"Give me an impression. ...You're not here to paint pictures but to develop yourself."

~Charles W. Hawthorne

It’s important to find mentors and teachers who share a similar sensibility, aesthetic and way of working.

Since I started this daily sketching practice, I've learned I like to work loose and fast, to scribble and to color outside the lines. It works well for my leanings and for grabbing quick sketches while I'm on the go, either in town or on the trail.

I don’t have the patience for photo-realistic painting. Why not just take a photo? I can only really appreciate the work when it’s in a context of straight up delivering information, like The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Sibley. In a gallery, though, it's not that interesting.

So, as much as I admire John Muir Laws and his nature journaling mission, he’s not the teacher I would choose first.

Marc Taro Holmes, on the other hand, should make my husband jealous!

He has a class on Craftsy called Travel Sketching in Mixed Media. I KNOW! I said I wouldn't sign up for any more Craftsy classes for a while, but I did. I couldn't resist. I know he has guidance for me and my sketching mission.

You can't say no to your next teacher!