An artist needs to keep sketching.  For many, this is a habit that comes naturally.  It’s spontaneous and rewarding.  If it’s not a habit, don’t worry.  Keep doing it, and it will become one.

However, as rewarding as sketching is, keep a camera nearby.  Take snapshots of everything that inspires you.  With digital cameras today where you can pop the card into the computer, there is very little expense.

There has been a lot of arguments as to whether one should or should not use photography as a resource in painting.  There are some artist that totally oppose it, and others that use it almost exclusively.  I personally believe whatever it takes for an artist to achieve their goal on canvas, paper, or board, then so be it.

I find the photograph is a great guide for factual information.  I seldom use it for color composition since it tends to be monochrome or tonal.  Remember, the digital colors are in mixtures of cyan and magenta and a paint pigment can’t pick this up accurately.  In other words, when mixing pigments, do your work with nature to get the proper colors.