Thursday, 18 November 2021

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.

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