Open Sketchbook: The Maldives

Feb 22
2 min read

Nothing sparks inspiration like an escape to distant tropics. I’m not sure what helps most: the exuberant life of tropical islands or simply a solid dose of vitamin D reminding me that I am, in fact, a human being and not some kind of ice-dwelling yeti. I’m not used to it, but my heart knows its comfort zone: warmth and summer clothes.

Here is a small tour of the sketchbook I brought to the Maldives, along with the drawings that emerged from this week of coming back to life.

Hotel room in the Maldives with an unmade bed and a view of a lagoon at sunrise.

The Overall Mood

I adjusted my creative expectations. Drawing on vacation is not always simple. And then there are other ambitions; reading on the beach and sipping margaritas. But it would feel like a waste not to translate the inspiration of the moment, and a part of me would be frustrated not to. So; compromise.

Sketchbook and colored pencils on a beach lounge chair with sand and a yellow towel.

After all these years, I’ve finally accepted that watercolor while traveling is just too complicated for me. I swapped my paint kit for colored pencils. Instead of buying an overpriced little sketchbook for the occasion, I carried around my usual five-dollar scrapbook, the kind I always stock up on at Jean Coutu when I’m in Montréal. No intention of advertising, but I do have a soft spot for these ivory-paper notebooks that remind me of old books. They’re so inexpensive that I feel no guilt when I accidentally splash them with sunscreen. I’m more at ease when the objects around me can survive my clumsiness, and I’m more creative when I’m at ease.

The Window Seat

As we approached Malé, after more than fifteen hours of travel, an incredible view appeared below us. Still half asleep, I thought I was dreaming; a multitude of tiny islands and atolls, like drops of watercolor in the Indian Ocean. It felt like being an alien approaching a new planet.

Sea Creatures

The crystal-clear waters surrounding our hotel were filled with life; a very tight beauty contest. The stars of the lagoon are the baby sharks (apologies for putting that song back in your head), for whom the shallow waters serve as a natural nursery. The one resident we didn’t encounter was a mermaid, though I had no trouble imagining her.

Small baby shark swimming in shallow clear water in a lagoon in the Maldives.

Illustration of a mermaid and a baby shark in a turquoise lagoon inspired by a sketchbook in the Maldives. — Sea Creatures, available as a fine art print.

The Pool Bar

An ideal place to observe vacationers in their natural habitat. Despite the joy of taking in vitamin D for the first time in months, my place is on a shaded lounge chair, from which I have a perfect view of water polo matches and the pool bar.

Illustration of a woman playing in a pool with a red ball in a tropical resort setting.

Hidden Villas

If you swim far enough into the lagoon, the villas seem buried within a lush jungle. Scattered silhouettes here and there contrast with the abundance of vegetation. The sound of water and birds evokes a lost city; Resort 2026 version. Perhaps my mind spirals a little, but that’s how it works.

Illustration of tropical villas surrounded by lush green jungle vegetation. — Hidden Villas, available as a fine art print.

Lightness

A few sketches to revisit later. A notebook with no particular value that got soaked more than once. Light materials. And equally light creative expectations. Observing without trying to capture everything.

I returned to my desk with a few drawings born without pressure, and in reserve, that dose of light I had been missing.

Palm trees viewed from below against the sky in the Maldives.