Supplies for Sketching Outside

Gathering my supplies!

I love working outside. I try to get out in nature to sketch as often as I can (though with our new pup it’s been a little harder to get away recently! ) and I’ve been meaning to check out our local botanical gardens (Matthaei Botanical Gardens) so I thought I might head over there for an afternoon.

When I’m doing little day trips like this I try not to go overboard on bringing supplies and just keep it to what I can carry in one hand + backpack. Especially if I want to walk any trails; carting a lot of paint around can be sloshy, heavy and potentially very, very messy.

Here’s what I’m bringing today;

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Paper;

1.) 18 x 24 Strathmore Watercolor paper

2.) 9 x 12 Strathmore Watercolor paper

3.) 4 x 12 Watercolor sketchbook

4.) 9 x 12 Watercolor sketchbook

• I bring multiple sizes of paper and sketchbooks so I can work quickly, moving from page to page as the previous one dries.

Tools;

1.) Lyra Watersoluble Graphite (9B)

2.) Catalyst rubber wedge

3.) Caran D’ache Watersoluble pastels

4.) Zen Art Black Tulip Watercolor Brushes (faux-squirrel)

5.) Empty water containers x2 (recycled from Sunbasket delivery)

• On little outdoor adventures like this, I don’t bring any liquid paint. Just the watersoluble graphite and pastels, which apply dry and when water is added they become watercolor-esque.

Extras;

1.) Caftan throw (for sitting on, or shielding from sun)

2.) Sudio Earphones (bluetooth headphones for maximum concentration!)

• I ADORE these earphones. I talk a bit more about them on my instagram story, but these have been a staple in my bag for the last few months. I always forget to plug in blue tooth headphones, resulting in dead batteries and no music. I’ve had to plug these in twice since getting them and they are still full battery. Small and super comfortable to wear, they go with me everywhere now. AND! If you want to try a pair for yourself, use code: ellenthelemon to get 15% off your order!

3.) Drawing Board.

Not-pictured;

1.) Sunscreen

2.) Waterbottle

All the supplies fit!

Everything is coming with me - except the pup. The botanical gardens do not allow the doggos.

I walked for a bit before I found an area a little ways off the trail, with some shade (because I burn SO fast…) and some grass to lay out drying work.

I like to sit in the space for a few minutes first, take in the smells, sounds and try to connect with the moments I want to sketch. For today I mostly focused on the reflections in the water, the ripples made by passing turtles and the way the sunlight sparked along the edges of the pond.

First I made a few color swatches, mixing and matching the water-soluble pastels to align with the colors of the pond. A note here - try not to let the pastels be in full sun for long, they tend to get soft and can break easily. I usually pull out a few to work with, then put them back in their tin inside my bag, rotating through so none get too damaged by the heat.

Onto the big paper!


I use my headphones outside to keep me focused, but I don’t play loud music. I love to hear the birds, the frogs in the water, the sound of the wind in the trees - but could do without the noise from the parking lot. When I’m working outside I play the same thing on repeat; just loud enough to direct my thoughts but quiet enough to still hear nature. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (just the peaceful songs, I made a playlist without the fight tracks) is my old faithful.

I made a few more sketches, a few more contour studies and then packed up for the afternoon and headed home.

I wanted to make it over to the conservatory - but that will have to wait, it’s time to walk the pup <3

Opening Night at the Inn at Harbor Shores

I’m so excited to share that my solo show “Thoughts on Water” opened tonight at The Inn at Harbor Shores.

After many months of painting, sealing, writing, thinking and printing - I’m relieved and excited to finally be able to share the collection with everyone.

I didn’t take as many photos as I had planned - but managed to get a few before the festivities began.

The show will be on display/available for purchase until September.

Huge thanks to the crew over at the Inn, it’s such an honor to have my work there for the summer

<3

Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea on Liberty: Featured Artist

If you’re in the Ann Arbor area and looking for a great place for coffee, tea and art - look no further than the Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea location on Liberty!

I’ll have work on display here until July, so let me know if you stop by.

(Also, HUGE thanks to my studio assistant Heather for hanging and photographing the show!)

Baltic Adventure Part 3; Sketching in a Tallinn Courtyard

Tallinn is amazing. The old city is gorgeous, the new city is beautiful and bustling with friendly people, and the food. Oh the food. I could beets for the rest of my life and be so happy.

We’ve been here for a few days now, so I thought I’d take a bit of time to sketch in the courtyard of our hotel.

Starting with a little graphite volume study.

Adding the water-soluble pastel.

Wet paint.

It’s still pretty chilly, so I’m wrapping up with this sketch here and heading back inside.

The plan is to translate these to my Fredrix roll canvas later on tonight, once we get back from a dinner which I hope involves more beets.

Baltic Adventure Part 2; Art Museums and Sketches

Work by Elina Autio

Today we visited a few art museums, ate some beets and I got some time to sketch. A few of my favorite things <3

We started out at Taidehall, a smaller museum but focused on young emerging artists. These wood pieces by Elina Autio were immediate favorites.

From there, we moved onto Kiasma which was a huge, beautiful place. On the top floor was an exhibit I’ve been hoping to see for awhile, by Shoplifter.

It was amazing.

If you get a chance ABSOLUTELY go see this installation.

When we got back to the hotel there was a bit of time before heading off to find dinner, so I thought I’d make a few sketches based off our time at the museums.

I’m using my Caran d’Ache water-soluble pastels (really great for working while traveling!) on squares of 12 oz Dixie pro-series cotton canvas from Fredrix Canvas.

I looked through the photos I had taken earlier today and wanted to pull out the colors that spoke to me and combine them. I built up layers on the canvas, letting some parts dry and some parts stay wet and just kept adding pigment until I was satisfied.

Then I spent the next 20 minutes positioning them around our hotel room trying to find decent light, only to discover it was in the bathroom. Note to other traveling artists - when looking for good lighting, check the bathroom first!