Creative Field Notes #1 Sketching with the Sea
- Jul 8
- 2 min read
As artists, it's easy to fall into the habit of taking the same materials to the same places and expecting something new to happen.
This week I decided to do the opposite.
I packed just a few essentials into my bag: a bottle of black drawing ink, a pipette, a small spray bottle and a sketchbook filled with strong watercolour paper. I knew the paper would need to cope with more than paint – my plan was to let the sea itself become part of the process.
Rather than taking a handful of brushes, I wanted to discover what the beach might offer instead.
It was a glorious, hot summer's day. After a quick swim to cool off, I settled on the sand and began what I can only describe as serious play.
Letting the Beach Lead
I had no finished artwork in mind. Instead, I wandered along the shoreline collecting anything that caught my eye: a piece of dried seaweed, a shell, a feather, tiny fragments washed in by the tide.
Each object made a completely different mark when dipped into black ink.
The seaweed created sweeping, organic lines. A shell produced unexpected textures. The feather danced lightly across the paper.
The beach became my art box.
When the Sea Joined In
Then came my favourite moment.
Rather than protecting the sketchbook from the water, I carried it to the edge of the sea and allowed a small wave to wash gently across the page.
The ink shifted, softened and travelled in ways I could never have planned.
Some marks disappeared altogether. Others became more interesting than anything I could have painted deliberately.
For a few moments, the sea became my collaborator.
Why This Matters
People often imagine artists always working towards a finished painting. The truth is that many of the most valuable days in the studio – or on the beach – are simply about exploring. There is enormous freedom in creating without worrying whether the result will ever hang on a wall.
These experiments teach us to notice. To become curious. To let go of perfection.
And very often, they lead to discoveries that find their way into future paintings.
Your Turn
Next time you're out walking, whether it's by the sea, in a woodland or across a meadow, try leaving perfection behind.
Take a sketchbook, a bottle of ink or a few paints, and allow yourself to play.
Collect a feather.
Pick up a twig.
Draw with a seed head.
See what marks nature wants to make.
You might not create a finished masterpiece. But you may come home with something even more valuable: a new way of seeing.
Materials I took
Sketchbook with good quality watercolour paper
Black drawing ink
Pipette
Small spray bottle
An open mind
Sometimes, that's all you need.
Until next time...
Perhaps your next creative field note is waiting just outside your front door.
If you'd like to paint together in person, I run friendly watercolour workshops in North Yorkshire for beginners and improvers throughout the year. You can see all upcoming workshops here.
