As an artist, spring isn’t just a mood… it feels like it’s a mission. A mission to chase sunlight, wrestle with the pages of my stubborn sketchbooks, and maybe… just maybe…. capture the chaotic beauty of the world without losing your sanity (this, of course, is not guaranteed). Here’s how I survive and thrive in my springtime art adventures – and in case you hadn’t heard, I’ll be traveling a bit, so I’ll be taking you with me… I know, you’re excited.

1. My Favorite Springtime Sketching Spots

Picking a spot to draw in spring is an art form in itself. You want inspiration, not a face full of bugs preferably. Here are my go-to locations:

• Parks with early blooms: Trees, flowers, and secret nooks where squirrels judge your technique. Deep Cut Gardens comes to mind if you’re in the Monmouth Area. NYBG also comes to mind… heck, Grounds for Sculpture.. that weird little tract you keep driving by with no knowledge of what it actually looks like aside from ‘huh, there are trees there‘.
  There are so many gorgeous places on the East Coast – maybe share your spot with me in the comments?
• Gardens or greenhouses: Perfect if you want color without risking a poison ivy encounter. Bonus: you can pretend you’re in a fancy botanical magazine shoot… goals.
• Urban streets: Yep, even cities bloom in weird ways. Trash cans are surprisingly photogenic when the light hits right… it’s that reflection. Ever check out an oil puddle in the spring sun? Chefs kiss besties.
• Anywhere with weird shadows or textures: Spring isn’t just pastel flowers… trust me, that’s 100% not what I’m looking for when I’m drawing… look for cracks, lichen, puddles, melting snow, or bird droppings (nature’s abstract art). For legal reasons I’m joking on some of them – I won’t tell you which ones though.

Tip: Bring a notebook with a pocket for clippings. Leaves, petals, and random debris make excellent references and occasionally double as emergency bookmarks. Pebbles... (acorns… basically tree pebbles with hats). SHOW ME YOUR ROCKS MAN!

2. Plein Air Adventures: Lessons From Nature

Drawing outside sounds idyllic… until you meet the real spring:

And I’m not just talking about American landscaping where we favor male trees and that’s why there’s an absurd amount of… tree…man… stuff… in the air. I’m gonna let ya’ll sit with that for a moment… untouched.

• The wind is your frenemy: Papers fly. Brushes betray you. You learn to tape, clip, and occasionally cry… great for watercolors.
• Nature moves fast: Trees don’t actually move, but shadows, clouds, and squirrels do. You learn to observe quickly… or your sketch becomes abstract by accident… unless you’re into that sort of thing – no judgement.
• Animals are literal chaos agents: Birds, dogs, and one particularly aggressive goose have ruined more sketches than I care to admit. But the stories are worth it… and the scar’s not too bad.
• Sunlight is a fickle companion: One moment, your flower is glowing; the next, it’s in a dramatic shadow and you’re questioning your life choices. I would tell you to take a picture, it’ll last longer – but NO! You MUSTN’T!

Pro tip: Embrace the fails. That smudged leaf sketch? Artistic masterpiece. That puddle-reflected tree that looks like a raccoon? Accidental genius. It’s not about you Greg (idk who Greg is, but he’s somebody’s nemesis on threads and I’m just holding the line). It’s about practice… it’s about spring… it’s about before the beauty full unfolds.

3. Packing Your Spring Art Kit

A traveling artist’s kit should be compact, functional, and able to survive mild abuse (I abuse mine more than mildly). Here’s what I haul around:

• Sketchbook or loose paper: Essential. Bonus points if it has a cover you can dramatically slam on the table to assert your dominance. DO IT.
• Pencils, pens, and portable watercolors: Because the world doesn’t need another black-and-white tree sketch… I mean… unless it’s a really cool tree… send me the deets please… but if it’s not a really cool tree, then make it one… give it something.
  Idk bro, find some color, or don’t, I’m not your mom.
• Brushes that fit in your bag: And a tiny water cup. Don’t ask me why I keep forgetting this.
  I actually found little water dropper vials at dollar tree, and I keep that, some brushes, a spare bottle of water, and a mini camping cup in an old Clorox Wipe container. It prevents it from spilling, keeps it all together, and makes my life a little more “grab and go” and always has some spare room for a mini palette.
• Extras: Camera or phone for references, small towel, handful of paper towels, snacks (sketching burns energy?), and a sense of humor. I also suggest some band-aids but that’s a personal issue of my own…
• Optional: Hand sanitizer and take your flippin’ allergy meds. Your nose will thank you.

Pro tip: Less is more. You don’t need a full studio in your bag unless you enjoy back pain and curious stares…

4. Fun Seasonal Exercises for Artists (All Ages!)

Even if you’re teaching or just sketching for yourself, spring is perfect for playful exercises:

• 10-minute nature snapshots: Pick a leaf, flower, or random puddle and try to capture it quickly. Speed forces creativity. Got a group of kids? RACE THEM. Set a timer. Get crazy.
• Blind contour sketches: Look at your subject, not your paper. The results are ugly, hilarious, and strangely educational. This is my favorite art warm-up when I teach a class… sometimes I even make them put the paper on their heads and then I tell them what to draw… it’s always funny… and yet, somehow I’ve become oddly skilled at it...
• Mini challenge: Turn one flower into five different sketches… try abstract, realistic, cartoon, “cryptid-inspired,” and “what the heck is that?” Make it weird. Get weird. Who cares – it’s yours dude. Stop letting people look through your sketchbooks if they don’t deserve that access to you..
• Outdoor observational games: Sketch something, then add a tiny creature… Nobody said spring sketching can’t be weird… in fact… nature is weird… I implore you to get weird.

These exercises aren’t just for my young students. Adults need fun and chaos too… or at least a good excuse to eat chocolate mid-sketch (try not to get it on your paper though… it doesn’t blend well with paint).

5. Lessons Learned (That You Probably Already Know but Ignore Anyway)

• Spring sketching is messy. Expect it. Celebrate it.
  Get messy with it. Be weird. Sketching isn’t for anyone but you… unless you’re trying to woo someone, then make sure they can match your freak.
• Pack snacks. I don’t care if you’re 8 or 88… you need energy… and I don’t want to deal with you if you’re hangry.
• Nature will humiliate you at least once per outing. Embrace it; it’s character-building.
• Quirky failures make the best stories… and sometimes the best art.

Listen…

Spring is more than a season…. it’s a call to grab your sketchbook, step outside, and engage in chaotic, messy, inspiring, sometimes hilarious creativity. Whether you’re a traveling art teacher, a casual sketcher, or just someone who likes doodling while complaining about pollen, spring is your playground.

So go. Draw the flowers.
Smudge the mud (make sure it’s mud first).
And remember: the occasional goose attack is just a bonus… as long as you make it out whole.

Xoxo – Dublin & Ash