can then head back to my studio to work up a more finished piece. Instead of taking a photograph first and then making a sketch from that, I use the sketchbook like my camera viewfinder. It’s worth mentioning that I usually use my sketches like a quick snap-shot of the scene, they’re not intended as final pieces but the aim is to get my eye tuned into the subject I’m looking at. I have a mix of pens that mirror the choices and techniques I use when I build up a painting, so instead of a thin round brush I would use a fine line pen and likewise would use a brush pen for thicker, darker textural areas. When I sketch on location I like to approach it quite loosely and often use pens rather than pencils. It was a fantastic sunny morning so thought I’d take advantage and get out on the road sketching around the Isle of Skye. View from Laundry Cottage window of Dunvegan Castle Sketching on Location Surrounded by lochs, mountains in the distance and a spectacular view of Dunvegan Castle out of the cottage window… It was only the next morning we truly appreciated the setting we were in. There had been a few minor worries en-route, slight overheating, suspicious drips from under the car and the Sat-Nav had given up the ghost but we were here…and the pack of shortbread left as a welcome gift was quickly consumed! Prints of Nestler’s work will be available for purchase in the gift gallery.After a long drive we arrived at Laundry cottage in the pitch black, the only sound was running water from the nearby waterfall. The Art Center welcomes all members and patrons to join us for the opening of this exhibition to celebrate the work and life of Alfred Nestler. Were these works meant to be sketches for future paintings in oil or some other medium, or are they simple drawings meant to record the moment and sharpen the skills? Whatever their intention, we will never know, but we can muse at what is left for us to enjoy and discover. Their absence of color leaves the viewer wondering about his intention. His attention to detail and willingness to silence the inner voice that then allowed the landscape to speak is what make these works powerful. These works act as a journal, telling the story of his life where he was and when. These little black-and-white sketches illustrate his remarkable skill to translate sight into gracefully rendered pages, conveying his experience and recording his visitations along the way. These felt-tipped pen drawings carry an essence of plein-air yet are made using the tool of a scribe. Nestler’s ability to capture landscapes with gestural marks is truly astounding. The Art Center of Western Colorado’s Permanent Collection Committee presents a display of Alfred Nestler drawings. An Exhibition from The Art Center’s Permanent Collection
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