Sketch While You Travel: Creating Memories From Your Journeys

By Richard Gerstman

If you like to sketch and travel, this book will give your journeys a whole new dimension. Start sketching scenes and structures from different parts of the world.

Richard Gerstman, experienced artist, designer, and traveler instructs, demonstrates, and gives examples of many color sketches that will help you create your own travel sketchb

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Gerstman Partnership
• Release date: Sep 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781734217216

Richard Gerstman

For 35 years, Richard Gerstman has been drawing wherever he travels. Drawings he made in countries around the world are on display in many homes and corporate offices worldwide. Richard Gerstman is chairman emeritus of Interbrand US, one of the world's leading brand consultancies. An industrial designer and graduate of the University of Cincinnati, he worked as an advertising artist and designer in Norway and Sweden before returning to the US. With Herb Meyers, he founded Gerstman+Meyers, that became one of the leading international design consulting firms for over 300 corporate "Fortune 500" clients. Gerstman+Meyers became part of Interbrand, an Omnicom Group company. Richard Gerstman has been interviewed on TV and radio, Including CNBC, MSNBC and PBS.

Book preview

Also by the author:

Branding @ the digital age by Herb Meyers and Richard Gerstman, Palgrave Macmillan

The Visionary Package by Herb Meyers and Richard Gerstman, Palgrave Macmillan

Creativity – Unconventional Wisdom from 20 Accomplished Minds by Herb Meyers and Richard Gerstman, Palgrave Macmillan

Business Ours by Herb Meyers and Richard Gerstman, Tate Publishing & Enterprises

Scandinavia in 1962 by Richard Gerstman, Blurb Books

Sketch While You Travel by Richard Gerstman

Copyright © 2019 by Richard Gerstman. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

Book design and interior art copyright © 2019 by Richard Gerstman.

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-578-58696-0

ISBN: 978-1-734-21721-6 (e-book)

Printed and distributed by IngramSpark

Dedicated to my loving wife Jo Ann, daughter Kim and son Bruce, who when traveling with me always encourage and appreciate my artwork.

Contents

Introduction

Getting Started

The Materials

Traveling Colors

On the Road

Perspective Drawing

2-Point Perspective

Making the Layout

Sketching Technique

Adding Color

1-Point Perspective

Bonnieux, France

Aberdeen Harbor, Hong Kong

Shadows & Shading

Technique and Examples

Muslim Quarter, Jerusalem

Sketching with the iPad

Technique

iPad Drawing Interface

iPad Paintbrush Method - Taj Mahal

Portability - Barcelona, Spain

Sketching Trees

Sketching Quickly

Shortcuts

Water Reflections - San Juan, PR

Impressionist Sketching

Statues - Louvre Courtyard

Albert Hall, Jaipur, India

Water & Reflections

Technique

Vermont Pond

Nantucket Island

Floating Village, Cambodia

Tran Quac Pagota, Vietnam

Hoi An, Vietnam

Houseboats in Hong Kong

Villa Carlotta, Italy

Hampton Court, UK

Sketching Flowers

Technique

Jaipur, India

Aix-en-Provence, France

The Big Foreground

Technique

Positioning the Object

Prague, Czech Republic

Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Tai-O, Hong Kong

Sketching People

Proportions and Technique

Western Wall, Jerusalem

Jaipur, India

Main Street, Nantucket

Elephanta Island, India

An Huu, Vietnam

Portraits

Sketching Trees

Technique and Coloration

Bellano, Italy

Brouwersgract, Amsterdam

Stratton Mountain, Vermont

iPad Trees

Windows & Steeples

Technique

Architectural Elements

Budapest, Hungary

Arles, France

Notre Dame de Paris

Loire River Valley, France

Sacre Coeur, Paris

Florence, Italy

Oaxaca, Mexico

Venice, Italy

Seine River, Paris

Kyoto, Japan

Reproducing Your Art

Where to Go

Make Limited-Edition Prints

Shipping Your Art

Introduction

If you like to sketch and if you like to travel, your traveling can take on a whole new dimension. This book is written to inform you about the fun of seeing new places along with making drawings that will always bring you memories of the places you visited. Your interest in travel may change from not only seeing these new places but also in relaxing and making sketches of scenes and structures that you think are appealing.

We all like to take photos while we travel and the photos sometimes become part of our memories for the future. But spending the time to sketch is different from taking camera shots, since sketching requires concentration on the architectural and botanical elements, reproducing your favorite elements in their color, light, and shadows. These elements may actually change while you are sketching them, and it becomes a challenge to make this art.

But once you make the drawing, you have something that you can save forever and you'll remember those details much better than if you had photographed it. You will be able to sketch the shape of the items, the individual colors, the botanical and natural elements, the unique architectural elements, and all the pieces that go into the scene that you are drawing.

I have traveled to many parts of the world and wherever I travel I bring my sketchbook practically each day. I look for a place that provides for me an interesting object to draw, and it is worth spending that hour or two that it takes for me to make the drawing.

This book explains how you can sketch efficiently and still have the time to discover and tour many new locations.

After reading this book, I think you will be enthusiastic about sketching the places that you visit. You may prefer a very quick sketch taking only a few minutes, or a more detailed drawing taking a few hours. You do not have to be a great artist to take part in this activity. Whatever drawings you make will be wonderful memories for you in the future, especially since you will probably remember the specific details of what you saw, where you were when you saw it, and what the circumstances there were at the time you made the drawing.

You can use any medium for your art. For example, you may prefer watercolors, or colored pencils, or markers. I personally prefer markers on a slightly absorbent paper because of the portability of the markers and the drawing pad and their ease-of-use under most conditions. I also use an iPad with an app called Brushes Redux. The iPad gives me the most portability while traveling, since I do not have to also carry the larger sketchbook and color markers to accommodate it. The explanations and sketches in this book are made from my drawing pad (with markers) and my iPad (with stylus). So sketch using whatever medium you like.

I do hope that this book encourages you to give your artwork a try. And see if you feel as I do – that the sketching part of the trip adds excitement and interest to your traveling experience.

Getting Started

THE MATERIALS

There is always a bit of apprehension when you prepare for a trip, especially a trip overseas. You know you're going to have to bring certain items or equipment for overseas travel and you can probably find these items near home, but not find them as easily while you are traveling.

It is important that you carry materials that are portable and easy to handle. This includes a drawing pad, which should be a size that's comfortable to carry and a size that you enjoy working on. I personally prefer an 11 x 14 pad with slightly absorbent paper so that the sketching and the color flow freely on the paper while I'm working. A sheet of paper inserted under the drawing paper layer keeps the colors from bleeding through. It's fine to bring a small pad if you like to work smaller, but I