From Dan Mackerman:

Sketching to a painter is what rehearsals are to theater or practice is to music. Its purpose is quite simple: to avoid wasting time and materials on a more involved piece. If you are hoping to quickly hone your painting skills, sketching is indispensable. But there is an art to it. It needs to compliment your work, be quick, easy and lightweight. Anything can be used as a sketch medium. (The painter Thomas Hart Benton actually composed with clay.) Look at gadgets and toys, learn a bit of history, see some demos and experiment.

Bring your medium of choice with lots of expendable surfaces. For a supply recommendation, I use Arches Oil Paper for pretty much everything: dry, oil AND water media. For details see The Art of the Sketch below.

What to bring:

• Camp stool or chair
• Sketch/notebook and pencil
• Painting supplies and painting surface
• Sun/rain/bug protection

Where to meet:

• Nature Center at Sugarloaf Cove. We'll start at the picnic tables on the deck at the Nature Center. You may stay there to sketch or deploy to the shore, and we'll reconvene periodically at the picnic tables to discuss our sketches.