Sketchbooks, Skylines, and a Cup of Tea with Emily Nathanail

From sketchbooks to skylines, Emily Nathanail brings a thoughtful, travel-inspired approach to perspective drawing that’s grounded in confidence and creative curiosity. Originally from the UK and now living between England and the US, Emily’s work is deeply influenced by place, its energy, architecture, and everyday details. Ahead of her Introduction to Perspective Drawing 2 Day Workshop at SVMoA on Wednesdays, March 11 and March 18, next month, we sat down with Emily to talk travel rituals, tea preferences, and how mastering perspective can unlock personal style.

Discover the inspirations, experiences, and ideas that shape Emily’s creative practice and teaching philosophy.

You’ve traveled from England to teach perspective drawing in Idaho, what’s one thing you always notice first when you arrive somewhere new?

Originally from the UK I now live between the UK and the USA. As a visual person I love to travel and often document my experiences through my sketchbook. The first thing I will notice is the energy, is it a fast paced city or calm and quiet. I then often look for things that inspire me, local architecture, colour palettes and the fashion.

If perspective drawing were a personality trait, how would you describe it, and why do you love teaching it?

Perspective drawing is all about finding your confidence and having a foundation with drawing. Once you have mastered that, your own style and personality can really come out of your illustrations.

Tea question (we have to): how do you take yours, and has living or traveling abroad ever challenged your tea standards?

Of course being British I’m used to a good cup of English breakfast tea. I take it with little milk, no sugar. However as I love to embrace travel I try the local customs in the place I visit. I’m very into matcha and experiment with different coffees depending on the country.

Was there a moment when perspective “clicked” for you as an artist, or was it a slow, beautiful unraveling of confusion?

I’ve been interested in art for as long as I can remember. I have always sketched and experimented with art throughout my education and then went onto study Fashion Design at the University of Creative Arts in London. As I have always naturally drawn my skills have grown and I have understood perspective as a foundation quite early on. However, finding personal style is forever evolving. I think as an artist it’s important to constantly try new things, push boundaries and find your unique style.

What’s one common mistake people make with perspective that you secretly love helping them overcome?

I think it’s quite easy to be overwhelmed by the details of a piece leading to the composition or perspective to be off. Having a foundation first can help overcome this so pushing boundaries can be intentional.

When you’re not drawing or teaching, what’s something that might surprise people about you?

My husband enjoys riding motorcycles and something we enjoy together is road tripping via motorcycle. We once spent 3 months traveling Greece on a motorcycle which I documented through my sketchbook. You can see this via my social media @emily_rosedesigns

If today’s workshop had a soundtrack, what kind of music would be playing—and why?

I would like the takeaway from the class for people to be inspired. Whether you already have drawing skills, or you are a complete beginner, I want the class to inspire people to enjoy art. I would want people to choose music that inspires them to be creative and let loose. For myself I enjoy live music and mainly British bands.

By the end of this workshop, what do you hope participants feel braver about in their drawing practice?

When I meet new people and tell them what I do, they often tell me they can’t draw but I’ve always felt that creative expression doesn’t have to be perfect. I want people to feel confident in any ability and just enjoy art as an outlet.

You do lots of buildings, do you explore landscape? And if so, is it different from drawing buildings?

I have always felt the most inspired by architecture. Spending most of my adult life in London, the history of architecture there has always been interesting to me. I honed most of my skills through drawing architecture. However, I have more recently translated my skills into landscapes, being inspired by the Mountain Town of Sun Valley. You can see these pieces and their development on my social media.

I also enjoy fashion illustration which is something I did during my university studies.

Your map of Ketchum, did you do this for fun? Or was it commissioned?

My map of Ketchum was commissioned by a client on my first ever trip to Sun Valley in 2016. However it has since evolved as I have gotten to know the area and added additional locations myself. I hope to continue adding to this so welcome recommendations!

And finally, I HAVE to ask, what’s your favourite spot to draw in Ketchum / Blaine County?

We have such a beautiful landscape here that I don’t have a specific spot! In the summer I enjoy to sit outside by the river and draw the mountains and I regularly find a spot outside a coffee shop in Ketchum to document fashion, most likely Maude’s!

***

Don't miss Emily's Introduction to Perspective Drawing 2-Day Workshop this Spring, Wednesday's March 11 and March 18.