Hello, from the Sketchy Traveler newsletter. A mostly bi-weekly newsletter on drawing and life design. Excited to have you join us! If you are enjoying this newsletter consider becoming a patron to help keep this newsletter financially sustainable.

So, I got back this weekend from a trip up to Seattle, and it seemed like a natural time to return to the subject of drawing while traveling. Now the trip you draw on may be around the world or to a neighborhood or town you rarely visit in your city or area. The key to travel though is that it breaks you out of your usual routine and exposes you to something new, which is where drawing is a great resource. A sketch book is an excellent way to journal and capture experiences in a way that is lasting and helps cement the experience in your memory.

Snapshot Sketches & Memory Palace

Much like written notes can jog your memory to fill in details, a quick sketch can be an excellent way into a memory palace. A memory is often much more easily recalled when associated with a visual, such as a sketch in a notebook. To make use of this memory palace technique, pay attention to the details around you when you draw that you might want to recall later like smells, words or phrases you overhear or see, people you are with and flow of traffic in the space. When you return to the drawing this can bring back these details and help to keep them fresh in your memory.

An advantage of drawing over photography for building a memory palace with our sketchbook is that it takes some time to draw, so you can more strongly associate these experiences with the image. Much like a photo though these drawings do not need to take much time. Maybe 5 minutes at most. As a result, I find it is best to do these kinds of drawings in a small sketch book (4.25” x 5.5” max) so you can fill the page quickly. A small snapshot sketch book also has the advantage of being easy to carry in a pocket. Maybe replace your phone with a sketchbook and pen😉

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Capturing an Initial Sketch and Following Up

As my own drawing techniques have become more time-consuming, I have found that travel is also great time to do an initial pencil sketch to complete later. While these drawings are not completed on site, I find I can only sit for so long as I age before I need to move on. In addition, not doing everything in one go allows you to bring a smaller kit with you. I also often use an incomplete work as a good reason to return to a spot for later linework and painting😊

An initial pencil sketch is more focused on making sure that the prepositions between objects in the drawing are accurate. This is often where I find a ruler in the scene and then mark it out on the drawing to help me make sure that I am keeping the proportions accurate. A pencil sketch is also a good time to layer objects on top of each other. For example, adding a person into the scene in front of a building or landscaping. Then when I do the pen drawing, I leave out the building lines behind the person and erase them once I am done with my ink drawing. Or leave the pencil lines in to add some interest.

Flaneur Corner

Feathered Friends

Corvallis Foundry Gallery (257 SW Madison Ave, Corvallis, OR), 4pm-8pm

For any flaneurs looking for a place to stroll in Corvallis, the Corvallis Art Walk (CAW) is this Thursday (5/21/2026) from 4pm to 8pm. I am excited to have Alycia Helbing at the Corvallis Foundry Gallery this month. Alycia’s bird drawings provide a peak into the ornithological world of the Willamette Valley via mixed media.

The End is Only the Beginning

Wow, you read all the way to the end of the newsletter. This is the end of the newsletter, but only the beginning of your journey. Here are some potential next steps:

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• Register for a 1:1 coaching session or come to the open drawing time

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