I just wanted to share what a fantastic morning I had yesterday, sketching and painting outside for the first time this year (and only the second time ever)! A big thank you to Olly for the Patreon notes and video on this subject - it really did spur me on to 'just do it'. The weather was a bit gloomy in the morning, so I knew I wouldn't be chasing nice light or dramatic cloud formations, which actually made it more relaxing! I took all my gear and a fold-up chair to the wooded hill fort on our local common, as I was keen to do some tree studies in preparation for another woodland painting. I found a nice spot on the edge of a pond/big muddy puddle in amongst the towering trees and away from the main path. I think I spent a couple of hours in almost the same spot, sketching the trees and listening to the bird song. We quite often come here as a family, but it was a very different experience being able to just sit in silence and soak up the atmosphere! I think the only distraction I had was playing with a new app on my phone to help identify the birdsong! I did also have a go at a wider view of the landscape looking over the common, and although I thoroughly enjoyed it I felt like I was rushing it a bit as I was starting to worry about the time (getting back for the school run!), so the results could have been better. It was great practice though, and left me wanting to do more as soon as possible.

So, for anyone still not sure about taking the 'plein air' plunge, I'd thoroughly recommend it, even if it's just doing pencil sketches, observing, and enjoying the great outdoors in peace 🙂

I just love the root structure on these trees!

Got the scale wrong - should have ignored the top canopy as it was too tall to fit on the page properly! (Also, not the same tree as the photo above!)