Travel sketches from BBC’s Tim Baynes draw on a lifetime of travel

by Meg Nesterov on


One of our favorite new travel blogs this year is from none other than the venerable news organization, the BBC. One of BBC The Passport‘s regular features is “Drawing from Experience” with sketches from Tim Baynes. Baynes’ drawings are an assortment of postcard-perfect scenes, witty observations, and random sketches from his travels around the world and commuting in London. Like many other famous travelers, his medium of choice is the Moleskine notebook, but he often involves other media such as airline ticket stubs as in the New York City skyline drawing above.

Enjoy more of Tim Baynes’ work on the BBC, his personal Flickr stream, or order a copy of his book Doors to Automatic and Cross Check, direct from the artist.

Photo courtesy Tim Baynes’ Flickr page.

The fine art of travel sketching

by Jeremy Kressmann on

I always found the idea of sketching while traveling kind of odd. I’m by no means a good artist, and half the time my drawings end up looking like something a two-year-old could have scribbled on a place mat. Besides, I have a camera, right? But for some unknown reason, I’m starting to really enjoy it. In fact, I would argue trying your hand at travel sketching can significantly improve your travels. Here’s why.

When you take a photo, you simply center your subject, press the button and the image is captured. You move on – eager to find the next tourist attraction. But when you sketch, you’re forced to stay in one spot and really look at what’s in front of you. How are the shadows angled off the building? Did you notice the shape of that window? Look at the crazy statues hidden inside that arch. A world of unexpectedly rich details emerges. You start to appreciate what you see not as a just another sight to check off a list, but as something to be savored.

All of us have the ability to draw. It’s a skill we all learned when we were little kids. Yet at some point, those of us who weren’t artists simply stopped. Don’t be ashamed to give your drawing skills another try. You might just discover a hidden talent while creating a one-of-a-kind memory of your trip. Even if you don’t like it, you’ll gain a newfound appreciation for the world around you.

Traveling Sketchbook, Stationary People, Interesting Project

by Willy Volk on

Better traveled than many people, Blank is a traveling, collaborative sketchbook journal. For most of the 2005 calendar year, the first book of Blank roamed the country, slowly getting its pages filled with all kinds of glorious doodles, oddball doohickeys, and loving color. Upon conclusion of its journey, the creators scanned the innards of the book and uploaded them for all the world to see.

Book II free-wheeled it through most of 2006. Again, its contents are online.

Books III and IV have hit the road. With dreams of crossing international borders, the end result(s) will no doubt be even more amazing.

If you’re interested in participating in a collaborative art project in which you stay put while the art comes to you, send Blank an email — or read about the similar-yet-slightly-different project Chookooloonks is cooking up.