Roz Wound Up

Ken Avidor Will Be Sketching and Talking about Working on Toned Paper

Above: On-site sketch of the recent Red Bull Ice Course in St. Paul, ©2013 Ken Avidor. Pen and pastels on toned paper. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Ken Avidor will be at Wet Paint in St. Paul on Thursday February 14, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for a toned paper presentation. (You can go to the Wet Paint page here and scroll down to find full details of the evening.) If you've been reading this blog at all you'll already know a lot about Ken because I post about him frequently and thanks to him I'm always sketching snow piles. He's an illustrator and cartoonist and a very politically involved citizen. It is always great fun to watch him sketch and hear him tell his harrowing stories of sketching in public. (You can see more sketches by Ken Avidor at UrbanSketchers—Twin Cities, and at The Art of Ken Avidor you can find your way to his many other blogs.)

Ken will be joined by another local artist Tara Tieso who also works on toned paper. You can read about her work at the Wet Paint listing.

Go and hear what they have to say about working on toned papers. There are lots of options for these papers in the marketplace right now.

More NeoArt Experiments

Left: NeoArt experiment on drawing paper. 8 x 10 inches. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

After my trip to Wisconsin I was still interested in determining whether or not I wanted to take NeoArt watersouble wax pastels from Caran d'Ache to life drawing with me—for gesture sketching.

I had some discontinued paper I was running through and so I picked up a stick and did a little dry sketching, then I dipped the tip of the stick, which is blunt, in my painting water, and stroked a couple times with the wet stick.

Right: I used two sticks of color for this quick sketch. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

It was a fun experiment. I was working from birds in my mind. I think if I want to make large gesture sketches at life drawing this is something to pursue. As a regular thing in life drawing, however, I probably wouldn't do a lot of it because to work it needs a paper of high enough quality to take some water.

I could use some of that recycled Richeson watercolor paper I got for such a deal last year. We'll see.

If you enjoy sketching with large flowing lines you might enjoy working with NeoArt sticks in this way.

Experiments with NeoArt Watersoluble Wax Pastels from Caran d'Ache

Left: Life drawing with Caran d'Ache NeoArt watersoluble wax pastels used dry and wet on Magnani Annigoni Designo, 9 x 12 inches. The number 15 at the top of the page refers to the 15th sheet used in this drawing session. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Last fall (November 2012) I had a trip coming up (more about that on another day) and I decided that I wanted to take NeoArt watersoluble wax pastels with me. I wanted color that was in stick form that I could sketch with but still wet if I desired. And I wanted to work on toned paper.

I had a couple of sheets from a 9 x 12 inch pad of Magnani Annigonie Designo which had been on sale. (I prefer to buy sheets of this paper when using it for binding books, because the surface hasn't been compacted by the padding process, but I have trouble walking by really good paper deals.)

I took some paper, the NeoArts, a little tub for water, and a number 10 synthetic round when I went to the next figure drawing session. After all the short poses, it's time to set up and do two 20-minute poses (which you can also elect to do as one 40-minute pose because the model returns to the same pose after a break). I thought that was a good time to break out the testing materials. I did the 20-minute pose you see today using a blue and a red stick.

I sketched first mostly with blue and then added red in various places. Wet some areas, added some more color, pushed the dry areas around with my fingers to see if it would blend nicely for me. (I like to blend StabiloTones and NeoColor II (from Caran d'Ache) with my fingers when I'm working on the top, dry layers.)

Twenty minutes is a long time, but I had not counted on the extra drying time between layers, needed to get anything close to a finished piece. I realized that halfway through this sketch and spent my final 10 minutes of the 20-minute period messing with the shoulders and the breast area, seeing how the blending would work with this medium on this paper. And I also blended in the hair area for the same reason, paying attention to things like water drying time with this paper.

I spent the second 20-minute portion of this pose doing a pencil study from a slightly different angle.

But the 20 minutes I spent on this experiment experiment gave me the information I was looking for—I didn't want to take the Magnani Annigoni Designo paper because I could rub so furiously with my finger that I could rough up the paper (if it was still wet at all). 

I wasn't totally sold on taking the NeoArt sticks either. (They are blunt and to get a thin line you have to twist them and finesse an edge.) I decided that I would take both a box of the NeoArt sticks (15) and a small handful of the NeoColor IIs which I knew I could blend a little more. I can blend most easily with the Stabilotones, but they are a discontinued product and I didn't want to lose them in my travels—I wanted to save them for savoring at home.

I also decided to take a couple Stabilo All pencils—a white, an orange, a graphite, a red, and a black. These would satisfy my desire for thinner sketching lines but would also be watersoluble if I went in with the water—they would work well with my plans.

Normally when I travel I don't take a lot of supplies, but for this upcoming trip I was going by car (and taking my bike, so weight and packing wasn't an issue). And I wanted to ensure that I had old reliable media as well as test media so that I could keep working, regardless of the results. (And regardless of the taunting of my friend Bill who said, "I thought you always told people to pack light.")

I was going to have three days with two dogs…

Project Friday: Experiment with Metallic Pencils—A Little Bit of Fun

Left: A quick study of Kevin Bacon on cheap, textured drawing paper using metallic pencils. Click on the image to view an enlargement. Read below for details.

Since resuming life drawing once a week I've been using a lot more dry media again, because I can be messy and not worry about the dust at home. Then when I get home I still want to use dry media so I get out the colored pencils, a great non-dusty standby.

This sketch is made with two colors of Lyra's Super Ferby. It's an odd, fat, triangular pencil with metallic leads. It comes in at least 5 colors because that's how many I think I have, so there are at least that many. The colors are a bit odd and none are really dark in value, that's why I used a black Stabilo All in this drawing as well.

Note: A web search for these pencils turned up boxes called the "Waldorf" selection. Those are NOT what I was using. My pencils read Lyra Super Ferby and are all metallic leads; all purchased in open stock. The gold sitting on my desk right now has 89239 as a number. I was not using any "normal" colored leads. I contacted Tim at Wet Paint (where I got mine quite some time ago) and they are currently out of stock but they are coming in next week.

What I did in the sketch shown today:

1. Sketched in blue Ferby.

2. Added areas of red/pinkish maroon Ferby.

3. Went in with Stabilo All (black) for darkest areas and outline stated where I wanted it.

4. Colored in the background with random strokes of the blue Ferby.

If you enjoy working in colored pencils but want something a bit quirky (metallic colors) you might want to check out some Ferby pencils. I happen to think they look best on a slightly textured paper so that the line is broken up a bit—you get more sparkle from the metallic lead.

Be sure to pick up a sharpener that will take fat pencils. Not all the fat pencil sharpeners will accommodate the Ferby, so you might want to take your Ferby along to insert it and check before purchasing a sharpener, or buy the Ferby where and when you get the sharpener. I use the two-holed Staedtler Sharpener which you can find a photo of on my blogger picks page for tools on Wet Paint's site. (It's the fourth item on this page, blue with a tiny flip top over the holes.)

Note: Missed my "bloggers pick page" on Wet Paint's site? You can find the opening page here with items listed in categories. Click on a category and a bunch of products that I've had success with in that category will come up.

The picks listed are not exhaustive, simply because I feel I have to give Tim a break now and then and not constantly ask him to update it. The Ferby pencil isn't on there because frankly it's a pencil I've used for years, but only sporadically. You can see a blast from the past, a 2002 sketch I made of Dottie using the metallic blue Ferby here. The captions says "pen" but that's a writo, followed by the word "pencil," you get the idea. And you can see the lovely soft line it gives

I'm writing about the Ferby now simply because it's kind of fun and it's the holiday season and someone might need an oddball gift to give a pencil freak with every brand. Oh and I haven't finished my stack of books that I'm going to review—I'll get back to those books. 

The lead of the Ferby is soft, smooth, and because the pencil is fat the lead is also fat. You can really lay down some color quickly. And get a lovely thick line. You can sharpen it to a point and do some tighter work, but it is a relatively soft lead and too much pressure in your working hand may cause the point to splinter off. I think of it as a sketching tool, but I'm sure someone somewhere is making the most amazing tight renderings with it!

Of course you can use it with your other colored pencils (I use them with my Prismacolors typically, though on this day I used them with the Stabilo All). 

Don't be afraid to sketch with them and then add watercolor or gouache. Show the line and let it shimmer through the watercolor or hide some of it with the gouache, either way it's fun.

They are also fun for taking to figure drawing. And they give a subtle effect on toned papers like the Strathmore hardbound journal's tan toned paper or Magnani's Annigoni Designo.

Project Friday Assignment:
1. Get one or two Ferby pencils that appeal to you. (I recommend a cool and a warm, not just a gold, but get colors that suit your working methods and inclinations.)

2. Select 3 or 4 drawing papers that you enjoy working on with colored pencils. (Ideally these should be papers you have already worked on with enjoyment and success, but if you're new to pencil work here are some suggestions for papers that I love for this type of work.)

• Borden & Riley have some padded 100% Rag drawing paper that has a lovely tooth for colored pencil work.

• Stonehenge comes in a range of colors. I really like their white or cream for sketching with pencils when I'm not going to do intense layers and layers.

• Magnani Annigoni Designo or Strathmore's Tan papers are both fun for toned papers.

• Strathmore 500 Series Vellum Bristol is a wonderful surface for sketching with colored pencil.

• Fabriano Artistico 300 lb. Hot Press watercolor paper is great for mixed media work with pencil and wet media. If you want more texture the cold press is good. Soft Press is probably "just right" for a larger variety of effects.

3. Select a couple dark pencils of another brand. These should be normal leads, not metallic—a black Stabilo All, or a dark purple or indigo Prismacolor for instance would be excellent choices. Take these with you for adding value contrast and crisp line as needed.

4. Select a favorite model (e.g., you dog or cat or budgie), go to life drawing, go sit in a cafe, set up a favorite object in a still life—and sketch with the Ferby on the different paper surfaces.

After drawing for a couple hours with the Ferby ask yourself some questions: How did the pencil feel (smooth, rough, whatever) on the paper; did it drag or glide compared to what you normally use; could you get dark enough values; could you restate your lines in your normal fashion; did you like the addition of watercolor or gouache and if so why (being very specific); did you like the Ferby on each paper and why (again, being very specific).

Besides asking those and other working questions jot down your answers in your journal so you can find them in the future.

Next to wrap up, think of 3 projects in which you would like to use the Ferby as an experiment.

Here's an example I'm looking forward to—I want to do a sketch with acrylics (fluid) and then when the paint is dry, add Ferby lines for texture, metallic glitz, and plain old fun, just to see what happens.

Once you have your three ideas noted down in your journal get your callendar out and mark down your next Project Friday—the follow up! Work on those three projects you conceived.

What will you do with your Ferby? Let me know. Have a great Project Friday. 

Note: I have no idea how archival the Super Ferby pencil is. I haven't used it in finished art, I've just always used it in sketches. So if you get some finished pieces you really like, remember scan or photograph them and save a digital record, just to avoid disappointment.

Koh-I-Nor Tricolor Pencil Sets

Left: Sketch using Koh-I-Nor Tricolor pencil. All of the colors in this sketch came out of one pencil with a multi-color lead. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

There have been kid's colored pencils with multi-colored leads for years. Now Koh-I-Nor has brought out Tricolor Pencils—their version of a multi-colored lead with what they refer to as top quality pigments. You can buy these pencils in open stock or in sets. (Note: these are NOT the jumbo pencils that are triangularly shaped. I'm describing regular pencils with round barrels.)

(Of course I bought mine at Wet Paint in St. Paul, where they have both sets and open stock. You can order from them or look on the internet. I am not connected to Wet Paint, I'm just a happy customer—who spends a lot of time there.)

The leads in the pencils I purchased in open stock were what I define as hard. They keep a nice point, they are a little brittle, but not overly so. They lay down a smooth line, but unlike many brands of "soft" colored pencils with wax or oil binders the color line is a bit wimpy. 

What is fun, however, is that each lead is made up of three colors of lead and at any given moment you'll wear the lead down to expose another fleck of color and that transition will show up in your drawings

I found that the lighter value pencils (ones with mixes of yellow and other high-key colors) were disappointing in trial because there wasn't a lot of variation in the color line. The same was true with some of the analogous color leads when those colors were all roughly the same value. I had the most fun working with pencils that had disparate colors in the leads.

While I find getting dark values with these pencils requires more pressure than I care to use (hence one of the reasons I prefer other lines of pencils) I do think these pencils are great for quick sketches like the one shown in today's post. I have three of these pencils in my life-drawing sketch kit.

Practicing at the Zoo

Left: first page of the day at Como, Puffins of course. Vine Charcoal on Stonehenge. My first sketch didn't get developed before he hopped to a higher perch so I worked over it and rubbed out the lines a bit with my finger—one of the fun things about charcoal. If I were spending more time I might have laid in a whole dark background of charcoal and smudged it—because that would have made the light crest of feathers pop on his head. All these scans have a bit of a shadow on them. The wire binding prevented me from shutting the scanner cover and I didn't throw a cloth over the machine, but the paper is a creamy white. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Last Friday I went with my friend Bill to sketch at the Como Zoo. Bill wanted to practice sketching in public, specifically crowds. I wanted to practice sketching with some different media so that I could make a decision about which materials I'd use at the upcoming Paws on Grand (where we sketch pet portraits with an optional donation to charity).

Set to arrive at 11 a.m. Bill called me on my cell as I was circling the parking areas. We confirmed we were both going to have a long walk and hung up. Thirty minutes later Bill walked in the Como entrance.

Right: Next page. I'm only working on the right-hand pages because of the smeary mess that charcoal makes! Click on the image to view an enlargement.

B: Whose idea was this? 
[He asked in reference to the hordes of people!]

R: I was going to tell you that you picked a great day for the weather. [Roz said in reference to the still below 80 degree temperature, the first such day in weeks].

B: So did everyone else.

We chatted for about 30 minutes while sitting on the bench. We looked over materials that we were each going to use. But time was awasting and I don't chat much when I'm sketching, so off we went to the Aquatic building to start with the puffins.

Left: Puffin resting on the top of a rock. This is my third page and my favorite sketch of the day. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

(Bill was a very pleasant sketch partner as he was happy to go pretty much any where I wanted to go, and I do have my somewhat superstitous route!)

I don't have any photos or scans of what Bill did, but they were all great. We stood relatively close to each other (the crowds pretty much forced us to if we were going to get any view at all) and it was fun to see how someone else saw the same animal.

Right: I did a number of quick sketches on this page. I was interested in getting the shape down quickly. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Bill also used a variety of materials; sometimes pen, sometimes pencil. He had a couple different sketchbooks to work in. I was working in a small square Stonehenge sketchbook because I knew I would be working on Stonehenge paper on the day.

Left: A moulting penguin. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I found that even though the vine charcoal was "dirty" and I was using my fingers to smudge it, it wasn't as messy as I had thought it would be. I wouldn't work in my regular visual journal with charcoal. I don't like the way it smears all over the opposite page and I wouldn't want to put tons of glassine separators in my journals. I don't use fixatives so that's not a possibility (and even then they would still smudge a bit). I will definitely take charcoal to the zoo again for a sketching session if I'm not interested in working in my regular journal. I found however that my impulse to take notes was frustrated by the use of charcoal. And my desire to get in really close and fussy with pen and ink was also frustrated—but that desire to be fussy is sometimes good to frustrate.

Right: For this next Penguin sketch I switched to a Stabilo All. I started on the left of the page thinking that I would do another sketch on the page, but decided to switch to colored pencil on a new page. After the smoothness of the charcoal I was disappointed with the lack of precision of line or smudge-ability of the Stabilo All. I ruled it out quickly. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Left: My first sketch using Faber Castell Albrecht Dürer Watersoluble colored pencils dry. I was using a couple blue pencils and a red pencil. Then then mold-a-form machine smell got too strong and we left the building. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

The day wasn't all good—I discovered that Bill likes to lie to people! People would come up and engage him in conversation (I guess I didn't explain the whole ninja cloak of invisibility thing clearly enough to Bill) and he would simply fib:

At the Penguins—

Woman: Is he posing for you?

Bill: Yes, Charlie always poses for me.

AND SHE BOUGHT IT.

Moments later when I busted Bill for fibbing and told her a real, true, science fact, she didn't believe me. ARGH. I give up. 

Right: Memory sketch of a crane. Bill stopped to sketch a zebra while I was testing a new camera. After putting my camera away I turned and saw two of these cranes walking back to the building and did a quick diagramatic sketch with the three colored pencils in my pocket. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I like sketching with colored pencils on Stonehenge, especially if I'm working with just a couple colors. So I continued to do this for the rest of our zoo visit. 

Left: Giraffe sitting in its enclosure. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Bill and I both sketched the same giraffe. I don't usually like to stand and sketch the giraffes outside because there is no shade around their enclosure, and by this time the temperature was inching up above 80 and the sun was out. But was a pleasing view. And Bill obviously wanted to stop. He did afterall put up with a lot of bird sketching.

Right: Snow Leopard sleeping, head tilted back, bottom of chin visible, top front leg slouched over across the body and tucked down near the rising paw of the other front leg; belly exposed as the body twists, rear leg propped against the enclosure's rock wall and tail dropping down, down, down at the left. (They have really long tails.) Top portion of page you can see an aborted head sketch of a giraffe and the quick sketch of the other rear/side view of the seated giraffe. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

When we finished our sketches and walked a bit further we saw that the other side of the giraffe was really a fantastic composition, with leg out. We both took photos and I made a little quick sketch on my final page—but neither of us were interested in standing in the sun any longer.

Inside the cat building the crowd moved quickly. Most of the cats were outside. But the snow leopard was napping near the wall of its enclosure. I wasn't going to sketch it at all because it was in a pose that was difficult to read, and you had to stand pressed up against the glass, turning your body at the same time. But then I thought, what the heck, that fur sure looks interesting, and the paw is massive. So I started to sketch (sometimes it's best to just jump in and not second guess things). Bill stood closer to the animal, but also had to press. He had to twist less. Because he was closer he also had to deal with lots of little kids who wanted to press in close in front of him. That's always good training (for both artist and kid).

I actually propped myself against a large window divider. It protected me from bumps from the back and because the view was obstructed by it, no one wanted to stand back there so they stood well in front of me.

Bill also sketched a female lion while we were in the cat building. I had started the day trying to work as fast as possible (6 minutes, 7 minutes) per sketch, but the heat with the giraffes slowed me down. When I finished the cat sketch I knew I was through. Bill had had enough too. We'd only been sketching for about 2 hours. Bill like me didn't relish going into the crowded zoo restaurant, full of sticky kids. We walked back to our cars and reconvened at Cafe Latte.

It was Bill's first visit to Cafe Latte, and he didn't have cake. It's one of the most amazing things that happened all day! I had a bowl of chili and took my cake home—still too hot to feel hungry enough to eat it, but I wasn't going to miss out on cake.

Do I know what I'm going to use at Paws on Grand? Nope, but I'm thankful there will be an awning!

Project Friday: Working on Pencil Technique by Sketching from the Masters

Above: This is a journal spread from a recent 8 inch (approx.) square journal I made with TH Saunders Waterford 90 lb. hot press watercolor paper. The tab at the center of the spread is the remains of a page I cut out when I first started working in the book (to allow room for later collage material). The recto page was completed first. I just grabbed some analogous colored pencils (Prismacolor) and started sketching one of my mugshot studies. The images on the verso page were done at a later time. These are copies made from drawings by John Singer Sargent. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

You can learn a lot by looking at artwork created by "the masters." I believe this is particularly true when it comes to drawing. The artist has either got the line right (with all the length, breadth, weight, sensitivity, surety, and style) or he hasn't. It is informative to work from master drawings to see too how these decisions are made. Why this line and not that one, why this pressure and not that…

There are many ways you can practice this. I think the simplest is to find a book with drawings by your favorite artist. If you're working on pencil technique I suggest Ingres or Sargent.

I have a small Dover book of Sargent drawings. Dover prints a whole series of such books. They are economical and very useful. They probably have published one containing your favorite artist's drawings. As to Ingres, well I must have a shelf of books containing his works.

You can find sketches on line too, like this Ingres drawing of Mme Victor Baltard. Just be prepared to lie down for a moment and get your breath back, when looking at Ingres' work. And if you can get a good printed reproduction I think you'll see more than an image on your screen will tell you.

Find a sketch that you really like. Look for something that has a range of line techniques. Then with your pencil of choice (sharpened or not as the artist's pencil obviously was—and you can tell that from looking at the image) start copying the drawing, line by line. 

I tend to start with the eyes (as per usual) and work my way out. You want to constantly judge the angle, size, and length of any line you're putting down, against the original line in your print and against all the lines you've already put in your copy. As I work I find it interesting and helpful to ask myself questions about the decisions the artist made. What types of "shorthand" or "cheating" was he using to give a sense of dimensionality? When was he working with a fluid line? When did he find short jabs useful.

I'm suggesting a very slow and deliberate building of your copy drawing. Look closely at each line and try to replicate that line, asking questions as you go, judging relationships.  

You can of course work with an eraser in your hand and rub out your errors as you go, but I prefer to work very slowly and note my errors to myself, and leave them, comparing the copy and original at the end. I just don't like erasing.

Also if you are going to erase, work in graphite instead of colored pencil. You can't really erase colored pencil without distressing your paper.

When I do this there are always times when I'm really focused and things work out in a small area, and then in other places I'm totally off because I lost focus. I find that this teaches me a lot about where my attention lags, and also where I have difficult with my visual measuring—going too wide for instance, or too long for a nose, and so on.

If I were interested in a totally accurate copy erasing and taking breaks and coming back fresh would all be a good thing. For me I just want to have the dialog, notice where I went off and move on. I'm looking at the other artist's vocabulary of line.

So, for this Project Friday I suggest that you get a book of drawings by your favorite artist and start learning his or her vocabulary of lines. You can do this with pen and ink sketches as well, but you have to match pen types so it is often just easier to jump in with graphite.

Work at the same size or as close to the same size as the print/plate as you can, so that the character of your line matches the line in the "original." (If you blow up the size of your working copy you will constantly be making space adjustments based on what you see, with an extra amount added in and that can instantly lead to some wonkiness if your internal measuring device is at all week at the enlarging process. Also you would have to work with a fatter pencil lead to match the strokes of the original sketch. These sketches aren't going to be taken for forgeries they are just studies. And the print/plate you are working from probably isn't going to be the same size as the original artwork either.

Take your time. Really look. Ask questions of yourself. You'll find things that will make you appreciate your favorite artist all the more!

A Note on TH Saunders Waterford 90 lb. Hot Press Watercolor Paper

I was delightfully surprised at how enjoyable it was to sketch with colored pencils on this hot press watercolor paper. There is just enough tooth to give your line a bit of character. While the paper has been sized for watercolor the sizing doesn't repel the pencil pigment in the way some watercolor papers do. It's a great paper for doing this particular exercise. Bristol with a vellum finish would be another excellent choice. I do not find the paper in the Fabriano Venezia journal fun to sketch on in pencil so I wouldn't recommend it for this project. Plain copier bond is actually often suitable for this type of practice if you are using softer pencils and using a non-inkjet paper.

An Additional Suggestion

If you are interested in working more on training your eye and hand for coordination and seeing and rendering values you could also invest in Charles Bargue and Jean-Leon Gérôme: Drawing Course, edited by Gerald M. Ackerman. It's chock full of plates of exquisite drawings and of construction plates (where the beginnings of a cast drawing are shown as well as the developed drawing so you can work up the entire drawing).

If you do decide to go this route you can see a short video of someone working from a Bargue plate here. From time to time they teach a class in this at The Atelier in Minneapolis. I took two sessions of it several years ago and really enjoyed it. There were some differences in how we were taught (harder pencils for one thing—sharpened to a needle point) but you get the idea from this video. 

Great Hardbound Art Journals New from Strathmore—Perfect for Visual Journaling

Strathmore paper company has just released its new line of Hardbound Art Journals.

Update July 14, 2012: As of yesterday this line of journals is available at Wet Paint for all of you who have been looking for it.

They are fabulous. I have never been this excited about a commercially bound sketchbook. They are beautifully made and contain great Strathmore papers.

I'm most excited about the 500 series Mixed Media books. When Strathmore released this paper in their wire bound journals I was an instant fan. I begged to get it released as a sheet so that I could bind my own books with it. It is now available in sheets and I have bound it into journals myself.

To see some of my mixed media work on this paper see "Great Paper News: Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Paper Is Available in Sheets." More work can be seen on this paper at these links: More on Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Paper in Sheets; Still More on Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Paper…; Even More on Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Paper…; Another Note about Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Paper…; Yep More On Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Paper…; and Yep Even More on Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Paper…. 

However, I couldn't be happier that they have now created such a beautiful book using that paper. Mixed media artists who work with wet media and don't bind their own books, and who don't want wire bound journals can now enjoy this wonderful paper in a hard covered book. 

There are four types of hardbound art journals in the line. One is filled with recycled drawing paper; one is filled with watercolor paper; there's the 500 series Mixed Media paper in the third type; and you can also get either gray or tan drawing paper in the last group of "toned sketch" papers.

The toned papers come in either a 5.5 x 8.5 inch or an 8.5 x 11 inch size with either gray or tan paper. ($17.99 and $26.09 respectively.) Both toned papers have just the right amount of visible fiber inclusions that gives them a lovely look and will enhance the depth of the background of your artwork. The toned papers are smooth enough for working on in ink, but have enough tooth to take dry media exceptionally well. Both are 80 lb. weight papers. (See the end of this post for more details on these books.)

The 500 Series Mixed Media paper is a 90 lb. paper and is available in those sizes as well as an 11 x 14 inch size. (Prices: $20.00, $29.99, and $38.99. Even if I value my labor at zero, my costs for materials to make the 8.5 x 11 inch book using this paper are greater than Strathmore is selling theirs for.)

For people who like to use pen and watercolor in a casebound book that is in PORTRAIT format the 500 Series Mixed Media line is just the book for you!  

The watercolor paper version of these art journals comes in the two larger sizes as well as the small version which is bound on the 5.5 inch side to create a landscape format. (Prices: $20.99, $29.99, and $38.99.) The 140 lb. weight Strathmore 400 series watercolor paper is used in these books. This paper is going to stand up to the abuse and use from watercolorists whether they are sitting in their studio, sketching downtown, or sitting in a forest.

The recycled drawing series comes in all three portrait orientation sizes. ($17.99, $26.09, and $29.99) The paper is an 80 lb. weight.

I was sent a prototype of the watercolor book (which has a different covering than its final covering) and have seen all the other subgroups now as well. I have been working with the watercolor book and I am pleased that the glue joins between the signatures have stayed together and not pulled apart. 

All the books are bound cleanly and tightly with Smyth-sewn bindings that will stand up to use in the field. The spines are beautifully formed with decorative headbands at the head and tail. The books open flat so that you can work easily across the gutter—which is what you should be able to do in a sewn journal. 

One of the best things about these books is that in all four categories, paper surfaces have been matched across the spreads so that you will be working on the same type of surface all the way across the spread. (I've tested several commercially bound journals where this isn't the case.)

My only quibble about these books is that I really had hoped Strathmore would use bookcloth over the cover boards. That just is my personal preference for when I hold books in my hand and work.

Yet as I work in these books, I admit I'm being won over by their covering which is a chocolate brown synthetic latex-saturated paper embossed with a leather-grain pattern. The matte finish on this covering paper adds to the deep richness of the texture while making the books comfortable to hold. They are neither slippery nor sticky. There is no chemical smell associated with any component of these books. (As you know that would be a problem for me.) There is just the wonderful Strathmore paper smell.

Note: A couple days after I published this post a reader wrote in wondering about the latex process on the cover so I requested more information. It is indeed as I assumed a synthetic latex process. Allergies should not be an issue. I have included the word "synthetic" in the above paragraph to clarify for new readers.

Since I have only had the books for a couple days (except for the watercolor one) I don't know how well the covering will wear. I'll definitely report back on this aspect as I work my way through them. The covering appears hardy and the color and texture both seem selected to minimize marring and scuffing, so I'm very optimistic.

The advertising/product label wraps around the front cover and is easily removed, leaving the cover unmarred or discolored by any residual adhesive.

Besides being so wonderfully well-made each book contains a great Strathmore paper. It's truly a great new line of hard bound art journals. When I opened the box the delicious Strathmore paper smell was right there. 

I have been told that these books will be shipping to stores over the next 3 weeks. You should be able to get them in all the usual places. Call your local vendors to check on when they might be arriving locally.

If you are looking for a commercially bound art or sketch journal I cannot recommend these books highly enough. You really need to select one of these journals that works for the media you like to use, and run it through its paces. If you are a non-bookbinder your quest for a great journal might be over. 

But Wait, There's More—You Know I Had To Do This…

While the journals made with the Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media paper and 400 Series Watercolor paper are made for wet media, you can't really believe that I would get a journal with toned-paper and not try to experiment with it did you?

Left: Here's a PPBP sketch of Gert, on the gray paper. I then painted her using gouache, sometimes in watery washes (bottom portion of her body), sometimes with heavier washes. I did a little restating of the lines near her facial features. You can see that the water caused this dry media paper to buckle slightly, but it is totally within my tolerances—the page is not deformed and you can still work on the backside of the page. Please note that you can see the flecks of the paper in this scan, but you will also see blue paint spatters which were added by me. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Almost as soon as the books were out of the box I was sketching Gert with my Pentel Pocket Brush Pen (PPBP). Those of you who work with this pen know that it gives bold, rich black lines.

Well I'm excited to tell you that both the tan and the gray toned papers have great opacity, even when you are using bold dark ink. There is no bleeding into the paper, and no show through of lines when I turned the page. I can use my PPBP to my heart's content on these pages without a care. 

But of course I then had to experiment further.

Strathmore states clearly that the Toned Sketch Art Journals are for use with light and dark media "including graphite, chalk, charcoal, sketching stick, markers, china markers, colored pencils, pens and white gel pens." 

Strathmore makes no claims that these books are for wet media.

Left: Another sketch of Gert, using PPBP on the tan toned paper, followed with many layers of gouache, just to push and see how much I could work the paper—which was a lot, as long as I didn't scrub the paper when wet. You'll also see that I'm trying out colored pencil—top left. There you can get a sense of the grain texture of the paper through the pencil strokes. Also I tested the Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Calligraphy pen. Typically ink sets up from this pen faster than any I use. On this paper if I scrubbed it immediately with my waterbrush I could get a little bit of the ink to lift. This didn't happen with the PPBP lines. If you sketch at a moderate speed your favorite waterproof ink pens will probably be dry and set before you do anything as silly as paint on a dry media paper. Writing on either of these papers was not a problem—the ink dried and did not smear even if I moved my hand across the ink lines almost right away.

So of course I painted on them with gouache. Just because a manufacturer doesn't specify something can be used on a paper doesn't mean you shouldn't try. You should always try. You may be pleasantly surprised. And I was.

The paper, at 80 lb. weight is going to buckle when it gets wet, and you can see that it did from the scans, but the paper buckled far less than I expected it would as a drawing paper; and far less than several art papers I currently paint on all the time.

I found that I could make light translucent washes or heavier applications of gouache with no problem on this paper (beyond that little bit of buckling). By managing my layering, and by working when the paper had a chance to dry a bit before going in for additional work (and by "dry a bit" I mean I was working on other areas and came back to this area in under 2 minutes), I found that there wasn't any disruption of the paper surface.

Left: Reverse side of the tan page on which I painted Gert with lots of layers of paint. Here I painted some freehand clouds. First I painted over and over the area with a light peach color. Then I went back in with blue and white. In the bottom left of the cloud section where I repeatedly moved across the paper while it was wet and the paint was wet you can see some pilling is beginning. The paper surface lasted longer than I thought a drawing paper should, and it's easy to back up from that point now that I know where that point is. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

It was only when I repeatedly stroked or scrubbed an area, or applied wet on wet paint layers multiple times that I got any pilling of the surface paper.

Additionally the buckling from wetting did not prevent me from working on the reverse side of the sheet.

Left: A PPBP sketch of Gert with colored pencil additions on the gray toned paper. I didn't start with a color plan (which I usually do when I work in colored pencil). Instead I just started layering on the colors seeing how they would blend, and how many layers I could get the paper to accept before the tooth of the paper refused to accept more color. The paper was exceptionally receptive to more and more layers. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I also tried out my acrylic Montana marker on the toned papers. Originally the pen wasn't working well on the tan paper—because I didn't have the ink flowing yet. But once the ink got flowing the lines made wonderful marks on these papers. (That's the red lettering you see in the images.)

My beloved Staedtler Pigment Liner also loves working on both these toned papers—even in the smaller nib sizes. I didn't have any skipping, just smooth writing.

So if you don't mind a little buckling, and want a commercially made sketchbook with toned paper that you can use with light washes of gouache (and you know how to control your water and paint or just enjoy experimenting) I can tell you that there is some fun to be had with these toned paper books.

If you're only interested in dry media then you should have no hesitation about buying these toned paper books for use with all the media Strathmore recommends. I found them particularly fun for working in with colored pencil.

Note: I am not an employee or paid spokesperson of Strathmore. I've used Strathmore papers all of my working life. Strathmore creates dependable and elegant papers (not everyone can do both) that perform with predictable and delicious results time after time—something you learn to appreciate when you have a deadline. I am a fan of their papers. I am a fan of the care, craftsmanship, and attention to detail they have put into this new line of journals. They listened to what artists wanted in a journal and responded to those needs and wants. I'm excited to tell you about them. Seek Strathmore Hardbound Art Journals out and put them through your creative paces.

Cool Journals to Look Through on a Weekend: Kolby Kirk—The Hike Guy, and A. W. Wainwright

Above: A mosaic of Kolby Kirk's Pacific Crest Trail hiking journals. ©Kolby Kirk. See details below to view this and other images from his journals. If you click on this image you'll go to Kirk's Flickr site.

My friend Heather sent me a link to an inspiring site for hikers and visual journal keepers: The Hike Guy. You can read about Kolby Kirk in his own words at the site and you can look into his Pacific Crest Trail journals here.

Kirk has a lot of interesting posts on his site but one that caught my eye was his DIY Ultra-Light Watercolor Pencil Palette. For me this looks like a complicated way to carry a pan palette and it looks bigger than any of the palettes I carry around at any time. But he also gets more colors—and that matters to him and how he works. I love his post on this because it shows how if you love an art supply and have a creative turn of mind you'll find a way to take it into the field with you.

Poking around his site I saw a post on A.W. Wainright who is famous for writing books about "walks" around England. My favorite is "A Coast to Coast Walk" which I was first shown when I was a teenager and then found again about 10 years ago. When Dottie died I decided I would like to go on the walk and sketch, but while I normally like to be alone I didn't want to "wander lonely as a cloud" (I don't much like Wordsworth anyway) and couldn't find another person interested in going on the walk with me. (I also didn't want to lead a sketching class and have to "entertain" people the whole trip.)

I still content myself with reading passages from the book in the evenings, and then during the day, walking about my own city. It will have to do. But if you like hiking, like illustrations of architecture and landscapes, and like reading about parts of England I suggest you check out Wainright's book(s) after you enjoy Kolby's journals.

Thanks to Kolby and Wainwright we can enjoy the view while staying at home!

See What Happens When You Miss a Sketch Out!?

Above: Ken Avidor sketched Liz Carlson and a wood duck at the Bell Museum on Sunday, December 4, 2011, using a Uniball pen with InkTense watersoluble colored pencils. (Ken works in an "eco" sketchbook with brown toned paper. I forget the exact name, but I know Wet Paint carries them.) Click on the image to view an enlargement. Image ©2011 Ken Avidor.

A week or so ago I knew I was going to miss the MetroSketchers monthly sketch out because I had long-standing plans to go to Wisconsin and visit with friends and a couple dogs. 

Before I left I got wind of an "evil" plot to use Derwent Inktense pencils at the MetroSketchers sketchout. (Social media can, it seems, keep you in the loop.) Ken Avidor was interested in trying some watercolor pencils and Liz Carlson was going to bring some for him to use. 

Let's stop for a moment and remind everyone I'm a little bossy pants. Wait, I'm probably the biggest bossy pants on the planet. I'm never shy of telling people what I think they should be doing (just the other night I told a friend which project she should work on, dropping all others, in other words, telling her how to plan her whole 2013), or using for art materials (just ask Ken how I coerced him to stop using bond paper for his journals). So when I heard that InkTense were going to be used at the sketch out I was concerned and voiced those concerns to Ken in an email—warning him of the extreme fugitive nature of this pencil.

Lots of art materials are very seductive in their initial application or final drying mode, and then, well what happens later isn't pretty. But it's that early seductive phase that is the dangerous one!

(I have a chart up somewhere with the InkTense colors showing the fading but can't find it using my search engine—so just let me tell you they are bad, bad. Worse than Graphitints. And what's more, Derwent knows this. They make no claims for any sort of longevity for this product on the packaging and never use the words "artist" or "artist quality." If you use these pencils at all [and I don't think you should, because remember I'm a bossy pants] then shoot or scan your resultant image immediately. The dyes used in these leads will fade even in a closed book.)

Ken is never much bothered by my pronouncements about art materials, I mean he listens to me, takes things into consideration, and then does what he wants. Which is how the world should work, except that Ken has phenomenal talent and I feel personally offended when I think of his artwork dissolving into nothing (thankfully he works primarily in inks that are stable over time).

But this post is just an example of how, if you are going to stop great wrongs from happening you really have to be on site!

Not only did they go ahead and use the InkTense pencils, but they defiled my sacred wood duck.

I received the following email from Ken:

Roz

You should have been there to stop us.

In spite of your advice not to use InkTense pencils, we tried them anyways.

With an irresponsible giddiness, we sketched with the pencils knowing full well their intensity was fleeting and our sketches will fade away to nothing.

It was all Liz's fault.

It really got out of hand when she used the InkTense pencils to sketch the wood duck - you know - THE SACRED WOOD DUCK you have sketched so many times!!!

I'm sorry, it won't happen again.

-Avidor

Of course Ken, Liz, you, and I all know it will happen again, and again, and again. And any rational bossy pants knows that is the way the world should work! (Actually it's pretty fun when people this talented go rogue.)

And Liz is absolved from all "blame" in this incident, because she's just trying to provide people with options. Fun options. That sort of person is always more seductive than a bossy pants! 

I'm looking forward to missing more sketch outs in the future, just so I can see what fun they get up to when they are being "irresponsible."

Isn't it time you behaved irresponsibly with art materials? If you're in the Twin Cities you need to be going to MetroSketchers and other sketch out possibilities (this link will get you to all sorts of local groups of which I'm aware).

If you don't live here you need to find or start your own groups. Start kicking it up—with whatever art tool you have at hand.