Traveling with watercolors and the water brush

Last month, we covered using the sketchbook, mechanical pencil and permanent pen. You’d be fine going out just using these three, not being encumbered by other things. However, if you want to add an ink wash or some color, it’s good to bring along a fountain pen, some portable watercolors and a water brush.

Water-soluble pens

All fountain pens are water soluble that’s because the ink is dye-based in a water-based solvent.  I have a great time with them, taking advantage of the smearing created by adding water. What happens is that I use the line as a palette to create values in my drawings.  I also use the water soluble pen to add some more interest in a drawing. For instance, here’s a draw I did of Cardiff Castle in Wales. I took advantage of the solubility of the ink to create shadows.

Traveling watercolor paints

I don’t like to add too much color to my sketches, although I‘ve been known to go overboard with color.  Usually though, I prefer to let the ink tell the story. When I do add color I usually go with two types of products.

You can purchase pre-made palettes (no children’s sets, like Prang or Crayola). The professional ones tend to be expensive, but they are cool. Usually you get a small brush and a nice area to mix your colors.  There are even sets that have their own little water bottle.

If you are going to go out and buy a watercolor set, I like Winsor-Newton. While I would not recommend these paints (Cotman) for producing fine art in the studio, their colors are good for on-the-go sketching, the size is right and their painting cakes can be purchased online when you run out.  The set comes with plastic holders that contain paint cakes. Both are loose. To secure them into the set, I glue the holders with tacky glue such as Elmer’s and I wet the cakes and seal them into the holders.

Since I’m a little nutty about staying small, I actually create my own sets using weekly pill containers. Purchasing the three primary and three secondary colors in tubes, I then fill the pill case with the paints, leaving the middle one empty for some water if I need it.

This so small, I can carry it anywhere!

The beauty behind using six colors is that I am able to create as many colors as I want. It is estimated that we can create millions of colors from just these six and they are usually cleaner, if done right. So no, there’s no need to go out and buy 12 plus colors to meet your color needs. In the end, though, both types of painting kits work.

The Waterbrush (see free video below)

One of the best inventions made for sketching was the Waterbrush by Niji. All you have to do is fill the barrel with water and press. Voilà, the brush is ready to go. As with all products, you can find others offering similar brushes: Aquaflo (don't buy the real cheap ones) and Pentel.

With these brushes, there’s no need to carrying water around with you.  But be warned,

there are some water brushes that are not so good—they don’t have a clutch that restricts the flow of water to the brush from the barrel.  If you buy the cheap ones (usually they come in threes and are about $3.50 in price), the paint will end up in the barrel with a mess on your hands in no time.

Water-soluble colored pencils

Very often I will just grab a small set of watercolor pencils and use them to add color. The biggest advice I can give here is don’t buy children’s sets—stay away from anything that costs around $5. You ARE getting what you pay for. Less pigment and more filler. I tend toward Primsacolor or Lyra since they offer nice small sets.  Besides they have soft lead and seem to go farther with less.

I don’t use these pencils a lot in the field, but when I do, I usually draw a small palette at the back of my book and use that to add a dash of color. Are you old enough, like me, to remember those sets that came with a drawing and a palette of color down at the bottom of the page??

Camera

Why bring a camera when you’re sketching? Aren’t we trying to eliminate our dependence on cameras? No exactly. For one thing, I like to take photos, period. When I’m someplace new, I want to capture those instant, fresh images when you first get out of the car, off the train, bus or plane. Those quick burst of excitement are easily conveyed by a camera, not so much by sketching.

Secondly, I like to take a photo of what I’m sketching to use later in my studio. Light changes every minute and by taking a photo before and after my sketching session, I can modify—add or subtract—later in the hotel room or when I’m back home.

Thirdly, a photo will help me to see things I didn’t see on location. Sometimes you just don’t have a lot of time to study a building or a farmers’ market. You’re on a bus or quickly passing by the town. A photo will help you capture the details you may have lost in those passing moments. It’s a great record-keeping tool.

Camping stool

I used to go out and just plop down anywhere, using my jacket or sweater. I was usually hoping to find a bench or a good flat rock to sit upon. Then one day I was visiting a town in England (Marlborough) that just so happened to be on market day and just so happened to have a vendor selling triangle stools. I fell in love immediately, but had to wait until I got back to the States to buy one—my luggage weight wouldn’t allow anymore “goodies.”

My first stool was almost exactly what I saw in England, a stool that has just enough room for me to sit on and is small enough to pop into my luggage. This is the one I usually take with me on trips abroad.

For Stateside trips, I found one that is not only small with a triangular seat, but even has a back to it and believe it or not, a cup holder, which I use as a pencil holder. Best of all, it is light weight and comes with a shoulder strap. I purchased it at our local variety/hardware store.

YouTube Channel

I'm very excited to announce that I have a channel on YouTube that holds all my videos. I am continuing to create one a month and will include the new monthly video in this newsletter. But I thought you'd like to see the entire channel and/or share it with your friends--those who can't come to my classes or workshops because of other commitments. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/user/jillgoodell

Unfortunately, I'm not very good yet, so please excuse all the ums and ahs. As with everything, I will get better as time goes one.

This month's video: The Water Brush

What's Coming Up!
New Term Begins   April 13, 2014

Studio Classes/6-Week Class Term
Register by email: jjgoodell@gmail.com
Please register by Friday, April 11, 2014

Drawing every Tuesday evening
Temporarily closed until Fall 2014

The Sketching Atelier every Wednesday mornings
10 am to 12:30 pm* $80 per term
(please note: class time has been extended)
Still life and Mixed Media

Acrylic Painting every Thursday evening
6:30 pm to 9:00 pm $80 per term
Still Life (class full, wait list)

Second Sundays 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Visual Journaling with collage and mixed media
Drop in $20 Details at:
http://journalingpaperandpen.blogspot.com/

PCC Workshops

Travel Sketching
Saturday, April 26
Sylvania Campus

Beginning Acrylic Painting
Saturday, May 10
Sylvania Campus

For more details contact PCC at 971-722626
online: www.pcc.edu

Sketching the English Village
Registration closing: April 25, 2014
For more information go to:
English SketchingWorkshop

Travel Sketching with Pen and Watercolor Wash Part I

I love to sketch when traveling. That's why I take students on sketching trips, like the one we're planning in May. It's such a fun and exciting experience. I started off sketching back in the year 2000 while living in England for a summer. I bought a book on drawing and spent a lot of my time fiddling around with pencil and paper. It started out as a something-to-do activity,which eventually evolved into a passion for me. Okay, some friends would say an obsession.

What I usually take with me.

Small is the word to use when traveling. Not only do our suitcases have to be smaller these days, but so do our art supplies. I learned a long time ago that carrying a load of stuff is not only wasteful--you don’t use most of it-- but also tiresome--it all weighs too much.

Thus, I try to be very selective in what I take on my travels. At the very least, here’s what goes in my pocket:

• Sketchbook (no larger than 9 x 12)
• Mechanical Pencil
• Permanent Pen (Micron, Uniball, Sharpie Pen)
• Water Brush
• A watercolor set I buy or one that I create.
• Of course, a small point and shoot camera

That’s it in a nutshell. All the other things can stay home. If it can’t fit inside a small satchel/backpack, then it shouldn't accompany you.

Sketchbooks 

I have this thing about paper. Sometimes I love one kind over another. Then later, I can flip my opinion. But when it comes to travel sketching, there are certain guidelines to follow: 

• Paper should be heavy enough to tolerate wet media. 
• The book is small enough to fit into your backpack and have at least 25 pages, but no more than 100 (gets too heavy).
• The cover should be durable. Sketchbooks with flimsy covers will prove to be a big disappointment. In no time at all, the cover will be torn, bent or even gone. 
• You can choose between a stitch-bound or spiral book. There are advantages to both. I like stitch-bound 5” x 8.25 Moleskin® and the Pentalic® books that open flat, have a smooth paper surface, heavy enough to tolerate water and have a pocket in the back. I like being able to draw across  both pages. They come in different types of paper as well, including watercolor,with good covers. Their biggest disadvantage is I can’t tear out a sheet very neatly. 
  
• I also like the spiral Nature Sketching books by Pentalic®. The paper is 130#, which is perfect for inking and wet watercolor washes.  The covers are flimsy so I usually glue the first couple of pages to the front cover and then collage it, based on the theme of the sketching project.
• The best size is what’s comfortable for you.  For years, I stayed with only 9 x 12. I would not recommend anything larger than 11 x 14. The larger the sketchbook, the more cumbersome it is. I don’t enjoy working with itsy-bitsy sketchbooks either.

Mechanical Pencils

If you only took your sketchbook and a mechanical pencil, you’d be set for an entire day of sketching. I love mechanical pencils because they are always at the ready. For one, you have a sharp point with no sharpener necessary. For another, you eraser is conveniently attached. Plus, most of these pencils come with good plastic white erasers, which can take the toughest pencil marks off.  

They come in different softness (usually sold with HB lead or #2). Now that they are so cheap (set of 6 for $1), you can afford to take a couple with you. I personally like the Pentel Twist-Eraser® pencil. The eraser is rather long, which you twist up as you need more. 

Mechanical pencils also have different point sizes. I usually work with 5mm, but they also come in 7 mm and 9mm, which are bolder lines. I’ll cover more on point sizes when I cover pens.

Do I ever use regular pencils? Of course, I use the standard wooden pencil, my favorite being those that are sold in sets with hard and soft pencils. But I use wooden pencils mostly in my studio, utilizing the softer pencils for shadows and darker forms in my illustrations.

While I prefer using mechanical pencils outside, they do require some getting used to. We all have a tendency to press hard on our pencils at the tip–-even at an angle. If you do that, you will find that your mechanical point will break off more often. So I suggest holding your pencil a bit less angular and with a more tender touch.

Permanent Pens

My mode of sketching is laying down a quick pencil sketch first, add some pen work, erase the pencil marks and add color. It’s quick and easy. Finding that perfect ink pen may take more time.  That’s because there so many pens from which to choose. But for the moment, I am only going to discuss the permanent pen. How can you tell a permanent pen from a water-soluble (one that bleeds when touched with water)? Simple, it will state so on the with the words permanent or waterproof.

If the pen says nothing about permanence, you can pretty much consider it water-soluble (made with water-based ink). However, with so many new pens on the market touting they are water-resistant when dry or fraud resistant, it makes you wonder. I've tried some of these and found them to be inconsistent. Most smear, some a lot, some only a little. To be on the safe side, I stick with pens that indicate they are permanent. 

Drawing pens also come in varying nib widths or what others call points. They range from 0.03 to 1.0 or higher. I like to stay within the .05 range—just in the middle. It gives me the perfect line. I use the other sized nibs for my studio work. For brands, I like Micron® and Uniball®, which comes in fine and micro—either one will do.

Next month, I’ll cover using the water brush and watercolors on-site. If you want to learn more this month, come to my Travel Sketching workshop at PCC on March 8th. Details below. In the meantime, check out my third free video on color mixing with Daniel Smith’s watercolor sticks. Please excuse the sound, rather scratchy--buying a new microphone today!

Third in a Series of Free Videos by Jill Jeffers Goodell

Mixing Colors with Daniel Smith Watercolor Sticks

What's Coming Up!

Classes and Workshops
Glastonbury Studios Classes

New Term Begins Week of March 2nd

6-Week Class Term

Register by email: jjgoodell@gmail.com

Drawing in My Studio every Tuesday evening

Four seats available

7 pm to 9 pm $70 per term

Mixed Media: Drawing Still life

The Sketching Atelier every Wednesday morning
Four seats available

10 am to 12 pm $75 per term

Mixed Media: Sketching Still Life

Fun with Acrylics every Thursday evening

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm $80 per term

Painting the Still Life

Full

Second Sundays 1 p.m. To 4 p.m.

Visual Journaling with collage and mixed media

Drop in $20 Details at:

http://journalingpaperandpen.blogspot.com/

Workshops at PCC

Details at:

http://www.pcc.edu/community/

Saturday, March 8 

Travel Sketching with Pen, Ink and Watercolor Wash
 One-Day Workshop

Sylvania campus