Road Trip Ramblings (Step-by-Step)

My mother turned 90 a few weeks ago, and we celebrated with a girls’ getaway to Smith Mountain Lake, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. My sister, daughter, and niece all joined me and my mom for four days of birthday merriment. 

My daughter, Sara, and mother, Saundra

But we didn’t wait until we arrived at the lake to start having fun!

Ink & watercolor in a 7.5" x 7.5" Stillman & Birn Beta Series softcover sketchbook

When you get five women together, there’s bound to be a lot of talking going on, and you never know where the conversation will lead, so I decided to do a sketch that would document all the random things we talked about in the van on our way to the lake.

A few years ago, I did a sketch entitled “Road Trip Chit-Chat” during an 11-hour drive to the beach when my husband was driving. As the hours dragged on, I drew and painted images that chronicled our weird, wide-ranging topics of conversation. (Here’s a post about that sketch.) 

This time, it wasn’t that easy, because I was the driver!

So I appointed Sara as my secretary, and she jotted down notes along the way of all the weird meanderings our conversations took. 

Drawing

During our time at the lake, when everyone else was reading or walking or chatting, I worked on putting my page together, using Sara’s list as a guide. First I sketched everything in pencil, fitting the images in around a title banner, then I inked the tiny drawings with a Pitt pen and Pigma Micron.

I used online image searches to find pictures of random things I needed, like a guinea pig and gas pump, while others were pulled from my imagination.

Even though we were so-o-o-o busy at the lake (eating too much, going for ice cream, boating, enjoying adult beverages, shopping, and talking our heads off), I managed to steal a few minutes to start painting the pages. I painted base washes on everything first…

First washes

then, when I got home, I added darker values and a few details, trying my best to keep things simple. 

Adding darks and details

After I painted the banner with a Leaf Green wash, I decided to add pale, watery washes around each of the elements on the page. Before I did that, I snapped photos of my roughed-in lettering, so I could remember what I had written and how it was positioned in relation to the drawings. Then I erased the lettering and painted the colored backgrounds.

Background washes painted around the images

Next, I penciled in the lettering and inked it.

Lettering added

When I penciled in the text labels, I used simple, basic printing with zero style. Then, when I inked the text, I added serifs to the letters, capitalized some of them, and made some of the lettering “bouncier”. Now it has style!

I like how fun and casual it all looks.

Such scintillating topics of conversation, right? 🙂

After I had all the labeling done, I tackled the title.

I found a font called Creampuff that I liked on fontspace.com,  printed out the lettering on regular copy paper, then transferred it to my sketch. After inking it, I painted it using a rich, concentrated Ultramarine Blue. The strong color and bold lettering was needed to make the title stand out against the busyness of the page.

But in the end, I decided that the blue was too bold and solid-looking, so I lifted some highlights on the letters with a damp brush to lighten things a bit. I’m still not sure whether that was the right choice or not. What do you think?

Here’s the finished two-page spread…

What a great remembrance this is of our fun birthday getaway! I just wish I had a record of the conversations we had during the other three days we were together, but that would take up an entire sketchbook!

Leslie Fehling's signature

18 Comments

  • What a wonderful celebration for your Mom! Happy birthday Saundra!!! She’s awesome.. Can’t believe she is 90! Love your sketch!
    ❤️
    Beverlee

    Reply
  • This was a really fun post to look at and read about. I’d love to know more about all of the little images – it sounds like you all had SUCH great time together. Making wonderful memories.

    Reply
    • I know, it’s really not fair for me post this without an explanation of what all those sketches really represent, is it? LOL

      Reply
  • This is delightful! I may have to try this technique for our art camp next week. If I do and post it, I’ll link back!

    Reply
  • What a fun & charming page!!! I love the dark blue writing in your banner AND the lifted out highlights – it lifts the feel of it! You are always inspiring!! (and so lucky your mom is in good health to make the long trip!!!)

    Reply
    • Yeah, I can’t decide which I like better. But it’s done now and I’m sticking with the highlighted one.

      Reply
  • Happy belated birthday to Saundra-what a fun trip! This style of sketch is one of my favorites that you do. I can feel the fun and happiness coming off the page! Thank you for breaking it down for us to try. I love the colors, the soft washes behind the little images, and the caricature expressions. I’m sure looking at this sketch will take you right back to that time together with your girls…that’s one of the best parts of creating these pages! 💕

    Reply
  • What a wonderful way to remember your trip! Thanks for sharing your process with us.

    Reply
  • What a fantastic family time with your very special Mom having a birthday. Thanks for sharing with us all.

    Reply
  • Love this!! SML is just about an hour and a half from where I live in SWVA.
    Happy Birthday to your mom. She does not look 90!! I have a blouse just like hers. She has great taste 😉

    Reply
  • Leslie your pages of the road trip are wonderful. Loved how you used the conversations to inspire you. Congratulations also to your Mom – she certainly doesn’t look 90!!

    Reply
  • So glad your Mom had a Great birthday and the trip was a JOY! Thanks for this wonderful post that provides your art process. For me, it was so instructional. It was good for me to see that your initial sketch looks very similar to mine and your additional photos reveal that I need to continue to add layers and contrast in order to get the definition you achieve in the final portrayal. For me, it is a slow journey!!

    Reply

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I’m Leslie. A painter, teacher, and lover of all things creative. A sketchbook artist who captures everyday life on the pages of my illustrated journals. I love sharing, connecting, and encouraging people to find their creative voice through sketchbook journaling. Read more about me, my art, and my life HERE.

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