Trip to The East Coast - Part 1 (Slow Road to Trimming My Tools: Part 2)

When I got my tickets to visit New York and Pennsylvania in late October, I knew that I would like to apply my "let's trim my tools" mindset to choosing what would go with me. In preparation, I looked at the sketches I did during my last year's trip, and also remembered that neither a temperamental flex nib fountain pen nor bottles of acrylic ink are good ideas. But my experience with acrylic inks gave me an idea to think about some tools to make large shapes super quickly and simply - for this, I took some highlighters and a couple of markers. And experience with the pen I love gave me an idea to bring only writing instruments that I know well and that bring me joy by sheer use of them (pentel pocket brush pen and zig calligraphy marker).  And for adding texture and details, I decided to select some pencils. My choice of colors was heavily influenced by the colors I saw in my last year's photos, and also the idea that I will need to have something that would work on a wet surface as well as on dry, be able to work as a super dark color, but also be able to cover something else to make it lighter. Neocolor II crayons in this set were playing the same role of "have to be able to cover marks made by other tools to transform them into something very different". A little gelatti gouache stick from Faber Castell was something that I recently picked up, and it worked in the same capacity (instant sky). Here is how my kit looked like:

and packed:

I wanted to have a gouache set with me, and it proved to be a source of joy on many occasions - both for making large shapes, being super quick, and also for bringing textures and layering colors. Two waterbrushes were enough for this particular trip - one flat, one round, both capable of many marks, especially if you control the flow of water (for those little packable towels that Uma Kelkar got me into are invaluable!). My minimal gouache palette lives in a Pocket Palette from Art Tool-Kit and here are colors (addition of lilac was last minute and somehow I did not use it) 

I was also in a rare position when I was about to finish my sketchbook number 161 - so what do I want from my next sketchbook was a question I asked myself first. I knew that I would not have time for a proper watercolor painting, so paper had to be something that would work with a wide range of materials but would withstand some rough treatment. And since I knew that I wanted to pack light, I thought about making this a special sketchbook - about this trip only. In my collection of sketchbooks, there are a few hand-made, and this particular one I made under the guidance of my friend Gay Kraeger some time ago. Embarrassingly long ago, if I am honest. I liked it so so much that I frequently opened it up and considered, but was never sure what would be a good enough occasion to start it... I am working on transforming the "it is too good to be used" mindset, so this was a perfect moment to have something special for this trip.

Size: 5.5" x 7.5" Paper: hot press Fabriano Artistico 140 lbs.  

I also had my pocket printmaking toolset with a home-made sponge dauber and inks in a little tower, but I used both very little. Thinking back, I think I did not pack these tools into a separate bag that would be easy to locate in my backpack - something to think about in the future. 

I will make another post with some notes on what I missed and comments on some thinking behind my color choices to remember for the future and will add link here.