I can’t express the importance of doing quick thumbnail sketches of scenes before painting the final landscape, especially the format and overall shape of your page whether it be square, rectangular, or panoramic. It’s only then that you can get the composition right which gives you the frame in which to build up the tones from light to dark.

Which basically means, you have to scribble a lot to find the common denominator between you and the landscape. Your interpretation of it is entirely subjective and unique to you, whether you work in a classical realistic style or more impressionistic way as I do.

These simple ‘beginnings’ are the first steps in working it all out and are often the starting points for other more abstract work that I like to do.

The pencil sketches are 6 inch square and I did them as walking sketches where I would stop and stand for 5 to 7 minutes when something caught my eye. I made 6 of these on my 40 minute walk (meander really) through Marlay Park, which is where my studio is situated.