Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Take a Chance: The Art of Micro Travel

I had my sketchbook under my arm and my pen and watercolours in my bag. There was a folding stool slung over one shoulder and, smallest but most important, in a pocket of my bag there rested the two items that would determine my fate for the morning: a die and a key card.
The die is a normal die but the key card is not like a normal hotel-style key card. It is a piece of card with the key on it. It looks like this:


I drove to South Fremantle, parked my car and got out on South Street. This was my chosen theatre of travel. South Street from King William Street to just past Jenkins St. Only a couple of blocks.

At the corner of South and King William I held my sketchbook flat and rolled the die. 6.
Reading my key, I saw that a 6 means I have to draw what's at the back of me. So I put down the stool facing the way I'd come. And drew a couple of containers of plants that were in my line of sight - a Jade plant (I think) and something with pink flowers.

When that was done, I walked on. The Roasting Warehouse is on the next corner and I felt that a second breakfast would be a good idea. The Roasting Warehouse has terrific tables - large enough to spread out drawing stuff and not get in anyone's way. I rolled the die - 2. Draw what you see when you look down. Aha! That was my plate of poached eggs on toast and a juice of various red and orange vegetables. So I drew them.



Stop number three was at the end of that block. I rolled a 4: Look right and draw what you see. I oriented my stool to face the right hand side of the street where a clump of sunflowers half hid a parked bicycle.

At the fourth stop I rolled a 2 again: look down. This time when I lowered my eyes I saw dead leaves and Bougainvillea bracts littering the footpath.

At the fifth and final stop I rolled another 4: Look right. To my right this time there were three conjoined shops. What struck me about them was their doors - same style but different colours.

By then I'd filled a double page spread and the heavy humid air had erupted into thunder and lightning. Time to call it a day.


Adding elements of chance to a sketch walk, randomising the experience, is a way of forcing myself to look at things I might otherwise ignore. It adds excitement and transforms an outing into a real adventure. No fancy gear needed - no expense - no responsibility to make choices about what to draw.

I highly recommend taking a chance with micro travel. I'd love to see where it takes you and what you create along the way!!

14 comments:

  1. What an absolutely wonderful way to sketch and journal ~ I shared it on my Facebook page SoulSpeak Studio - looking forward to reading and enjoying a lot more of your blog! Thank you ~

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    1. I'm so happy that you like this idea and thanks for sharing it! I'm planning to try a range of different kinds of 'micro travel' over the next few weeks - with drawings of course! Best wishes,
      Evelyn

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  2. What a great idea, thank you for sharing. It adds even more exitement to a sketch walk. I will definitely try it.

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    1. Thats great!, Gabriele! I'd love to see the results. Thanks for your comment and happy sketching!
      Evelyn

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  3. What a fun idea! BTW you got a full house and a beautiful spread in the bargain!

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    1. Thanks so much, Karen. It really is a lot of fun and if you like to draw or explore, I'd highly recommend it!! Best wishes,
      Evelyn

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  4. What a unique and wonderful idea. I'm just trying to learn how to do this so I haven't gotten up the courage to do any kind of sketch walk yet. I love your pages. Wish I could watercolor that well. Maybe someday. :) Practice, practice, practice, right? :) I think I'll try your method of choosing a subject.

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    1. Hi Diane,
      I'm delighted that you like the idea of playing games of chance while sketching! When I first started doing walks like this I sometimes just used system cards - usually blank ones - and coloured pencils. As for watercolour, just go for it! Enjoyment is key, and then practice will be pure pleasure. Wishing you joy in your art,
      Evelyn

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  5. What a fun idea, Evelyn! Definitely I 'll try it soon :)

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    1. Have a great time - and I'd love to see the drawings!! All the best,
      Evelyn

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  6. Your pages are wonderful. What pen are you using for your drawings? This game your doing is wonderful where did you find this or did you make this yourself? Happy Thanks giving.

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  7. Thank you - your comment means a lot to me.
    I'm currently using a Lamy Safari pen with de Atramentis black ink, though I've used all kinds of pens from ballpoints to bamboo.
    I was originally inspired by The Lonely Planet Guide to Experimental Travel, then added the sketching / documenting component. I borrow some game ideas, but this one was invented just before I set out to go sketching. Sometimes I just make a rule that at each intersection I alternate turning left then turning right....I'm now working on compiling a collection of such micro-travels.
    A very happy Thanksgiving to you too!!

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  8. Love it! I think I will be trying this with my camera in hand. It is amazing the things you can see if you simply take the time to look.

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    1. Lovely to hear from you Matt! I've done similar things with photos and it really does make you look differently! I'm setting Wednesday mornings aside as my adventure time - so there will be plenty more micro-travels to come.

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