DIY Pochade Box

Mini quest Complete!

   Sometime in January 2016, I decided to make a multi-purpose pochade box that I can use with oil, acrylic or gouache. I estimated I would be able to finish it within a year and even started documenting the process. Sometimes life happens and goals are met with resistance, priorities took over and the project was temporarily set aside. Fast forward to today, with some elbow grease and perseverance, I was able to finish the box and am now writing this article.

     This box is mostly inspired by existing designs from all over the net, especially the Alla Prima Pochade Box.

DIY Watercolor Easel Update

     Sometime in 2014 when I was just starting my art journey, I've made a post regarding a DIY watercolor easel. It served me well for my purpose, and it is still being used up until now. 
     As preferences and style of working became clearer, I realized that it is still possible to make the setup lighter by getting rid of the plywood board and replacing it with something to hold my support board which in most cases I always bring. Let me share with you the updated version  of the ease

The old board was replaced with a wooden arm and the tray is made of aluminum sheet that is lighter and easier to remove.

Learning to Control Watercolor (Part II)

     This post is long due. I have started this experiment right after the first part of this post, but I've become to busy painting that made me wonder if this is still relevant when someone can gain this knowledge through practice and observation. Just the same, I hope somebody might find it useful.
     One of the watercolor concepts that has always eluded my understanding is the "wet on wet technique" The are many tutorials online and most of them simply describes it as an application of  wet paint on still wet paint on paper or sometimes an application of wet paint on paper pre-wetted with water. I've also read about avoiding applying wet paint on damp paper since it will produce unwanted effects. Some text even mentioned to watch out for the shininess of the paper. The question still remains with me: how much wetness should the paper have? What should be the water to paint ratio in the brush? Is there any scale to measure paper wetness? With these questions I've set out to do an experiment in order to find out what I could measure, in order to at least, get consistent results we want when painting.
     This experiment is  to determine amount of dispersion the watercolor solution will do on wet paper. My initial thought on this is if I could "measure" the drying time of the paper then I would know when to apply the paint. I was wrong.

A- 10mins, B - 1 min., C- 3 mins.

     My first test shows that even on the same area size, the time it took to lose the shininess (indication that there is water on the paper surface) varies from 1 minute to as much as 10 minutes.

Trying to read the paper wetness in stages I can identify

Five Ways to Sustain the Sketching Habit

Make it easy for you to sketch 
     Always have all the sketching tools within easy reach. For some people, it is a challenge to pick up and set up the tools from whatever storage it is kept in. By the time you have taken them out, you might have just lost the energy. If it within easy reach, it is just easy to sketch or paint on a whim much as like picking up your mobile phone.

Make a portable sketching kit and carry it everywhere
     "An artist is a sketchbook with a person attached to it." I'll never forget this line I have picked up from an article in Artist's Magazine a few years ago. It took me a while though to practice it. Once I have assembled my sketching kit, it is always with me wherever I go. Now I have different configurations for my sketching kit from just pencil and sketchbook combo to a full watercolor sketch kit with an easel to match.

Join a local community such as Urban sketchers or online like Wetcanvas
     I have often heard remarks like "I'm not that good, its embarrassing" whenever encourage them to join Urban Sketchers, or make a post of their works. As always, I would give them a reply "It is fine, it's not a competition, it is a community of friendly people willing to help each other. Everybody has to start from somewhere so no one is judging anybody."
     Participating with a community gives you a sense of commitment to nurture your skill as well as give feedback to others. Regularly posting  your work may give you feedback on areas you need to improve. Just remember to keep an open mind.

Find a friend with the same interest and sketch together
     If it really feels inconvenient to join a community why not sketch with a friend? Sometimes what we need is a little nudge to make our first step. Sketching with a friend could help sustain those steps.

Create a blog
     Blogging would be a nice way to document your progress. You might think it is time consuming but it's not. If you have a Google account, it is as simple as signing up with blogger.com and choosing a template. You can even choose to make your blog private until you are ready to show your work.
 
     Looking back, these are the things I did to be on track. Just pick one and keep adding to the list.
     
     Happy sketching!

DIY WaterColor Easel

      Sketching outside is already a challenge in itself. Add the distractions, weather, insects, fatigue. I've decided that I could reduce that challenge by introducing something that I can control. Comfort. In line with this, I have decided to make a portable and lightweight watercolor easel. The tripod that I used was bought from CDR-King. Unfortunately tripods with round leg was not available during that time so I settled for the one with square legs.

DIY watercolor easel

     To make this easel, I've used a quarter inch plywood, a T-nut (1/4" 20 tpi), and a cheap tripod. The screenshots below show how the wood was cut and assembled but feel free to make adjustments based on your requirement.

T_Nut  assembly

       The piece that will hold the water-bottle and paint was not successfully cut, I had to scrap the first one and cut another.

These are the two configuration I mostly see on the internet. I thought that the pattern on the left would be much easier to execute. I believe that the pattern on the right would provide the best grip and would experiment on  making another one.