Venturing outside in fall to do some live sketches can be tricky. There definitely is the weather factors to consider. Just imagine trying to put on paper a lovely view (that you know is there somewhere) in a nice dense, milky fog. Or trying to maneuver an umbrella with your chin and shoulder to cover your sketchbook in a little drizzle. But one thing is for sure an advantage, less people tend to be outside. And with fewer people you finally start hearing silence and notice that there are actually leaves rustling and church bells tolling.

When there was finally a little break in the rain and a hint of a blue sky over the weekend I ran outside to seek the view I’ll paint for my uncle. I knew I wanted to paint something from my home town. But knowing a place pretty well can be tricky. Tricky because you tend to overlook the details from seeing it so many times. Your eyes will glide over the shapes and colors and focus on the overall picture. This is why I decided during my scouting to not just look at the most common buildings, but see every detail they have.

church sketchchurch sketchchurch towers sketchCase in point, the church steeples. In my hometown there are 17 churches / houses or prayer. There are a few that are quite similar upon first looking at them. But you look closer and start to see that every steeple is distinctly different. There are ome with a clock, others only have a hint of its shape. Some have belfry, some have a small french balcony while another one a full balcony. Ones are topped with a cross, the others with a rooster or a spike. Who knew!

I made some sketches and took a couple of pictures. I wanted to have the most common sights in it, but from a view, perspective that is rare. I think I was lucky to catch something that is going to be unique! But that I’ll leave for later, for fall is also a time to slow down and savor every little detail.