Donar’s Sketchbook

The Briars Golfer’s Lane in Winter

Winter hits early and with tons of snow.  Sketching outside in winter involves some preparation and quickness.  I can’t stand or sit too long to do much detail so I have to be economical and precise.  But that helps develop observational and memory skills.  One thing I love about winter landscapes is the void of all that mass of leaves and green that can dominate the composition.  In winter, you have lots of great sky and variation on snow.  Plus the trees have all this interesting gestural lines that you miss in summer.

I’m still torn on whether I like my quick watercolor or the final digital oil sketch…

When completing the more detailed digital sketch, I had to come back to this spot to focus on specific elements like the snow shadows, tree bark and how the pine needles are shaped.  I then sample these colors into my final palette.  Still, I could only handle 40 minutes sitting in the freezing cold.  I can’t draw with gloves as I need my fingers to feel the sensitivity of the pencil or brush.  I would never dream taking a laptop or Ipad out there…god forbid you drop a $500 device in the snow.  I’ve dropped plenty of 1$ pencils in the snow and with a little wipe, they are good to go.

This is a sketch I did when we just got a dusting of snow…I like how the brown and green of the ground interact with the snow.