Travel + Sketch

Thailand, 2024

This was my first experience traveling with friends, and it did not disappoint. From April 3 to 17, we ventured about Thailand stopping in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Phi Phi Islands, and Krabi.

Handmade sketchbook by Cy (Chelsea) Yang-Smith.

Oaxaca, Mexico, 2024

I was accepted into the OLA Artist Residency in Puerto Escondido in Mexico. The residency ran February 15 to 29, and I was in Oaxaca February 12 to March 4. My extra days were spent in Mazunte, a quaint hippy town.

My proposed project was to fill a sketchbook and possibly paint a mural which were both completed! Instead of sitting and painting in the sun, I took photos of plants and found a shady spot to sit and paint. This sketchbook includes the names of the plant species and where they are native to, which is the first time I’ve written these details in the sketchbook itself.

Handmade sketchbook and paper by Cy (Chelsea) Yang-Smith.

West Coast Roadtrip, 2023

I’ve traveled along the west coast a few times in the past, but I wanted to go on my own and sketch. In the spring, I converted my Subaru Forester so I could sleep in the back and packed all my camping gear. June 4 to July 7, 2023, I road tripped around Vancouver Island, and all the way down to Fort Bragg (just north of San Francisco).

Since I was staying in my car, I had more room and brought a larger sketchbook with me. I didn’t fill the entire thing, but I plan on bringing it with me on future roadtrips! Most of the watercolour backgrounds were painted beforehand so I could drawn the linework quickly.

United Kingdom + Australia, 2022

From September 7 to October 24, 2022, I traveled to the UK and Australia. You may be thinking ‘those two places are nowhere near each other’ and you would be correct. Why did I choose to travel around the world in 50 days (unfortunately not featuring Jackie Chan)? A close friend moved to London, UK after graduation and I had been wanting to visit him for a while, and another friend had gotten a 4-month work exchange in Adelaide, Australia. So why not visit them both in one trip? It was right after the pandemic restrictions began lifting and after sitting in my apartment for 2.5 years, I had the travel itch.

At the time, I was really struggling with my artistic style, so I decided to bring a sketchbook with me and play around with colour, design, and linework. I took some time to travel and relax and sketch. I filled out the entire sketchbook, which was a huge accomplishment for me as it usually takes years to complete one. I painted all the pieces on-site (both the watercolour background and the liquid acrylic linework), which meant I was spending hours in a location for the background to dry and then the foreground to dry.

This project really helped me define my style and created the desire to travel and sketch more.

Handmade sketchbook by Cy (Chelsea) Yang-Smith.