Why a Sketch is Better than a Photo

Sketch from my Cruise Sketch Book

Day three of my cruise vacation.  We had a day to explore St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.  I have been to St. Thomas several times and one of my favorite spots is beautiful Magens Bay.  I have done several paintings from photos I took at the beach. On of the paintings, 'Magens Bay Shade' was selected by the Caneel Bay Resort on the island of St. John for the artwork in their guest rooms.

Today I decided to bring along my sketchbook to Magens Bay.  I always take a lot of photos but I love to sketch and find that my sketches can often evoke more memories than a photo can.  I can look back on the sketches I did during my last cruise and vividly recall the scene or person in the sketch.

sketches from Magens Bay

 Why do sketches have the power to evoke such strong memories?  For me I believe it is because when we sketch we are involving all of our senses.  We are present in the scene....we are a part of it. We hear the sounds around us, smell the smells, can feel the sun or the cold or the breeze.  We have to concentrate on what we are sketching.  We see more and we see better.  Taking a photo is so quick and   we don't have a chance to really experience the scene.

I have been filling my sketchbook with quick ink gesture sketches. I am concentrating on sketching my fellow passengers.  This is prime people watching territory!  And today with 6 cruise ships in port, Magens Bay was filled with great sketching material. Here are a few of today's sketches....