The beauty of a travel journal is that you can quickly capture the scenes and mood of a place to lock it into your memory.
On our recent Florida beach trip, the gorgeous turquoise and cobalt blue of the Atlantic Ocean caught my eye and inspired this quick watercolor sketch of a fishing boat motoring down the beach.
A friendly beach-goer wearing an Army sunhat sat for me to sketch him in my journal.
A first sketch - like this one of the dune - may not look "pretty" or perfect. It's helping you to see the scene before you and figure out how to draw it.
Here's the second attempt.
And below is a study of the Sea Oats at the front of the beach dune.
As easy as it is to snap a cell phone picture, research shows that making a sketch instead will help you recall more details about your experience -- the people, the colors, the conversations, your feelings, etc.
Each of these sketches were made at the beach, in the moment, and each one carries with it memories of those moments.
All you need to lock in memories like this is a small journal -- mine is 6" x 8" -- and a drawing implement -- a pencil, a marker or even a ballpoint pen. Keep these items handy for a quiet visit to a coffee shop, while you're talking on the phone, or to take with you on a short "art date" by yourself.
Happy Sketching & Memory Making!
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