Birds and Grids
How great it is to be sketching and painting outside again! Birds nesting, feeding, soaring, chattering, resting, flying up and landing again. Flowers blooming, waves breaking, wind blowing. It’s all good. With a wealth of possibilities before me on two recent hikes, I decided a grid would be the best way to quickly capture a variety of subjects and convey the flavor of the day.
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Tips and Techniques: Divide your page into equally-sized boxes with light pencil lines or dots in the corners of each box, but don’t limit yourself to the smallest size. Combine boxes to fit your subjects and go outside the lines if you like. I divided the pages above with eight small boxes each and decided on the right shape for each element as I went along. This technique will help your page come together no matter what combination you choose.
Drawn In 
What a lovely idea. I must try it. I particularly like how the terns tail goes outside the box and provides a kind of link.
Thanks Christine. I always find it hard to be completely “boxed in.” I look for elements that can flow beyond the grid to tie things together.
Beautiful. I really like the style, very gentle but expressive.
Thanks Kai. Glad you like it!
I love it. It’s very pleasing to the eye.
Thanks Lisa. I especially enjoyed seeing the least terns and I’m so glad I was able to record that day in my journal.
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