35th World Wide Sketch Crawl

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Recently I discovered a sort of local sketching group called Let’s Sketch basing out of Fredericksburg. It’s a bit of a hike to drive 45 or 50 miles for a sketching meetup, but yesterday was the 35th World Wide Sketch Crawl and that seemed to justify it!

The group met at University of Mary Washington. There were five of us (plus another who didn’t manage to find us but was apparently there somewhere) and I had an absolutely fine time hanging out with these interesting, fun folks and sketching the beautiful campus for a few hours. There is something really enjoyable about sitting around with a group of sketchers drawing and then sharing your results afterwards. Plus, it’s always fun to meet new creative types, share info about your sketch kits and sketching experiences, and look at sketchbooks!

Here are my sketches from the day:

I have made contact with a few people in my local area who like to sketch so I’m hoping to have more opportunities near home for fun sketching outings. It’ll be even better if there is cross-pollination between my local group and Let’s Sketch, to encourage greater participation. If you’re in the area and would like to join us for a sketching outing, just get in touch and let me know! Experience and medium doesn’t matter…it’s all about the fun of it. If you’re a complete novice, those of us with some experience will be happy to show you the ropes.

 

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Interview: Canine Collectables Courier

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The current issue of the Australian online publication, Canine Collectables [sic] Courier, features an interview with me by publisher Jan Irving. We talked about my favorite paintings, the Doggitude project, how to purchase my work, and my small but much loved collection of dog figurines (mostly terriers, go figure!).  It was a lot of fun talking with Jan and even more fun being introduced to her fun magazine. I hope you will give it a read–there is a delightfully Aussie spin on the writeup of the interview!

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Another Sketch Kit

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Maybe it’s to do with Spring being in the air and the prospects of getting outside in fine weather to sketch that I’ve been obsessing over sketch kits lately. Or maybe it’s just that life has been a time and energy vampire lately and I only have enough brain juice left for sketching-related activities. Whatever the reason, I’m having a lot of fun coming up with different sketch kit configurations. Today my goal was to put together a useful small kit. Unlike My Big Fat Sketch Kit, I wanted this kit to be versatile but sized to fit in a pocket or small bag. I also wanted to use a few of the bazzillion water bottle caps I’ve been saving with the idea that they would one day have a new life as paint pans.

I already had the perfect tin to house the kit. It originally held chocolates and is 5.5″ x 2.3″. I sprayed the inside surfaces with white appliance paint; and the outside with flat black Rustoleum. It looks kind of boring so I might eventually decorate the outside with alcohol inks and seal it with a protective coating.

After I put the kit together, I sketched it as shown above. In case you can’t read my (terrible) handwriting in the sketch, the kit contains:

– Watercolors in bottle caps, stuck to the bottom of the tin with that blue tacky stuff
– A 0.5 Copic refillable technical pen w/waterproof ink
– Pentel brush pen w/waterproof ink (+ 2 refill cartridges)
– Zebra 0.5mm mechanical pencil
– Kuretake compact body medium waterbrush
– Kneaded eraser
– Plastic pipette (for putting water in brush)
– Color chart (not shown)

As always, getting everything to fit means using the space efficiently. The brush pen cartridges go in between the paint pans. On top of the pans goes the color chart, forming a shelf for the tools. It is a tight fit but with some finagling I can get them all in there and the lid closed without mashing anything.

For the color-curious, this is what is currently in the pans:

Top row is Lemon Yellow, Raw Umber, Quinacridone Rose, Manganese Blue Hue, and Diopside Genuine (a Daniel Smith green). Bottom row is Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Sienna, Perylene Red, Ultramarine, and Ivory Black. As always, the colors are prone to change at a moment’s notice! That’s the beauty of using pans.

A note about the Ivory Black: I prefer to mix my blacks when painting “serious” paintings but for sketching, having a black in the palette is a real convenience. I might have used Neutral Tint but didn’t have any. Plus, Ivory Black granulates nicely and I really like that quality in a paint–particularly when it is a paint that is frequently mixed with other colors.

I think this robust little kit will meet most if not all of my small-scale sketching and journaling needs. And best of all, it fits easily in the small purse I typically carry–or even a jacket pocket–so I can take it everywhere. I’m still on the fence about whether or not I will enjoy using the waterbrush. I might eventually swap that out for a couple of Black Gold travel brushes that I already have. Doing so would mean I’d have to carry a small water container with me but that’s no big deal. Time will tell!

 

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When Ya Can’t Sleep…Sketch!

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I had every plan to start this week with a fresh focus on the Doggitude paintings. But alas, the arrival of our first 2012 miniature donkey foal on Sunday sent those plans into a tailspin. The foal’s mother rejected her (it happens sometimes, for various reasons). Thus we had no choice but to start on an every-four-hours bottle feeding regimen. It has taken a couple of days to get into the required new (non-)sleeping pattern. During that time I haven’t had the energy to paint “seriously” but I have tried to spend 30-45 minutes a day working in my watercolor journal.

This sketch of Hercules was an excuse to use Daniel Smith Perylene Red, which I have added to my palette in place of Cadmium Red Medium. Cadmium Red Medium has always appeared dull to me so I’ve been looking for a reasonable replacement. Perylene Red is a much more vibrant warm red which I much prefer. The DS version has weaker tinting and lower staining properties than the Dick Blick Cadmium Red Medium it has replaced, both properties that make it even more appealing for the way I paint. Yet this Perylene Red still mixes in the same beautiful toned-down way that Cad Red M does. So all around, it is a much superior red for my palette. It seems Daniel Smith paints have a knack for finding their way onto my palette…a majority of the 22 colors in residence are DS colors.

Obviously, I have miniature donkeys on the brain since so much of my focus is taken up with the new foal. Recently I added Payne’s Gray to my palette. I don’t know why I think this feels like cheating. I guess because a “real” artist should mix her own grays? I can certainly do that, but Payne’s Gray is a such a nice convenience color that can be quickly toned as desired. It makes it irresistible for sketchbook work.

In this sketch, I mixed it with raw umber for the donkey’s coat. Baby mini donkeys are very fluffy little creatures. It was a bit of a challenge to convey the right texture but I am pleased with the results. As for the foal, she continues to do well and is really starting to “get” the idea of going after the bottle, so within a few days I expect her to make the connection and start using the self-feeder. Then I can get back to actually sleeping through the night.

Okay, I have two hours until the next scheduled feeding…think I’ll go take a nap!

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My Big Fat Sketch Kit

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I’m going on a beach trip with my art group in May. Most of us plan to spend at least some time painting. Personally, I’m going to spend the majority of my time doing that…blissfully free of distractions from husband, pets, and chores. I was undecided about whether to drag along my plein air easel and big palette to paint bigger works–probably mostly landscapes–or stick with a well-stocked sketch kit and a few sketchbooks. I have pretty much decided to go with the sketch kit approach. It will simplify packing and be more practical in the long run.

In anticipation, I have been tweaking what I fondly refer to as My Big Fat Sketch Kit. This is the biggest sketch kit I routinely carry around. It is so-named because it contains a diverse collection of tools, all of which fit (just barely) into a zippered pouch.  This kit is easily carried in a beach tote or medium sized purse along with a small sketchbook or even a small watercolor pad. The trick to cramming so much stuff into one kit is organization, creative container use, and smart tool selection.

So, to help all the rest of you sketch kit addicts out, I put together a video tour of My Big Fat Sketch Kit. It shows what the kit contains, offers organizational tips, and might even give you some fresh ideas for what to include in your own kits. Check it out and leave a comment if you enjoy it!

 

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Simple Pleasure of Sketching

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Two posts in one day–it’s a miracle!

I love sketching from nature in pen and ink and watercolor. There are a million blank sketchbooks of all shapes, sizes, and types in a studio cabinet waiting to be filled. (Okay, maybe not a million, but a lot–I will admit to a *small* hoarding problem when it comes to sketchbooks.) I have spent many enjoyable hours putting together small, robust sketch kits that take up the least possible amount of space in a bag or small pack. And yet…I rarely take the time to go sketch outside.

There’s nothing stopping me–I just forget, or get lazy, or get distracted. But today, I actually had the presence of mind to take some “me” time after lunch. I sat in the sun on the deck with my sketchbook, next to an overwintered flower pot with a pretty volunteer pansy in it. That caught my eye and I spent an enjoyable half hour sketching. It was nice to draw for fun. And, come next winter when I leaf through this sketchbook, I’ll be reminded of warm Spring days and brave, beautiful little flowers.

I need to do this more often! It’s not like there’s a shortage of potential subjects on our 24 acres. A short walk from my studio door, there are gardens, woods, fields, a creek, mules and donkeys, dogs, and all kinds of stuff to fill a sketchbook with. I just need to get my butt outside a few days a week with a sketchbook in hand. So, yeah…that’s the plan, and hopefully I’ll be sharing lots of sketches from my little excursions over the coming weeks and months.

What about you? Is sketching part of your routine? If not, do you wish it was? Are you motivated to sketch by a particular subject? I get a lot of inspiration to sketch by looking at the sketches of others. One of my favorite sites is the Sketching in Nature blog curated by Cathy (Kate) Johnson. She and several other artists share their sketches from nature and write lovely posts about them. Definitely worth a visit, might even provide some inspiration, too!

 

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