cd sketches

1) Choose a spot based on comfort The first way to decrease the stress involved in going out plein air painting is to pick where your sketch based on how comfortable the spot is, rather than what is in view. When you go out to sketch or paint on location, It can be very tempting to be in search of the the perfect view with beautiful traditional compositions. But, with that, comes a lot of stress and unnecessary decision making. Instead try to find a comfortable spot to start making art. Find a bench in the park, a spot in the shade, or sit in your car and get to sketching. All in all the idea is that by working in a comfortable place, you instantly make your experience more positive, and at the same time you force yourself to work with less traditional views and compositions. 2) Use supplies you are familiar with  While this tip may seem like a given, I feel like it's important to mention. Although it can be very fun to try new art supplies, and for a lot of artists it's the mo...

 Pros of Using a Pocket Sketchbook! 1. Price vs Quality     If you are a sketcher that is budget conscious, you are probably looking for ways to keep costs low and quality high. The First reason to switch to a smaller sketchbook, does just that. By switching to a smaller sketchbook, you can either pay the same price and get better paper quality, or pay less and get the same paper quality. In the past I have certainly been a "frugal sketcher" just looking for the cheapest product, whether that be: paint, sketchbooks, pens, ink, you name it. By downsizing your sketchbook, you are often paying less and getting more (quality wise) Photo by Craig Adderly 2. Speed/ Sketch Efficiency     The summer of 2022 has been a hot one, with multiple weeks consistently touching 100°F. S o for those of us that paint "en plein air" it can be incredibly difficult to get outside, let alone stay outside long enough to get a sketch that you are happy with. By downsizing, you almost ins...

 Top 10 Places to Sketch 1. Your room           Sketching from my room is an activity that I have become very well accustomed to recently. Although the beauty of Urban sketching is that you can get outside and discover new places, you can get involved with the Urban sketching community from the comfort of your own home. At the beginning of 2020, with stay-at-home orders at an all time high, many sketchers took it as a chance to find new inspiration from their everyday lives. This even spawned the hashtag #USKathome where many well known sketchers began drawing their bedrooms, bathrooms and even kitchens giving a different view of daily life. 2. Café/ Coffee shop           Cafes and Coffee shops are an absolute staple of urban sketching. If you have spent any time (and I mean ANY time) looking at other sketcher's work, you have inevitably seen a coffee shop sketch whether of the shop building itself or of a meal and the peo...

 Jinhao X450 vs X450A When looking for a fountain pen I began watching reviews of good quality Chinese pens. Eventually, I came across the Jinhao X series. And because I already have the X750 I decided to try out the X450. But there are listings for an X450 as well as an X450A. This post is for anyone who is looking at buying either the X450 or the X450A. The two pens feature different clip designs. The standard X450 has an angled clip that has three divots on the top section. But the X450A has a sword and shield design. This is the main and clearest difference between the two pens. X450A X450 Although it is very subtle the two pens are slightly different lengths. The X450A is a touch longer than its counterpart, the X450. This difference in length does not have any affect on how the pen handles or the overall weight of the pen.   Overall Essentially, these two pens are the same. The only real difference between the two are the cap ornaments and the length of the pens. Le...

Budget Gurney Sketch Easel for under $15 What is a Gurney Easel? Any member of the internet's Plein air or even gouache community will have heard of the art legend James Gurney. But, on the off chance that you haven't, James Gurney is an artist well known and respected for his works in his Dinotopia series, as well as his numerous paleoart illustrations featured in national geographic. Nowadays Mr. Gurney is very well known for his Youtube channel where he paints en plein air using primarily gouache and watercolor. The "Gurney sketch easel" (as it is commonly referred to) is an easel designed by Mr. Gurney to accommodate painting in a sketchbook rather than on canvas. If you're interested in seeing how the man himself builds his, check out the official tutorial on James Gurney's Gumroad at: https://gurneyjourney.gumroad.com/ Materials List and Prices Chipboard- $0.99 (Michaels) Tripod- $3.75 (Thrift Store) Phone Tripod - $5.00 (Five Below) Hot Glue- $2.99 (Mic...

 HERO 360° (001) FOUNTAIN PEN What makes this pen special? If you have ever written with a fountain pen, you'll know that for the most part, you have to hold the pen in one (or two) ways in order to get the pen to write. And for some people, writing in such a way can be limiting to their mobility. So, as a solution to this niche issue, the brand HERO decided to design the HERO 360 aka (001). The nib on this pen allows you to at "any" angle or hand position. Dimensions Length:  13cm/5.25in (capped) 11.5cm/4.5 in (uncapped) 14.5cm/5.75in (posted)   Weight 13.7g (capped) 10.2g (uncapped) Colors DB , LB ,B The Nib The intention of this design was to allow people to write at whatever position and angle they most preferred. So... to do this, the nib had to be designed in a specific way. The tipping material is ground in a relatively neutral way such that the flow of ink is never compromised. Along with that, is the slits. Most fountain pens have a single slit to allow for the t...

 LUOSHI MICRO FOUNTAIN PEN This tiny pen comes from the relatively unpopular Chinese pen brand Luoshi. Luoshi (from what I can tell) is similar to other Chinese pen brands like Jinhao or Hero. Luoshi provides low-cost fountain pens with relatively good quality, some gimmicks, and some really solid pens. The pen I am showing today was labeled as " Metal Fountain Pen Creative Cigarette Mini Fountain Pen" on Aliexpress Measurements Length: (Capped)3.3 in/8.4 cm (Uncapped)3.25in/8.3cm (Posted)4.25in/ 10.8cm Diameter: .2in/ 5mm Materials: Metal Weight: 7.9g(Capped)/6.0g(Uncapped) Colors:  B W/ O W Price:  $2.63 USD (after customization) Pros  The first, and most obvious "pro" is the size of the pen. Because the pen is so small, it lends well to being kept in a pocket or in other small containers. Another thing I really like about the pen is how sleek the design is. When the pen is capped and when it is posted, the cap lines up flush with the body of the pen making for a...