Getting started with mixed media sketching can feel intimidating, but prepping your backgrounds first is my secret weapon for loosening up and inviting creativity. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating playful, layered surfaces for your sketches.

Think you can’t draw? Perfect — that makes you the ideal person to try outdoor sketching. With a few simple mixed media tools and a playful approach, you’ll discover how freeing, joyful, and creative sketching outdoors can really be.