Sketching my sketching kit

April 16, 2016 | 11 Comments

 
A book of mine wouldn’t be complete without a sketch of my kit – would it?  So here is it at the moment and what goes where in terms of the two front pockets of my bag.

It’s always good to do these sketches as I normally find a few things that have crept into the kit that I am not using regularly. So this particular sketch represents the trimmed down version -less about 4 extra fountain pens if you want to know what got taken out!

It is SO easy to get sucked into buying more and more art supplies with the crazy belief that if you have the gear you will do the work and automatically produce masterpieces. But the important thing is choosing what works best for you, using them till you know them (to the point of them becoming an extension of you) and then carrying them around with you in a way that you can grab them easily and start using them whenever an opportunity arises. BTW this is what we look at in the first lesson of Foundations… it is the foundation of Foundations! I am constantly amazed at how little we all know about our tools.

Full details of everything in this kit is included in the Sketching Tools section (and much more!) with the exception of my pencil holder – a Mead Stand ‘N Store Five Star Pencil Pouch – which I got from Jane Blundell a few months ago. I am using it as an interim solution until I make a new pen holder. If I combine the good points of this pencil case with the test design I did of a more structured holder, I think I will have a solution that will work well. Just got to find some sewing time for that though.


And oh, BTW, I did go out and do a quick coffee sketch this morning. Stay tuned for the full version of the finished sketch in my next edition of Last Week.

Ok… off to complete one more sketch that I have to do for the book!

 

11 Comments

  • Bruce says:

    What are the things you don’t like about the Mead case?

    • Mar says:

      I Love mine! Also I just bought another one in red!

    • Liz Steel says:

      The Mead case IS great… but I prefer to have my pens/pencils sorted, it is a little too tall, a little too big (can find myself carrying around too much stuff), and hard to find and get to smaller pencils that are shorter than the mesh area.

  • Carmel Campbell says:

    Liz, you stated you keep your sketching tools in your handbag at all times. Do you have a duplicate set in your studio so you are not always going to your bag to paint a quick sketch when at home. I passed on the Mead pencil case as I thought the mesh in the front would not stand up to the wear and tear.

    • Liz Steel says:

      Hi Carmel, yes I have another bigger watercolour kit and a set of the WCPs at my desk. But I often just grab my bag if I want to sketch at various locations around the house as its so convenient – its my mobile studio!

    • Liz Steel says:

      And… the mesh area is fairly robust. I am happy with that!

    • Carmel Campbell says:

      Thank you that is good to know.

  • Ania Drozd says:

    Liz – Does it mean that the book will be soon released ;)?

  • Kay French says:

    I like the Mead cases but found the boxy bottom too bulky for my bag. I took the mesh bottom off and attached a different bottom. I made some shorter to fit my bag better and one longer for my non-travel style brushes. I can send photos to Liz’s email.

Leave a Reply