Sketching on Location Using My Phone

Colors of Spring
Digital Media (phone art)
Copyright Mary Gravelle

It seems we cannot live without having our phones with us at all times. I know I am guilty of this. Even when I hike, I feel better if I have my phone with me. I very rarely leave home without it. Heaven forbid some sort of emergency would deem it necessary to call someone.

I have been creating art on my phone for several years now. Up until a couple of weeks ago, it was never about capturing the world around me.

Capturing the Imagination

It was about capturing the creative muse's musings and letting my imagination run wild on the phone screen to see what I could create from my fingertips.

It's been a delight to fill up hours in the middle of the night when I could not sleep. It's been fun to discover all the colors, tools, and brushes that are available for experimentation. I have enjoyed these escapades into fantasyland.

I doubt I will stop creating from the well of my imagination mixed with the tools of technology upon the blank screen. Something has shifted inside me, however.

The Longer View Beyond the Shorter View
Digital Media (phone art)
Copyright Mary Gravelle

Capturing the Scene

Maybe it was the blossoming colors of spring. Maybe it was just me staring with wandering mind and eyes softly upon the world around me. All of sudden the need to capture the colors and the scene before me felt important, almost urgent. I wanted to get those colors down. I wanted to see if I could capture a small fraction of the beauty I was experiencing in the moment.

I took my crapas to the mountain a couple of times. Both times the sessions left me uninspired and disappointed with my ability to sketch what I was seeing. I wrote a blog article on one such sitting. You can read it here.

Capturing the Colors

Then, I had an aha! moment or something like that. I picked up my phone while drinking coffee one morning to see if I could hold onto the scene across the street as the new season gave way to new colors. Pink, sage green, forest green, blue; all of these colors are a new pallet for me as I usually use brighter colors. And I use a lot of the warmer colors like red, hot pink, yellow, and orange. So, this feeling of wanting to experience laying these new colors down was kind of exciting.

My GPS Location
Digital Media (phone art)
Copyright Mary Gravelle

On another occasion, I hiked to one of the GPS locations I had written up in my proposal that I wrote about in last week's blog about my dream to bring painters to the mountains. I sat in that spot feeling like I owned it. I imagined other painters gathering around and how that would feel. It felt great. My sight focused on one spot, a very lovely spot. It had a good feeling essence to it. I grabbed my phone and sketched it.

I have made two sketches so far while drinking my coffee in the morning outside my front door. This is a way of sketching that brings delight instead of admonishment for my lack of drawing skills.

Capturing the Drawing

This is silly nonsense, by the way. I can draw and have done some wonderful charcoal and conte drawings. So, I take it that crapas / oil pastel is not my media. I ran across my soft pastels the other day. They are waiting to go the mountain with me sometime. Perhaps I'll have better luck with the dryness of the media.

Where this newfound need for sketching on location, whether on my phone or with drawing media, is leading me, I have no idea. Maybe it's simply another creative outlet. Maybe it's new sight emerging.

Two Shells, Conte Drawing on Paper, Copyright Mary Gravelle.
Available as a print , greeting card, or throw pillow.

If you like drawing media, consider looking at my Two Shells drawing for sale as an art print or throw pillow.

Capturing the New

I do know that a new series of paintings is bubbling up from inside me and just about ready to burst onto new canvases. I anticipate much excitement once I begin.

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Mary Gravelle
(Brianna Rush)

Sir Kitty

About the author: Brianna Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist and writer who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty.