To Savor Your Next Vacation, Ditch Your Phone and Grab a Colored Pencil

Some people prioritize food when they travel, others focus on the local music scene. But for a certain group of visitors, there is nothing more absorbing than settling down in front of a striking scene and putting pen or paintbrush to paper.

“I’ve always been fascinated by travel journals and watercolor, but I never thought I’d be able to do it myself,” said Clara B. Martin, a 44-year-old content creator and mother of two. While locked down at home in Madrid during the pandemic, she enrolled in online watercolor classes. Her daughters joined in, and once restrictions were ended, the family started bringing sketchbooks along on their travels.

Clara B. Martin and her daughters started sketching and painting at home during the pandemic. Since then, they have captured their vacations with pen, pencils and paints.Credit…Clara Martin

“It’s a fantastic way to remember a place as you focus all your attention on your surroundings,” said Ms. Martin, who with her family has sketched in Amsterdam, Portugal and other spots. “This is a way to really disconnect during an hour or so. We all sit down and concentrate on the sketch.”

How can you get started sketching yourself? We asked professional sketchers and dove into sketching blogs to find out.

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