… or tote, or backpack, or portable anything? I mean your field kit that you take outside
as opposed to painting inside. Not
necessarily a plein air set-up, but
your throw-over-the-shoulder, Saturday afternoon walk, backyard-chaise-lounging
kind of kit. One that whispers “just fifteen
minutes for a quick sketch or half an hour of some painting play.”
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| Current portable kit. Scroll to bottom for details. |
Mine changes periodically. I have favorites and I try out new brands and
toys so it’s easy to load up on a little of everything. So, let my “ordering” of my disorder help you
make your art time more enjoyable.
First things
first
Please don’t look at what I carry now and make yours
the same! You can try it out, but make yours
personalized for YOU. You have different
needs, wants, skills, and intents than I do.
I seldom erase right now, but that’s because I want to see how my lines
work together to tell a certain type of story.
It might change next month. Plus,
I bet I have 20 years of sketching experience up on you.
Why order?
Well, because it makes your creating time
easier. So does simplification. French novelist Gustave Flaubert advised “Be regular and orderly in your life,
so that you may be violent and original in your work.” Having
the right tools at your fingertips allows for unhindered creativity. Don’t spend your energy looking through too
much stuff or trying to make one decision over 30 pigment choices. I found myself doing that because I had so
many things I wanted to try out. I still
want to, and will. But at that time I
will change out my to-go bag accordingly.
Keep it simple
Simplify
what you take with you. There is something
to be said about limitations for artists.
Phil Hansen tells
us that “embracing limitation can actually drive creativity.” He knows this firsthand. Phil is the artist who overcame a physical
challenge to create amazing images using unconventional methods (does embrace the shake sound
familiar?).
My
suggestion to you is to limit the choices of paints, brushes, and paper you
use. Not forever, just for the one outing. Stay with single pigment primary
watercolors. Use one good #8 or #12
round brush. Bring one pad of paper or
sketchbook. Add a pen if you like. A pencil.
Leave the other 10 to 20 wonderful art supplies at home for another
day.
My limitations
It
may seem that an 18-well palette is NOT a limitation, but for me it is. I love color and the many nuances and permutations
of color. Believe it or not, I also have
more palettes like this at home (LOL). I
present my tried-and-true current favorites that seem to cover any painting
situation, but probably only because I’ve gotten to know their quirks well.
It’s
easy to become enamored with art supplies, as many of my art friends know. And we
love to share our latest discovery. Plus
those darn manufacturers and distributors keep enticing us with cool things we
want to try. Powdered pigments! Pump masking pens! German primo handmade paper! *Sigh* My want list is long and my years are short. In the meantime, quantity is a distraction. And artists make art. So get to it!
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What’s in the photo?
Bag = a thrift store find
with outside pockets and a couple of interior pockets. Sturdy but light, double-stitched, very
portable.
Paints = 18-well palette from
Mijello has Daniel Smith tube colors laid out from this previous post. I like this palette
because it has a water-tight seal. Your wet
paints may run and get messy but they won’t leak out.
Brush = #8 round synthetic
brush from Myartscape. Purchased from
Amazon when I was looking for inexpensive field-painting brushes (if lost, I’d
not be heart-broken). I’m surprised to
find that I love the springiness, and the nicely-tapered tip allows me to paint
details. Since I’m working fairly small
to start with, this brush covers a lot of ground. I also wanted something a bit different than
my normal waterbrush.
Paper = believe it or not, I
am carrying around 90# paper! This is
because my field work includes sketching.
I’ve gone back to that for now, because drawing is my first love. So my
watercolor work in this journal is mostly light or layered washes over a
sketch. I also don’t mind a bit of
buckling. The 6x9” spiral-bound sketchbook
is the Aquabee Super Deluxe, actually a 93# drawing paper but also for wet
media. Relatively durable and with a
light tooth, it works well for watercolor pencil and won’t break the budget. I’ve found it to be an all-around workhorse sketchbook. Also included are sample pads from the Legion
Paper Company, about 3.5 x 2.5” of their watercolor paper. These were a gift from a friend (thank you!),
and make great artist trading cards (ATCs) or are the perfect size to work out
thumbnails on value, color, or composition.
Pens = Faber Castell Pitt
Artist pens in black and dark sepia, various sizes. I also use Micron Pigma by Sakura which are
similar. They both feature professional-quality,
lightfast waterproof inks. Note that they
are waterproof when fully dry -- if wet, they will still run. I’ve found that I cannot draw faster than
raindrops! I bring a pencil, too, but
seldom use it. A mechanical .7mm pencil with
a white vinyl eraser works best for me (no stopping to sharpen). I keep the lead retracted until I need
it.
Masking fluid = because you never
know when you really want some. This is
a fine-tip masking fluid pen by Fineline.
So far so good if the tip stays unclogged.
Water containers = I have a screw-top
container for painting and a collapsible cup for cleaning. I usually carry a couple of bottles of
drinking water in the outside pockets and use that for painting as well as
hydrating.
Moisture control = plastic zip bag with
spare paper towels and cotton fabric for absorbing extra water from brushes,
paper, and palette. Paper towels or
similar are *essential* to controlling watercolor. Essential. Remember: pack out what you pack in, take
extra plastic bags for trash.
Hat = something to scrunch
up in your bag for when the sun shifts and you don’t want to. Your mother was right about wearing a hat –
it makes a difference!
Interested
in reading more about the idea of order and limiting choices?
“Why placing limitations on yourself is the
key to creativity,” By Ashleigh Allsopp on Digital
Arts Online.
“The
Psychology of Limitations: How and Why Constraints Can Make You More Creative,”
by Belle Beth Cooper on Buffer Social
Blog.
Totally enjoyable post, with great information. Your writing is as fun and clear as your teaching. Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Anne! Those are wonderful compliments coming from someone who knows words and teaching well! It's wonderful to see everything you've been doing since the class!
ReplyDelete