New Sketchbook, Working Methods & Discoveries

while working En Plein Air!

Sep 08, 2023

Warm Greetings Friends! I’m excited to share a new sketchbook project with you. For a long while I have wanted to work in a sketchbook with oil paints. Oils are my favorite medium and have been since I was 11years old. Well I’m happy to report, I have found a way to make my wish come true! So here’s the scoop on how I granted my own wish. (wink, wink )

P.S. If you recently received my Monthly Studio Update, I already mentioned my new sketchbook; however, I’ve added more depth and views in this post.

Short video of my sketchbook and cloud subjects I painted late one afternoon.

*Completed Oil Study 8x8in. (painted area)*

*First Entry: Cloud Study painted from my back doorstep. Color notes below painting, color mixtures recorded on left hand side.*

~DISCOVERY

To clarify, most sketchbooks are suitable for either a dry media or a wet media which is water based. For example dry media could be graphite, whereas wet could be watercolor paint. Oil paint, as noted by its name, is oil based. Over time oil paint can break down the fibers of any sketchbook page if it is not prepared properly. A barrier literally needs to be present between the paper and oil paint.

This is where good old shellack comes in handy. It can be used to seal paper to create a barrier between paper and paint. In the past I’ve prepared separate pieces of paper for oils by brushing on a couple of layers of liquid shellack. It worked beautifully!

Still, I felt brushing it on to pages of my sketchbook would be a bit laborsome. Then I discovered that spray shellack exists! Oh what joy! I thought this would be a much easier method of preparing sketchbook pages. I definitely did a little happy dance.

~SKETCHBOOK

In order to attain the best working surface for oils, a sketchbook with heavy paper is necessary. That way the paint could be manipulated a bit without the paper buckling. Luckily, I knew of a beautiful sketchbook I could order that would work perfectly. So I ordered a Hardcover Stillman & Birns Zeta Series Sketchbook which proved to be a perfect choice!

*Gorgeous evening in Grant’s Lake, Nova Scotia where I painted the image below.*

*Lot's of roadside visitors stopped to talk that night, so I almost ran out of light by the time I finished. lol*

Short Video: Beginning to block in distant foliage in Grant’s Lake, Nova Scotia. It was such a beautiful, peaceful evening. A few ducks arrived when I was leaving—-pure magic!

~PROCESS

So far, I have been painting from life while on my back doorstep or on location in rural areas. I love working from life, as it allows greater sensitivity towards my subject as well as a deeper understanding of the area where I am painting. I relish the rhythm experienced while working amidst nature! Always so meditative!

After I finish a sketchbook piece, I jot down color notes, impressions and any happenings that occurred in a separate notebook. I truly believe all this sensory information gets embedded into memory, which aids in the creation of later works.

Being on location allows for interesting conversations with locals. Chuckles or a sharing of information adds to the richness of my outings. Oftentimes, I receive great tips on other beautiful locations to paint.

*Big Island, Nova Scotia—-was such a grey day with a few bits of light. Top image below was the result of this outing.*

*Double entry: Top image painted on location in Big Island and second in Caribou-Munroes Island Provincial Park. Still need to label these two paintings.*

~NEW ENTRIES

I’ve recently ventured out to a couple of locations where I completed the two entries above in my sketchbook. Each painting was completed during different times of day, which resulted in very different color palettes.

It’s such a great learning experience painting in various times of day. You definitely can’t rely on any painting formulas. The process goes like this: Observe, Assess color and light direction, Mix paint and Apply. When the light is changing rapidly in the evening, these steps must occur without hesitation—-time is of the essence!

~SKETCHBOOK INTRIGUE

My love and intrigue for artist’s sketchbooks, continues to grow the more I delve into this subject. They are such a valuable tool and often depict insights about each artist. It is like getting a glimpse into the artist’s mind and what they denote as important.

Whether you are an artist or not, I would love to know if you find artist's sketchbooks intriguing? Do you keep a sketchbook or maybe a journal of your own? I would love to hear your thoughts below!

Warmly,

Debbie xx

~RESOURCE

I found this fabulous video about sketchbooks, based on the Tate’s Digitized Archives. If you love exploring this subject, I think you would really enjoy watching it!