…or perhaps this post’s title should be “Sketching Skulpture,” because my inspiration comes from a blog post at Sketchbook Skool.

The sketch below by Jonathan Twingley really caught my eye– such a cool mix of color, texture and light and dark shading with fine cross-hatching. It was done on location at MoMA, as part of a project of sketching all the Picasso sculptures on exhibit there.

Sketching on location is a great way to bring fresh inspiration to your sketchbook. And doing it with a friend is a great way to keep from chickening out. It can be a little intimidating to sketch in public—particularly when you’re sketching something by a great master. Don’t go for a perfect rendering; that’s what cameras are for. When you sketch what you see, sketch it as you see it. Art is about interpretation. Is the art you’re sketching a perfect rendering of a person, a house, a field? No, it’s the artist’s emotion and perception on the page.

For some reason, I have almost always avoided sketching sculptures. If you’re sketching a realistic sculpture of a human figure, the problem is that it usually looks like you tried to draw a real human model and ended up with a stiff and lifeless representation, no matter how accurately you captured the pose and proportions. But seeing the sketches above has inspired me to try drawing some abstract sculptures the next time I have a chance. That way I can focus more on shapes and shadows and texture, and less on trying to draw an accurate figure.

I’m always looking for inspiration for my own drawings— lately I’ve been drawing from photos but I think sketching objects or people in three-dimensional real life is better practice. I just started a new sketchbook, so now I can’t wait for my next chance to see some sculpture!

Read more: Field Trip Sketching at the Museum with Danny and Twingley | Sketchbook Skool Blog