And the Studio Sink...

One of the tenents of working on location is to travel as light as you can. Another is to bring only what you actually use. However, that doesn't mean you can't bring a wide array of tools and materials in a compact fashion. 

This map pouch, from Condor, serves a dual purpose. I can throw it into a medium-sized messenger bag along with a small sketchbook for urban sketching. For more sustained Plein Air painting, it gets added to a larger backpack that includes a tripod and additional supplies. The pouch's dimensions are 6.5" in height, 5.5" in width and 3.5" in depth. Originally, there was a velcro panel on the front flap, but I removed it as it gave added bulk and wasn't required.

This pouch holds any of the tools I may require in a sitting. All of them are not used during every session, as I don't always know beforehand what I will need. However, I can move between straight watercolour or ink with watercolour as the situation or time restrictions guide me. It took some time to narrow the selection down to the relevant pieces. Now it serves me well: I just grab it and go. A smaller more contained pouch, employed for very light carry, can be read about here.

What is in the Pouch
In terms of content, the map pouch holds a total of 33 items, if you include the lead pointer on the zipper pull.

Left to right along the top are shop towels, a calliper, four water brushes, a fan brush, a rigger, five travel brushes, two mechanical pencils, a spray mister, a kneaded eraser, three fountain pens (one straight nib, two fude or curved nibs), a metal ruler. The next row has a cut-up credit card and a value scale. Along the bottom, there is a spot value scale, a  white out pen, a Sharpie marker, a colour isolator, a sponge with magnetic attachment, a large watercolour box, a small watercolour box plus a tube of white watercolour paint.

All Packed Up
Below you can see how the pieces fit into the pouch before it is zipped up.

Travelling light doesn't mean you can't have everything required for your sketching and painting ventures. Keeping them compact and organized is the key to a more enjoyable on-location experience.

Protecting Brushes on Location

One of the more common problems you can run into when painting on location is damaged brush tips. There are different types of brush cases you can use when travelling outside the studio. However, I have found many of these do not protect the brush's bristles effectively. 

Tac in a Box

A solution I have been using for almost a decade now is with a lidded box and two rows of sticky tac. Find a metal or plastic pencil box big enough to fit the brushes you use. I prefer the hinged types. Place two rows of sticky tac across the inside of the box. You can do this with both the bottom and top lid if space allows. Make sure the top row of sticky tac is placed where the ferrules, the metal part of the brushes, will adhere. With the second row positioned closer to the end of the brush handles. Add your brushes as required.   

The Right Way to Dry Your Brushes

This method of brush storage has one very big advantage over most other brush carriers. When you have finished painting, cleaned your brushes, and put them back in, the box can be placed in your bag or backpack, with the brush tips pointing down to dry. Brushes should always be dried tips facing down, now you can do it when on location.

Test Things First

As with anything, always test the brushes and other implements you will be using. Various brands of sticky tac have different adhesive strengths. Some won't hold at all! I use UHU brand tac as it stays malleable and has good holding strength. Additionally, different materials adhere with varying degrees of strength. Some plastics can stick quite strongly to the tac, making them harder to remove. With wooden-handled paintbrushes, be careful of ones with cracked enamel on the handle as the sticky tac could lift it off. 

Organizational Advantages

Besides all the benefits mentioned, this provides great organization and easy storage. I keep most of my brushes this way, some are stored by type. For example, the far right set of brushes below are all squirrel or synthetic sqirrel hair. The far left box I bring for my workshop students.

A simple solution that gives convenience, protection and longer life to your brushes.

Working With Grids

Using grids to block out a drawing, when working from life, is a common practice and goes back a few centuries. They can be an effective tool, but can be tricky to use unless you take a few steps to help make the experience more productive. Grids like this can be store-bought or drawn out with permanent markers on plexiglass. Many people handhold their grids, others attach them to their easel or tripod. 

Getting Started

Once a scene or subject is selected, I will set up my tripod, paints and other materials as required. By moving the grid around, I can fine-tune the relationships and other compositional elements to my liking. Below you can see the design divides nicely into thirds horizontally, as indicated by the heavier horizontal lines. When using grids, my paper or canvas will always have the same framework proportionally drawn out, so I can transfer the information accurately from my plastic grid to my working surface. 

Using a Grid
Once a composition is finalized, I will start blocking out the various shapes and forms as required, indicated in green below. However, anyone who has used a grid knows that this is not as easy a process as it appears. 

A Common Problem

Difficulties can arise as soon as you glance away from your grid and then look back. Everything seems out of alignment, as seen below. This can happen for any number of reasons. Stepping back or forward a bit, leaning in or out, holding the grid with an outstretched arm and then bending your elbow, or even moving your head up or down an inch. All of these things can change the alignment and even the perspective of what you were initially viewing. It can get frustrating and time-consuming to try to realign everything. Even with a grid firmly attached to your easel this can happen.

A Solution
One answer to this is when you initially look through the grid, immediately mark off three or four key points in your scene around the grid, indicated in red below. Remember these key points. These will act as common references for you to line up the grid to your subject. Then, whether you move in any way, you will quickly be able to realign the grid to your scene and continue working.

There are many tools available to help us with our drawings and paintings. Not all are for everyone but always be willing to try something new, you may be surprised.

Sketching with Fountain Pens

As today is International Fountain Pen Day I though it would be a good opportunity to talk about using fountain pens in regards to sketching.

When I first started doing ink and watercolour sketches I used a variety of waterproof markers, each with different sized tips. Which was great but I wanted to work with a single pen that would make a variety of widths. It suited the way I worked. I discovered that many Urban Sketchers were using various types of fountain pens. Liking the results I was seeing, I started researching what might work for me.

The Fude Nib?
After trying a variety of pens and straight nibs, I came across styles that were fitted with what was called a Fude or calligraphy nib. "Fude" is Japanese for "writing brush" but bent metal nibs seem to fall into the same category. These nibs have a curved tip which enables you to create a variety of thin to thick lines depending on how you position the pen. The higher or more vertically you hold the pen the thinner the line while lowering it creates wider lines. They are very spontaneous in terms of line making and do away with the need for a variety of nib sizes.

Watercolour and Ink
If you will be adding watercolours to your ink drawing it is important to be aware that most fountain pen inks are NOT waterproof. If they get wetted the ink will bleed all over the paper. Additionally, regular inks, like India Ink, will destroy most fountain pens. You need to find an ink that is waterproof but specifically made for fountain pens. The brand I currently use is: "Art Alternatives India Black Fountain Pen Ink". There are other brands available. Not every one adds watercolours to their ink drawings so waterproof ink would not be a concern.

Wanting To Try One Out
Pens come with two types of nibs straight or fude (sometimes called calligraphy tip) nibs. Straight nibs are sized in small, medium or large while the Fude is one size. Also check accompanying images to confirm nib type. In terms of purchase there are many venues, including art stores and pen shops. However some of these pens can only be found on eBay. It pays to shop around, especially on eBay as you can find a large price range for the same item.

Here is a list of pens I use and recommend as a starting point.
- Hero 9018 Fude Tip          - Baoer 388 Fude Tip
- Duke 209 Fude Tip           - Jinhao 159 Calligraphy pen
- Sailor Fountain pen Fude De Mannen special nib calligraphy Green shaft

Fountain pens are a great way to work quickly when sketching. They are convenient to carry and can give added line variety in your work.

Messing With Manet

A great exercise is to do a copy of a master's painting. The classical example is to spend an extended period of time carefully mapping out and painting a copy as close to the original as you can; line for line, stroke for stroke, and colour for colour. Traditionally this is done in a museum or gallery from the actual painting. Most of us won't have that opportunity so we work with images found in books or on the internet.

However, there are different considerations and levels of finish that can be taken into account. For this series of exercises, done as demos for a student who loves Manet, the basic shapes of the painting were blocked in loosely. The aim was to work on colour and brush strokes, or mark-making. The original images of Manet's work were to serve as a guide and inspiration but NOT to be strictly adhered to in terms of demanding perfection. It was to help the student loosen up, look at large areas of colour and work on using abstract brush marks to create representational objects.

Messing With Manet 
My student loves Manet's paintings and selected a number of pieces to work with. I call it messing with Manet because we were not doing exact copies but using his work more as a starting point, inspiration and a specific focus for each exercise.

Messing With Colour 
We used Edward Manet's "The Monet Family in Their Garden at Argenteuil" painted in 1874 as our first selection. The emphasis here was about laying down large areas of colour while keeping the study as direct and simple as possible.

Messing With Brushes 

Manet's "The House at Rueil" from 1882 was next. Here the use of various paintbrushes was looked at in the process of creating unique marks. We even cut up a few brush tips for special effects. Again, Manet was our starting point, but the exercise took priority. Especially evident in the tree foliage, as it is quite different from the original. Some points of interest. The actual house in Rueil, which still stands, looks very different in reality. Manet added some windows on the main floor and lengthened out the house horizontally. The present house has no shutters, so he may have even added them in!

Messing With Strokes

The final exercise was all about making stokes. My student had the natural tendency to fill in areas of colour with a flat application of paint. Not a negative thing, but they wanted to explore more impressionistic stokes as well as utilize a few "abstract" strokes to convey something that would read more representationally in the end. Manet's 1864 "Peonies in a Vase" became our next selection. 

Having Fun While Messing

Again, the exact placement of leaves and flowers was not the purpose. It was to create a look of leaves and flowers, using strong, direct brush strokes. Being more focused on spontaneity and not overworking the paint. Put the stoke down and leave it alone. Taking the "perfection" element from these exercises makes for an important aspect of painting, enjoying yourself and having fun!

Not All Images Are Created Equal
One thing that we discovered throughout this process, is the wide variety of colours available for the image you select. Some images are brighter, some are duller, and some have very extreme colours. Simply go online, Google a specific painting, and you will see exactly what I am referred to here. We selected images that appealed to us, that had some vibrancy and life to them.

Select a famous painting that you like and try one or more of the exercises listed above, and remember to have fun.

Drawing By Dissociation

One of the biggest struggles in drawing or painting is when parts of our brain tell us what it "knows" something looks like, which prevents us from actually "seeing" what is in front of us. This results in drawing a more icon-like or familiar version of our subject instead of what is before us. 

The Eyes Have It 

An example that showcases this problem, one that I constantly come across, is in regards to drawing eyes. There is a part of our brain that likes to simplify things into icon-like images. It tells us that the eye is a pointy ended oval having a circle within a circle in the middle. Another part then tells us it is aware of certain physical details like eyelashes, which need to be added. The result is typically something like you see on the right.

Alternatively, we want to access those parts of our brain that are more observationally attuned to understanding what we are actually looking at. When this is applied we end up with an eye that is more accurate and tends to look more realistic, as seen here.

So how is this accomplished?

Dissociation From Our Subject

At first, this may sound counterproductive but to get around the problems discussed above of icons and information, we need to help our brains switch gears.

This is done through dissociation with our subject. It is the conscious and purposeful practice of looking at your subject in terms of measurements, comparisons, and angles. Keep from using the more familiar names or terms but look to the structures, shapes and relationships that are in front of you.

Talk to most portrait artists and they will tell you they are very conscious about NOT drawing or painting an eye, a nose or a mouth. They are more concentrated on the shapes, spaces, measures and angles that create their subject's unique features. Many say if they think of an "eye" or a "nose" they can easily create a more generic, familiar eye than the one they are looking at.

A Practical Example

In this case, what we want to do is dissociate with what we know about water bottles. Our brain has a simplified icon and will tell you all that it "knows" about bottles of this sort. At this point, we switch gears and purpose not to think of it as a water bottle but an object with no familiar descriptors. Rather we focus on its height-to-width relationship, what are the angles that point to its top? How wide is the green shape on top compared to the width of the object? Where is the halfway point? And so on.

Building Mental Muscles
So why this game? Once our brain becomes familiar with something, it doesn't need to remember the myriad of water bottles available on the market, but it just simplifies one and creates an icon for it. Our brain has many different functions and we need to learn how to access and flex the right mental muscles when it comes to observation.

Initially, We Always Observe
However, when we first observe a new subject or even view a familiar subject from a new aspect, we switch over to the observational functions of our brain.

To illustrate this I have included the same image of the bottle but rotated it 180 degrees. It is now unfamiliar, your brain doesn't usually see bottles in this orientation. Note your experience at seeing the rotated bottle. It is now more about shape and relationship than familiar icon simplification. You have dissociated from the familiar and are observing with more accuracy.

The more we choose to dissociate from our subjects in familiar terms and general identifiers, the better our drawings and paintings will be.

Seven Minute Sketches

A great way to challenge yourself and grow in your drawing abilities is through the practice of timed sketches. Seven minutes is a good average to work with. It gives you enough time to complete a sketch while forcing you to make quick and direct decisions.

All the sketches above were completed in seven minutes, or in multiple blocks of seven minutes. The individual pens and brushes, in the top left, took seven minutes each to sketch. The birds, landscape and bottles were finished in seven-minute blocks. The building, my son's old school, was done in two passes. The first seven for the drawing of the building. The second block of seven was for the washes. The tree beside the school was a separately timed sketch.

Benefits
• You will produce drawings or paintings that are “pure you”.
• It Improves your observational skills at an accelerated rate.
• You can sketch numerous subjects in a single sitting.
• If one sketch doesn’t work out - just move on to the next page - it's only been seven minutes.
• Less stress, as you are not worried about creating a “masterpiece” in seven minutes.
• Helps you to simplify shapes and group shapes together because of time limitations.
• A great forum to try working directly with ink or paint - no pencil block-in.
• Your “style” will begin to naturally show itself much more quickly.

You Can’t Draw Every Detail
We are so focused on believing that recognition is found in the details that even in a limited time situation, we try to cram in everything we can see before us into our sketch. Most subjects, including people, can be simplified to just a few lines. This method helps you learn to indicate things just enough and then leave them alone. For more about how we see click HERE.

Multiple Drawings: Same Subject
Whether a beginner or a seasoned pro, drawing something in multiples (three is a good number) will help you to build critical visual information about the subject. This will result in increased accuracy with each successive drawing. Remember it is more about seeing and understanding than it is about “drawing”. For more about multiple drawings click HERE.

7 Minute Modules
Sometimes seven minutes may not be enough time for certain subjects, or you may wish to develop a sketch further. Simply expand the working model into seven-minute modules as required. For instance, you could work the major shapes and window placement of a building in the first seven minutes. Then in the following seven-minute block, finish up the details and add colour.

Should All Sketches Be 7 Minutes?
No. What this exercise does is help develop an understanding of how long it takes you to work through a sketch at different levels of finish. It gives you a good awareness of what you can accomplish in a given time frame(s). In the case of a more sustained study, you will now have a practical approach in place for planning time and execution.  

You will be surprised at what you can actually accomplish in seven minutes.

The Repeated Exploration of Attraction©

I enjoy revisiting the same subject when sketching. Especially those that keep vying for my attention. The process of sketching helps me to explore the reasons for my attraction. 

This condo, beside a nearby park, kept peaking my interest. Both during the construction phase and once it was complete. This series of sketches were done over a number of years. It was the man-made, monolithic shape, and its reflection contrasted against the trees and lake that seemed to pique my interest. One point of interest is that I was inclined to sketch them on overcast or rainy days. Sunny days never seemed as interesting.

Why Draw Something Multiple Times?
On the drawing side, the more familiar you become with your subject, the better you will understand it. The better you understand it, the more accurate it can be. Notice I didn't say "will be" because understanding your subject also enables for stronger stylization or simplification. On the emotional and intuitive side, it is always interesting to explore the abstract ideas or concepts that draw us unconsciously to something. For instance, why was I more attracted to this scene when the days were grey and overcast? Still working on that one! I know I will do more sketches of this scene in the future.

Another reason to sketch out a subject multiple times is simply to understand it better. Repetition creates strong observational information that we add to a Visual Memory File. Many times, I will do a series of studies simply to explore the best way to represent a subject for a final drawing or painting.

Pay attention the next time you are drawn to a subject and start a "Repeated Exploration of Attraction" with it in your sketchbook!

Location, Location, Location!

Anyone who has taken a workshop with me knows I am a big advocate for working on location. I fully understand that it can be intimidating at first. The thought of people watching or asking questions can keep all of us securely locked in the safety of a studio. However, the benefits learned on location greatly surpass any fears we may have.

Two Types of Location Work

Most people think of working on location in terms of a full blow "Plein Air" painting setup, like above on the left. However, more common is the minimal setup shown on the right. A sketchbook, some pens with a set of watercolours. The setup on the left was the final stage from a month-long series of preliminary studies and sketches done for a painting challenge using the smaller setup. This was the finished painting. 

Urban Sketching

Additionally, you don't have to be in a field or a forest somewhere, you can sketch in a cafe, along the street or in a mall. This is where a smaller kit comes into play. A grassroots art movement that has spread worldwide in the last decade is known as Urban Sketching. Basically, it is about getting out into the urban setting and sketching anything from a coffee cup, a cafe scene, a bus or a family out doing some shopping. Urban Sketching is not about how "good" you are but simply to get out, draw and have fun. 

What Are the Benefits?

When you are on location quick decisions have to be made and adhered to. Light is changing, the weather is a variable, or you may be unable to stay in one place for very long. While this initially sounds unappealing what it does is cause your drawing to improve. How? You can't procrastinate. Judgements need to be made about what to edit out and leave in. Complex, detailed objects are simplified. You learn to see what is important about a scene and focus on that. You stop worrying about being "perfect" and focus on doing your best, which gets better much more quickly being outside than in your studio.

Getting Comfortable
To become more at ease when working on location, just take it in small steps. Start simple, a little sketchbook with a pencil or pen is all you need. Most people will think you are writing. As you get more comfortable you can add a watercolour set or coloured pencils, markers, etc. For some information on setting up a small sketch kit click HERE. Another thing that is a big help, whether just beginning or an old pro, is to locate a place to work where your back is against something. A tree, a wall, a building, etc. This way you can see who is coming at you with no surprises. People are less inclined to approach you from the front. 

You Never Know Who You Might Meet
One day during an outdoor workshop this curious Stellar's Jay popped in. He was grabbing at everyone's brushes and pens, even tired flying off with a few. I think he just wanted to join in.

Take A Friend 

People will be less inclined to come up to you if you are not alone. Bring along a sketch partner, a paint group or even just someone who is there to read a book, listen to a podcast, or enjoy the fresh air.

"Everything that is painted directly and on the spot has always a strength, a power, a vivacity of touch which one cannot recover in the studio... three strokes of a brush in front of nature are worth more than two days of work at the easel." Eugene Boudin

Cutting Straighter Edges by Hand

There are times when it is difficult to keep a ruler steady when cutting paper or an artboard. The surface of your material is slippery, causing the ruler to keep moving around as you attempt to cut.

A simple solution is to line up your ruler to where you need to make the cut. Then tape down the non-cutting edge of the ruler using pieces of painter's tape. This helps keep the ruler securely in place. Grip the ruler with your non-cutting hand, as you normally would. The tape gives you a more stable placement, but the ruler still needs to be held in place with pressure as you cut. 

Test this out on a few scraps with the materials you normally use to get more comfortable with how this method works. If the tape marks or removes the surface of the paper or board then take the pieces of tape and adhere them to your pant leg or shirt sleeve first, before applying them to the paper/board. 

Below I am preparing to trim off the uneven edge of a piece of Gatorboard.

Always remember to use a fresh, sharp blade when cutting any material. Most accidents happen because of dull blades. Another good practice is not to use cutting tools or anything sharp when you are tired.

Restoring Brush Tips

A quick and simple way to restore the shape of a damaged brush is with a cup of boiling water. I have had a lot of success using this method. The first time was with a flat brush whose bristles, were bent out of shape due to poor packaging. Using the steps outlined below, it restored it to its original factory shape. 

Some Typical Examples 
These two brushes were part of a bag of thirty, bought at a thrift store for $3.00. Most of them were good-quality brushes, but many were bent and splayed as seen in the "before" pictures below. You can see the dramatic restoration that took place using this method. 

Important Before Beginning

Many brushes look out of shape when they are dry. It is important to first test your brushes by dipping them in cool water. Give the paintbrush a flick to remove any excess water from the bristles. This will show you the brush's true shape. At that point, you can decide whether it needs to be repaired or not.

How It Works

Boil a cup of water in a microwave. Dip the brush tip, about halfway down the length of its bristles, into the boiling water.* Swish and rub the submerged half of the bristles against the side of the cup for 3-5 seconds. Remove the brush and flick it over a sink. Check the shape and tip. If there is still some damage, repeat the previous steps as required. Once the brush is ready, let it air dry with the bristols pointing down. *Caution: NEVER dip the bristols of a brush into the hot water down past the ferrule (the metal or plastic piece), or you can affect the glue holding the bristols in place.

An Alternative for Slight Damage

If you have a brush that is only slightly out of shape this method may not be necessary. Clean out any dried paint in the bristles of the brush using a brush cleaner. Once clean, shape the tip with your fingers, then let the brush dry, bristles down, with the soap left in it. Rinse out the soap before painting.

Some Important Provisions

I am always cautious about presenting a method like this because there are always unknown variables. Things like brush quality, age, etc. all play a factor. This method is for severely damaged brushes. Try this with caution and at your own risk. Practice first on a brush that you don't mind losing to get comfortable with the process. To date I have only done this with synthetic tips, I am not sure how natural bristles would respond. As with many things, dealing with the damage before it gets too severe is always recommended. 

This method won't restore every brush. Sometimes it is simply that a brush is too old. Paintbrushes do wear out but don't throw these ones away. They are great for other types of mark-making when painting.

Getting Practical: The Focal Point

A favourite word of mine, especially in the area of art instruction, is practical. It is at the forefront of my workshops and behind every post I write. Of course, I've missed that mark at times but it is the goal. Practical instruction requires transferable content, making it straightforward for students to apply it and practice it in their work. With this in mind, I thought it would be helpful, from time to time, to "practically" apply some of the instruction from topics I have been posting in the foundations 101 series and elsewhere.

The Focal Point
The importance of establishing a focal point for every drawing or painting we do was looked at in "How Our Eyes See": Part I and Part II. Having worked through the information in those exercises let's see how they unfold, practically, using this ink and watercolour sketch of old Vancouver. It was composed using clips from a 1907 movie taken by William Harbeck. 

The three figures on the road are my focal point. Specific steps were taken to achieve this. At the drawing stage, heavier lines, plus more descriptive details, were used on our trio. During the painting stage, Burnt Sienna was added to their faces, hands, and, clothing for emphasis. Positioning them against the light-coloured road, provided them with the strongest dark/light value contrast in the piece. Additionally, some compositional elements were used to direct the viewer to our three friends. On the left, a horse glances towards them. While on the right, a couple of store canopies point down at them.

The drawing itself was done directly, using curve-tipped fountain pens, with no pencil block-in. I kept the linework "open", meaning no area would be hatched or filled in with black ink, as seen above. Take note of the variations in line weight plus the use of broken lines. Dark-gray was mixed from Paynes Gray and Burnt Siena for the dominant colour. This allowed me to cool down the grays for the shadows by adding more of the Paynes Gray or warm it up in the sunlit areas with more Burnt Sienna.  

Of course, there are a variety of ways to create a focal point in a drawing or painting. Each piece requires thought and planning on how to achieve the most effective result. 

Look at the work of various artists, then start observing the elements they use to help create a focal point in their work. Record them for future reference for your own drawings and paintings.