The Traveling Artist

Caran d'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons

For some reason I simply can't toss a few things into my suitcase and be confident that I'll have all I need when I get to my destination. I have to make lists upon lists to be sure I haven't forgotten something important... and this from a woman who used to teach workshops about planning and packing a travel wardrobe. But to make packing easier I keep a packed sketching kit ready for the road.

Jo Reimer's traveling sketch kit

The case is a tri-fold cosmetic case, found at AAA a few years ago. I've seen similar ones at the drugstore. Here's what's in it...

• my small Moleskine journal, a tiny watercolor paintbox made from a mint tin, and a waterbrush. These live in my handbag at home, every day.
• Winsor Newton travel palette with 12 basic colors.
• a second waterbrush
• 4 other rather small brushes with shortened handles,
• a tiny spray bottle for water,
• a tiny bottle of Indian Red ink and a dip pen for drawing, 
• several half-sticks of Caran d'Ache crayons in a little plastic bag,
• my collage/watercolor journal and a few extra bits of watercolor paper,
• 2 UHU gluesticks and a small jar of acrylic medium with a spreader,
• small children's scissors,
• pens and pencils,including a couple of colored pencils
• eraser and tiny pencil sharpener,
• a tiny sea sponge,
• several paper and plastic alphabet stencils,
• a film container for paper clips and brads with masking tape wrapped around the outside,
• a roll of clear packing tape that tears easily to use for magazine transfers.
• small pad of watercolor postcards
• a 2" S-hook, a carabiner and a large safety pen 

This all fits into the folding cosmetic bag. 
 

Tri-fold kit with left compartment folded inward

 

Kit opened all the way

On the airplane I position the S-hook or the safety pin somewhere in front of me on the airplane, hook the carbineer to the handle of my travel kit, and hang from the S-hook so my equipment is handy as I work.


Between trips this kit lives in my car where I also keep a spare, larger sketchbook.

What do you pack? What sort of packing case do you use? 
 

Moleskine Reloaded

by Jo Reimer

Years ago I started carrying a small Moleskine Sketchbook in my handbag and used it to capture thoughts and sketches. At only 3.5" x 5.5" it fits just right in my handbag or jacket pocket. I like the sturdy cover, the built-in pocket inside the back cover and the little strap that marks my place or keeps my book closed. Now that I have a collection started I don't want to carry any other sketchbook.

But there's a problem.

The paper in the Moleskine Sketchbook is a creamy yellow and resists my watercolor paint. I put up with it through the first 3 books but then I ran across a tutorial by Martha, author of the blog, Trumpetvine Travels, called Moleskine Reloaded ...or, How to Rebind a Moleskine Notebook: Make a Custom DIY Sketchbook.

My problem was solved.

For the first one, my Israel Sketchbook, I gutted a full-priced sketchbook and reloaded it with papers of my choosing. I loved the new paper but it made an expensive sketchbook.

Then I got smart.

I found out-dated Moleskine Pocket Diarys online for one-fourth the price and ordered half a dozen so that when I gut the book I feel no guilt at messing up a perfectly good book.

The first step is to cut the book block out of it's cover. The first picture shows a pristine Pocket Diary and another one with the book block removed from its cover.

I use 2 sheets of Fabriano or Arches 90# watercolor paper and tear down the pages as Martha directs.
The papers are folded in half and one slipped into another to form a signature and holes are punched in the spine for the sewing.

Next comes the sewing of the 13 signatures using waxed linen thread.

Lastly I glued the front page to the inside front cover and the back page to the back cover, and let the glue dry.  My new sketchbook is ready to use. It looks just like the original but nicer around the edges. Instead of cutting the paper with machine to produce straight outer edges I tore my paper with my bone folder so that all the edges are deckled. I love the texture and it's so much more interesting.

I reserve the book block from the diary and keep it on my desk to use for notes, lists, reminders, ideas. The print is very faint and doesn't interfere with pen and ink. I've recycled all the bits and pieces of paper that once littered my desk.

When figure out how to make a video with my new Panasonic Lumix I'll show you my latest completed sketchbook.

End of Summer

I figure that you've been wondering where I am and what I've been doing this summer since there've been no changes since August 5. It's a long boring story about gardening, grandkids, berry picking and freezing, experimenting with oil paint, reading and a few parties thrown in for good measure.

As the weeks went by without a serious thought about blogging I finally decided to wait until the end of summer. That's today, so here are a couple of pictures for you.

Romans 5
9x12"
Collage, stamping, stencils, handwriting

Romans 6
9x12"
Collage, stamping, handwriting, painted papers

I've returned to the Sermon Notes series, working through the book of Romans. I finished Romans 6 yesterday and intend to finish all 16 by the end of October. It'll be a push but I will do it. That's just over one a week. Easy! If you want to see the rest of the series they're on Flickr here.

Journal pages
17 x 11"

Above is the first spread in a new art journal. The intention for this journal is to use strips of paper to create a story, probably spread over two pages. I don't regularly work this way but I've been advised by two trustworthy artists to work larger and I'm doing that, on canvas and paper as well as in my journals.

And finally, here are some recent sketches from my small Moleskine journal that I always have with me.

Hiking in Forest Park with grandkids.

At a friend's memorial service

Callas from my garden

Happy Hour with friends

Draw... even if you think you can't

Montezuma's Castle

Arizona

Here are a few sketches from the small sketchbook that I always carry in my handbag. I seldom have much time to work on these so they aren't particularly good drawings but they are a perfect way to remind me of the day and the place, better by far than a photograph. If possible, I try to get someone to stamp my page. Sometimes I stop in at the local post office or as above I use the official stamp that's often available in the national or state park information center or gift shop.

Pendleton, Oregon

Bookstore

La Connor, WA

Beaverton OR Farmer's Market

Draw. Even if you think you can't draw... DRAW. Soon you'll find that you CAN DRAW. That's how I learned. Put a little sketchbook in your purse or pocket or car along with a mechanical lead pencil or a fine point pen. Draw in it. You never have to show anyone. This is private practice until you decide to show someone what you've learned to do.

Paintbox + Velcro + Bookmark

While watching a video by Free(k)hand showing one of his watercolor sketchbooks I spied a spread about his watercolor box holder and decided to make my own. While not as tidy as his, mine works great for my purposes. The box is an Altoids gum box, spray painted white on the inside with Rustoleum. I used double-sided carpet tape to adhere the half pans, filled with my favorite colors, to the box.

I located a metal bookmark and glued velcro to the head of the bookmark using Tough As Nails glue, and the companion side of the velcro is glued to the bottom of my paint box.

To use this little contraption when I'm out painting I simply take the bookmark out of the pocket in the back of my Moleskine and slip it onto a page of my notebook with the head sticking out at the top and fasten the paintbox to the bookmark and paint away, using a waterbrush.  How cool is that!

Limited Palette

Paula asked which colors I chose for my limited palette. This one is modeled after one of Cathy Johnson's, including the altered paintbox itself which is a Koi painbox. I removed the original contents, leaving only the little waterbrush, and added full and half pans into which I squeezed Transparent Yellow, Quin. Red, Winsor Blue, Paynes Gray, Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna. There are 2 watercolor brushes, a #1 liner and a 1/4" flat with sharpened ends for scratching back, plus a sponge, pencil and sharpener, and molded eraser. You can see by my dirty palette that I reused dried puddles and I don't often clean my colors, preferring to dip into whatever is there that's useable.

Part of the looseness is due to the finish on the moleskine pages. Mine is the sketchbook with the slightly yellow and stiff pages, and unless I wipe the page down with a moist towel to remove the sizing the pages slightly repel water. I like the look but watercolor purists rail against the paper and use other books. I chose moleskine because of the overall quality of the book. It stands up to just about any abuse and since I carry this book in my purse everywhere I go I need the strong structure.

It doesn't matter which colors you choose for your limited palette as long as you've experimented with them enough to know that you can mix satisfactory colors... good greens, bright purples and magentas, and orange. If the yellow, red, and blue you already own as long as they mix to form beautiful secondary and tertiary colors. And of course, be creative with color, using any color to represent any object, as long as the value is right. I could make my daytime sky pink and my water purple, as long as the pink is light and the purple is dark.

And BTW, the link to Cathy Johnson is to her Art Tips page where there is scads of information on how to paint with watercolor. She's the master!

Sketchcrawl by Streetcar

We 4 friends met Saturday morning for our monthly Sketchcrawl, this time by streetcar. We started across from the library and rode the entire loop, up to Good Samaritan hospital and down to the new riverfront development, getting off along the way to sketch or photograph. The day was so cold (33 degrees) that we were discouraged from sitting out on a convenient bench so we took images as they came to us. I drew the buildings from the edge of the sidewalk and didn't take out my watercolors until I return home and by then I had forgotten what the colors were except for the one red brick building.

I did the little sketches on the left as I rode MAX, our local light rail, to downtown. Everyone was bundled up in black... a very Portland winter look. I've found that once people are settled they usually return to one relaxed pose, making it easier to finish a quick sketch. And of course drawing someone from the back when riding on public transportation is the easiest of all. That's Jan's head.

And drawing people as they wait in line for coffee give me lots of opportunity for quick gestural drawings.

I recently discovered the blog of a talented London artist who draws people on his long commutes across the city. He's sometimes on the bus for 3 1/2 hours and he uses his time to sketch. Have a look at Adebanji Aladi's incredible work.

These sketches are in my little Moleskine sketchbook that I carry everywhere. There are other small sketchbooks available but I prefer this one for its overall quality and durability.

Paintboxes

Here's a page from my daily Moleskine journal. I draw and write with a Gel Xtreme pen by Y&C to make and add watercolor from my little recycled Altoid's tin which is now a handy paintbox.

Making little paintboxes has become a bit of an obsession. I collect flat, lightweight containers such as makeup compacts, vintage metal cigarette boxes, vintage aluminum soap boxes, children's watercolor sets, mint, candy, and cough drop boxes can be converted into little paintboxes. I spray the inside of the boxes with white enamel so I can use this as a mixing area. I order empty half pans and full pans from Daniel Smith and adhere them to the bottom of the box with doublestick carpet tape, fill them with a warm and a cool of 3 basic colors, add a tiny Koi waterbrush, and I'm set to paint wherever I go.

The face is a handcarved rubber stamp that I made from a tracing of a photograph. It was very difficult to carve the details but it's close enoough so that I don't feel the need to re-do the carving.