Bird in the Sky

The sketch phase is usually the simplest part, but sometimes the most complex. I used to think you needed a concept or plan before starting a painting, and honestly, that's just not the case all the time. For this painting, I exercised simple sketching. That meant finding something, sketching it for less than 5 minutes, and going home to paint. During this painting process, I realized I liked the quick-sketch into paint process and that it was a very freeing form of creativity to practice more often.
Acrylic on heavyweight cold-press paper.
February 9th, 2026.
By Kate Gordon.