Autumn reference photo hunting 🍁 casual watercolor sketching in the studio

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Who else is obsessed with those mossy trees!? Quick note since I know people will ask - I was using an iPhone 13 Pro Max to take the photos. Great camera (that's the reason I got it). But I often use my Fuji XT4 with a variety of lenses. To be honest it's more about triggering the memory than about being a pro photographer! Go out and explore with whatever camera you have :) Thanks for watching!

[@hArtyTruffle]

Oh Lordy, yes. The mossy trees ❤

[@loreleibell6287]

Oh absolutely! Enjoyed very much! See you next time! 💕💖💞

[@suew4609]

Do you have a remote on that phone, or did you just edit it to look like the photos were taken automatically?

[@sarahinscotland]

@@suew4609 pressing the volume buttons on the side takes a photo

[@FaithAnnNB]

Could not believe the bright green colour of the moss on the trees! ❤

[@c.f.callier]

I find it very interesting how each artist will use references in a different way to create a piece. I also get very captivated by light and how it hits things.

[@sharilynnupsdell9195]

I always look forward to watching your videos… tutorials are great to watch, but I also really love that you share your journey and process! ❤

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you! Since I make so many tutorials, I get kinda bored with that format. I have to have fun with my videos once in a while :)

[@kathyhackney7950]

Yes you just inspired me to try urban sketching with colored pencil and watercolor instead of my typical fountain pen or fineliner. I love experimenting too! ❤

[@donnaallen1712]

I love your research and sketching process Sarah, you’re inspiring me! Thanks for sharing ❤

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I'm happy to share the inspiration!

[@hArtyTruffle]

Autumn is my favourite season. Not too hot. Not too cold. Not too wet or too dry. And the colours are to die for 🫶🏻

[@PaulaScardamalia]

Thank you for taking us with you on your walk. I live in the country in the Catskills of NY and I, too, love autumn--the light, the shadows, the colors. And yes, magic.

[@eaupoetique]

So much gorgeousness going on here! The footage, & the light in those paintings ~ just a dream! Loved this! 🍃🍁🍂💗

[@kimallen8521]

I always used to draw and paint from photos but now, since getting out and doing more outside I absolutely understand what you're saying, nothing compares to being in nature with the sights, sounds and feelings.

[@veronicagreen6180]

Sara I hope you’re feeling better..great video,

[@laurahale5774]

What a lovely way to spend the day! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. As we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the U.S., please know many of us count you as a blessing. Have a great week!

[@xtianeroc]

the way you use color is just so magical

[@melindaavila498]

I loved this! Seeing and hearing your thoughts and process is so enlightening and helpful. I love trees (even the old fallen ones) and always look at the live oaks along the highways out here.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Sometimes the fallen trees are even more fascinating. They are teeming with life too!

[@beckyisj]

Omigosh the pictures are GORGEOUS. Thanks for sharing this part of your process with us!

[@ajspr1299]

Really really love all the things you do

[@lesliecannon1103]

Needed some inspiration this morning…dreary day…and I found it! Thanks Sarah!

[@AdventuresWithRobin]

Thank you for another trail walk! I hope your knee felt OK afterwards. I love your idea of sketching from the video, as well as the photo. The photo can distort the light and the perspective and as you mentioned, it is so nice to HEAR the scenery as well!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It was definitely steeper than we planned for..thankfully I had my poles. Knee was not happy but recovered, as I'm continuing treatment.

[@sabinelower1524]

Ich liebe deine Videos, sie sind für mich schon das Kunstwerk, das machst so wunderbar schön! Danke für deine tollen Anregungen und Bilder. Liebe Grüße aus Greifswald an der Ostsee in Deutschland. 🤗🌻🍂🍁🌳

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

danke!

[@miriamgillham6701]

Sarah. This vlog wasn’t just entertaining but really excellent as a tutorial. I learnt so much about how to both take and use reference photos. And then, how to draw and paint the atmosphere of the photo was so helpful. Autumn is what we call it here where I come from. I think it must be so hard for you to stop using the term fall. I would find it extremely hard to stop say Autumn. I think you should be able to say what your most comfortable with in describing seasons. The seasons are integral to our sense of self within nature….Anyway, thank you so much for this video.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Haha yea.. it’s OK to say ‘fall’ but many people dont know what i mean and i just find it more useful to call it autumn in normal conversation

[@miriamgillham6701]

@@SarahBurnsStudio Okay. I guess but fall does makes sense when you consider that in America and much of Europe leaves all fall of the trees. They don’t here, just the introduced ones as Australia is full of evergreens and Autumn is more a feeling, the wind moves and it gets cooler but there is very little visual cues to the season at all. 😅 I think that throws people when they come here during that time and the leaves don’t drop. I don’t know how wonderful it would be to see such a phenomenon. Thank you Sarah as always for your reply.

[@MissJayM]

You are poet, Sarah! Both visual and with words as well! I love watching your videos! Beautiful process you have to store memories for future reference! Thank you so much for sharing! ^^

[@roxannemaguire9844]

Wonderful autumn scenes - thank you, Sarah! I miss my gorgeous Canadian autumns! So good to see you're feeling better, too!!! Love your sketches - looking forward to your pencil and watercolour combo!!! Take care, Sarah 🧡💛🧡🍃🍂🌿

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Glad you could enjoy a bit of autumn with me!

[@OkieSketcher1949]

I enjoy plein air sketching, but I try to take at least one photograph of the scene with my cell phone camera. When I need to finish a sketch back at home I can refer to the photo to refresh my memory as to colors, shadows, and particular shapes. I also can refer to the cell phone to obtain location information such as the location where the sketch was made, the date and the approximate time. This will sometimes come in handy when I record data of my sketches and water colors. I enjoy watching your videos and learning from what you say. Thanks again for your postings.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Yes, I do the same thing! Such handy little devices...

[@ShahanoorMamun]

wow... wonderful sharing..... loved it

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@juliegrossman3733]

I learn so much through seeing your process--enough to have questions! I love and am inspired by the beauty around me on walks, and I am at the point where I take many many photos and wait far to long before using them as reference. I think your practice of using video to 'relive' the inspiration would be helpful for me, as would the goal of 3-4 sketches/day, leading to a larger painting/week, (although that's a daunting goal for me...maybe some modification is in order.) I'm so enjoying your videos.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

3-4 super quick sketches sometimes sounds like a lot, other times I do even more. I think modifying it to fit your day is great!

[@24cts]

As a way to reconnect to the land after returning to the studio - I have a story section in my sketch book. Questions such as: what do I know about the location? What am I noticing? What draws me to this scene? What is in movement? What are the tastes,smells and sounds? What is beyond my senses - and feel the connection. As a Natural Therapy guide - journaling about the location is pure joy.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

That sounds lovely

[@azzuparis]

What a wonderful view 😍 This video was so inspiring ! I should use more often my reference photos. Seeing the bigger picture and not really copying them, it could make the process easier for me. Thanks for sharing this and I love how your sketches came out 💕

[@samantharankinstinamisan5583]

Love colored pencils, then watercolor. Practicing gouache, putting them all together......my cells are happy & excited!! IK it sounds stupid, but.....🎨 what can I say?? It's truth. TY for sharing!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Playing with coloured pencils with gouache is so much fun!

[@nancyb.4508]

First off, I am so happy to see you feeling better after such a rough road you had. And I, too, am obsessed with craggy trees with mossy roots and bark. Thank you for sharing another video, and also the recent e mail, you are always an inspiration to me. Stay Well ♥

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Getting there little by little!

[@zoewhiteart7676]

I love autumn It's my favourite season. It's funny because i do the same take reference photos of scenery ect. to paint back home. I live in Durham north east England and recently went to high force and low force to take pics, i think you would love it there because i notice you also love waterfalls and forests. Great video as usual. x

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Yesss I love waterfalls so much! I could spend hours near them. I'm fascinated by their movement and patterns and colors and of course all the rocks!

[@candyparsons806]

Always love watching your process - so very inspiring! Thank you

[@beckywebb1916]

The watercolor on the upper right with the blue pencil is gorgeous! I really like it!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you!

[@SharonCullenArt]

You have lit my spark back up. I haven’t painted in a month! I know! I can’t believe it either. I have been a daily or pretty much daily painter for years. But I hit a hard slump. I was burned out. I had COVID, then on my birthday ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. And I just haven’t been back at it. But I think your videos have lit my sparkl the only think]g is that now this coming week is Thanksgiving, and then time to decorate for Christmas! Ugh. Will I ever get to paint again? And it is funny you mention blue pencils, because I like to use blue pencils also. You’re exactly right. There’s something about the way they light up the page or something. But I love it. I saw an artist many years ago using blue pencil, and this must be how it started. But I enjoyed your video so much today. The videos and music are amazing. You are doing such top notch work. 😊

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you Sharon! Aww I'm so sorry you're going through that. I know what you mean. I am just now getting over my slump after travel/covid, and for a while there I was scared. I HAD to paint because of my Patreon schedule, but it was like pulling teeth. Maybe it helped that I was forced to do it...because now my own spark is back and I want to fill my sketchbook! It's hard though with so many interruptions. I try to remember that life comes first 😆

[@frenchgrama]

That forrest was soooo beautiful - very envious that you have autumn where you live and such gorgeous nature on your doorstep. Because I live in an ugly hot and humid place it’s common for me to paint what I wish I lived in, which is autumn, as I love autumn more than any other season… I have to travel over 1,000 km to see a bit of autumn but to really see autumn like you have in Scotland I have to travel 2,000km to Melbourne and sadly I don’t get to do that very often. Your sketches and photos are also beautiful too…

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

That must be so challenging! But I do the same thing with snow now...I'll travel far to see it, or paint it whenever I'm really missing it!

[@SereneStudio]

Yes I am obsessed with mossy trees and rocks. haha! And YES this is the first year I've seen the golden light of autumn. It's mesmerizing. I do hope you're feeling better! 💗

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Yes, feeling more normal again, but trying not to overdo it! That’s my challenge

[@sprucehouse9]

I enjoyed this video very much. What a lovely forest area that is. I'm with you 100% about the difficulty of using reference photos successfully. I often take a lot of photos when I'm out walking my dog, only to get home to find that although I have some pretty nice photos, they fail to elicit the sounds, smells, and feelings of that moment, and I have difficulty getting a good painting from them. They also lack the depth and atmospheric perspective that seeing the view in person affords. The only way to ensure capturing that moment in an authentic way is by plein air painting. And the catch 22 is that it is not always possible to do so! Lately I have adapted my painting style to a more abstract one to counteract this and I find it very satisfying. It also allows me to be more creative in my color choices. Process rather than product works well for me. I just love to play with paint!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I feel all of this! I especially agree that being more playful helps tap into that energy and ‘wonder’ of being there in person

[@ruthjames9278]

perfect

[@suew4609]

I can’t get out much anymore, but fall is my favorite season, especially when I lived in Pennsylvania. So much beauty! Here, in CA, we seem to have 2 seasons, hot and cold. A couple of weeks ago it was 100 degrees and now it’s 60. There wasn’t that gradual change that I love. I really enjoy your videos as it reminds me of how it feels to be outside in fall. Thanks for bringing us along!❤

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

That must be so tough. We lucked out with some really nice days this autumn and I recovered from covid just in time to enjoy it

[@samthomart]

Lovely Sarah, so enjoyed the scenery and the peek in your sketchbook, thank you! 😊

[@fuzzydragons]

that stream was so pretty! i would prob fall down the bank tho lol😝

[@ElizavetaSmirnovaArt]

Thank you for sharing the atmosphere you live in! It's so so inspiring! (I feel the exact same way - I can paint all day long outside, do 4 pieces in a row standing or sitting in an uncomfortable position and be ok. But in the studio I can be tired after 1 hour of painting haha)

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Maybe we need giant screens on the walls with videos of nature playing, and a big speaker of all the nature sounds next to us 😂

[@jess9038]

Thanks for your insight Sara! Always a pleasure to watch your videos and see your visions unfold, truly an inspiration 💕😄👏👏👏

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you Jess :)

[@lzal9204]

So beautiful!!! The colors are amazing.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you so much!

[@theuntroddenpath]

I share your love for experimenting and combining things. The blue pencil on the watercolour looks great. I've been mostly working with pen and ink recently but I would eventually love to combine it with either charcoal or maybe even watercolours. To be honest, I need to get over my fear of colour but not today haha...til then I'll live vicariously through artists like you who use colour as their primary medium.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I looooovvve ink and graphite and black/white drawings and paintings. Something so compelling about the contrast!

[@DavidBerlin07]

Love your use of colours... something I often think when watching your videos And cats have to be the best company when being forced to stay indoors

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Mine are almost always outside during the day so I'm really happy when they visit me ☺

[@VitasArtworks]

wonderful, inspiring video as always Sarah ^_^

[@doryrice4906]

Wonderful video. I really appreciated your comments about painting from reference photos versus being there. I liked your effect of the blue pencil on top of your sketches. May I ask which blue pencil you are using in this video? Thanks!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I think that was a polychromos

[@ezenami]

Is this actually a trail? > It wasn't... 😂The story of my hiking life

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I wondered if anyone would catch that 🤣

[@s.maskell7134]

pretty sure I'd be out of memory pretty quickly on this walk. But having said that, the point of painting IS to capture one's sensation of what was observed. Trying to 'copy' is deadly dull stuff. I like using my water soluble pencil crayons to draw on details. I can keep or blend the lines as I choose, but they will be within my colour choices.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

That sounds fun!

[@janbarriault4494]

the art has changed somehow.. it seems more present

[@simonnemason2162]

Lovely video. Understand completely about not following reference photos slavishly. Hence artistic licence.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you 😊

[@ExplorationAppalachian]

Wonderful video! May I ask what sketchbook you were using? It takes watercolor so well and the grain of the paper looked amazing! Keep sharing your wonderful adventures can’t wait for the next one!! ❤

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It’s the Etchr Perfect Sketchbook

[@ExplorationAppalachian]

@@SarahBurnsStudio thank you so much! I have one of those on my list for Christmas and can’t wait to try it! 😊

[@manrock1924]

With the phones aspect ratio I would check if the 16:9 really gives more picture! A while ago when I was testing it out I found it seems the cameras sensor is closer to 4:3 so when you set it to 16:9 it just zooms into to make it that ratio! So at least for the two phones I have had just zoomed in to get the ratio and not actually got more picture!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Good point! I haven't checked that on my new phone.. I usually just leave it there since I share so much on social media which is usually a 16:9 ratio - yea I know, a bad habit! But my Fuji is always 4:3 which always feel more natural

[@manrock1924]

@@SarahBurnsStudio That's nice your phone remembers your choices! Mine just resets to the default always, and using an aspect ratio while taking photos can help get the composition of the photos better in general it seems!

[@chrissyplanteater2892]

❤

[@watercolorpaintingintheaft9142]

Now that Strathmore isn't making their sketchbook, what are you using? I am trying Hannemueler but I don't like it nearly as much.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

For watercolor I'm just taking little Etchr postcards out with a small kit - mainly because of weather challenges and needing super fast sessions. For gouache I'm using my Stilman & Birn Nova

[@susiegraham3671]

Love going with you on your hikes! But what I really love is watching you interpret what you’ve seen into gorgeous art!

[@ZeeCeeCreations]

Hello Sarah! Lovely, inspirational and relaxing video! Thank you Will you still be having your own brush line through Craftamo? I’d love to get yours, because (I think) they are for gouache painting and will be more on the stiffer side… which suits my watercolor style… Thank you!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Hey there! Yes they are currently in production. As soon as I get them I'll share some info/video about it! Hoping to launch early December

[@ZeeCeeCreations]

@@SarahBurnsStudio Oh….goody….Merry Christmas to me!!!😉❤️