Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!
These are the contents of my sketch bag. The contents always change a little bit over time.
I add something, and then something else has to go, because otherwise the bag will be too
full. I could get a larger sketch bag of course, but I dont like schlepping everything with
me all the time and also: I dont want to waste any valuable draw time by linguering
over which of the many tools I should use. I want to just pick up a tool and start drawing
right away! So theres todays tip for you: yes, art
supplies are great, but narrow them down as well, so your drawing time is spent on drawing
and not on fiddling around and being indecisive. These tools are great for my current sketchbook:
a Stilman & Birn Epsilon series.
The Uni-ball is a reliable rollerball pen with a nice juicy flow to it, and the ink
is water resistant so you can combine it with watercolors.
This Lamy Safari fountain pen took a bit of getting used to, because of its broad nib.
Now I really like it for quick and bold lines. I use an ink converter in it, so I can refill
it with water resistant ink - called carbon ink. You can find these converters online.
Try jetpens.com. I love using my pens, but sometimes I use
a pencil and a kneadable eraser for projects like these: what I ate today, and also
for illustrated recipes. I first draw everything I want on the page, with pencil, so I can
erase and adjust for a balanced layout and lettering. Before I colour the page, I erase
the pencil lines with a kneadable eraser. A kneadable eraser doesnt effect the paper
or fade the ink, which some of the harder plastic erasers can do.
This is the watercolor box that I inherited from my grandfather who was an art painter.
You cant buy them like this anymore, so I am extra happy that I have this very precious
little box. I fill it with watercolor paint from tubes - currently in there Van Gogh paint
and Cotmans. With it, I use this water brush. It has a
container you fill with water and when you squeeze the handle, the brush is fed with
water and you can paint with it right away. And then my third tool for watercolouring
is this little thingy here. It looks a bit weird and grubby, but it is such a clever
trick I learned from liz steel. Its a sweatband, and when you put it on your wrist, you always
have your cloth to wipe your brush very close! When youre on location and its windy
- this comes in very handy. And with this grey brush marker you can add
quick shades or colour parts of your drawing. I often use it to add drop shadows quickly.
A very handy tool.
If I feel like doing a quick, playful drawing like this, I use this multicolor pencil - its
like disco on paper!
And then I also have a set of old colour pencils - Ive had these for years and they are
quite reliable, and inexpensive too, so I dont need to be super careful with them,
carrying them around in my bag. Theyre great for adding a dash of colour, or to sketch
with.
Thank you for watching this video! Whatever is in your sketchbag, make sure the tools
fit your creative needs, your style, and your hand, and use them to make awesome art!
If youd like to learn more, head on over to my website, koosjekoene.nl and sign up
for my newsletter or one of my classes today!
