When I first moved to Melbourne from Western Australia, I didn't know anyone, there was no family here and I had no friends here either.
I took golf lessons and I also did a short course in photography.  Back then, it was using an SLR camera.  Digital cameras weren’t really around back in those days. Years ago.  I drove up to Croydon as I had heard about a camera shop that sold excellent second hand cameras. 
Armed with my new acquisition I headed off to the photography course.  At the course we learnt about composition, values and all the technical prowess around the SLR camera.  The week before end of term we headed to Mordialloc and took shots around the creek, beach and Pompei’s boat yard.  Finally, on our last week we developed our film in the dark room.
Gosh, there was a lot to do to finally see the end result.  So much has changed in the last 28 years. Nowadays, we have these amazing phones in our pockets that produce outstanding photos.  You can quickly snap a moment in time with ease and see the results immediately.  Phones these days have better crispness and clarity than the older digital cameras, along with outstanding photo editing capacity.
Artist now have a major tool to create reference for their works and use the reference immediately.  The sun hitting the trees, the bird in flight, the cheeky smile of a child, or the light hitting a vase at that exact moment.   There is inspiration everywhere and capturing those moments in time is easier than ever before.
When I am en plein painting, often, I will take a photo to reference the light and shade before it shifts from my subject.
Do you take reference shots with your phone?  Do you have any tips?  Leave your comments below.

Featured Artwork: Glass Waters will be featured at 15-16th November 2024 Open Studios
  

I have mentioned before the benefits of using a sketchbook or journal on a regular basis. I have several sketchbook/journals on the go, ranging from a watercolour book, one dedicated to en plein air, messy background journal and one for courses I do.
Each one has a unique voice and job within my creating zone, each one is special and exquisite with all the flaws.

I was gifted by my hubby a beautiful A4 journal last year and that has been my journal for doing grid creations.   I have a template I use with the option of four large grids or six smaller grids.  In this journal I experiment with colour, shapes, stamps, stencils, materials, mediums, designs and more.  Using the grid, I generally work on all of them at the same time.  Adding colour, subtracting colour, creating marks, removing marks and challenging myself to be brave and crazy.

These grids give me a library of experimentation with no expectation.  There are things in there I truly love and other parts I don’t.  Each grid or series of grids have a purpose, they are a reference library for future works.  I can look back for inspiration, I can see what worked and what didn’t work.  I can look at several grids and from those come up with an artwork I would like to produce. 

Grid work is also a great way to get the creative flow working if it just isn’t happening.  Because the grids are small, I can work on a few with only a ten or fifteen minute time frame.  This gives me the chance to be creative every day without having to allocate hours.

The sketchbooks and journals are precious to me and many don’t see the light of day, they are my safe place to experiment, have fun and practise.  They are similar to a diary with your innermost thoughts.  On occasions, I share a book with my class to show them how beneficial they are and what I use them for.  

The photo above is a sample from one of my sketchbooks/journal.

​Feel free to leave a comment below.