Seriously? I wonder how many times I have posted about travel kits for sketching since 2006? It seems that every time you think you have the best thing put together, there is still something better . . .
I have been absent long enough from the blog this time to qualify as having gone missing. Sorry about that – it wasn’t planned.
A couple of months ago (3100 members ago), I decided to see what would happen if I started a Facebook Group that would be dedicated to TALKING about sketching and watercolor. TALKING and sharing information rather than just posting pages and pounding the “Like” button. Like an Artist “Salon” if you will.
It has taken a lot of “policing”, but seems currently to be going quite well. (more about finding this Group below.)
But, that project has eaten the online part of my life. I have to make adjustments.
A recent thread was about showing pictures of your “travel kit”, which is a constant source of fascination for me and a lot of other sketchbook artists it seems. One post even brought back the 6″ x 9″ Mead Folio (school supply) that we all made kits out of 11 years ago – before that product was discontinued. Long time readers – do you still have yours?
So, the other day, as I was leaving the SF Bay Area after a short visit for a family reunion, I stopped in my favorite California Art Supply in San Mateo, to say hi to the owner and employees.
And right there was the coolest “travel kit” thing I have seen yet.
This is backed by a wide stretchy strap that fits 5×8 sketchbook vertically and also goes around my 8×10 sketchbook horizontally – as shown in the top picture. This is the small size. There is a larger one that would fit the 8×10 vertically, but I wanted to use it with either.
Room for a pencil, pen, and paintbrush of your choice on the front, and a Pocket Palette from Expeditionary Art fits perfectly in the flap pocket.
The interior pocket is roomy enough for many things including one of my glass mixing palettes, erasers, extra mark making tools and pens, etc. The back strap is substantial and should last for awhile.
I wish you could all visit my friend in San Mateo to get one, but since you can’t, I found it on Amazon ($12.99) here:
OTHER NEWS
My gallery (WOW! Gallery) has been nominated for “Best of Santa Fe”. We would really love it if you would cast a vote for us. It is a big honor to be on a short list of six in a city that has over 200 art galleries, but winning it would be amazing – and very helpful to business.
To vote, go to this link;
We are in the Arts & Entertainment section under Best Gallery. Thanks for your help!
If you would like to join this Facebook Group I mentioned above, here is the link for that:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682592018483149/
The Group is called Sketching & Watercolor: Tools, Tips & Techniques
The idea is to be different from most Look & Like Groups and to be more like the old Yahoo Groups where you could engage in interesting conversations and learn a lot. You can belong to a Facebook Group without having to establish a page and have friends and all of that. You can have no friends and just belong to Groups, and that will be all that shows up in your feed.
Please do answer the questions required to join. Applications without the questions answered get auto-deleted.
Off to work at, hopefully, the best gallery in Santa Fe (grin).
Wow, wow, wow!! I could use this for my trip to Portugal. And lucky me, I live a heart beat from San Mateo. I had no idea this art store was here! (I used two live two blocks from here as a child)
I voted a few days ago for WOW! Gallery. The quest for the perfect travel sketch kit is endless. It is just so darn fun. Good job on putting together the Facebook group (and policing it). It is a fun diversion for me. Now back to sketching on Procreate. I am almost ready to transfer the sketch to my sketchbook.
Hey Vivian – It is fairly new. Ron was the manager at Flax – then opened his own Flax in San Mateo. Then changed the name to California Art Supply. Great store and great people.
Me too, Nan – I am loving sketching in Procreate. With my Apple Pencil – on the new 9.7 iPad that was only $329 and can use the Pencil. Yippee!! I love my iPad Pro (the big one) but not for running around with it.
Both Janna and I voted! Suggestion to others: If you have an SO with their own email address, ask them to vote as well. Your email address is used for counting votes, but it will not be used to send you stuff. And BTW, I’m not ashamed to admit that I tried to use each of my two email addresses to vote two times and could not. Darn computers are getting too smart.
Amazing! This is a great idea for a sketch kit on the go.
Congratulations, Jessica, I’m so happy for you both. What a great reward for all your hard work! And I am so pleased to see that you are carrying Geninne Zlatkis’ work. She’s been a favorite of mine for several years and I thought, when she moved to sf that you and she would be a good fit.
I hope you win! Hugs