I spent a few days in Paris last month before I taught a week-long workshop in Provence. I had been there once before, in 2017, and that trip had been a whirlwind of sightseeing. (You can see my Paris & Provence travel journal in its entirety here.) This time, I took it at a slower pace and found it much more enjoyable.
A couple of my sketching friends had joined me. We stayed in the Latin Quarter, which was a great location within walking distance of many of the places we wanted to see: Notre Dame, Musee d’Orsay, Shakespeare & Co., Luxembourg Gardens, and more. I didn’t do a lot of sketching while I was there. I mostly walked, took pictures, drank cappuccino, and absorbed the sights and sounds of Paris while getting over my jet lag.
I was in the city for three full days, and the day we visited the Orsay Museum was one of my favorites. Seeing original paintings by some of my favorite Impressionist artists was an incredible experience.
It felt surreal, seeing in-person so many of the paintings I had studied during my art history classes in college back in the 70s. There they were, right in front of me! It’s so different seeing the real thing rather than viewing it on a screen or in a book.
The Monets were all incredible, and I loved the Degas ballerina sculptures, but the Van Goghs were the paintings that really spoke to my heart.
I was very excited to see The Church at Auvers by Vincent, because next year, during my workshop in Giverny, I’ll have a chance to paint the same scene with my students! The colors in this painting were amazingly rich and saturated. The blue sky just glowed! I’ll need to channel some of Van Gogh’s color sense when I paint in Auvers next year.
After being in the museum most of that day, it felt good to step outside into the brisk fresh air. We sauntered across the Seine on a pedestrian bridge which gave us great views of the Grand Palais, a massive glass-roofed exhibition hall built in 1900.
We could have just snapped a photo and moved on, but I loved the scene so much that I begged my traveling companions to stop for a few minutes so we could do a quick sketch. I managed to find a spot on a bench that had a good view of the river and the Grand Palais, so my friend Pat and I pulled out our pens and got to work. It probably took me 15 minutes or so to do the drawing, and I figured that was enough to capture the flavor of the scene before we moved on.
A week later, when my flight home was delayed out of Paris by several hours, I accepted the gift of “found time” that I had been given and took the opportunity to finally paint my sketch of the impressive Grand Palais while I was waiting in the terminal at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
This is the reality of travel journaling…snatching little moments here and there to pause and do a little something on a page in my sketchbook.
I’m rarely able to complete my sketches onsite, but that’s okay. I’m satisfied with the balance I’ve found between sightseeing and sketching.
If I only snap a photo and think to myself “I’ll sketch it later.”, it almost never happens. The key for me is to get something – anything – down on the page while I’m onsite. It only takes a few minutes, and something is always better than nothing when it comes to travel journaling.
8 Comments
Your sketches and watercolors are beautiful. Thank you for sharing. What materials do you use?
Thanks. I primarily use ink and watercolor. I use a mix of paint brands: American Journey (Cheap Joe’s), Schminke, Holbein, and Daniel Smith. My favorite pens are Pigma Micron PN (plastic nib) and 01. And Pitt Artist Pen, and a few fountain pens filled with waterproof ink. I use a variety of sketchbooks – most of them contain 140 Lb. cold press watercolor paper.
I love seeing this. (I’m less intimidated by this more simple page format than by your more “designed” layouts. This is much more achievable for my style. But all of your work is wonderful!)
Thank you, Melissa. I may add some journaling to this two-page spread eventually, but I also like it with all the simple white space surrounding it. Hard to decide….
Leslie! ; Thank you so very much for posting the beautiful works! It is just like visiting there to see what you can do with your sketching and painting! Enjoy this beautiful fall!
Most Sincerely, Nancy Hoffman
Hope to see you soon, Nancy! I’ll bet it’s beautiful now in your neck of the woods.
Beautiful, as always! I appreciate your advice to not just snap a photo but get something down while onsite to finish later. I’m still working on my Provence sketchbook and will be for some time. Looking forward to the Alsace workshop . . .
Sharon
And it looks like I’ll be doing a river cruise with French Escapade in 2027, too! So many places to see…