Incorporating New Ideas

Inspiration is Everywhere if you are Open to it

Thumbnail sketch & thoughts

I have been reading about art quite a bit lately, I need to glean as much as I can. My mind is craving art information. I recently starting getting Plein Air Magazine--yes I love the articles and read the magazine from cover to cover. My latest inspiration comes from an article I read in the last issue of Plein Air Magazine.

In the article, there is an artist who writes the following on her thumbnail sketch (before starting painting): her Inspiration, Title and painting "Why". 

Often, when painting en plein air, I create a thumbnail sketch first. Thumbnails help determine composition and value in a very quick manner. Honestly, my thumbnails aren't perfect or beautiful, they are fast loose sketches using 3 black to light grey value markers (and the white of the paper). I am only looking for composition and value, fast as I have to get to painting!

This week I incorporated the ideas of the 'inspiration' and 'title' and 'why paint this' to my quick thumbnail sketch. 

Pictured are my thumbnail sketches, I tried a vertical and horizontal for composition (I chose the vertical). 

My inspired by: "Believe in The Power of You"--taken directly from my tee shirt. 

Title:  "Touch of Yellow". 

Why? Sunshine. First Day of Spring. 

Where do you find your inspiration?