Sketching and Painting Outdoors to the Sound of Music

I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.  So, I’m glad you are here with me as I get this off the ground.  To quote the Sound of Music’s song, Do-Re-Mi, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start”.  This tune always comes to mind when I’m trying something new and all the memories associated with it.  I loved watching this musical.  Of course, back then, it was only on once a year, a special treat, with many phone calls to cousins, friends and family members to make sure they knew it was on in case they missed the weekly published TV Guide.

If you are here reading this I’m guessing I do not need to convince you of all the benefits of painting and sketching outdoors or of art in general.  Spending time in nature, away from any tech, fully immersed with all your senses in the moment is an absolute gift.  (Julie Andrew's character, Maria, and the Von Trapp kids seemed to get this!) What you produce is often secondary.

How to start is the question.  We are often resistant to starting a new practice or habit and there are certainly enough books out there with far greater insight and advice than I could ever produce.  (I particularly like Atomic Habits.). So I’ll focus on removing points of friction that often get us sidetracked and a bit “stuck in the mud” as my grandmother would say.

“Do Re Mi”

Let’s begin with sketching, a truly foundational habit, before we move into painting.  It’s very transportable, easy to jump in to and can always be improved upon.  It is the gift that keeps on giving. It will improve everything else you do in your art practice and bless you with improved observation, focus, muscle memory and hand to eye coordination.  No small feat!

Materials

This is the best part of sketching.  It can be as simple as you wish.  I have started to keep a small kit in my car that goes everywhere with me.  It is separate from my sketching kit that I bring out with me on plein air outings which is a bit more involved and which I will get to later.  This is just one version and if you do a search you will come up with multiple variations and I will certainly update this kit as time goes on.  You could, if you want, keep it to just a pencil and paper.

I like this metal clipboard, purchased at Staples because it is 10x6”, provides a hard surface to draw on and can fit inside a pocketbook/purse or small backpack/carry all pretty easily.  There is something very comforting in a container.  It holds stuff, it holds promise. It opens like a gift each and every time. I can pull over in my car or take it with me into the bleachers while my youngest son plays lacrosse or football. The clip board has a storage compartment underneath which, although not very deep, is deep enough to carry the bare essentials, which, for me currently include:

2 drawing pencils-1 hard and 1 soft

• an eraser

• pencil sharpener

•  a permanent black fine tip marker

•  a ball point pen,

• a watercolor travel brush

• make up sponge

• a clip and/or elastic

•  a small travel watercolor set or colored pencils

•  watercolor paper or watercolor sketchbook

• I am toying with the idea of adding some collage papers and a thin glue stick but haven’t done so yet.  I bet you already have most of this stuff at home already!

Drawing pencils:  Get a soft and hard lead. They will produce different effects and solve different visual questions. Play with them.  Make some marks.  Nice to have: watersoluable graphite pencil- plays well with collage but maybe not so much if you are more into watercolor and prefer clear colors because it will smear. Some artists swear by mechanical pencils but I do not use them.

Eraser:  Get the white soft plastic eraser.  Doesn’t leave marks, won’t rip your paper and works really well.  A standby.  If you think you will be a detail oriented sketches the mini eraser pens might be nice to achieve details by removing marks.

Permanent black fine tip marker: Microns are great as are Tombows.  So many out there - just make sure they are permanent.  (We’ve all made that mistake and found out the hard way.). Can’t go wrong with either Sakura or Faber Castell brands. I like a .005 and 1.0 but it is a personal preference.  The extra fine black sharpies work well too!

Ball point pen:  I love these- Zebra pen, F-402, .7mm, the ink is permanent, it is super fine and a nice softer gray black. There are many ballpoints to choose from, again, just make sure they are permanent ink.  I tend to stay away from anything that says water resistant.  Not worth the risk.

Makeup sponge:  This is just a space saver.  Paper towels would work fine too, I just know myself well enough to know I will forget to replace the paper towels and then I’ll be stuck without something to wipe my brush with no napkins in sight!

Color:  This is optional.  You may find you just like black and white.  If you are new to this you may just want to start with black and white and work on some of your hatching and stippling techniques before diving into color.

If you, like me, adore color, then a thin container of watercolor pans would be great.  Remember, though, if you use this clipboard idea, it is only an inch deep so you would need a thin set or attach it to the outside of the clipboard for storage.  I found this Dale Rowney watercolor tin to be extremely thin and you could use the lid and the triangular corner section for a palette although you may want to rough up the surface of the tin lid a bit so the paint won’t bead up too much.  (Lucky me, I already had this set!) There are a ton of travel watercolor sets.  Could be a whole separate post!

Alternatively, you could just use a small set of watercolor pencils, maybe changing out a few colors depending on the season or location (more greens for inland, more blues for coastal, brighter greens, pinks, blues for spring, cooler blues and purples for winter.) Again, multiple options here, there are many great choices for watersoluable, colored pencils.  I’d avoid the student or craft grade- much less pigment and very waxy.

Obviously, a different container than the clipboard opens up all sorts of options but my goal for this particular kit is to force myself to keep it as simple as possible.  I know myself well and if I give myself a larger bag or container I will fill it up to the absolute top!  More stuff, more choices, less accomplished.    

Watercolor brush: these are so handy for sketch kits.  The water is stored in the body of the brush itself which solves a myriad of logistical conundrums!  Not great for precision painting but perfect for a sketch book habit. Don’t lose the cap- it will be sure to leak otherwise!  Alternatively, having a small plastic ziplock sandwich bag to hold the brush and watercolor pan set would be wise.  Another idea- you could add a liquid watercolor to several of these watercolor brushes (a cerulean, a light green, a dark green, an umber, a peachy light brown) and just have it ready to go and avoid carrying a pan set all together.  Those soft brush marks in watercolor combined with some colored pencil marks over top would be fun and interesting.

Paper:  I always buy watercolor paper (cold press/texture) or Bristol (hot press/smooth) in a weight that allows me to have the choice of adding water. This would mean a weight of 110-140lb to be safe.

Again, if you think you’ll be focusing on black and white and sketching more without color then any sketch paper will do and you will probably prefer a smooth surface (stay away from cold press.) But you’ll figure out your preferences as you go and play with it.

Small sketchbooks with heavy paper are great too.  I would go no larger then 5x7” just knowing how much time I might have to sketch if I want it to be a regular practice.  There are a ton out there.  I’ve used Pentalic and Hannemuhle and made my own.  Concertina/accordian sketchbooks are a lot of fun. Moleskin are nice for sketching but I didn’t care for them for wet work.   

Top to bottom:

1. Strathmore watercolor  artist  tiles 4x4” (loose-leaf)

2. Strathmore postcards, heavy stock, smooth (bound)

3. Elastic and clip

4. Pentallic 3.5x5.5” watercolor sketchbook

Clip or elastic: Nice to have if it is a windy day or to hold down pages or half of your sketchbook.

Nice to have:  If I can fit it in I like a white pen (Gelli) or white acrylic paint marker (thin nib) like a Posca. They are great for going back into your sketch at the end and adding highlights or lightening an area.  Likewise, a grayscale watercolor marker like Tombow is nice to have to further darken a value that needs to be tweaked without totally obscuring a color or the mark making/stippling/hatching underneath.   

“That will bring us back to Do!”

Next week we’ll get into some techniques and continue to reduce the points of friction that inhibit our practice.  Sketch a bit this week just sitting inside, something simple, a mug, an egg.  Put some music on! Notice how completely absorbed you become when doing this.  Feels good!  Don’t worry about the outcome, we’re just focusing on building a habit.

Helpful Links:

Sound of Music, Do Re Mi:  https://youtu.be/drnBMAEA3AM?si=LO6aLmwBPAnzHE-Y

Sketchbook Tips: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/10-easy-sketchbook-tips/#comments

Alternative Sketchbook Kit: https://youtu.be/T-RaVEM5-Gk?si=SdsukEgnThdX4kGq

Another Sketchbook Kit with watercolor suggestion: https://billiescraftroom.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/how-to-make-a-travelling-kit-for-sketching-painting/