Give it a go: Sketching

For Jessica, art began at home: ‘My coastal upbringing has had an undeniable influence on my work. As a student, I did a project based on Robin Hood’s Bay, where I grew up, and fell in love with drawing higgledy piggledy coastal houses, wooden boats and fish.’ 

Whether you've got a great view from your window or garden, or you're working from favourite holiday snaps, sketching is a great way of observing things differently, taking in colours, materials, objects, moods and themes that are unique to an area. 

‘A very cold winter’s afternoon when the seas are rough and there’s hardly anybody around will evoke such different emotions to a hot summer’s day in an area full of people making the most of the sunshine,’ Jessica says. 

‘It’s great to be able to sit back in the comfort of the studio and illustrate from photos I have taken. The wooden buildings and colourful buoys spark ideas for colourways or repeat patterns, as well as one-off illustrations. I love expressing my personality through my work.’ 

To give those of us who left our doodling pencils behind at school a hand, Jessica gave us a few tips to unleash our own creativity.

Jessica, what if ... 

... I can’t draw at all? 

‘Everyone can draw one way or another – it doesn’t have to be lifelike! There are no mistakes: some of the results you will be happy with, and others you won’t. You will learn to create in a way that suits you and plays to your strengths, and it’s fun figuring out exactly what they are. You’ll hone your own style as you practise. Play around with different materials like paint, chalk, felt tips or ink and I think you will soon start to enjoy creating art. Don’t be precious; just get some ideas down on paper!’ 

… I don’t know how to put what I see on paper? 

‘Start with a few short sketches, of things you can see or from photos you've taken of things that caught your eye. Then draw from these with your own twist, an artistic impression.’ 

… I don’t have the materials? 

‘I create the majority of my artwork with a fine liner pen before colouring it digitally, so I would always recommend just using pens! Black ink and various brushes are great tools for just loosening up and getting some marks down on paper, but you might feel more comfortable just with a pencil and paper.'

If you’re inspired to try some sketching in the next few weeks, we’d love to see your work. Share it with us on Facebook or Twitter, or by emailing [email protected].

You can also see Jessica Hogarth’s exclusive Ocean pattern range, from tea towels to sticky notes, at shop.RNLI.org.