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.

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

On Location: Mini Sketch Gear

There are numerous ways to transport your sketching materials when working outside of the studio. People employ a large variety of options for storing their materials while sketching on location. Several factors, based on personal preference and materials used, go into the development of a succesful working solution.

My Kit
This is my smallest sketch kit. It is very light and can go anywhere. It easily fits in a jacket pocket, on my belt, or in a messenger bag. I like organization and things staying in place. My solution was to contain everything in a zippered pouch with various sized loops for pens and pencils plus several insert pockets. All of which could be held comfortably in my non-drawing hand. Contained in this kit are three water brushes, two mechanical pencils, an eraser, a fountain pen, a fine-line marker, and a mini watercolour palette. A 5.5" X 3.75" handmade sketchbook using 90 lb Fabriano Artistico watercolour paper finishes up the package. The pouch itself is a military-style one that I picked up at a thrift store. Different types of pouches were tried before finally settling on this one.

One Size Does Not Fit All
It is important to note at this point that this is not the only size I work with. I have larger kits that I also use. It depends on you, how you work, and your specific needs.

Putting Together Your Own Kit
First, sort out the sketching materials you usually work with. Pare them down to what you actually work with. This is probably the hardest part of the process, we all want to bring every color, every sized brush, every pencil and pen, plus the studio sink with us. 

From there, decide how you would like to store those materials taking into consideration how you will access them as you work on location. Some people prefer a simple zippered pouch, like a pencil case, in which everything is thrown into and accessed as needed. Others, who carry a purse, bag, or pack of some sort partition off a section of that. A few forgo a pouch or bag all together putting their sketchbook in one jacket pocket and their other tools in another. 

Once you settle on a direction, test it out at home first. Get familiar with where your materials are kept and how you will access them as you sketch. In this way, when you're on location, everything will be second nature leaving you to focus on the matter at hand. 

An important thing to make a decision about is whether you will be standing or sitting to sketch. Or both. When sitting, you usually have a place to put down your materials, bags, etc. Standing, however, usually requires you to have your materials on your person in some manner, so your hands are free to sketch.

Ready to Go
The best thing about putting a kit like this together is that it gives me no excuses, or regrets, about not being able to do a sketch, whether waiting for a bus, out for a walk, or coming across something unique that I "just have to sketch". 

The Scouts tell us to "Always Be Prepared!" The same can be said for sketching on location. The best way to be prepared is to have your gear always at hand.