Sketching

A Tiny Pencil and Watercolour Daily Sketch

| Patricia

“The landscape thinks itself in me, and I am its consciousness.” ~ Paul Cézanne


‘GreenScape’ is a quick colour study from one of my older sketch books. For many years I have tried to keep a habit of doing art every day. Even if it is just a tiny sketch like this imagined landscape scribbled down in a small 4” x 5” notebook (one of a several drawing pads that sit on my bedside table). These studies can inform colour combinations and suggest forms to use in larger compositions.

Keeping a colour journal, as well as a features collection, can help when a larger future work isn’t quite working. Flipping through these binders and sketchbooks can give new insights for where to go in the new work.

The initial sketch, shown here, was drawn with a common HB lead pencil, with a few brushstroke washes added using a small Cotman Water Colour Sketchers’ Pocket Box.

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright © of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Striated Apple Sketch

| Patricia

“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why.” ~ Bernard Mannes Baruch, American financier, 1870-1965

Striated Apple Drawing

A fanciful addition to my collection of Apple drawings: Striated Apple was roughed out in Apple Notes on my iPad Pro, then moved to Procreate for additional work. I opted for a decorative style for this little drawing.

Some Other Apple Sketches in the Series:

THE BIG BOOK OF TINY ART: MY FIRST TRY

SPECKLED APPLE ECO-CONSCIOUS ANALOGUE+DIGITAL PAINTING 7-23

SKETCHY COLOURED CHARCOAL APPLE, FEBRUARY 25, 2023

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright © of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Circle Wave-Curl Concept Notes App Line Drawing

| Patricia

“Life is a wave, which in no two consecutive moments of its existence is composed of the same particles.” ~ John Tyndall, 1820-1893, Irish Physicist


A simple line drawing concept started in Apple Notes app and moved to Procreate for finishing in higher resolution drawing. The primary drawing tools in the Apple Notes app on my iPad Pro are the Pencil, Marker, Fountain Pen, Watercolour Brush, Mono-line Pen, Crayon, Fill Tool (Bucket), and the Selector Tool (Lasso). Below are the two major tools, the Mono-line Pen and Watercolour Brush, used to draw the original image in the Apple Notes app,



All artwork and creative writing is Copyright © of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

‘Apple Unravelling’ Sketch Using iPad Notes App Drawing Tools

| Patricia

“To converse is to risk the unraveling of the said and the unsaid.”
~ Claudia Rankine, Author.


This is one of my early scribble apple drawings, created using the rudimentary drawing tools in the Apple Notes app on my iPad Pro.

Drawn in 2024 it was the first of dozens of apple drawings and paintings, using a variety of analogue materials and digital drawing applications.

I hope to publish a book of Apple drawings this coming year.

What is your favourite subject to draw or doodle when you don’t have a preconceived idea when you sit down to draw or paint? Put your suggestions in the comments. Thanks for reading.

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright © of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

A Small Coloured Pencil Sunlit Ocean Landscape Sketch

| Patricia

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The torrential rains pelted down from lowering moisture-laden clouds. The sun-burnt grasses, that lay flat on the long-parched hills, lifted their faces to the welcome relief from the drought.” ~ Patricia White. Written March 13, 2026.

A small sketch from my bedside stash of art materials. Whenever I pick up a pencil or brush with no preconceived idea of what to draw, it often turns out to be a sea/sky-scape. I love using complementary colour combinations for the dynamics they set up on the canvas.

What are your ‘go-to’ subjects, materials, colours when you just want to doodle?

Art created 2/12/2026.

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright © of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Daily Soft Pastel and Pencil Sketch

| Patricia

“In the springtime, the heart regrows hope.” – Angie Weiland-Crosby.”

ART FIX: I, once again, have restarted my practice of daily experimental art-making. Sketching, collage, writing, anything to drag the ideas out of my head and on to paper.

Journals for creative writing as well as to make notes for art-making. A tiny sketch pad and a small basket of writing, drawing and painting materials close to hand.

This is a quick little soft pastel and pencil sketch, exploring texture and colour combinations.

Grabbed colours randomly, without thinking about how they might work together. Not sure how successful this combination was but it will form part of my colour catalogue to inform choices for future works.

Practicing a total spur-of-the-moment, don’t-think-just-do, creating.

Drawn 2/6/2026.

What practices do you use to create when the spirit is not moving you?




All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Rolodex Watercolour washes

| Patricia

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso

When I closed down my design business years ago, I had a box of blank Rolodex cards in a storage cabinet. As most artists are packrats, I thought , “hmm, maybe I can do something with these”. So they sat for years and then I started trying out watercolour wash combinations on them. Kept in a notebook, these make great colour studies for future works.

I ran across them today and saw that they could be ‘matched up’ to create a kind of segmented landscape work. Here, a skyscape and a foreground.

Where do you find inspiration for art or written works?

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

A Little Apple ‘Juice’ Notes Sketch

| Patricia

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” ~ Carl Sagan

A quick daily sketch of an apple with a bit of anticipated juice flowing from the fruit.

Drawn on iPad Pro in the Apple Notes app using the Fountain Pen and Watercolor tools native to the note-taking app.

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

The Value of Miniature Sketching

| Patricia

“A day is a miniature eternity.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I try to adhere to a daily practice of creating something—be it a paragraph or two to further a story or verse; a thumbnail sketch, or a quick concept to be used later for a larger work of art. I like the challenge of doing tiny works, making sure they have the same impact and balance as larger pieces.

I found this 2” square seascape in an old sketchbook today. 

I generally list materials used for future reference: In this case, I used Faber-Castell, Grumbacher and Gallery Soft Pastels, plus a few CarbOthello pastel pencils. Created May 24, 2023, 1130am. 


What practices do YOU use to preserve ideas to use for later works?

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.