Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday. Here's your weekly dose of inspiration to build a
creative habit, one drawing at a time, brought to you by sketchbook skool. That first
page of a sketchbook can be a little scary don't you think? Will you just dive
in and draw whatever is at hand or are you considering the subject? Your inner
critic perhaps telling you that first drawing sets the tone for the rest of
the sketchbook and it should be meaningful and perfect. Hold on. First
things first. This is a brand new sketchbook. You don't know its format yet,
you don't know how the paper will respond to your tools. So to fill that
very first page apart from writing your contact details in it just in case you
might lose it, look inside your pencil bag and draw what you draw with. Pick up
a favorite pen so you know while drawing if this pen will stay favorite for this
sketchbook or that you might seek out one of your other tools to match with
this sketchbook. As I'm drawing these things from my sketch kit I can also
tell you a little bit about these items. I never take a whole lot of art tools
with me on the go. I just don't want to schlep around with lots of tools while
usually I end up using just one pen and maybe watercolors anyway. Little tools
means that the choice is limited too, and that means I get to draw right away and
don't risk spending a lot of time deciding what pen or pencil to use. I'm
drawing a Lamy Safari fountain pen with a broad nib. Luckily I have - I'm drawing a
I'm drawing a Lamy Safari fountain pen. Luckily I have a few of these so while
I'm drawing with one I can draw another one. This one has a broad nib. I also
always carry a great brush pen with me. It comes in handy to add quick shadows
to a pen drawing. A water brush pen allows me to watercolor on location
without needing to bring a water container and the brush this is
all-in-one. Another fountain pen that makes me completely happy is the Sailor
fountain pen with calligraphy nib. It's broad nib makes your lines kind of
unpredictable and therefore very exciting. This pen makes me want to work
quick and loose and then later on when turning the nib the other way around I
can add fine details if I want to. Plus the rainbow pencil I see Nina Johansson,
Lynne Chapman and Jason Das do amazing things with it and I often use it when I
want to do a quick drawing. The colored tip gives the line of playful and
festive effect and the blunt tip prevents you from going into details and
slowing down to do so. And then there's my small watercolor box. It's a
vintage model from Windsor and Newton and they don't make these anymore. I
always fill it with watercolor paint tubes. When you fill a page like this or
two depending on how many tools you want to include
don't worry about depicting the tools perfectly. Just add a little bit of
detail. You'll recognize the things you draw especially when you add
color. You're capturing the characteristics and that's what this is
about. I like doing this kind of drawing every now and then. When I look back into
old sketchbooks I see what tools I used back then and realize how taste and
style evolves - how favorite pens sometimes can even be forgotten when
they get replaced by a new favorite. Add some color to your page. That's going to
make a big difference. You might even want to write down the colors of your
palette for future reference if you find that handy.
Fill a page with your favorite tools. You can do this at the beginning of each
sketchbook or whenever you don't have an idea what to draw. It never becomes
boring and if you want more ideas sign up for the sample course in sketchbook
school. It's free so go to sketchbookskool.com and join!