24 April 05

Sundancing

Numenius and I took another class today, this one five minutes from home rather than two hours. Robert Regis Dvorak led a full-day workshop on travel sketching. Rather than have us wander around Davis, sketchbooks in hand, he encouraged us to try a full range of techniques in the classroom—pen, watercolor, dry brush—in a specially-made drawing pad. The subject was mostly Greece.

This pad contains 80 lb Sundance text paper. It works well with all the above media and takes a calligraphic line very well despite the texture. I’m thinking of getting larger sheets and binding my own sketchbooks so they open flat (it’s a bit of a gripe of mine when they don’t).

Here’s my first attempt at dry brush (the wash is laid in afterwards).

Grecian windmill

Posted by at 06:44 PM in Design Arts | Link |
  1. I love my cold-pressed Kent paper sketchbook, but one thing that drives me mad when I’m painting in it or trying to draw a straight line is the way the curve toward the spine causes the paint to run and the ink line to swerve off toward the center of the book. I’m still trying to find a good sketchbook with a spiral spine with paper that can take paint as well as steel nib. So far it’s always that water color paper that scuffs with pens or else takes pen lines well, but the water color sits on top without absorbing.

    Have you ever tried the water color method where you lay down a wash in the shape of the object you’re painting, let it dry partly so that the edges form a line, and then blot the remaining wet paint with toilet paper? It makes for amazing texture-forming work. Still one of my favorite water color techniques.

    — butuki    25. April 2005, 06:08    Link
  2. Butuki—I’m going to order some Sundance paper. I might get extra and bind you up a sketchbook. What’s your favorite size??

    — Pica    25. April 2005, 07:09    Link
  3. Wow, thanks! gets up, jumps, and kicks his heels I’m not sure about American sizes… I use B6 for traveling and mountain walking, and B5 for more ambitious drawing. I use the B5 almost every day.

    I’ve finally gotten around to writing to you and Numenius my first handwritten letter in literally years. Tomorrow I will be downtown around the area of my favorite art store and I will pick up the last of the things I want to get for both of you, namely two small sketchbooks (the one with the Kent paper I wrote about above). And then, FINALLY, I’ll get the package off! (how many months has it been??!!??)

    By the way, you should try D’Arches cold-pressed etching paper for doing water color. It takes ink lines and water color like a dream.

    — butuki    25. April 2005, 15:04    Link
  4. Oops, I meant I use the B6 almost everyu day, not the B5!

    — butuki    25. April 2005, 15:05    Link
  5. let are hopes and dreames,and are lakota way’s stay alive don’t give up yet not yet not this early no never
    — apalonia    13. July 2005, 10:57    Link

  6. I pulled up your blog here at work during a lull. First thing I saw was Robert Dvorak’s exercise from the Travel Sketching class. Your attempt turned out a lot better than mine. Great class, though, as are his others. Happy New Year!


    — Kirk Whiteside    31. December 2007, 16:04    Link

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