How I Sketch: Part One, Materials
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I am often asked for information on how to sketch, in particular how I do my sketching; the more detailed the better! After much trial I have developed a process that works for me, but I continue to learn and evolve as well. I thought I would describe what I’m currently doing, starting with my favorite materials.
The Kit
After trying virtually every art supply one can buy 
, I finally settled on a stable set of tools. My kit goes everywhere with me so that I can always do a quick sketch when the opportunity arises. To realistically achieve this portability the components must be small. This requirement has largely dictated my choices:
Sketchbooks
Sketchbook: I do all my sketching in small (”Pocket”, 3.5 x 5 inch) Moleskine notebooks that I rebind with 90lb hot press watercolor paper. I use the thicker (1 inch) “Planner” model because it holds more pages: 44 spreads to be exact. Occasionally a sketch fills only one side of a spread but usually I use the full (7 x 5 inch) page.
For the last few years I have filled at least three books a year. And, I am just finishing up Volume #4 for 2007 right now. Each year on January 1st I always start a new book: it can be a struggle to finish that last book by December 31st!
Sailor EF Nib
Pen: I use a Sailor fountain pen with an Extra Fine tip, which is made in Japan.
Quality fountain pens have two unique attributes that make them attractive for sketching. The first is the nib’s ball tip, which allows it to glide in all directions with ease. This can help keep the line work looser than that from a pen which favors one direction or needs to be pushed around.
The other important trait is nib flexibility, the extent of which varies in different types of pens. The stroke from a flexible pen changes width in response to the touch of the user creating a lively and personal line.
 Sailor Fountain Pen |
My pen is fairly flexible but what makes it ideal is it’s line weight. Because my sketchbook is small a fine line provides more versatility. Japanese pens run finer than do American or European, and this one draws the thinnest fountain pen line I’ve seen.
Carbon Ink
Ink: An ink converter allows the pen to utilize a bottled ink. I use Platinum Carbon Ink, which is a waterproof ink for fountain pens. Waterproof ink does not bleed or run when watercolor washes are laid on top of it. Although such ink is widely considered ruinous for fountain pens, mine have survived thus far. No guarantees though! It is important to use the pen daily to keep the ink flowing and flush it regularly with water to keep it from clogging up. I have found that modern pens stand up to the abuse of waterproof ink better than vintage pens.
Traveling Ink Pot
Ink Pot: The Visconti Traveling Ink Pot is not cheap, but with it I can refill my fountain pen anywhere. I love it. The “pot” is sort of like a test tube that has a rubber neck at the top with a conical opening. One fits the pen snugly into the opening, turns the whole thing over so that the ink is above the pen, uses the pen’s filling mechanism to draw the ink down into it, and then flips everything back over to remove the pen. The outside stopper is very hard to get off (a good thing!) so I also carry a small piece of latex cut from a disposable glove which I can use to get a good grip on it. This ink pot works with many, but not all, fountain pens.
Paint Box: I carry a very small (2 X 3 inch) Winsor & Newton “Bijou” paint box. It has 18 mini pans (1/2 inch square) into which I squirt tube paint. The paint dries quickly (2-12 hours) so it doesn’t run, yet is easily reconstituted with water.
Paint Box Closed
Paint Box Open
On the inside lid are four small mixing areas. The metal box is enameled white on the inside which provides a great mixing palette.
This particular box has not been made in some time (current boxes called “Bijou” are different: bigger overall with bigger “half pan” wells) and are hard to find. However, creative folks are hand making similar mini boxes with great success. I love my little box, although it’s taken quite a beating. When it finally gives out I am going to try crafting a replacement. If I change anything, it will be to use even less space for paints and a little more for mixing. I won’t make the box any bigger though!
Paint: I use Winsor & Newton “Artists Quality” watercolor paints in tubes.
| Colors I use most often: | ||||
| Raw Sienna Burnt Sienna French Ultramarine |
Cobalt Blue Permanent Alizarin Crimson Permanent Rose |
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| Other colors sometimes used: | ||||
| Lemon Yellow Aureolin Yellow Scarlet Red Cobalt Violet Indigo |
Sap Green Winsor Blue (Green Shade) Phthalo Green Manganese Blue |
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Waterbrush: The brush I use is the Niji waterbrush. It is especially convenient for sketching on the go.
 Waterbrush |
The soft plastic handle fills with water which is fed down into the brush head from inside as the handle is squeezed. With this brush you don’t need any open water container at all, which allows for painting in many more situations. The handle holds enough water for several sketches and is easily refilled by sink, glass, water bottle, creek, puddle, etc. These brushes come in a blue a clear plastic package and can be found in the US in larger art supply stores or online. Similar brushes are available in Europe and Asia as well.
Paper Towel: To change colors with the waterbrush you simply give it a little squeeze and soak up the water with a paper towel. I carry a piece of paper towel or sturdy napkin for this purpose.
Mechanical Pencil: Rarely used, but if needed I like a pencil that is always sharp.
Mini Eraser: When I do need to erase pencil lines, a soft white eraser is gentle on watercolor paper.
Pencil Bag: I have a typical student’s pencil bag (7 inches long, 3 inches high) that holds everything listed above except the sketchbook.
This little DIY sketching kit has served me well, on travels near and far. In fact, I do all of my sketching with these materials. The bag and sketchbook are very portable and I am able to keep them with me pretty much everywhere I go.
 Portable Sketching Kit |
Continued In…
How I Sketch: Part Two, Demonstration
See Also
Moleskine Rebinding Project
Posts on Travel Sketching
This entry posted:
on Saturday, September 8th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Related Topics: How to Sketch, Travel Sketching
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September 8th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Congratulations! This post is quite a work of art in itself. I can’t wait to see Part 2. Thanks for even detailing the colors you use, something I always wonder about when I see your watercolors and ponder why mine never look like that!
September 9th, 2007 at 1:25 am
Thanks for the thorough descriptions and explanations. It has been so much fun digging through your sketching materials! You use them beautifully.
September 9th, 2007 at 5:05 am
I love the water brush you use. People should be aware that you get what you pay for in water brushes! I have tried several cheaper brushes and the results were terrible. The cheaper the brush, the more likely it is to suck the dirty paint water back up into the water barrel and contaminate the water. I don’t have that problem with the Niji.
Thank you so much for sharing your materials. Can’t wait for the next one.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:46 am
This is WONDERFUL ! Thanks so much for sharing. Can hardly wait for part II…
September 9th, 2007 at 7:54 am
I cannot describe how I feel about your wonderful work. I wait with baited breath for the next part.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:58 am
It’s great that you’ve come to a set of materials that really works beautifully for you. For years I’ve been fiddling with my set of tools and am now fairly happy with them as well. As a leftie, I’ve never been happy with fountain pens, they certainly work wonderfully in your sketches.
For bigger vacations, I now take the larger Moleskin watercolor book. It’s still small enough to fit in the bag that’s always with me and it’s pleasing to have the larger format at times.
Love following your travels and sketches. They’re really pleasing inspirations. Thanks very much for sharing them.
Best,
Kate
September 9th, 2007 at 11:20 am
Thanks for a reallly information-packed post!
September 9th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
i enjoyed all your sketches… thanks for sharing the kit!! great and detail info here..
September 9th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Thank you for such a wonderful post! Your sketches are amazing. Really enjoyed the inside view. Thanks for sharing!
September 9th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
wow, thanks for sharing, i gotta get myself one of those paint boxes
September 9th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
thank you for taking the time to share. i have enjoyed your sketches of dc immensely (i am living in dc now, so i have a particular fondness for those.)
i had never heard of that type of brush and am eager to try one out.
thank you again!
September 9th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
A wonderful peek into an artist’s secrets — thank you for sharing! I love my Bijou, though it holds the larger !/2 pans.
September 9th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Your sketches are appreciated by so many of us, and inspire us as well. Sharing your materials and techniques makes you even more awesome. Thank you.
September 9th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Thanks for sharing! Your sketches are great! I love the Bijou as well. Small enough to slip in a pocket and go. The Niji brushes are a blast to use as wll. You can really do a lot with them, blending diluting etc. I tend to use straight pigment when i use one and mix on the pan or the page.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
martha-
how wonderful! i’m excited that you’re sharing your techniques … i look forward to picking up a few new tricks of the trade. Thanks!
September 10th, 2007 at 4:23 am
Thanks for the beautiful post. It was extremely informative and beautifully done at the same time.
September 10th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Thank you for taking the time to share this. It’s really useful - I never would have thought of squirting tube paint into the pans for example, and the information about the Niji brush is just what I need.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:50 am
love to see what other people use! I’ve been thinking about a fountan pen…will have to read up some more!
September 10th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Nice and informative blog entry! Thank you for sharing!
September 11th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Oh Man! I just want to go right out and spend a lot of money on all these things (even though I’ve got my own established kit!) especially that beeeautiful pen.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Wonderful post! Thank you so much for sharing and in such wonderfull told detail
September 12th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Great post, thanks for all the tips on the most useful tools!
September 12th, 2007 at 9:52 am
cool! your kit is remarkably similar to mine, although I have never used a fountain pen– I’ll have to look into it. One thing that I do differently that some people might enjoy is that I put gouache (not the acrylic kind, because it doesn’t rehydrate) instead of watercolors in my little box, since I prefer more opaque colors.
September 13th, 2007 at 4:53 am
oooh im so exited to make my own kit now, thank you!
September 13th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Very interesting to see what you carry. I have recently bought a fountain pen and love it for sketching.
September 13th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Hi Martha! It’s fun reading about your tools and especially when the information is laid out so exceptionally well (as usual)! Our kits are now also pretty similar in ways, though I carry a brush fountain pen. That fountain pen sounds like a nice choice for fine lines and of course, we’ve seen the results, too. That watercolor set looks great! Lots of colors in a very small space. Wish I had one of those!
Funny thing, I noticed this post early on Monday morning as I was finishing up part two of some posts on materials. Seems we both had materials on the mind.
I’d blogged on Friday about accidentally putting the wrong paper in my Moleskine Mod. The post got picked up by Moleskinerie.com on Monday, creating quite a jump in hits to my blog. I’m thinking you should’ve gotten some of that traffic as well, since I link to your instructions. I also provided a link to you in the comments of the Moleskinerie post.
September 14th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
I have never found the need to rebind Moleskine covers with new watercolor paper. I actually like the Moleskine watercolor notebooks as they are and use other w/c pads as I choose and like.
The Winsor and Newton watercolor box is an excellent choice. I paint in several media including watercolor and have a considerable stock of W&N w/c paint among other brands.
My biggest fault is not painting enough! You have inspired me to take my kit out tommorrow.
September 15th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Martha, This is terrific. Beautifully photographed and clearly detailed.
I’ve never tried the Platinum Carbon ink. I’ve been using Noodlers Bullet Proof black and I’ve found that it runs a bit when I apply water media over it.
Thanks for sharing!
September 15th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Thanks for these precious hints.
September 18th, 2007 at 12:56 am
Wow thank you for the tips Martha! I’m such a newbie to paint that I’m always wondering what to use and how, and you’ve helped immensely. Love your recent sketches too, they’re beautiful.
September 18th, 2007 at 1:14 am
I too am impatient for part two! This is a wonderful and generous post, Martha. Not only have I revisited and followed all the links, I took my water brush out with my watercolours for the first time yesterday and it worked a treat. Previously I’ve only used it with ink or watercolour pencils.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:12 am
What a fabulous post!! I use many of the same things. I am waiting with baited breath for the next installment.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:47 am
It’s amazing what wonderful sketches you can do with such a small setup. I didn’t realize you used the small moleskine. I love it when artists post how to’s. Really looking foward to the next installment.
September 19th, 2007 at 4:37 am
Sailor FP is very good, but try Caran d’Ache Ecridor XS (mini fountain pen) with Fine nib is fantastic.
September 20th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
This is great information. You write well and your detail is very clear. It’s nice to know what other artists use to do their thing.
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:02 am
Very inspiring post. I quite like seeing how people work and art materials have a special appeal to me. I particularly like the way you have modified standard materials to fit your sketching needs.
September 22nd, 2007 at 4:44 am
painting is fun but drawing is even better
September 23rd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Wonderful post. My technique and tools are very similar but my output can not comapre to your wonderful work. BTW, I use a Namiki Vanishing Point with a fine nib that I adjusted to be XF. I use Noodlers Black ink. The retracting nib in the VP eliminates the fumbling with the cap and makes it easier to keep the nib from drying out!
Keep up the wonderful work!
September 25th, 2007 at 11:04 am
I too use Noodler’s American Eel ink. Fellow sketchblogger Mattias Adolfssen suggested it. Truly fantastic stuff made to be run through fountain pens (like my Pelikan) and remain waterproof on paper. The genius of it is that it only becomes waterproof once it touches paper, not before, due to a chemical reaction it has with xylene; so it’s always wet on the pen nib. My sketching supplies are almost completely identical to yours as well. I love your work — Great stuff.
September 29th, 2007 at 7:48 am
Martha - I’m sorry I didn’t pick this and the next post up earlier. Both excellent - as always. I now have yet more things to add to my list of good things to have which I can’t get in the UK!
I’m going to be including links to both posts in the weekly round-up post on “Making A Mark” tomorrow.
October 4th, 2007 at 8:17 am
[…] How I Sketch: Part One, Materials : Sketching and Sketchbooks (tags: paper tutorial howto diy art billet lang:en septembre2007) […]
March 31st, 2008 at 7:05 am
Omigosh, I am awed by your sharing such a treasury of detailed information. THANK YOU! Obviously you have given a lovely gift of time to yourself, and you have then generously shared that gift with who-knows-how-many grateful recipients! We all do apprecdiate you!
April 5th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Superb. It is v. surprising to me how & what artists use & select as art materials. All these give me a lot of info about art essentials.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
[…] How I Sketch: Part One, Materials […]
April 9th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Very useful post. The moleskin sketchbooks are by far the best. I have also tried every art supply ever made before settling on a chosen kit. You have taken away trial and error that none of us have time for.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Thanks so much for the generous and useful post. So much information. I love your work.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I have always been looking for a kit that suited me. Thank you for writing this article. I love your sketches. I would like to know where you can buy a bijou.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:06 am
Here’s a link to a watercolor box featuring 12 1/4 pans. Comes from ‘across the pond’ and may be on the pricier side but no VAT. I just ordered one and it came out to be about $37 before shipping which may tack on about $5-6.
http://www.jacksonsart.co.uk/background_lookup.php?look=WTS12B&descrip=Sennelier+Watercolour+Set+%3A+Bijou+Box+12+x+1%2F4+Pans+with+brush+QQ+watercolor+colour+metal&sutton=43479.555&saving=3.95&code=WTS12B&how_to_shop=reallywild&custorstaff=customer&manu=sennelier_watercolour_items_99_watercolour_paint&is_buy=
November 24th, 2008 at 11:43 am
[…] lead me to the creator’s website and to this wonderful post on the materials she needs to sketch portably. She’s done all the work of finding the best items to use, and I definitely want to make all […]
January 9th, 2009 at 6:41 am
Thank you so much for your informative demo. I am happily going to put it to use! Thank you , thank you, thank you!
January 16th, 2009 at 6:55 am
Great post! I love making up new ways to carry my art supplies around, and love making my kit smaller and smaller. I did a similar post on my blog awhile ago. I used the tiny painting kit you referred to…in an Altoids tin, is that what you meant? I end up taking my field box from Windsor Newton many times, I switch back and forth.
I like your blog! I hope you’ll visit mine and drop me a line,
keep sketching!
April 4th, 2009 at 7:51 am
It’s really fun to see how another artist solves these travel problems. Half the creative joy of it seems to be finding a clever solution. I appreciate so much your willingness to break it down - I think I’ll try the book-binding. I’ve been carrying 20-sheet 6×6″ blocks of Portofino acquerello, hot-pressed, 140 lb. In addition to a paint kit, I carry a small travel-collage kit with scissors, pens, gluestick, and notebook. It’s great for trains and now, planes. I used to carry a small brush and a tiny jar of Golden medium, but gluesticks seem to be working as well for out-of-the-studio work.
Happy travels!!
September 6th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
[…] noticed that Martha recently wrote a post showing her entire sketching kit. If you’re interested in sketching make sure to check out Martha’s beautiful and […]
December 12th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Congratulations, Martha, your blog site on materials is fantastic! TEACHER LEARNS FROM STUDENT! So sorry I didn’t connect to your site sooner; just starting to use a computer. Thanks loads.
December 30th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Thank you for sharing this. I now have a kit like this and I have no problems with it at all. Thank you for sharing. I love your sketches.