Chile Sketchbook Tour - Part One

The Red Eye

Some friends and I recently took an overnight flight back home from Santiago, Chile, to Atlanta. I've done several international red-eye flights like this one, and I always fall for the same fantasy that I'll sleep the entire flight and arrive feeling rested and refreshed. This isn't quite how it worked out. It's now a full eight days since the trip, and I've only just now (mostly) recovered. But it was worth it. Chile was incredible.

One of my favorite things about traveling is keeping a daily sketchbook. It helps me record everything that happens during the day, including trying new foods, funny interactions with new people, and even seemingly unimportant things that are interesting to remember later.

It's also one of the most essential parts of my process as an Illustrator. (That's why we do a yearly retreat that focuses on keeping a daily sketchbook! Check it out here: France Sketchbook Retreat)

Why Chile?

There are a million reasons that I wanted to see Chile specifically, but I'll list two reasons that helped jumpstart this particular trip:

1. I found an incredibly cheap flight. Yes, I can see that this pragmatic approach isn't exactly romantic, but this is one of the ways that I plan trips in general. Rather than starting with a location in mind, I instead hunt for affordable flights that match our criteria. If we only have a few days available for a trip, I usually filter out only non-stop flights and try to stick to something less than 8 hours. To be clear, Chile has been on my wish list for years. The flight wasn't the reason we went; it just happened to be why we went when we did.
2. There are lots of UFO sightings in Chile. I read an article a few months back that said there is a canyon where strange lights in the sky are reported more frequently than almost anywhere else in the world. I can't think of a better reason to fly to South America with three friends than to possibly see an alien. So, did we see any? Maybe I'll save that for Part Two.

How I keep a travel sketchbook

1. I make notes throughout the day. These notes can be about basically anything. I write them quickly, without thought or editing, on the left-hand side of my sketchbook. I save the right-hand pages for the final art. I used to use both sides for final art, but anything in pencil would smudge and get messy, so I stopped.

2. I draw for at least 30 minutes every day. This is usually in the morning during breakfast or in the afternoon during coffee. I'll ask the person I'm traveling with (this is usually my wife, Katrin) to help me fill in the gaps from what we did the day before. On the Chile trip, my friend, photographer Scott Cormack, would usually edit photos from the day before while I drew, and he was great at helping me remember small details. He'd say something like, "Don't forget to write that we saw that abandoned-looking ski resort. Oh, and we had that weird hot dog."

3. I do a pencil sketch. I don't always do this; sometimes, I go straight to ink. But, I've started penciling things out more than I used to. It helps take some of the stress off the drawing process (especially if you're drawing the people you are traveling with) and helps me get ideas down in the sketchbook more quickly. It also lets me check for spelling mistakes! (Do I still make typos in my drawings? Definitely. There's some weird disconnect that happens when you're drawing words vs. writing them that makes it incredibly easy to rearrange letters or leave some out.)

4. Ink it. (I'll post a more in-depth list of what I use a little later) 

5. Add gray wash. I carry an aquash water brush that has a tiny bit of India ink mixed with water.

I don't try to draw every single detail in my diary comics. Often, I'll sum up, "We saw goats crossing the road in Maipo Canyon, and we stopped the car so that Caleb could get a closer look." with just "GOATS!" The same goes for the earthquake.

We spent most of day three on travel from the vast and sprawling city of Santiago to the natural and sparsely populated Lakes District. Sure, small stuff happened throughout the day, but when it came time to sit and draw the next morning, I focused on only one image, the cabin where we were staying with a view of an active volcano in the background.

Possibly my favorite day from the trip started with a visit to a hot springs called Termas Geometricas, one of the many incredible finds by travel companion Kyler Dannels. (Pro tip: try and find travel friends who don't mind scouring guidebooks looking for awesome stuff.) After a few days of long flights and exploring a big city, this was a welcome change of pace. 

We passed a sign with a hand-painted guitar and harp on the two-hour trip back to our cabin. Caleb Morris (Illustrator) suggested we circle back. We'd both discussed wishing we had a guitar with us. We rang a bell on a gate, and a woman came out to meet us. She was selling guitars out of her home. She was also selling harps that her father had made by hand, but we decided that would be significantly tougher to bring back, so we stuck with getting a guitar. Did we record an album on the trip like we'd hoped? Um, no.

Join me on a sketchbook adventure!

That's all for Part ONE. Keep your eyes peeled for Part TWO, where I'll talk about breaking my glasses and learning the true meaning of ¡Tina Caliente! 

Come draw with us! In June 2023, Katrin Wiehle and I are taking a small group of people with us to the countryside of France. We will hold workshops about keeping a daily sketchbook, go on outings to local landmarks, sample delicious French food, and of course, draw together.. It's almost SOLD OUT, so if you want to join us on this retreat, you'll need to sign up today.

Mike Lowery and Katrin Wiehle Sketchbook Retreat in France.

Thanks for following along!

- Mike