SPOTLIGHT ON NATURE

MONUMENT VALLERY BY VIRGINIA HEIN

VIRGINIA GAIL

– the Team, the Book, the Workshop

GAIL WONG AND VIRGINIA HEIN HAVE JUST CO-AUTHORED SPOTLIGHT ON NATURE, TIPS & TECHNIQUES FOR DRAWING & PAINTING NATURE ON LOCATION, THE NEWEST IN THE URBAN SKETCHING HANDBOOK SERIES. JANE WINGFIELD SIGNED UP FOR THEIR WORKSHOP OF THE SAME NAME.

As an architect, and having taught drawing and design at the University of Washington, Gail has plenty of experience in drawing the built environment. But during the pandemic, she, like many urban sketchers, found herself focusing more on natural surroundings.

Virginia taught drawing in the Toy Design Department at Otis College in Los Angeles. She often chooses natural settings – the rocky terrain of Joshua Tree National Forest or the beloved Descanso Gardens near her home in the Los Angeles area, for her personal work and workshops. Her previous book, 5-Minute Sketching—Landscapes, focused solely on landscapes. The publisher of the USk Handbook series reached out to Gail about doing a book focused on nature and Gail proposed a collaboration with Virginia. “They agreed, provided we created something different from my first book. I think Spotlight on Nature really takes a broader view of nature.”

What’s nature got to do with urban sketching? I asked. A lot, says Gail. “Nature is all around us, and we can find examples of being surrounded by nature even in an urban setting…It is part of your tool bag. You need to know how to sketch and paint nature

JANE WINGFIELD Gail and Virginia’s book got me thinking about:

1. How We See Nature: How do you set up a sketch to make it lively and interesting? Think about your viewpoint. What role does nature play: main character, setting or frame? 2. How We Draw Nature: Overall structure, shape, volume and depth lay the groundwork for a sketch. This is where quick thumbnails are really useful. 3. Finding the Character of a Place: Be aware of the unique region and locale that you are sketching in. Terrain, trees and atmosphere give each place its character. Virginia shared how much fun it was to see these differences in sketches from all over the world. 4. Finding Nature in the City: Where can you find nature in an urban setting and what role do you want to give it in your sketch? Even small bits of nature are integral to urban life. The pandemic, especially in the early days, aided our noticing and sketching nature close to home. 5. More Ways to Represent Nature: There are so many different ways to portray nature, and it’s so inspiring to see some wonderful examples from sketchers around the world. In this chapter I loved seeing the different ideas about color palettes, textures, notans, ands simple strokes. So impressive. as much as how to draw a building.” Virginia added, “We considered nature not just as the trees and other spots of green you might see in an environment but also things like weather, seasons, and all the natural elements that give character and color to a city or region.”

What was it like to work together? They both enthusiastically piped in with “Great!” Gail: “We were like-minded on this book in many ways but also not afraid to share thoughts that might differ. It was a real collaboration and very fun opportunity to work with someone I admire.

What was the best thing about this project? “Getting to meet weekly on Zoom with Virginia and working with her on this project,” says Gail. “This was during the pandemic, so we were both stuck in our different studio locations but working on a project together. It made going through the pandemic more bearable.”

The next two days of the workshop were filled with lessons, tips, demos, questions, and answers…and sweat. Virginia and Gail put together a curriculum to dovetail with the key points of the book. We got to experiment with putting the ideas on paper with lots of water and color.

One of the takeaways for me was remembering how much fun it was to sketch in a concertina sketchbook. Gail and Virginia had brought some of theirs for us to see. We all got instructions on how to make our own concertina books.

On Sunday morning we gathered at the Ballard Locks and Botanical Gardens in Seattle. The location provided a combination of marine industry and nature. We used concertinas to record our own stories in sketches. Later that afternoon, Seattle Urban sketchers joined us for their monthly sketch outing. Altogether it was a delightful way to spend a weekend, absorb new ideas, learn new skills and beat the heat!

Gail: “We realized that the concertina book was a great format to use to tell a story. It allows you to continue your scene without the interruption of a page break, flowing well from page to page. You can create sketch vignettes, serial views, and panoramic views of a location.”

CONCERTINA BY VIRGINIA HEIN

One thing I loved was how the authors used the analogy of theatrical roles. Gail and Virginia say nature can play different roles in a sketch. “As urban sketchers we are telling a visual story: and can cast nature in the role of ‘main character’, as the setting for the story, or as a frame to a view beyond.”

SKETCH BY GAIL WONG