small rivulets of watercolor danced back and forth as I whimsically attempted to sketch and paint in the backyard swing
I had finally sat in the swing enough days and watched the dogs play that I decided I’d try to do a quick and simple sketch and watercolor painting. I think somehow they know when I try to sketch them because they won’t stay still and I’m not very good at sketching especially dogs from different angles and perspective. Although sketching and painting in a swing doesn’t make things any easier either. LOL.
Anyway, I figured I’d use the opportunity to blog about a watercolor field kit I bought and some tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. I think i only paid around $15 for the kit and you can find it at Michael’s or Hobby Lobby both of which have weekly coupons for 40% to 50% off. Here is a link to amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Sakura-XNCW-24N-Assorted-Watercolors-Sketch/dp/B001OVG40E
So here a few tips and tricks. As you can see a 4×6 index card fits neatly in the case. What isn’t visible is a small ring in the bottom of the case so you can hold it securely with your finger. Back when I used to dabble with watercolor more often I always used traditional brushes but a few months ago I discovered watercolor brush pens and luckily the case above comes with one. It holds the water inside the pen and you squeeze it slightly to wet or clean the brush. It works pretty well but you’ll still want to hold onto your classical brushes for more options.
As you may notice the mixing tray will fit on the left or right side of the case. This is a convenient design and it fits in the middle so you can close it inside the case when you’re done. The water brush comes apart when you’re not using it so it also stores inside the case. The lighter can be used to strike a flame close to wet paint to dry it quickly so you can close it in your case – just be careful not to burn your paper.
When it comes to drying the brush or cleaning it during painting, you could use a paper towel or cloth but it could be tedious to keep up with. So while the kit comes with a small sponge on both sides with one visible in the picture, I decided to wear an old cotton sports wrist band also visible in the picture. It actually works better than the small sponge that’s built in the case and it gives a nice artsy color pattern to an otherwise dull white sports band. 🙂
The silly sketch and painting is of two of my four small dogs. There is a debris pile in the backyard that I need to clean up but a colony of lizards have claimed it as their home and the dogs love to chase them 24×7. The clumsily sketched and painted drum in the picture is what I plan on burning the wood debris in. That is if the wood doesn’t naturally decay first.
I had always thought watercolor painting was too messy to do quickly and I wasn’t familiar with these field kits until I saw a video of someone painting watercolor with one on a public bus. I then decided I had to get one and try out so I can do more watercolor. It is really quick and easy to do use watercolor almost anywhere with one of these kits.
One final tip that I’ll share is one I’ve read about but haven’t tried yet so test it at your own risk. 🙂 If you want to swap out any of the individual paint colors that originally arrived in the kit, you can pop out the cell and replace it with another one of the same size. Also, if you have watercolor paint in a tube and you want to use it in the field kit then you can pour the watercolor tube paint into an empty cell and leave the kit open for a day or two for it to dry out. Then it should work like any of the other colors since you have to add water to activate them. Good luck and if you need any tutorials on how to get started or learn about advanced techniques check out videos on YouTube.
JasonFLBlog 