During my creative journey in Tuscany, I decided to step outside my usual comfort zone. Most of the time, I focus on urban sketching. But this time, Tuscany invited me to look wider, slower, and softer, so I started sketching landscapes. To my surprise, it became a joyful experience, and I discovered that drawing landscapes with colored pencils can feel even easier than sketching urban scenes. For this series, I used my favorite Prismacolor pencils, which helped me capture the peaceful rhythm of the Tuscan countryside.
My post about sketching urban scenes of Tuscany you can find here.
See my Prismacolor set here.
Tuscany Fields
I started my landscape sketching adventure with open fields and small objects in the distance. The long line of cypresses was a perfect starting point because the shapes were simple, elegant, and easy to understand. Instead of dealing with complicated architecture, I could focus on the mood of the place. This first sketch gave me confidence and helped me feel that landscapes are not as difficult as I imagined. The soft hills, bright sky, and distant farmhouse created a peaceful Tuscan scene that felt natural to draw with colored pencils.
Pink Sunset Mood
For the second sketch, I moved closer to the scene and focused more on perspective. The cypress trees created a beautiful rhythm, leading the eye from the foreground into the distance. I also liked the flowers in front of me, because they added life, color, and a stronger feeling of being inside the landscape. Even though the real sky was blue, I decided to improvise and use purple and pink sunset shades instead. This creative choice made the sketch feel more harmonious to me and reminded me that travel sketching does not have to copy reality exactly.
Uphill House
The uphill house became another interesting challenge in this Tuscany landscape series. I liked how the house was partly hidden behind the trees, almost like it was waiting quietly at the top of the hill. The long cypress path in the middle helped me build perspective and guide the viewer toward the main subject. The fields on both sides added depth, warmth, and a strong countryside atmosphere. This sketch reminded me that even a simple rural view can become very expressive when the composition has a clear direction.
Cypress Alley
This cypress alley became my favorite sketch from the whole landscape series. I tried to capture not only the trees, but also the perspective, the midday light, and the shadows crossing the road. The scene felt very inviting, almost like the sketch was asking the viewer to walk into the alley and continue the journey. I enjoyed the feeling of motion in this composition, because the road naturally pulls the eye forward. The tall cypresses, bright sky, and strong shadows created a simple but powerful Tuscan moment that worked beautifully with Prismacolor pencils.
Downhill View
The downhill view was too beautiful to ignore, so I had to stop and sketch it. This scene was more difficult because it had many layers: flowers in the foreground, green hills, distant fields, and mountains far away. In my opinion, the sketch turned out a bit flat, but I still see it as an important part of the learning process. Not every sketch has to be perfect, and sometimes the most difficult view teaches the most. Next time I travel, I want to try another wide landscape and improve how I show distance, depth, and atmosphere.
This Tuscany sketching adventure helped me discover a new direction in my creative journey. I still love urban sketching, but landscapes gave me a different kind of freedom, calm, and joy. With Prismacolor pencils, I could sketch quickly, explore colors, simplify shapes, and enjoy the process without pressure. Tuscany showed me that fields, cypresses, hills, flowers, and country roads can be just as inspiring as old streets and city buildings.
Now I feel more confident to continue sketching landscapes on future trips and to let each place teach me something new.
