Starting with 7 Lines, 5 Shapes, or 3 Layers are the three big concepts from my recently released Travel Sketching course.

These simple but powerful concepts enable sketchers to simplify complex scenes, get something on the page quickly, and work faster.

Over the last few weeks, it’s been super satisfying to see just how much impact these techniques have had on many people taking the course.

• Starting with 7 lines helps you decide on the important elements of your scene.
• Starting with 5 shapes forces you to simplify the scene into big shapes.
• Starting with 3 Layers enables you to differentiate between foreground, middle ground and background, making it much easier to sketch complex scenes.

I’ve loved developing these techniques over the past few months. They relate directly to many of the concepts I teach in my other courses (especially Foundations, Edges, Buildings, and Watercolour On Location), but creating these 7-5-3 restrictions has made them easier to use. This is particularly important in the context of travel sketching when you have a packed itinerary (often travelling with others) and never have enough time to sketch. These techniques make it possible to start a sketch anywhere at any time.

These concepts have made a big impact on my work this year, especially in the past few months, when I’ve never had any dedicated time to sketching.

Most importantly, I’ve absolutely loved sharing these concepts with the first cohort who took the course last month.

The community aspect of my SketchingNow courses is always the highlight. So much creative energy, inspiration, and encouragement happens within the classroom, and it’s amazing to see the different ways in which people interpret the exercises.

Here are a few sketches from the Famous Places shapes and layer exercises to give you an idea of the inspiration and ideas that can be found in the assignment galleries inside the Travel Sketching classroom.

No words describe how special the last few weeks have been! So thank you to everyone who was part of it. I can’t wait to hear about how much sketching you do on your next trip.

“This course has had far more impact and inspired me more than I expected.

The teaching has been fantastic – the way it is accessible at whatever level you are, with concepts you can take away and apply to your own style and integrate into however you like to work, is genius.

It has inspired me to go and draw outside, and I am excited about doing this more, and looking back at old travel photos to create sketches.

Other people’s comments have given me such confidence, and helped me see my work in a more positive light.”

– Abigail

In addition to the 7-5-3 techniques, I also shared tips for getting the most out of dry media during the Travel Sketching course. I showed how I use watercolour pencils (WCPs) and combine them with ink and watercolour.

The Travel Sketching course is now available as a self-paced course containing over three hours of on-demand video lessons and over three hours of livestream replays. You’ll be able to see the work of other participants and discuss all kinds of art-related topics in the forum. (By the way, there was a lot of activity and many valuable tips shared in the forum by the first cohort!)

Find out more about Travel Sketching