Category Archives: sketching

The Power and Purpose of Silence

Posted on March 30, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

Silence can be the ultimate act of decluttering. Silence is scarce. We attain momentary darkness every time we blink our eyes or close them for several minutes / hours when we sleep each night. Our eyes let us rest. But … Continue reading →

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Curiosity + Looking = Unexpected Aha Moments

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

Here’s your mid-week dessert, a bit of combined brain and eye candy. Watch and listen to my mentor Oliver Pyle (whom I mentioned in my previous post) as he guides you into a world you may have never seen, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Design Basics, Seeing and looking, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Value of Intermittent Persistence

Posted on January 19, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

I offered weekly posts here every Sunday from June 26, 2024 through the end of the year. For someone who has trouble with self-discipline, that was a real feat. But then, once again, Life’s vote was stronger than that of … Continue reading →

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What’s Your Nugget?

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

Yesterday I began searching Double Take for the best story to end this three-month series of essays. Here it is— it’s about Endings and Beginnings, and is also a gentle challenge to you and to me. Are you facing something … Continue reading →

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Travel is my favorite path to Enlightenment

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” I agree, and I love experiencing this truth firsthand as often as possible. Five years ago, I traveled to England to visit a friend I’d never met. Well, that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Book #2: Double Take, Seeing and looking, sketching, Trips to the UK, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why not me? Why not you?

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

August 11th has been a powerful day for me… several times. In 1973, it was the day of a horrific car accident where my brother and I were both badly injured. Fast forward 41 years to 2014, August 11th was … Continue reading →

Posted in Book #2: Double Take, Look at That! book, Pen & Ink, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The best creative partner just might be your notebook.

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

I was in the middle of drafting this post when a dear friend emailed me a link to an article in the NY Times. The article entitled, “How the Humble Notebook Became an Essential Creative Tool,” begins with the sentence, … Continue reading →

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How to Double the Fun when Travel Sketching

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

(This is the next in the series of excerpts from my illustrated memoir, “Double Take.”) Planning a vacation? If you’re like me, the minute you buy your plane ticket or book your B&B, it feels like you’re almost on your … Continue reading →

Posted in Book #2: Double Take, Pen & Ink, Seeing and looking, Sketchbooks, sketching, Travel Adventures, Trips to the UK, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do your pauses refresh or agitate?

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

A brief note first: This latest series of posts has given me an unexpected gift:  the feeling of reading “Double Take” for the first time. When writing, editing, proofing, final proofing, final-final proofing any piece of writing, it’s natural to … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Book #2: Double Take, Musings on Life, Pen & Ink, Seeing and looking, sketching, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

No need to be in a city to be an “Urban” Sketcher!

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

For centuries painting outdoors has been referred to as “en plein air” painting. It is a French term that literally translates as “in full air,” and is used to describe artwork created outdoors, through observation of the scene in front … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Book #2: Double Take, Pen & Ink, Seeing and looking, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment