Welcome to the Outdoor Sketchbook!

My name is Orla, and I am an artist & illustrator, and I love to paint how places make me feel.

Spending time outside walking, camping and thinking about nature wherever I am, be that city or countryside, is at the heart of my creativity.

Here on Substack I share elements of my process, research trips and plein-air drawing adventures outside. I’d love to use this space to build community around arts & the outdoors, and I hope each post offers you some inspiration and ways to get out into nature & create for yourself.

If you’re interested in learning more about connecting to nature through art & mixed media processes, consider checking out my Patreon, ‘The Outdoor Sketchbook Collective’ where I share additional blog posts, video tutorials and host live online workshops with a community & collective of artists around the world. Becoming a member of my Patreon is a great way to help support the work I share here on Substack, as well as videos I share through my youtube channel.

See you Outside!

Orla