Supplies while sketching/journaling - version 2

[bookscorpion]

Originally Posted by Studio-1-F

Is it the "Folio" sketchbook you're using? This review says "160 g/ sq.m. top quality acid free paper".

Here's another Moleskine "sketchbook" description that says "Paper 'weight' 250 gsm."

Not sure what the difference is between these two "sketchbooks".

Jan

Thank you, you found it! It's the second one I have a Folio as well, it's huge, that's why I bought myself the smaller one as well. The folio is great to work in with my coloured pencils/graphite pencils, but not a sketchbook to take with me to the zoo or something.

[Studio-1-F]

Originally Posted by JTMB

Note for everybody else - Speaking of Jamie, she was featured prominently on Goulet Pen Company's webcast Write Time at 9 last night. . . .

And it's well-deserved fame, for all the work she's doing on the ink testing. Hurrah for Jamie!!!

RE: the Midori -- I am getting to like this guy a lot. The size seems to be just right. Half way between a sketchbook and a wallet seems to be a very good carry size. The opened spread size of 8" x 8" is nice 'n big. Like that.

Below is a side view with the new plastic zip pocket loaded in. From top to bottom:
- rigid board front
- signature of their "Kraft" paper
- homemade signature of Strathmore Aquarius II (some pages filled so already a bit wrinkly)
- rigid board back (you can just barely see the black duct tape spine)
- zip plastic sleeve (you can see the edge of Kid Palette inside of it there; there are also three pens inside the pocket too)

I have decided that the Kraft sig is for "sketching" and the homemade good-paper sig is for "art journaling".

I just received their Kraft sig yesterday, so I need to test out various wet media. I'm especially interested in gouache. We'll see.

If anyone has any special questions about this lovely contraption, be sure to let me know.

Jan

+++++++++++++++++++++

[JamieWG]

John, thank you for letting everybody know about the Noodler's UV tests and the Write Time broadcast, and Jan and Joan for your kind comments. As you all know, the Goulets' lives have been turned upside down lately with the new arrival and all of them getting sick and staff on vacation.....So it's taken a bit longer to get the news out to all of you than we'd anticipated. If all is well and Brian and Rachel do a broadcast on Wednesday night, I do plan to be there to do an audio reveal of the status of the tests so far. You can access it by following the links on Brian's blog, http://inknouveau.com. I'll put a link up on my blog next week as well. I'll follow that up after the broadcast with a visual post showing the images of the inks and changes. I still have to photograph them all, get the images adjusted and resized, and write it all up. That will probably take a week, in between all my other activities.

Jan, that Midori book looks great! Is that zip pocket something they sell specifically for that book? Now I can see why those matboard pieces are coming in so handy. Will you open it up and give us a tour of the insides? Very cool that they have a kraft paper signature! Please do let us know how that works out for gouache etc., and also if pens bleed through.

John, I think 1890 prices are fascinating. But so is your artwork, so go have at it and enjoy! Looking forward to seeing it.

Tina, there are artists who have published things from repurposed books. Some of the art journaling books show images from them that I've seen in bookstores, but I don't remember offhand which books they were. I can show a few pages from mine here in this thread once I get them photographed, if anybody's interested. Or if I put some up on my blog for discussion's sake, I can post a link.

Jamie

[Aberwacky]

Yay, Jamie! I've always appreciated your investigative work with inks, and look forward to the results.

Jan--thanks for posting that picture. I was having a hard time visualizing it before, but now I can see it. I like the flexibility of that, and can see how you could really customize it to how you want to work. From what I can tell, it wouldn't be too hard to make a version of that for whatever size you want if you have some basic sewing skills. Hmmmmmmm.

I have finally gotten to play with my new gouache a little, and am appreciating how much more I'm going to need to do to understand it, and also how much I can do with it. Since I have no colored drawing paper, I pulled out some dark card stock to play with the opaqueness and I'm having fun. This is a whole new world.

[JTMB]

Jamie - I'll definitely tune in for your broadcast next week.

Also, I was kidding in my comment - I have no plans to do art in anything older than about the 1930's, and not even sure about that yet. I did find one 1936 blank ledger book on line that will work well, and since it's blank, I don't need to feel badly about drawing in it. That one will probably have a longer life with my scribblings in it than it would have otherwise - I'm surprised it never got thrown out or recycled.

[JamieWG]

Leigh, gouache is one of the most versatile and user-friendly mediums in existence. It's really surprising to me that everybody doesn't use it. It can be blended like oils, paint opaque on paper like acrylic, and lift like watercolor. It works on any color paper, can be carried in a tiny palette, and used with a waterbrush. I'm so glad you're having fun with it! Card stock is a pretty good support for it too. If you feel like your paper isn't sized enough and is sucking out all the moisture from the paint, try putting on a light sizing of acrylic matte medium diluted with some water, and let it dry. I find it very similar to working in oils, thinking dark to light, with thinned, transparent darks and heavier lights. Such delicious color. And it photographs beautifully since it dries so matte.

John, I am so gullible. It'd be great if you could tune in for Write Time! I could use the support!

Jamie

[vhere]

good luck with that Jamie and have fun

I like taking a larger sketchbook to the zoo Bookscorpion - I feel cramped working too small. I took an A3 when I was sketching the gorillas and urang utans. I love to go back and do more.

[Studio-1-F]

Originally Posted by JamieWG

Jan, that Midori book looks great! Is that zip pocket something they sell specifically for that book? Now I can see why those matboard pieces are coming in so handy. Will you open it up and give us a tour of the insides? Very cool that they have a kraft paper signature! Please do let us know how that works out for gouache etc., and also if pens bleed through.

Yes, the zip pocket is something they sell specifically to fit. It slides through and behind (outboard of) all the signatures. One half is the zip pocket (which I have at the back of the notebook) and the other half is just a simple open plastic pocket.

The "Kraft" paper feels thin but stiff, kinda crackly. I am not sure if the stiffness is because of an applied coating/sizing or is because of the material it's made from. So far the gouache looks pretty good on it. It sits up nicely. I tested a number of inks and markers and the only one that you can see a ghost of a mark on the other side is Platinum Carbon ink layed on with the folded nib, which literally makes puddles of ink. So that's all good.

A "tour" of the inside? Well, gosh. Sure, such as it is! Am off on a field trip today, but possibly tomorrow.

Jan

[Aberwacky]

I was playing with a hero M86 calligraphy pen and found that the nib fits nicely in a Noodler's standard flex pen (as it also does on an TWSBI). Nice ink flow, and it's more portable than the original pen the nib comes in, as well as with the Noodler's flex you get ability to post the cap when writing. More Frankenpenning!

Leigh

[Studio-1-F]

Originally Posted by Studio-1-F

A "tour" of the inside? Well, gosh. Sure, such as it is! Am off on a field trip today, but possibly tomorrow.

And here it is: a one and a half minute "tour" of the inside of the Midori. Such as it is right now. Sorry no soundtrack!

Jan

[rgb]

Great video, Jan. Perfect!

Hollywood is calling.

[JamieWG]

Jan, thank you so much for the tour inside your Midori art kit! It's very interesting to see the way you organized it, and the completed pages look great. I love the Kraft paper signature. I can see how getting a few basic supplies right into the book itself will be a big convenience. Those credit card type sleeves will also come in handy when you meet people in your travels, or to keep membership cards for places you go to regularly for sketching. (I forgot my Bronx Zoo membership card last time I went. Fortunately they were willing to look it up!)

Jamie

[Joan T]

Jan - I love the video...great that everything you need can be kept in one place!

[vhere]

it doesn't seem to work for me just a black screen

[DrDebby]

I had the same problem Vivien. I thought it was just my computer. Guess I'm not alone.