KEEPING A
Sketchbook
The Sketchbook
A sketch created in any medium is usually considered to be just a preliminary study for a more substantial work of art—preparation for a “real” painting. To me, however, a sketch has an immediate, raw, pure, and unrefined quality that makes it just as valuable as any other work of art. The sketchbook is an art form in itself. I am always drawn to the loose sketch with notes and thoughts scribbled all over.
Because of my appreciation for sketches, I aim for the same fresh, immediate look in my studio pictures that I achieve in watercolors done on location. Whether working outside or indoors, I sometimes include handwritten notes about the time, place, sounds, and weather within the painting. It’s the evidence of my thoughts and feelings and invites viewers to be participants in the experience. They first see the subject through my eyes, and then they add their own interpretation to the parts suggested by loose, painterly brushwork.
I always carry a sketchbook with me, so it’s available whenever the mood strikes or I have a few moments to practice. At present, I have completed more than 80 sketchbooks. I sketch and paint everything, from the view from my backyard, to waiting in line at the car wash, to sitting in a train or airport lounge. You don’t need to wait for the amazing Grand Canyon view to present itself. Sketch everything.
TYPES OF SKETCHBOOKS
There are many types of sketchbooks. They differ in size, paper type and weight, number of pages, and binding style.
My favorite size is 6″ × 9″. It’s small enough to conveniently carry in my backpack or painting bag, yet large enough for good location sketches and notes. I like a spiral-bound book best. While a perfect-bound sketchbook looks neat, it is hard to use and difficult to edit. It’s also much easier to remove a page from a spiral-bound book. Spiral sketchbooks also lay flat and are easy to work with, both on the studio worktable and on location.
I prefer heavyweight paper made for all media, rather than thinner, drawing-only paper. While some of my sketchbook work is limited to pen and pencil drawing, I almost always add watercolor or a similar medium, and you will achieve much better results with a heavier stock.
MEDIA
My traditional drawing tool is a Sanford Uni-Ball pen. It is inexpensive and easy to draw with. I like to paint on location whenever possible, but when time presses, I do the drawing, make a few notes, and complete the sketch later in the studio. I like to use pen, because it doesn’t smear if I’m unable to paint it right away.
While I don’t use pencil as much, I enjoy the expressive line work a pencil sketch offers. If I want to use pencil but don’t have time to paint it immediately, I lay a wash of clear water over the sketch, which seals it and prevents it from smearing.
A sketchbook is also the perfect place to experiment with different media. In addition to pen, pencil, and watercolor, I use gouache, watercolor pencils, and pastels. Working with additional media in your sketchbook allows you to become familiar with their respective qualities before tackling a new medium or technique on a full sheet of “real” paper.
PURPOSE
In addition to doing studies for larger works and working out painting problems, you can also use the sketchbook for composition, value, and color studies. Sketching daily helps with eye-hand coordination, seeing a scene, and learning how to translate that scene to a two-dimensional surface.
Taking a sketchbook on trips provides a perfect way to preserve notes and memories, and it’s very satisfying to look at a sketchbook from years before and remember your experiences as you documented them. Working in a sketchbook is less intense than “real” painting. You are freer to have fun and not so nervous about wasting materials and time. Finally, developing a collection of sketchbooks is an excellent way to measure your progress over the years.
PLEIN AIR NOTES
We touched on some of these points in “Getting Started.” As most of my sketchbook work is done on location, here are a few more thoughts.
One advantage of living in Southern California is the beautiful weather, and while I can be outside all year round, I particularly love summer. The sun wakes up before I do and stays up well into the evening. I could paint all day if I didn’t have to go to work. Sometimes, especially in August, the weather goes a little overboard. It is hot, often smoggy, the sky is hazy, and the air just does not feel as clean and fresh as is does in May. So, what do I do when I don’t want to paint outside? I go anyway. No matter how hot or miserable, I go painting. For me, the point of being an artist is to enjoy, experience, and appreciate. There are some obstacles to overcome: the blinding, hot sun that is baking your brain; the occasional breeze that, while cooling you down for a moment, also tends to turn your easel into a kite; the ambient air that heats your paper, evaporates your water, and dries your paints so even the idea of “wet-into-wet” is an impossibility; and finally, those annoying insects that continually interrupt your flow and disrupt your focus. So, what can you do? Here are some suggestions.
1. Organize your painting day so you can paint early in the morning and/or late in the evening—the light is better at those times anyway!
2. Wear a hat and moisture-wicking clothes that will keep you cooler.
3. Rig up an umbrella.
4. Set up in a cool, shady spot.
5. Use bug spray and sunscreen.
6. Travel with minimal supplies, so you don’t spend too much time setting up and taking down.
7. Plan on making sketches only. They are small and quick, and you can return home before you get too miserable.
8. Sit in your air-conditioned car and paint. (I think that would still be considered “plein air.”)
9. If you are desperate, take a photo, and then work in the comfort of your studio, listening to jazz on the radio, smelling the fragrant incense that you just lit, and gazing out at the August heat from the window.
Whatever it takes, just keep painting.
