Learn to sketch what you see outdoors.

Ten-minute lessons for drawing what you see outdoors: birds, bark, weather and the odd fox. Pencil and a pocket notebook are all you need.

Field Sketching in Ten Short Lessons

1. 01 Pencil and pagePick one pencil, one notebook and one comfortable way to hold them. 6 min
2. 02 Look for longer than you drawSpend a full minute looking before your pencil touches the page. 7 min
3. 03 Big shapes before small onesBlock in ovals and boxes, then refine. 8 min
4. 04 Thirty-second gesturesCatch movement before the subject moves away. 6 min
5. 05 Light and shadowThree values are enough: paper, mid tone and dark. 9 min
6. 06 Bark, feathers and furSuggest texture at the edges and leave the middle quiet. 8 min
7. 07 Weather notesAdd the date, the weather and one sentence to every page. 5 min
8. 08 Arranging a pageSeveral small studies make a richer page than one big drawing. 7 min
9. 09 A single colour washOne watercolour pencil and a water brush go a long way. 10 min
10. 10 Draw the foxPut it all together on the animal this school is named after. 10 min