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art || outdoor photography for sketching

IoanaApril 17, 2020

Last month I went on a nature walk and brought my camera to make things extra fun! I finally sat down to draw + watercolour some of these in my bullet journal, so I wanted to show you the photos themselves before I share my drawings of them.

You can see my setup for drawing the photos in the photo above. I printed them with my Phomemo thermal printer, which I received as a gift from the company. You can check out a mood board I made with the same printer, and if you’re interested in checking out the product itself just remember that I have a discount code for you, too!

If you draw or use any of these photos yourself, please tag me @mistralspirit or send them by DM or email, because I would love to see them!

First up: these funky leaves. I just love the colours on them. You’d think they’re small and ordinary from far away, but they clearly have something going for them.

These are called Snowdrop Flowers and they are often one of the first signs of spring. (Source) I think they are absolutely beautiful. So delicate but their visible growth communicates so much potential for strength.

There’s a cute appeal to the messiness of the outdoors.

I’m starting to doubt whether fall even has a colour palette…

I recently purchased a new lens for my camera (Canon SL2), the Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 lens, so that’s the one I brought on this trip. The focus and bokeh you can achieve with it is superb for close-up shots.

This isn’t my bike but I love its colour so much. Oh no… have I become one of those strange people who photographs other people’s luxury vehicles?

Which photo was your favourite?
And, do you ever bring your camera on walks to make it more fun? If not then I would totally recommend it!

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Comments (4)

  • video || paint with me! nature sketching time lapse + watercolour tips – Mistral Spirit

    May 7, 2020 at 9:00 am

    […] couple months ago I went for a walk with my handy camera and snapped some cute photos of plants and leaves. In this video, I’m showing you how to turn a fun outdoor adventure into […]

    Reply
  • Laura

    May 7, 2020 at 11:24 am

    I love taking my dslr out but the macro lens is very heavy so I tend to get achy shoulders and neck ache if I wear it round my neck. Did you shoot in raw and edit of did you just do jpegs? I always shoot in raw on manual but sometimes it’s too much manipulating all the photos in Photoshop. Have just found your blog by the way. Already subscribed to your YouTube channel.

    Reply
    1. Ioana

      May 11, 2020 at 9:38 pm

      It can be bulky and frustrating, and I carry around a camera case too which doesn’t help. But generally, I’ll just make it a walk focused on photography and so it’ll be more of an art adventure than anything else.

      I always just shoot in the largest jpeg file possible. I generally use the basic Lightroom app on my iPhone to edit, so I’m not quite at the expert, raw-file-stage yet. I also just tend to shoot in Auto – so not manual. 😛 I’ve looked into what all the settings mean, but at the moment I’m not into it enough to learn all the intricacies.

      Reply
  • creativity || paint with me! nature sketching time lapse + watercolour tips – Mistral Spirit

    November 15, 2021 at 11:09 pm

    […] couple months ago I went for a walk with my handy camera and snapped some cute photos of plants and leaves. In this video, I’m showing you how to turn a fun outdoor adventure into […]

    Reply

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Nice to meet you!

Hi, it’s Ioana! I’m a blogger, brand marketer, and recent Queen’s Commerce alumni. When I’m not drinking coffee, reading, studying or exploring the city, I dabble in creative projects like this one!

Latest posts

  • Writing 50k words in ONE month: National Novel Writing Month 2022 Prep Vlog + Goal Setting + Events

    November 1, 2022
  • "Company" on Broadway in NYC

    July 25, 2022
  • what it means to be your own friend (feat. my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall)

    April 26, 2022

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ioana.pitu

ioana | mistral spirit | organization & creativity
A sketch from Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov this mornin A sketch from Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov this morning. 🏫 I tried a triple-crosshatch technique to suggest the medieval-era clay tile roofing, inspired by a framed sketch in a local restaurant. Definitely using it again! I love playing with interpretive lines like this: the way a messy bundle of strokes demand to be seen a certain way depending on their context, but are entirely unclear when seen too closely.

Supplies:
📘 @moleskine watercolour sketchbook
🖊️ @fabercastellcanada 0.3 fineliner

📍 Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov

#travelsketch #urbansketch #urbansketching #travelsketching #sketchbook #moleskine #uskromania #urbansketchingromania #brasovart #brasovsketch #romania #fabercastell #pittfabercastell #moleskinesketchbook #travelsketchbook
Loved visiting this castle today 🇷🇴 Saving i Loved visiting this castle today 🇷🇴 Saving it here so I can paint it later and because this song was perfect for it. 👌 Bran Castle is the castle (actually a fortress) in the Transylvania region of Romania that inspired Bram Stoker’s original Dracula story.

📍 Bran Castle, Transylvania, Romania

#brancastle #romania #travelling #romaniamagica #travelblog
Quick little sketching break in Carvoeiro, Portuga Quick little sketching break in Carvoeiro, Portugal. @usktoronto #usktoronto If you’ve ever wondered how long these sketches take… here is how much I can sketch in 20 mins! Looking forward to adding a bit of dimension to this one after with watercolours. 🤗 

2 supplies I always carry with me:
@moleskine art sketchbook
@fabercastellcanada 0.3 black fineliner

#carvoeiro #urbansketchers #traveldrawing #drawingsketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #sketchbookart #illustration #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #traveljournal #travelwatercolor #traveldiary
Not exaggerating when I say @torontostationeryshow Not exaggerating when I say @torontostationeryshow was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. ❤️ Had an absolute blast sharing the @thewashitapeshop love, meeting other journalers, helping customers find their style of washi, giving out free samples, starting off a few young bullet journalers with their first washi tapes, chatting with other vendors and basically just having the best paper party ever. 🎉

@dreyray and @queeniescards you are both incredible. 🙌 And so are the 80+ other vendors we had the pleasure of sharing a space (and a passion) with. 🥰

#torontostationeryshow #torontostationeryshow2023 #stationeryshow #stationery #hobby #papercraft #journaler #journaling #stationerylover #stationeryshop
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Writing 50k words in ONE month: National Novel Writing Month 2022 Prep Vlog + Goal Setting + Events

Writing 50k words in ONE month: National Novel Writing Month 2022 Prep Vlog + Goal Setting + Events

I’m participating in NaNoWriMo this year! National Novel Writing Month is a worldwide, virtual writing event during the month of November during which hundreds of thousands of people around the world set one goal for themselves: to write 50,000 words (a novel) in a month. That’s 1,667 every day. I first did Camp NaNoWriMo twice…

by Ioana November 1, 2022November 1, 2022
“Company” on Broadway in NYC

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We decided to make our first night in New York City a Broadway night. I’m so glad we ended up choosing the musical “Company”… it completely blew me away! The story opens on the 35th birthday of Bobby, a bachelorette whose friends are all married couples. We then get to see vignettes of each couple’s…

by Ioana July 25, 2022October 22, 2022
what it means to be your own friend (feat. my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall)

what it means to be your own friend (feat. my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall)

Earlier today I took what will likely be my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall. (Hopefully in equal part because I’ll grow out of it and because I’m about to graduate from undergrad. 😋) Isn’t it an amazing feeling to be fascinated by an area of study? The utter excitement that comes along with it!…

by Ioana April 26, 2022August 17, 2022
A sketch from Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov this mornin A sketch from Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov this morning. 🏫 I tried a triple-crosshatch technique to suggest the medieval-era clay tile roofing, inspired by a framed sketch in a local restaurant. Definitely using it again! I love playing with interpretive lines like this: the way a messy bundle of strokes demand to be seen a certain way depending on their context, but are entirely unclear when seen too closely.

Supplies:
📘 @moleskine watercolour sketchbook
🖊️ @fabercastellcanada 0.3 fineliner

📍 Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov

#travelsketch #urbansketch #urbansketching #travelsketching #sketchbook #moleskine #uskromania #urbansketchingromania #brasovart #brasovsketch #romania #fabercastell #pittfabercastell #moleskinesketchbook #travelsketchbook
Loved visiting this castle today 🇷🇴 Saving i Loved visiting this castle today 🇷🇴 Saving it here so I can paint it later and because this song was perfect for it. 👌 Bran Castle is the castle (actually a fortress) in the Transylvania region of Romania that inspired Bram Stoker’s original Dracula story.

📍 Bran Castle, Transylvania, Romania

#brancastle #romania #travelling #romaniamagica #travelblog
Quick little sketching break in Carvoeiro, Portuga Quick little sketching break in Carvoeiro, Portugal. @usktoronto #usktoronto If you’ve ever wondered how long these sketches take… here is how much I can sketch in 20 mins! Looking forward to adding a bit of dimension to this one after with watercolours. 🤗 

2 supplies I always carry with me:
@moleskine art sketchbook
@fabercastellcanada 0.3 black fineliner

#carvoeiro #urbansketchers #traveldrawing #drawingsketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #sketchbookart #illustration #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #traveljournal #travelwatercolor #traveldiary
Not exaggerating when I say @torontostationeryshow Not exaggerating when I say @torontostationeryshow was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. ❤️ Had an absolute blast sharing the @thewashitapeshop love, meeting other journalers, helping customers find their style of washi, giving out free samples, starting off a few young bullet journalers with their first washi tapes, chatting with other vendors and basically just having the best paper party ever. 🎉

@dreyray and @queeniescards you are both incredible. 🙌 And so are the 80+ other vendors we had the pleasure of sharing a space (and a passion) with. 🥰

#torontostationeryshow #torontostationeryshow2023 #stationeryshow #stationery #hobby #papercraft #journaler #journaling #stationerylover #stationeryshop
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#bulletjournal #bujo #bulletjournalideas #bujoideas #bujoinspiration #bujosystem #organized #planningtips #planningsystem #planning #planner #torontoplanner #torontoplannerjunkies #canadianplannergirls #studentplanner #bulletjournalflipthrough #bujospread #bulletjournalspread
Stumbled across this exhibition called “Housewar Stumbled across this exhibition called “Housewarming” by @karinegiboulo while at the @gardinermuseum a couple months ago and I’m SO glad I did. It not only gave me the remarkable sensation of both delight and discomfort at the same time, but it gave me the push to check out more local museums! I find they’re a rare solo sanctuary for me and always leave me a little more excited and inspired than when I arrived.

About “Housewarming”: Montreal-based artist Karine Giboulo (@karinegiboulo) invités you on a journey through a life-size reimagining of her home, animated by more than 500 polymer clay figures. With the pandemic as a constant presence, the colourful dioramas animating each room prompt reflection about the challenges we face as a society, from climate change and food insecurity to consumerism and the housing crisis. 

#creative #creativity #museums #gardinermuseum #torontomuseums #torontocreative #torontolife #karinegiboulo
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