The inspiration for most paintings have come on many different travels. An exciting moment so full of emotion and awe, filled with the power to alter the path of life itself. Capturing the magnificence of this world on canvas with an artist’s brush. An inspired painting that is more than a work of art, it is an expression of how we feel.
This feeling is one of inspiration, while travel brings about a different emotion; anticipation of a new journey. It’s like Christmas every year when you can’t wait to go on vacation and fall in love with a new destination. Traveling brings a sense of adventure and excitement. Paintings also express similar feelings of love and excitement, it’s the high points of our travels as well as the low points.
This article will explore different ways you can use travel as a medium for your artwork. If you’re traveling to meet people or just to see the world, why not consider a watercolor painting? A lot of people say it’s the best way to see the world because you get so caught up in the moment. It gives a unique perspective on what it’s like to live far away from home and meet new people.
Have you ever traveled into an industrialized civilization where everything was clearly labeled? When you left your home town to travel to distant lands and look around, what did you see? Did you see lots of signs in English and other languages that described the different kinds of buildings you had to pass? I have tried to describe these buildings in my paintings, based on my own observations while traveling.
What if you could take all those signs and symbols and turn them into a symbolic language. A language that anyone could understand. In this case, your paintings would convey information about your surroundings. You wouldn’t need to translate the signs into any other languages. Traveling with a group of people through another country would be an incredible experience. You wouldn’t have to think about how to communicate verbally.
Let’s back up a bit. Before I get started with my Traveling the World painting technique, I recommend that you take a few minutes to sketch out your destination. How would you describe it in words? What sort of colors would you use? When you’ve developed your sketch, take it to a local art college and let an artist musing on your sketches teach you the basics of painting with watercolor and oil paints.
Now let’s get back to using Traveling the World painting outside. I usually carry my sketch pad with me and a couple of brushes. I don’t bring anything with me but the essentials. You can’t really paint outside when you don’t have your basic supplies with you. So my pads are filled with watercolor paints, quick drying acrylics, and quick-drying paints.
The pads I’m carrying with me are full of watercolor sketches I made while I was on the road. I take these with me and sketch my way from town to town. It’s such a simple process and it always makes me feel like a tourist, walking through the streets of my painted world!
Now let’s take a look at some more Traveling the World ideas. One idea is to take home one picture a day for a month. These can be travel sketches I did while I was traveling by train or plane. They can also be paintings I made while I was on a river cruise. Just make sure you’re carrying a sketch pad with you so you can put your Traveling the World pictures on top of your sketch pad and remember to take home one picture a day for a month.
There are also websites where you can pay a one time membership fee and gain access to thousands of sketches by some of the world’s greatest painters. Some of the sketches I’ve downloaded are just amazing! So if you’re in a similar situation as I was, I highly recommend looking into these sites and seeing what they have to offer. One thing that’s nice about these sites is you can sign up for an artist musing subscription and get instant downloads of sketches from some of the world’s top artists.
Last but not least, my favorite way to Travel the World is by Bike. But first, why not check out these Travel Tips for Painting your Bike! There’s much more to bike riding than just scenic roads and hills. You have to be healthy and keep up with the maintenance. But I’ll tell you one thing: nothing beats sketching your own bike. Enjoy your bike riding!
