Sketchbook Journaling Explorations at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff May 18-22, 2020 Instructor: Leslie Fehling SUGGESTED SUPPLIES: The supplies for this workshop are flexible and depend on personal preference. I’ll be sharing some new items with you that you may not have thought to try in your sketchbooks, but you don’t need to buy all of them before the class. Cheap Joe’s will have many of them available to purchase if you decide you like them after seeing them in class. Here are some general recommendations for what to bring: • Sketchbook suitable for ink & watercolor. Choose spiral bound, hardbound, or softcover. Size is up to you, but I suggest at least 5-1/2” x 8-1/2”. My preferred size is generally around 10” x 7”. Heavier paper (140 lb. or 270-300 gsm) is best for watercolor. Sketchbooks I like and recommend include: Kilimanjaro watercolor journals (140 lb. watercolor paper) American Journey watercolor journals (140 lb. watercolor paper) Stillman and Birn Beta series (300 gsm paper with a slight tooth) Stillman and Birn Zeta series (300 gsm smooth hot-press style paper) Handbook Field Watercolor Journal (140 lb. watercolor paper) Pentalic Aqua Journal (140 lb. watercolor paper) Strathmore Art Journal (140 lb. watercolor paper) Strathmore Windpower sketchbooks (with 140 lb. watercolor paper) There are many other brands that will work as well. • Practice watercolor paper (if you don’t want to do practice exercises in your “good” sketchbook) • Pencil Regular #2 pencil or a mechanical pencil. I prefer mechanical pencils with HB lead, size 0.5 or 0.7. My very favorite is the Pentel Graphgear drafting pencil with 0.5 mm or 0.7 mm lead. • Erasers: kneaded eraser, white retractable style, and/or “MOO” eraser) • Pen with waterproof ink, such as… Faber-Castell Pitt Artist’s Pen, size S or F Sakura Pigma Micron pen, sizes 005, 01, and/or larger Optional: I often use a fountain pen for sketching. The Platinum Carbon Desk Pen with waterproof Platinum Carbon black ink and Extra-Fine nib is one of my favorites. Another good option is the Noodler's Nib Creaper Flex Pen with Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, which gives a more subtle look to a sketch. • Watercolor paints I recommend artist’s quality tube watercolor paints, squeezed into a palette and allowed to dry. Good brands are Winsor & Newton, Daniel Smith, Holbein, and Cheap Joe’s American Journey. Color selection is up to you. I generally tend to use the following colors, but they are not a requirement for the class. This list is just for your information. Hansa Yellow Medium or Cadmium Yellow Medium New Gamboge Yellow Ochre and/or Raw Sienna Quinacridone Gold Permanent Alizarin Crimson Winsor Red or Daniel Smith Perylene Red Permanent Rose Quinacridone Violet Shadow (American Journey – Cheap Joe’s) Ultramarine Blue or French Ultramarine Cerulean Blue Cobalt Blue Cobalt Teal Blue Pthalo Blue or Marine Blue Sap Green Earthen Green (American Journey) Olive Green Burnt Umber Burnt Sienna Payne’s Gray • Palette I prefer the Alvin Heritage (also labeled as Heritage or Mijello) 18-well watercolor palette. http://www.cheapjoes.com/alvin-heritage-paint-palette-18-wells.html I fill it with artist’s quality tube watercolor paints. For travel sketching, I use an old Winsor & Newton plastic palette that I’ve refilled with artist’s quality tube paints, but there are lots of other options available for empty plastic palettes that you can fill with your own color selections. If you’re just starting out, you may want to buy a prefilled palette rather than investing in a large quantity of tube paints. Here are some good options that come filled with artists’ quality watercolor paints: American Journey Watercolor Voyager sets http://www.cheapjoes.com/catalog/product/view/id/27249/s/american-journey-artists-watercolor- voyager-sets-and-accessories/category/74/ Winsor & Newton Artists’ Compact Watercolor Set https://www.cheapjoes.com/winsor-newton- professional-watercolor-compact-set.html Rembrandt Luxury Pocket Box http://www.cheapjoes.com/catalog/product/view/id/19937/s/rembrandt-luxury-watercolor-pocket- box/category/74/ DaVinci Watercolor Mixing Set in travel tin https://www.cheapjoes.com/catalog/product/view/id/27794/s/da-vinci-watercolor-mixing-set-in- travel-tin/category/74/ If you prefer to buy an inexpensive student-grade set, these are good options: Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor sets https://www.cheapjoes.com/winsor-newton-cotman-watercolors-sets.html Sakura Koi Watercolor Pocket Field Sketch Box sets https://www.cheapjoes.com/sakura-koi-watercolor-pocket-field-sketch-box-sets.html • Brushes Bring whatever size and type you like to work with, such as these options: Watercolor brushes, synthetic or sable. (My favorite brand is Escoda Versatil, a line of synthetic brushes that holds plenty of paint but is springier than sable.) Rounds: #2, 4, 6, 8, 12 Flats: ½”, ¾” • Miscellaneous drawing and painting supplies Eberhard-Faber “Ebony” Pencil or a 4B or 6B pencil Toothbrush (for spattering) OR Spatter screen (or a piece of window screen) Painter’s tape or artist’s tape, ¼” and 1” wide Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ruler Compass Tracing paper Small spray bottle for water or paint White colored pencil or watercolor pencil (You may wish to bring a colored pencil set, if you already have one.) Masking fluid - frisket (my favorite is Pebeo Drawing Gum) Water containers Tissues Paper towels • Items I’ll be demonstrating or talking about. If you have any of these items, please bring them along. If you don’t already have them, you may want to wait until after the demo to decide whether to buy them. That way you can judge whether it’s something you think you’ll use. Gelly Roll gel pens (white, colored, & metallic) Uni-ball Signo Broad white gel pen Platinum Carbon Desk Pen with extra-fine nib Platinum Carbon Black ink cartridges Platinum Black ink cartridges Sailor Fude fountain pen with 55° nib angle with converter Noodler’s Nib Creaper Flex Pen Noodler’s Lexington Gray ink William Mitchell’s Joseph Gillot Art Pen Drawing Set William Mitchell’s Joseph Gillott Artist Selection Set Brause calligraphy nibs, 66EF and Steno 361 (Blue Pumpkin) J. Herbin natural wood nib holder (or any other nib holder) Tombow Dual-Tip brush pens Pitt brush pens Pentel brush pen Koh-I-Noor Magic FX colored pencils Elegant Writer calligraphy pen set Platinum Preppy fountain pen (black and colors) Staedtler Triplus Fineliner colored pens Colored pencils, white & colors – Prismacolor, Derwent, Faber-Castell, Caran d’Ache Watercolor pencils, white & colors – Prismacolor, Faber-Castell, Derwent Inktense Metal spatter screen Grafix Dura-lar Wet Media Film Commercial drafting templates (ellipse, circles) Decorative stencils Lettering stencils Westcott C-Thru plastic ruler, 12”, with inches marked in tenths + centimeters, & centering lines Pet screening Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical pencil with .7 mm lead Self-adhesive drywall tape Stencil brush Grafix All-Purpose Frisket Film Candles-paraffin Blue painter’s tape, 1” & ¼” Frog tape Washi tape, various patterns & colors Titanium White tube watercolor Gouache (white & colors) Watercolor stick, white #11 X-Acto blade Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White Dr. Ph. Martin’s Pen White Copic White Daler-Rowney Pro White opaque watercolor Aqua Cover (from Jerry’s Artarama) Toned paper sketchbooks (Strathmore, Stillman and Birn Nova, Cachet) Loose toned paper and tablets (Canson Mi-Teintes, Strathmore) Pitt Artist’s Pen, sepia, size S Caran d/Ache Neocolor II Artist’s Crayons Homemade ruling template White gesso Watercolor ground (brands include QoR, Daniel Smith, & Golden) Yes! Paste UHU glue stick • Items to sketch Ideally, I like to sketch from life when filling the pages of my journal, but that’s not always possible in a classroom setting, so I’d like you to bring a combination of physical objects and photographs to use as subject matter for your sketches. We may not use them all, but this will give you some good possibilities for meaningful, personal sketchbook journal pages. 1. Something that makes you happy Think about something you’d like to sketch that makes you happy. It could be your morning cup of coffee or a warm chocolate chip cookie. Or how about your pet or a favorite pair of jeans? The ideas are endless! Bring the item or a photo of it. 2. Travel photos Pick a few of your favorite images from a vacation. You'll decide in class whether to feature just one on a page or do a composite of 3-5 images. It might be good to include a variety of subjects such as a landscape, a close-up of some detail you liked, a photo with people in it, etc. 3. Favorite room in your home Bring a picture of your favorite room in your house, or just a corner of it. You might want to take several photos, then choose one in class. Print out the photos or bring them on a cell phone or tablet. 4. Favorite quote Choose a favorite quote that inspires you, makes you laugh, or summarizes your philosophy of life. You’ll be hand-lettering it on a sketchbook page with painted borders. 5. Something that tells a story This could be your childhood teddy bear or a picture of your first car, a family heirloom or a favorite book that’s been read so often it’s tattered and torn. Storytelling is what sketchbook journaling is all about, so for this project, you’ll tell the story of your special item. 6. A photo of someone you love doing something he or she loves Does your husband play guitar or love to work on old cars? Do you have a daughter who enjoys cooking or roller blading? Is your best friend a weaver or a potter? Grab your camera and catch them in the act, because we’re going to be sketching the people we love doing the things they love.