Building (or whittling down) your sketchkit. And a Workshop Giveaway and Zoom Session.
Wrapping up the year with some looking forward. And looking back.
An extra post this month, just because it’s the end of the year, and a time to look back. And forward. Also, maybe it’s time to (once again) streamline my ever-expanding urban sketching kit.
I’m sharing my thoughts because I find it a useful way to whittle down my kit every time it grows unwieldy, but also because I wish I’d built up a kit like this, slowly, when I started. Much as I love watercolor, I think feeling pressured to use them right from the start of your sketching journey gets in the way of doing what’s most important: Sketching a lot.
WHITTLING DOWN THAT EVER-BURGEONING URBAN SKETCHING KIT
(Note: You can also use similar thinking to build up a beginning practice by starting with super-simple supplies and deciding if you need to add more stuff over your sketching journey. )
Keeping my urban sketching kit compact is tricky. I love experimenting with new supplies and tools. This means every few months, my kit grows too large to carry around everywhere.
So I do this: I dump the contents of my bag into a heap and then start from scratch and build myself a kit to cover all my sketching scenarios, starting with situations that need the most basic kits.
SKETCHING WHILE WALKING
Basic Kit: Small Book and Single Tool: a pen or a pencilAdd Ons: A colored pencil or two
This little kit lets me sketchnote at museums and on walks. But it can go beyond a quick sketch, letting me document scenes in as much detail as I wish. ( I use a larger sketchbook with mixed media paper when not walking around.)
SKETCHING IN FULL COLOR IN DRY MEDIA
Add: A black brushpen, a grey brushpen, and some water-soluble colored pencils, and I get a full-color kit, with none of the complications of watercolor.Extras: Add a water brush and a mister and create some water media effects.
The images below use colored pencils as a dry medium, brushpens for gesture drawing, and colored pencils over a misted background for watercolor-like effects.
ADDING IN SOME MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
Add: sharpener or blade, eraser, clips, ballpoint pen, ink vial, glue stick, and foam mat for sitting.Extras: Folding stool if you prefer. Also, non-sketching stuff like waterbottle, hat, sunblock, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, wallet, keys, etc.
STILL GOT ROOM?
Add: compact watercolor kit, small nalgene jar for paint water, travel brush, tube of white gouache.And that’s it, I’ve got a versatile, and pretty compact sketchkit to work with! See photo at the top of the post for the full size of this kit.
Over time, I add interesting materials and tools, and I let that happen until it’s time for the next sketch kit reboot…
A GIVEAWAY, A WORKSHOP, AND A FREE ZOOM SESSION
WORKSHOP GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win FOUR ONLINE WORKSHOPS, taught by 4 different instructors (of whom I am one) in early 2024. Details on how to enter are here:
https://sweepwidget.com/c/75720-g2bfop4t
To be sure you get a seat in the workshop,
SIGN UP FOR IT NOW!
(You will be reimbursed if you are the lucky winner of the giveaway )
Here are the details:
Do you want to capture vibrant colors on your page? Do you wonder how to find jewel tones in the drabbest of scenes?
In this color-centric workshop, I will share some techniques for finding color in any scene through a series of exercises. You will develop an eye for seeing color everywhere, learn to balance vibrant colors with quieter ones and use mixed media to add that extra zing of color to your artwork.
Join me online on Saturday, March 2nd from 10am–12:30pm Pacific Time for this workshop. Sign up here:
https://arttoolkit.com/workshops/color-that-pops-with-suhita-shirodkar/
Mark Your Calendars: Free Zoom Session
End of Year Zoom Session
23rd December, 9am PST
Bring along a beverage to drink and sketch, and any art supplies you wish!
Come sketch together and share your thoughts and ideas:
What is your art focus for 2024? Any tips on making art more regularly in your everyday life?
I’ll share my goals and thoughts, you share yours!
Join in here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83135922670?pwd=bnVXcFcyclExQ3FWVUQrQ3VyMm9zdz09 Meeting ID: 831 3592 2670 Passcode: 933862
And since all of you are my artist friends I look to for shared wisdom, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. If you share them with me, I can share them with everyone on Zoom on the 23rd!
Just email me at suhita@gmail.com and copy/paste these questions (and add your answers!) to the email. ( totally optional to answer all or just some of these questions) Also, feel free to share anything else you want to!
• What is one thing you did creatively in 2023 that you are proud of? (It can be a big thing, it can be little, heck it can even be something you decided to do and haven’t done yet!)
• Do you have any tips you can share on how to make more creative time in your everyday life? (These don’t have to be things that make a big difference: if they add even a little bit more artmaking to your life, they’re a win and useful to us all!)
• Your name and a social media link so we can enjoy your work!
Thank You again for a wonderful 2023. Here’s to a peaceful holiday season and a creative 2024!
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This is so helpful. I carry around a version of your #1, just a small softcover notebook and a black ink pen, because I hate carrying extraneous “stuff”. I guess carrying something to sketch with is better than nothing!
If you don’t mind sharing, what is the green pouch you’re using for your pens and pencils? I like how it stands up and you can see all your tools at once instead of having to rummage through a bag.