Coron Sketches

     Just recently I was able to take a break and go on vacation with my friends. It was mostly raining during this trip so I was able to come up with only a few sketches in my sketchbook that I'm sharing here.

Warm up exercises in pen and ink before boarding

Watercolor Empty Full Pans Available at Fully Booked

     For the longest time I've been looking for "emtpy pans" for watercolor. Most the ones available locally through online stores are half pans, and if possible, a physical store where I can see the product is preferable.
 

Ahh .. the joy of filling empty pans with fresh paint! These empty pan fits perfectly with the Schmincke and Rembrandt tin

    Why full pans? I usually dip my brush at an angle in order to protect its tip instead of stabbing into the paint. With full pans I don't have to be as careful in getting paint especially when painting outside when there is much urgency to apply the next stroke.

     Having spare full pans allow me to test new tubes of paint without having to consume the existing paint in the pan. It's as fast as replacing the pan in the watercolor box.

      These full pans are available in 6 pcs. packaging for the price of Php 180.00. Half pans are also available as Php 180.00 for 12 pcs.

First Sketchwalk of 2017 (Escolta)

    Its has been a while since I have posted. My day job and research related to it is taking up most of my time these days. The best I could come up with if I could afford to practice drawing are figure drawing exercises from Pinterest search, or from QuickPoses, which I squeeze in  before going to sleep as a sort of cool down from my daily grind. But that didn't happen as often as I wished either. So, I just had to really make time to join last Saturday's sketchwalk just to change the daily routine. For most of us, weekend is spent on time cleaning the house, doing groceries, some errands not possible on weekdays or just recharging. I have to exchange some of that time to be able to join. Because this sketching thing makes me happy.

First sketch of the day. Not sure what the name of the building was. This kid assisted me in taking this picture and asked to have a posed picture of him to be taken.

Light-fast Testing Shinhan Watercolors (PWC)

      I usually have watercolor paper trimmings lying around as leftover from making a sketchbook. Just for fun, I've decided to swatch my favorite color from Shinhan and do a light-fast test. I did this by painting a gradient wash on a strip of paper about 5" x 1.5"  then cut it lengthwise so that I have an identical strip. I then taped one strip on my window and kept the other one inside an envelope. A month has passed by and comparing the 2 strips, I was surprised that there is no difference. No fading, no discoloration. I'm aware that true light-fast testing takes a minimum of at least a year, but just the same I expected some result since my window is in direct sunlight from 11am to about 5pm.
     This encouraged me to do a test on all the Shinhan paints that I have so I made a swatch as seen below :

 Here is the swatch before it was cut and exposed. 7.5" x  5.5" 300g Arches CP

Saunders Waterford Watercolor Paper

   I'm excited to share that Artwhale is now selling Saunders Waterford by St Cuthberts Mill.

Now that is is available here, I can open my stock and start using this. I have just consumed the last pages of my smaller block. :D

     I my previous post about two years ago, I mentioned about a paper I fell in love with, Saunders Waterford which is manufactured by St Cuthberts Mill from England. Unfortunately, the importer who supplies this paper to our local bookstore no longer carries this paper. I was fortunate enough to get the last block, and recently came across, last 2 blocks of A3 size.
     Thanks to the growing interest of many to watercolor, it is now more practical than ever for art supply stores to stock different art materials.
     Saunders Waterford comes in 3 textures: hot pressed, NOT( which is their term for cold pressed, and rough. It also comes in high white, and white (creamy ). A cheaper line called Bockingford is also available. (I still have to try this one)
     Even if I wanted to say that this is the best paper, paper choice is a matter of personal preference and that is influenced by how one paints, techniques, style and desired look of the finished product.
     If you are still in search of a paper that will suit your artistic needs, or temperament, you might want to give Saunders Waterford a try.
 

First page of a newly opened block.

     Question? Comments? Feel free to drop me a message!

Holy Week Sketching

     Finally, lots of free days to sketch, and not much traffic! These are series of sketches done in two separate days with my friend. 

Quiapo Church on  9" x 12"  Saunders CP

Escolta Sketcwalk

     It has been a long time since I've posted. Lately I have been using Instagram to share my works since it is faster and convenient at the moment. For those interested, kindly see the sidebar for the Instagram link.
     I've been meaning to post updates with more tutorials and discoveries, some are on the way, so please stay tuned!
     Last Saturday was a free day for me, I was able to join some of my friends sketching along Escolta and Sta.Cruz, Manila. It was kind of challenging for the were a lot of street kids playing around, bumping into me while painting.Some even got too curious they even dip their hands on the paint. I've gotten over my uneasiness towards onlookers and they are quite welcome, but kids touching the stuff while working is a new level of challenge I have to conquer. Then again, this is just minor inconvenience, and will not take away the joy of sketching outdoors.

A view of Sta.Cruz Church from Tetuan cor. Dasmariñas Sts.