So finally the day almost arrives. On the 30 of January I will travelling and sketching through South India for a month. So it is time for packing my sketching gear. I want to share with you my materials:
This is my handbag with all the materials inside.
1) Sketchbook "Alpha" from Stillman & Birn, 2) Windsor & Newton Pocket Watercolor set
3) normal Brush 4) Da Vinci Squirrel Brush 5) Da Vinci travel Brush 6) Pentel Waterbrush
7) 8) 9) 3 Sakura Brushes filled with enolina in yellow, magenta and cerulean blue
10) Pencil 2B 11) 12) blue Watercolor colorpencil
13) 14) 15) Faber Castell Pitt Pen (S) Markers in magenta , sanguina and sepia
16) Pentel Brush Pen 17) White Marker
18) Faber Castell Portable Cup 19) spray Perfume bottle filled with water 20) Sharpener
21) Cutter (don't forget to leave it at home if flying)
22) white tipex
I really love my watercolor set, specially that I can hold it only with my thumb. I already bought new colors, to replace the old ones.
This also one of my favorites: the fold-able cup from Faber Castell.
I am also testing sketchbooks. this is one of the Delta Sketchbooks from Stillman & Birn. A view from the Metro Station Schlesisches Tor. It got dark very quickly and rained so I start trying to get the lights and reflections.
I am not sure which size of sketchbook to take. Usually I use a sketchbooks that it can fill in my handbag (9 x 6 in) . But in a bigger format like this one (8 1/2 x 11 in) the drawings look amazing! I plan to do a book after that. Should I take with me just one kind of Sketchbook or different formats? Could you give me your opinion?
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34 comments:
If you have room, take both. You'll be seeing so much in that beautiful country and wanting to sketch everything. You don't want to run out of a sketchbook plus this way you'll have a choice of format.
good luck!!!
Have a safe trip Omar. I can't wait to see your India sketches!
I envy you this wonderful trip! You will no doubt see some wonderful things and make some beautiful sketches.
I always wish I would have brought a bigger sketchbook, so I'd go larger.
Have a great trip, looking forward to your sketches.
Good luck and enjoy! Looking forward to your sketches from South India!
Enjoy, Omar!
I would consider something longer than higher, especially if you get a chance to get to the backwaters. In this way, you could also tun the book vertical and capture the height of the temples. try to get to the dance troupe performance as well and arrive early to record the session of the actors putting on their own make-up. Have fun and travel safe!
Hi Omar,
I traveled to India to sketch in Oct/Nov 2011. Out of 3.5 weeks, I only saw 2 other sketchers and no one who took it very seriously!
Here are my tips and thoughts:
--Keep it super simple and light--I ended up keeping a lot of stuff in my suitcase, carried very little with me during the days. I filled 2 sketchbooks, could have drawn and painted more than I did.
--Take lots of yellow, orange, and pink paints. Cerulean blue is great too. My latest favorite sketchbooks is Pentallic, has better paper for watercolor than Moleskine (which is what I took to India, hadn't found Pentallic yet.)
--within literally 3 seconds of pulling out your sketchbook, you will attract a crowd who run over to you to watch, want to look at your materials, want to look through your sketchbook. It's unnerving at first, but go with it and try to enjoy it, show them the sketchbook when you are done!
--India is an amazing place to draw and paint. You'll go nuts with the colors and the incredible things to capture...the most interesting place I have ever been. It's an opportunity of a lifetime.
--I am female, so my experience might have been different from what yours will be like...but becuase of all the people watching, etc. I had a hard time painting my sketches on site...I often had to paint later. It's a challenging place to draw, but worth the effort. It will take some determined effort on your part becuase of the challenges.
--take a bag that you can secure while you are sketching, a backpack under your leg, a messenger bag over your shoulder and under your sketchbook, etc. With so many people so close, you have to watch your stuff while you work.
--Some places do not allow you to sketch, such as at the Taj Mahal, so be prepared.
If you want to know more, email me at stbower@comast.net
It was the trip of a lifetime for me, I envy you...I'd go back in a heartbeat and paint and paint...best of luck and have a wonderful trip.
Oh, also, my trick for not getting sick: don't eat anything, and I mean anything that isn't cooked,
and take one pill of grapefruit seed extract every day. It is anti-microbial. The only people I know who didn't get digestive problems have taken that tablet! We even ate street food (cooked, no fresh sauces) and never got sick!!
Stephanie
One more thing as I look at your supplies...you may have an issue with a leather bag, given that cows are holy. I used a Pacsafe bag which is nylon with a wire mesh (anti-slashing) imbedded in the bag. I was also able to secure the zipper with a built in latch. I carried my sketchbooks and supplies in this bag and was very, very glad to have a bag I could secure from pickpockets in very, very crowded places.
Stephanie
I love seeing artist's sketching gear - and you have such an exciting trip ahead. Stephanie's advice is great - helps to get a better picture of sketching in different countries.
Very exciting, Omar, sounds like you've gotten some excellent advice, too--I really look forward to seeing your India sketches! (Maybe take 2 of very different sizes/formats for different situations).
Gute Reise, Omar! Freue mich schon auf Deine Aquarelle!
Have a great trip Omar, can't wait to see what you'll draw! I'd bring both a pocket sketchbook and a medium/large one.
Buen viaje amigo! Vas a hacer unas acuarelas preciosas!
Buon viaggio Omar, penso che avrai da fare. Che bello! Ma cos'è l'Enolina?
Marco
Have a lovely time in incredibly beautiful India and follow Stephanie's advice 100%. Perhaps as well as taking your own materials you might like to experiment with local materials like handmade papers. Here are two useful looking websites about buying art materials in South India. The first is a forum and looks very useful and the second will give you some places to get local papers etc.: http://www.indiamike.com/india/packing-tips-for-india-travel-f6/buying-art-supplies-in-india-t10087/
http://catalogs.indiamart.com/products/art-materials.html
I remember buying a very serviceable sketchbook in north India in 1970 so there must be loads of what you need now. Have a wonderful time, do loads of wonderful work and put it up here so that we can all enjoy it! It would be good to see some of the work Stephanie did in India too - has she put anything on urbansketchers?
I'm very envious,Omar! Travel safely; can't wait to see what you produce.
Gute Reise für Dich, Omar! Ganz viele Leute freuen sich schon jetzt auf die Bilder, die Du zeigen wirst!
Dear Omar, welcome to india. i am based in western india,so may be far away from you ,but my cell no. is 9822030896. and email id is sanjmita@gmail.com
You can write to me and ask any querry which might help you..as some one has said..1)you will attact locals around you if you start sketching in the busy areas.2) be careful about food and local drinks, ( avoid spicy food even though indian curries are tempting..)take care of your belongings when you are in crowded areas...Kerala, goa ,hampi are safe places..happy sketching and looking forward to your beautiful sketches and book on india.!!
Hi AVBK, thank you for asking! I am a Seattle Urban Sketcher Correspondent and have a few of my India sketches on my flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/83075812@N07/
with many more still in my sketchbooks.
The sketch of Fatehpur Sikri near Agra was awarded the KRob 2012 Architectural Delineation Competition in the travel sketch category.
I found India to be incredibly inspiring, something amazing to capture at literally every turn. It is a beautiful country in every way.
Omar, I am super excited for you and look forward to seeing your beautiful work from India posted...
Stephanie
Have you flown with the Sakura brushes before? I've heard of other brushes of this type leaking all of the water in flight. And what is enolina?
Take two sizes of sketchbooks. And yes, I've heard of someone's travel journal being confiscated at the Taj Mahal!
Have a great trip!
Pauline
How exciting Omar. Thanks for sharing all this. It is always fascinating to see what people sketch with. You have some great advice which is fascinating to read as well. Safe travels and I can't wait to see what you sketch!
How wonderful to travel and sketch India! I envy you and hope you to enjoy in good conditions and look forward to seeing lots of works!
Thank you for sharing your sketching gear, Omar, it is very useful. Enjoy your trip to India, I am sure you will be safe and will have fun. And tell us how it was, when you come back. ¡ Buen viaje !
A month sketching in Southern India, sounds like a dream trip! I am also very jealous. Good luck and look forward to seeing your results!
May I ask what enolina is?
Have a great Trip Omar, looks really exciting! Good luck! Lokking so much forward to seeing your sketches!
hi Thank you all! specially Stephanie for the recommendations, when I wrote enolina I refer to ecolina, or liquid watercolor. it is similar to ink with very intensive color but you can mix with watercolors. Ecolina is most recommended for illustration work aimed to be print or reproduce digitally since the color tend to faded from the originals drawing faster than a watercolor painting. i had flight with the Sakura brushes before. they tend to leak a little from the tip when you flight. So I am carefull when I open after a fligh.
hi Omar - hope you have a wonderful trip to India- I really cant wait to see what you do there. After having taken a larger A4 size moleskine with me to Singapore I can say from experience that the larger sketchbook is worth it. Yes, it is heavy (and I have neck/shoulder issues) but the larger size is so much more exciting and has more options. the other option is to take a smaller sketchbook but take larger sheets of paper for doing bigger works. Have fun! I am so excited for you!!!!(and us to!)
I carried an A4 notebook when I went there, but it might help to carry a smaller one. At Taj Mahal, for example, they wouldn't let you carry any drawing stuff inside, so you might need to sneak it :)
There are beautiful natural pigments in India, try to purchase a few hues!
Have a GREAT time, Omar...India must be incredible. Looking forward to your sketches!
Enjoy as much as you can and bring back plenty of wonderful sketches to let us share a little bit!
Thanks for sharing Omar. I love hearing about people's preparation plans and how people actually sketch in the field.
Enjoy your trip!
Have a great trip, Omar - looking forward to your sketches! I think using both small/medium and large sizes for sketching would be ideal. Carrying larger sheets of paper and clipboard would be lighter than large sketchbooks, if weight is an issue.
Your kit looks great. I will have to check out your watercolor kit that you can hold on your thumb. Seems very convenient.
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