What’s in your nature journal bag…

… 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.”  

 

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!

 

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.

https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/creative-business/why-placing-limitations-on-yourself-is-key-creativity/

“The Psychology of Limitations: How and Why Constraints Can Make You More Creative,” by Belle Beth Cooper on Buffer Social Blog.

https://blog.bufferapp.com/7-examples-of-how-creative-constraints-can-lead-to-amazing-work

Portable art kit revisited

This is my third incarnation of a portable sketching/painting kit for plein air.  When I was showing the kids at summer camp my art kit, I realized that a lot of the art supplies I take for granted are a novelty to others.  I also tend to let it grow a bit, but it hasn't gotten so heavy that it's a pain, and I like having extra supplies for myself or others.  So let me share what's inside my art bag!

Main access is through the top,
which is convenient. 

An old camera bag converted
into my portable art kit.

First, the bag: an old camera bag sent to me by my father.  The cube shape works wells for my rectangular sketchpads and containers.  The main access is through the top, but there is also a little zippered side compartment which is handy for smaller items that might get lost in the bottom of the bag.

Inside the bag I keep:
• Two spiral bound sketchbooks, the current books are an Aquabee Super Deluxe (9 by 6 inches), and a Pentalic Nature Sketch (6 by 12 inches).


My current portable art bag and contents (not including kitten!)

My pencil box.

• A pencil box with an assortment of mechanical pencils, artist drawing pencils, charcoal pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpener. I prefer the white vinyl erasers, since they seem to work best for me.

• A brush box with four Niji Aquabrushes. These are waterbrushes that have a hollow barrel in the handle that can be filled with water. One is a flat, and the others are rounds in three sizes. I carry a small ruler and some Q-tips.

 

My brush box, an inexpensive
plastic container from Walmart.

• A miscellaneous box. A bit of everything: emery boards for pointing pencils, toothpicks, a cut credit card for scraping, and GUM brand teeth cleaners for lifting. Derwent Blue-gray watercolor pencil, Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils in Black, White, and Payne’s Gray, and a #11 Xacto knife (blade protected by an eraser). A Signo Uni-ball white gel pen, and a Prismacolor white colored pencil. Oh, and a white birthday candle for watercolor resist.

    • A magnifying glass, an all-purpose multi-tool, and an assortment of binder clips (good for windy days).


Some of the tidbits from my miscellaneous box.

• Extra paper towels, zip-lock bags (different sizes), and a travel spray bottle with water. Extra batteries for my digital camera.
• Pens. Sepia Micron Pigma and Faber Castell Pitt artist pens in black and dark sepia, in assorted sizes.

 • Water soluble pencils. Derwent watercolor pencils and Derwent Inktense pencils, each 12 piece sets, and a set of 24 Kimberly watercolor pencils.

• A travel set of Daniel Smith watercolor paints I put together myself.  You can read about the palette and paint choices here.

Watercolor travel set.

If you'd like to see the previous incarnations, visit my Flickr photostream here for the first art kit, and this blog post for my second art kit.

I've learned a lot from what other artists carry, and am willing to try new things, so please feel free to share your tips!






Royal Palm and new mini-palette

Royal palm, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

Florida is home to many types of palm trees, but none quite so impressive as the Royal palm. The trunk seems solid as a concrete pole, and the long, majestic fronds have a thick and sturdy midrib surrounded by fluttering green blades. It was a very breezy day, so it was a challenge to squint upwards into the sunny sky and try to draw the constantly changing crown.

I drew the palm on site and added the watercolor washes afterwards, trying out a new mini-palette of high value primary colors. I was inspired to create a smaller watercolor set by  Laure Ferlita's post on stealth sketch kits on her blog, Painted Thoughts. Thank you, Laure,  for a creative way to keep the art supplies minimal!

I used an eye shadow container (cleaned thoroughly and degreased  with rubbing alcohol), and one thing I especially like is the top lid with the clear plastic bubbles – they make great mixing spots. I also like the compact size: 1 ½ by 4 inches; I can take it just about anywhere.  I’m still waiting to see just how watertight it is…until then it’s going to stay in a zippered plastic bag.  It worked quite well with my Niji waterbrushes, the portable brush that carries water right in the handle.

You can see the swatch of Daniel Smith colors I chose for the primary set in the lower left corner of the top photo:
Red = Quinacridone Pink
Yellow = Quinacridone Gold
Blue = Prussian Blue

I read about this combination of colors somewhere and it sounded intriguing. I’ve used a similar triad in the past: Hansa Yellow, Quinacridone Pink, and Manganese Blue, but I had trouble making deep darks. This new set of primaries make some great dark colors!

You can click on the top  image above to view larger on my Flickr photostream.

My portable art kit

Tools are wonderful things, but it’s not necessary to start with more than a few things: pencil, eraser, pencil sharpener, and paper. These may be any type of your choosing; the important thing is to start drawing! I find that an inexpensive .7 mm mechanical pencil is a great tool. They never need sharpening, they provide a fairly wide range of darks (depending on your paper), and they are easy to refill or replace.

Whatever your materials, get acquainted with them. See what they can do, what types of lines they make — what darkest or lightest marks? If you’re brushing up on drawing skills and have an assortment of tools, use those that are most comfortable, at least to start.

A larger kit might include: hard and soft drawing pencils, a sketchbook or bound journal, a permanent artist’s ink pen (such as Pitt or Micron Pigma), a white vinyl eraser and/or kneaded eraser. Portable color media can include a small set of watercolors, colored pencils, or watercolor pencils. You’ll want to have some brushes and a water source.

Here’s an example of my art kit; I tried to make it as portable as possible, and it all fits in an inexpensive tote bag. I make sure to keep my supplies limited so it also fits in my backpack if needed, but generally speaking, the tote bag is more accessible.

Currently I carry:
• Two sketchbooks, one with hot-press watercolor paper and one with an assortment of paper (these are sketchbooks I made myself).
• A pencil box with an assortment of mechanical pencils, artist drawing pencils, charcoal pencils, and pencil sharpener. Erasers: I like the white ones as they don’t leave a colored residue behind. One is a tougher vinyl eraser and one is slightly softer.
• A brush box with four Niji Aquabrushes. These are waterbrushes that have a hollow barrel in the handle that can be filled with water. Great tools for field sketching! I also keep a small ruler, and some Q-tips in there.
• A miscellaneous box. A bit of everything: emery boards for pointing pencils, toothpicks, a cut credit card for scraping, and GUM brand teeth cleaners for lifting.  Derwent Blue-gray watercolor pencil, Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils in Black, White, and Payne’s Gray, and a #11 Xacto knife (blade protected by an eraser). A Signo Uni-ball white gel pen, and a Prismacolor white colored pencil. . A white birthday candle for watercolor resist.

• Pens: Black Micron Pigmas in the .005 and .01 sizes. Faber Castell Pitt artist pens, S, F, M, and B sizes.
• Water soluble pencils. Both Derwent watercolor pencils and Derwent Inktense pencils, each 12 piece sets.
• A travel set of watercolor paints by Sennelier, they are about three years old.
• A magnifying glass, an all-purpose multi-tool, and an assortment of binder clips (good for windy days).
• Extra paper towels, zip-lock bags (different sizes), a travel spray bottle with water, and some empty Rx containers for water and small samples. NOTE: the Rx containers are not totally leak-proof, so keep them empty in your kit. As a precaution I keep anything wet or damp in a zip-lock bag.
• Depending on my needs, I still have room to throw in a digital camera, sunscreen, and/or insect repellent.

Wish list:
• Micron pens in brown and green, .005.
• Cold-press watercolor sketchbook.
• A small tin of primary watercolors, Daniel Smith Hansa Yellow, Prussian or Ultramarine Blue (or both?), and Quinacridone Red. And maybe a Burnt Sienna and Indanthrone Blue. I'm waiting for the right tin to come along.
• Should I add a larger trash bag to sit on or to serve as a rain poncho?  Probably.  I also have my eye on one of those foldable stools.  Maybe I'll need another bag!