Last week we visited Jardin Botanique de Paris. It is a huge botanical garden that also has a large outdoor auditorium and stage.

There was no concert going on while we were there but it did sound as if some guitarist were warming up a bit. I heard the a bass player playing runs, and a lead guitarist practicing riffs. Runs and riffs are short combinations that are usually creative and often inserted into a complete song to add to the sound. They have played them so much they don’t have to think about it, just plug it in when it is wanted.

Artists do the same thing – maybe a quick sketch of something we see, or an image we visualize. Van Gogh did hundreds of pencil sketches, as did D‘Vinci. Many artists call them “studies”. Wikipedia says, “In art, a study is a drawing, sketch or painting done in preparation for a finished piece, as visual notes, or as practice.”

“Study”, though casual, sounds just too formal for me. I like the idea of “sketching riffs”. I want to show you a few pages of one of the sketchbooks I use for riffing in. These are certainly not finished pieces of artwork, though occasionally one does turn out quite nice. What they do though, is capture ideas, strengthen eye-hand coordination, and are just fun. I often do them while watching TV, or while waiting.

Just as a musician plays around with pieces of a tune, so we as artists play around with different materials, different inks and pens, or a new pencil. Not everything we sketch is a finished work of art. Some things are just a quick visual note, actually capturing a moment or a thought.

I always have at least a small sketchbook with me, these will fit in my pocket, and as you see are about the size of my phone.

Any skill requires practice, sketching is no different. The only way to get better at sketching is to sketch, and sketching riffs are one highly effective way to improve and maintain your skills.

So, wherever your journey takes you today, take a couple of minutes to do a riff. And as always keep traveling and let me know about your journeys.