6 Tips for Picture Perfect Vacation

I founded Leda Art Supply in part because of my love of travel sketching.

Here are six tips for a picture perfect vacation.

1. QUICK
Make Quick Sketches. Capture your impressions of what you see. Make outlines of basic shapes and add darks and lights. Don’t worry about making perfect rendering. Let your right brain take over and enjoy drawing like a child again.

2. ADD COLOR
Bring a small watercolor pallet with some paint or a few colored pencils. At the end of the day back at your hotel or Airbnb add a bit of color to make your drawings pop. Don’t wait until you return home because you might forget details of the scene.

3. FIGURES
Sketch people at cafes, coffee shops or even at dinner before your food arrives. If you keep it quick most people don’t mind if you draw them -- if they notice at all. Airports, train stations or ferries also provide venues of your quick figure drawings.

4. LANDSCAPES
Sketch the scene. When walking on a beach, strolling a town or village, exploring a forest or hiking a mountain pause to draw what you see. Put an imaginary frame around the space to contain your view. 

5. MUSEUMS
Carry your sketchbook when you visit art or historical museums. Pick out a painting, sculpture or artifact to draw. You will notice new details that you might have missed.

6. PHOTOS
Take photos of the scenes you sketch. Then when you are home take photos of the sketches. Post these images on Instagram, Facebook or your blog for your friends and family to enjoy.

Make your vacation picture perfect by joining the travel sketching craze!