Sketchbook_Confidential
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John Potter
Creating landscape and wildlife art is an act of reverence for Potter. “Painting, for me, is an intimate form of communication with, and gratitude for, our Creator,” says the artist, “for the life and beauty of this Earth and our remaining wild places.” After graduating from Utah State University, Potter spent twenty years as an awardwinning illustrator before turning to fine art full-time. Today he divides his time between homes in Vermont and Montana and travels extensively, always with his paints and sketchbook. His works have appeared at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
I've heard some artists complain that they “don't know what to draw (or paint).” I find this difficult to comprehend. Inspiration to draw is everywhere; my problem is TIME! Put simply, life inspires my sketching, drawing and painting.
I sketch daily, not so much as a “habit,” but more as a necessity. I've never really been very good at drawing, and drawing — or any art form, for that matter — is a discipline, a
learned skill, and must be done at least daily to hone, maintain or improve the skill. Like exercising any muscle!
I usually sketch during the morning. Or in the afternoon. Often in the evening. Sometimes at 3 a.m. I sketch because I have to, and because sometimes an idea will not let me rest until I make it tangible.
I will sketch using any materials at hand, but since I usually carry a sketchbook and pencils and pens with me all the time, that is what I use most often. However, I enjoy Conté crayon and charcoal as well.
One of the benefits of sketching often is a relaxation of the conscious and an engaging of the creative subconscious. This, in turn, helps one to learn to see. Learning to see helps bring line to life.
I try NOT to think when I'm sketching. Too much thinking can lead to an overly methodical approach, which, if relied upon every time, stunts artistic growth and experimentation. Instead of thinking, I just try to see simply.
Learning to sketch freely without focusing on the “end result” or worrying about validation or perfection teaches one to flow with the moment and seek creative solutions to problems. Valuable skills when dealing with creating art, and with the art of living.
When I am sketching, I feel “plugged in.” Ideas, energy and inspiration are in a constant flux and move around us all the time. I feel connected to this movement and a part of something much greater than myself.
Sketching provides much-needed license to fail — something I try NOT to do in my finished pieces! I have warmed myself many a night by the fire made from tossed drawings and paintings. My sketches relate to my finished work in that they are glimpses into what might be, what could be — and, frequently, my sketches are composed much
better than my finished pieces, so I constantly go back to them for guidance. Sketching definitely influences the way that I see and perceive the world because it
helps me to see simply, to look for and to recognize what is most important and elegant, and to emphasize the beauty of truth, which needs revealed.
My sketches are glimpses into what might be, what could be — and, frequently, they are composed much better than my finished pieces, so I constantly go back to them for guidance.
Tony Pro
Named by THE ARTIST'S MAGAZINE in 2006 as one of “20 artists under 40" to watch, Pro received his bachelor's degree in graphic design from California State University, Northridge, and simultaneously studied with famed illustrator Glen Orbik at the California Art Institute, where Pro himself now teaches. In 2005, Pro was awarded Best of Show at the 14th annual Oil Painters of America show and also was a top-ten finalist at the Portrait Society of America show in Washington, D.C. Pro counts John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn and the French Naturalist artists among his influences.
If I sketch or journal, it's simply either an idea-generating process or doodling when I am bored or stuck somewhere listening to a lecture. However, I love to draw the figure from life in a charcoal sketch manner to capture the beauty of human form.
