The joys of summer sketching

When my husband and I moved to New England from Southern California about a year ago we vowed to explore the area on weekends. But moving, settling in, and getting the lay of the land took longer than we expected, and before long the first snowflakes were on the ground.

So this summer we're finally taking some day trips. A recent excursion to Ogunquit, Maine, offered the perfect opportunity for me to road test our new Mixed-Media Summer Travel Art Kit. The kit was put it together with the idea that it could go where you go, letting you sketch wherever you are and whatever you come across, whether that's the coffee shop down the street or a Parisian café. The kit comes with an ArtBin Sketch Pak, a set of 12 Prima Watercolor Pencils in Earth Tones (perfect for outdoor sketching), a Liquitex Professional Paint Marker in white, plus the Art Journals On-the-Go DVD, the Travel Supplies with Jane Davenport Art Lesson download, and the Winter 2015 issue of Pages, which has loads of great art journaling techniques.

The two-level, multi-compartment ArtBin Sketch Pak has a handy divider that keeps your supplies nice and neat. I stashed the Prima Watercolor pencils and the Liquitex white paint pen in there, along with a few other supplies I like to take on the road: an eraser, some water pens, a journaling pen, a plastic ruler (for tearing ephemera) and a glue stick (for attaching ephemera). The Sketch Pak held it all neatly.

Before heading out I did some watercolor washes over a few pages, knowing how starting on a blank page can be a little daunting. I'm glad I did-the blue washes were a nice reminder of the ocean. When we got to our destination we found a bench overlooking the beach and I started sketching landscapes and details, like leaves and flowers. The pencils glided on the paper, and when hit with a little water they melted into gorgeous watercolors. The paint pen was perfect for creating highlights, and popped on the blue background to create the daisies. It also helped tone done the brightness of the map I added to the page.

  

I was having so much fun sketching I didn't even realize that a couple of hours had gone by. I was completely relaxed and happy. 

That's what I love most about this passion we have for mixed media. It's not just about supplies and tutorials. It's about what all of that provides–a creative outlet that gives us joy.

I hope you find time to do some sketching this summer. If you do, please upload your art to our online gallery. We always love seeing your work! ~ Jeannine (photos top and bottom by Mark Elson/Mark Elson Pictures)

 

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