This week’s digital sketchbook highlight - on location Digital Urban Sketch of Market and 3rd Streets, Lemoyne, PA. Made with 12.9” iPad Pro using Apple Pencil and Procreate app. Digital brushes used were the standard Procreate 6b pencil for the initial sketch and the flat brush for painting. The weather was warm and sunny, making it a little difficult to see the painting on the iPad screen. I enjoyed the morning and look forward to my next outdoor digital sketching opportunity.
Classic Car Digital Watercolor Sketches
Recently I've been working toward digital urban sketching on a regular basis including creating classic car digital watercolor sketches at local car shows. I'm hopeful that I can pass the sketches on to interested owners of the cars during the show.
I've been using the Procreate app for iPad on my 12.9" iPad Pro second generation with some very nice watercolor brushes that I've received through my premium Skillshare account. I'm still working on my technique, but the process is that I make a blue line or pencil sketch in Procreate with direct observation, finishing the sketch later at home with color, using a photo reference.
I've been able to send a finished jpg file to interested owners via email. I've had business cards printed up to hand out with my information, and I write the owners email directly on the sketch layer in Procreate, since that layer won't show up in the finished file.
One Year/100 Paintings
#23 - One Year/100 Paintings - Plein Air painting with the Urban Sketchers Baltimore group using gouache and watercolor in a Moleskine landscape watercolor album. I'm very pleased with the impressionistic look of this painting though maybe the red ball in the water is a bit distracting. This was an absolutely beautiful day for painting, the weather was just cool enough for a light jacket and there was a breeze coming off of the water.
Procreate on iPad Pro 12.9" with Apple Pencil
Digital Urban Sketching
I have spent the past several Urban Sketch outings trying out my iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and the Etchr Slate Satchel. This past weekend was the first time using the Slate for group sketching and I'm happy to say that it performed well.
My large size Etchr Slate Satchel enables me to carry my 12.9" iPad Pro as well as a minimal traditional sketching kit. The satchel is weather-resistant, well constructed, and looks good too. There's a grab handle for carrying, or use the adjustable, padded shoulder strap to carry it like a vertical or horizontal messenger bag. It has loops on all four corners of the bag to attach the strap to your liking. The four loops are also handy for when the bag is converted into sketch mode - the strap is attached to opposite corners to support the slate around your shoulder while standing or sitting. I found this mode to be especially useful as my left arm which normally supports the iPad while I'm drawing gets to rest a bit. There is a tripod mount on the bottom of the bag, which I have attached to my tripod but not actually used out in the field. I believe that it will perform as expected, it looks well thought out and constructed.
The apps that I use primarily on my iPad Pro are Procreate and Tayasui Sketches Pro. Procreate is extremely versatile in the amount of customization with brushes and layer effects. I've become accustomed to the interface while using it for other types of drawings and can work pretty quickly with it's features. I'm getting more familiar with Tayasui Sketches Pro and like the pen tool and watercolor brush, which I think looks more like traditional ink and wash than what's available in Procreate. I could probably emulate the look of the tools of Sketches Pro in Procreate if I played around with the brush settings or sought out other brushes available for download.
Here's what I bring to my Urban Sketch meetups:
Etchr Slate Satchel - large
iPad Pro 12.9" with anti-glare screen protector (also gives the screen a bit more tooth, like paper)
Apple Pencil
Moleskine Watercolor Album 8" x 5"
Stillman & Birn Pocket Beta Series Sketchbook
Prima Marketing Watercolor Tin filled with Prima Marketing Watercolors
Tube of Winsor and Newton White Gouache
Niji Large Water Brush
Pentel Aquash Water Brush
TWSBI Eco Fine Fountain Pen with Noodler's Lexington Gray Ink
Platinum Carbon Extra Fine Fountain Pen with Platinum Carbon Ink
Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
Caran d'Ache Technalo Water Soluble Graphite Pencil
Blackwing Pencil
Col-Erase Orange Pencil
Uniball Signo White Gel Pen
Mini Water Spritzer
Kneaded Eraser
Paper Towels
35mm Slide Holder for Viewfinder
Small bag with charging cables, earphones, and ink cartridges
External Large Capacity Battery charger (sometimes, depending on need)
Sketch Wallet
Flat Water Bottle
Snack
Folding Three Leg Camp Stool with Shoulder Strap
Urban Sketching
This week in Create-A-Thon 2017 - Urban Sketching. I have, in the past few weeks, been carefully putting together an urban sketching bag with essential supplies that I might want to use without carrying too much. I've found a light weight stool and had thoughtfully chosen which sketchbooks I wanted to carry. I have been a member of two Urban Sketching Facebook groups for a little while and I finally got up the nerve to join in on a meet up for each of them this past weekend.
On Saturday, I joined Harrisburg Sketchers at Fort Hunter Park along the Susquehanna River for a beautiful autumn morning of sketching. After completing two sketches, I introduced myself to a few of the other sketchers and enjoyed a couple of conversations about sketching, art materials and looking at sketchbooks.
On Sunday, Isaac joined me to meet up with Urban Sketchers Baltimore in Fells Point. Isaac had intended to work en plein air in oil, but was unable to find a suitable subject. I was able to meet a fellow sketcher in person that I had communicated with on Instagram. After completing a couple of sketches, I talked to some of the other sketchers, but was not able to stay to have lunch due to a prior commitment. I was excited that Urban Sketchers Global later reposted my favorite sketch of the day on their Instagram account.
It was a great weekend to get outdoors and try Urban Sketching, and meet new people. I'm looking forward to future events with both groups in the coming months. I think I might sketch outdoors on my lunch break until the weather starts getting colder.