The Chateau for the 2012 Sketchy Art and Culture Tour is located in a walnut grove.  It may only seem fitting to consider working with walnut ink, finely pigmented rich sepia colored water-based ink. It's great for all kinds of drawings and works well with a brush or dip pen.

In washes Walnut Ink handles like a watercolor, with good layering and lifting capabilities. The rich color resembles traditional walnut-based inks, but will not fade. The warm character of walnut ink is reminiscent of drawings by Rembrandt and Vincent van Gogh.

You can use walnut ink with ink pens, brushes, or any kind of ink or wash handling tools.

You can click on the image for a product link.

"A drawing is simply a line going for a walk."

                                        ~ Paul Klee

A great pen is a miracle. It makes drawing an immense pleasure.  Especially when you are in tune with what you are drawing.  The act of putting pen to paper is like reaching out to touch your surroundings and absorb them into your self.

I have used the Tombow dual brush for years and it feels like an old friend – reliable, long lasting and fun. On one side is a nylon brush-like tip that allows you to make a varied line. On the other is a stiff marker-like tip.  What is unique about this pen is that the ink is water-soluble.  So you can make a black ink drawing and then take a variety of watercolor brushes to dissolve it.  (I like to use a flat tapered nylon brush and a round watercolor brush.)  This creates washes of grey to add shadow and nuance.  The pens also come in a variety of colors.  I like to have a variety of warm and cool neutrals such as blue black, dark brown, ochre, dark greenish grey. You can also add a pink or neon green for a more clever look. I can’t have more than 3-4 colors or I get overwhelmed and the drawings don’t turn out. 

The Sakura Pigma pens in sepia are also a favorite of mine – but they seem more fragile and precious.  A 4-piece set gives one brush-tip, a stiffer marker tip and two sizes of very-fine hard tips. The sepia color is beautifully warm and the pens make very delicate lines.  However the color cannot be dissolved in water – which of course has its advantages. Rainstorms don’t destroy them and you also can do a water-color overlay without the original drawing dissolving.

The Faber-Castel Pitt Artists’ Pens are wonderful hard tip pens for refined and delicate drawings. I would get an extra fine tip and a medium. They also have brush tips.  The extra-fine tip is great for preliminary sketching because it is hardly visible. Much more forgiving. They also come in Sepia and Sanguine for an earthier look.

Pen – ies for your thoughts?

I like the spiral bound sketchbooks with watercolor paper because the paper lies flat when the book is open and is strong enough to work watercolor as well as pencil or ink.  A heavy weight of paper has a longer life and won't wrinkle or tear easily.  A soft pencil is nice for landscapes to create texture and value.  It smudges and erases easily for control.  For a watercolor brush, I like a flat brush instead of a mop to move paint around corners and have more control.  The Micron pens are great to watercolor over without smearing.  Whatever you use it should be permanent ink.

The following images may help you make choices.  You can click on the images for links to the products.  If you have a great art supply store near you I suggest you visit it and see what inspires you.  There is nothing like perusing a great selection of art materials.

The watercolor paper comes in either cold press or hot press.  Cold press WC paper is more absorbent and has more texture to it and is more often referred to as rough, hot press is smoother but less absorbent.  Choose the one that appeals to you, I prefer cold press.  A 1/2 or 3/4 inch synthetic flat brush is a good choice.  You don't need to spend a fortune for applying washes to drawings.  As for the pencil set, this one has everything you might need, as well as a small set- it's a good deal- you might bring them all or choose to only bring the small set. 

_Firstly, there is no reason to bring more materials than you can carry unless you have a commitment to a medium(s) you already work in.  This is how you’ll know how much to bring and when you have too much.  There is no reason to bring a trunk of art supplies unless you have specific plans to use them.  For example, I have a studio filled with materials but I’m not going to bring it all with me.  The main emphasis here is to decide what you will actually use.  There’s nothing worse than getting home and realizing that you never touched a box of art supplies.  As you read my recommendations keep in mind how you work, what materials you like and how you might use my process to create an expanded list of materials for yourself to lug around.

Unless I have a chance to live somewhere for a few months and work on a specific project this is the most I’d bring on a one to two week “vacation”:

·      A set of pens, pencils, and marking tools to select from for any given situation.

·      A small notebook and a larger notebook to have with me at all times.

·      A large notebook or watercolor block for use on an outing specifically to paint or draw.

·      A watercolor palate with paint from tubes I created at home and a small selection of brushes for use in the field or at local accommodation.

·      A bag or container to hold these items makes it easier to pack, transport locally, use in the course of a day, and bring work home.

At Sketchy Art and Culture Tours we’re more interested in capturing information and incorporating the recording of concepts you want to remember or use than completing a polished masterpiece on site.  If we can create a masterpiece of a sketch while traveling and moving through a place or a region then we’ve accomplished our aims and contributed to our lives as artists and observers.  The quality of content is in the experience and the way we travel, document and incorporate the intention of these activities into our lives as artists, travelers, and observers interpreting the world. 


Working in these terms means working with any rough or unfinished version of any creative work.  It speaks to the cultivation of the role of intention in creative work through capturing the essence of something, the use and composition of meaning, and the incorporation of these values into life through art.  It’s a fantastic conversation.  In this light, the quantity of art materials is not really important.  It’s the quality.  These days I bring the smallest kit of materials possible to accomplish these aims.  I can develop larger, more complete works in the studio but not without the content and inspiration I find through traveling.  I like line, I like color, and I like my materials to hold up over time.



You can click on these images for links to product descriptions.

_ This review is for a medium size art kit and notebook, with pens, and a small travel size  watercolor kit.  These materials are suitable for artists interested in working on developing greater content in small landscapes and studies.  This kit is easy to carry in a small bag, pack, or briefcase with other items you might travel with, and has archival qualities you would expect in a piece of art.  These links are to an art supply store called Daniel Smith.  Other art supply shops have these items as well.  If you choose to mail order from Daniel Smith you can receive a 20% discount through the link on the Sketchy Tours website.

This notebook is larger than the pocket size and is made of watercolor paper.  There are a number of sizes and types of paper available in the Moleskine line of notebooks. I like these because they pack small and they live well on a bookshelf when they’re full, easily accessed for travel and at home.

The Sakura micron pens described in the small art supply kit are a great way to capture a number of sketches quickly on site and won’t smudge when working with watercolors either on site or at a later time.

Most watercolor kits come with a small travel brush which works well for small notebooks and washes.  As you fill notebooks you might recognize a need for another small travel brush or two.  You’ll find travel brushes in art supply stores and online.  I typically have a nicer travel brush with a fine tip but long bristles to do a range of things as well as a larger mop, or wash brush for covering larger areas.  It’s fun to buy these brushes while traveling and in a store where you can see the brush to make your selection.  The Magasin Sennelier is an art supply store in Paris with a few locations and a website for such a purchase.

 

Moleskine Large Watercolor Book, 200gsm Cold Press, 5-1/4" x 8-1/4", 72 Pages

The legendary notebook of Hemingway and Matisse
The Moleskine Watercolor Notebooks offer all the characteristics of the sketchbooks except the thick warm-white paper is sized for watercolor use and the 25% cotton fiber paper has a cold press finish. Notebook secures with an elastic band and has an expandable inner pocket.

http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-750-090-002

Sakura Pigma Micron Pens

Acid-free and archival, Pigma Micron Ink Pens are ideal for papercrafts, journals, illustration, crafts, or any application requiring precision and permanence.

Unlike dye-based ink found in most pens and markers, Pigma ink will not feather or bleed, even through the thinnest paper. Pigma ink is derived from a single pigment to ensure color consistency, and is fadeproof against sunlight or UV light. Pigma inks will not clog or dry out like most mechanical pens.

http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-G-205-040


Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Compact Set

This pocket-sized lightweight box is ideal for the outdoor artist.

The set includes:

• 14 half pans of Cotman Watercolors
• A Cotman Series III Watercolor Brush
• A number of useful mixing surfaces, including a sliding palette and a mediums dish
  http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-261-620-040
  

 

 

_ This review of art materials is for something I always have around.  It’s a small notebook with pen(s).  I’ve used this set up to draw airplane interiors, the interiors of museums, landscapes, and abstract studies.  This kit is easy to carry, fits easily in a pocket, and the archival qualities provide an excellent record of your work and thoughts.  The pens don’t smudge even if they get wet or you watercolor over them so your experiences are recorded for a long time.  They are available in fine point to chisel tip, brush, different colors, and sets.  These links are product descriptions from an art supply store called Daniel Smith.  Other art shops and bookstores have these items as well.  If you choose to mail order from Daniel Smith you can receive a 20% discount through the link on the Sketchy Tours website.


Moleskine Sketch Pocket Notebook, 3-1/2" x 5-1/2", 80 Pages

The legendary notebook of Hemingway and Matisse.
The Moleskine Notebook, pronounced mol-a-skeen'-a, is simple, handsome and durable - a true classic. As a travel or daily journal, it is unsurpassed, equally good for writing or sketching.

Made in Italy, it has a black, water-resistant leather-like cover secured by an elastic band. Smooth, acid-free pages (ruled, cream-colored paper for writing or top quality white paper for sketching) have rounded corners and are thread-bound so the book can lie flat. Each Moleskine book has a ribbon placeholder and an expandable accordion pocket in the back for holding tickets, notes and clippings.

http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-750-020-001


Sakura Pigma Micron Pens

Acid-free and archival, Pigma Micron Ink Pens are ideal for papercrafts, journals, illustration, crafts, or any application requiring precision and permanence.

Unlike dye-based ink found in most pens and markers, Pigma ink will not feather or bleed, even through the thinnest paper. Pigma ink is derived from a single pigment to ensure color consistency, and is fadeproof against sunlight or UV light. Pigma inks will not clog or dry out like most mechanical pens.

http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-G-205-040


Sakura Pigma Ink Pens, 4pc Set, Sepia

The Pigma Sepia set was created by Sakura in response to consistent customer requests for sepia colored ink in a variety of line types. Sepia is a color preference of artists because it gives a warm tone to sketched images.

Nuetral pH pigmentd, lightfast, waterproof ink pens, that will not bleed on most artists' papers and work especially well for drawings which will receive watercolor washes.

Set Includes:

• Brush - color washes and bold lines
• Graphic 1mm - thicker lines
• Micron 01 - fine line for tiny details
• Micron 05 - fine line in standard width

http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-205-041-001

 

Sakura Pigma Brush Pens, 6pc Set, Color

Expressive pens with permanent color. This set includes six colors - black, red, blue, green, purple and brown - all containing waterproof, acid-free, archival ink.

Flexible synthetic fiber brush tips provide great line variety, from delicate hairlines to bold, calligraphic strokes.

http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-205-080-001

Here's a picture of me in front of the Magasin Sennelier, an art supply store in Paris.  They're only open on certain days so check ahead if you plan to get your supplies there.  I recommend a pocket Moleskine sketchbook because they are easy to carry and they have a pocket in the back to hold a cash card and some money for a day.   They also are durable and survive well on travel excursions as well as once you return home.  I use archival materials so they last.  I like ink pens for their durability and they don't smear when I add watercolor over the top of a drawing.  Ink is portable and when I'm moving around I don't plan on erasing or reworking much.  I'm mostly interested in capturing some visual information and moving on the way most people use a camera.  Sometimes my greatest opportunities to do this are when I'm on public transportation, waiting, eating, or if I see something I just have to stop and draw.  If I'm planning on sitting down and spending some time working on a drawing or painting I sometimes also travel with a larger Moleskine (they sell them with watercolor paper too) or a medium size watercolor block.  To do this requires planning for packing luggage so I can transport the materials and finished paintings.  Staying at a picturesque villa is a great opportunity to work with larger materials without having to tote them around for a day. 

Here are three suggestions for materials I have used to incorporate art and travel. 

1). Pocket Moleskine and pens. The pens can be just black or you can add a few colors.  This set is easy to carry and adaptable to all opportunities to sketch.  This set up easily fits in pockets.  I like this set up for making sketches on an airplane.

2). Larger Moleskine, pens and a small watercolor kit.  This set up provides a larger format to develop more information in a composition.  This may benefit from a coat with the right pockets or a day bag to carry the materials.  I like this set up for lightweight day travel and using minimal space in luggage.

3). Both of the above plus a watercolor block, larger watercolor kit, more brushes and a portfolio to contain materials and finished works.  This is for an artist interested in accomplishing a greater scope of work.  It provides a flexible set of materials to adapt to a variety of opportunities while traveling.  It also requires some planning for packing your luggage.  I like this set up when I know I’m going to have time to set up and work for a couple of hours at a time or if my goals include developing a larger work of art from the subject material I’m visiting.

You can get 20% off your order at Daniel Smith Art supplies through our resource page.  I’d be glad to answer questions and help you make a Sketchy Art Kit.

~ Chaucer Silverson

This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.