Last week, as I headed to an early morning appointment at a local hospital, I grabbed my ready-to-go sketching bag on the way out of the house.

My husband dropped me off at the hospital on his way to work. I’d just gone through the kit the night before for no particular reason, and that definitely made it easier for me to take it on a whim and not make us late.

“I’ll sketch something as I walk home through the Arboretum,” I thought.

But no. Apparently, a banana was more interesting.

Especially the spent banana skin at the end.

The hospital test had required fasting, so I headed for the cafeteria and a quick breakfast before the glorious walk home.

It was so much fun to stay a little longer and sketch right there, amid doctors coming off duty and grabbing a hot breakfast and all the quiet chatter of people meeting and eating together. With my colored pencils strewn on the table, I was completely lost to my surroundings for a brief interlude.

The walk home wasn’t bad either.

[click to view full-sized]

The way home was through a stunning fall scene of slanting sun and dripping trees. Fog had shrouded everything when I went into the appointment. It’s interesting that the act of sketching for a few moments gave me new eyes to enjoy the walk home without having to sketch there at all.

It was all a lovely dose of wonder to start the week.

A Sketching Kit + a giveaway

Want to Try a Sketching Kit?

I was glad I tidied up my sketching kit at the weekend and made it easier to pick up on a whim. But I also know I don’t need to have the perfect kit.

Really all you need is paper, a drawing implement, and something to carry them in. Choosing supplies for a kit of your own is not something to worry about. It’s a chance to play with what you already have, and add whatever you’d like to try. You can’t get it wrong.

My Current Kit

This is simply what’s in my kit at the moment.

an inexpensive canvas crossbody field bag
Royal Talens tiny square sketchbook
colored pencils, about seven, selected from a set, mostly primary colors, and greens.
Prismacolor’s greyed lavender, and black grape, for shading and for a gentle beginning to a sketch
a brass bullet pencil sharpener in a plastic snack bag, and an eraser for colored pencils. Or any old eraser you have.
a drawing pen or two from Windsor & Newton
a Pentel Sign Brush Pen in black or soft olive green. I use these for headers on my page. Whatever else changes on a page, that constant is something I enjoy.

Sometimes I include grey brush pens for quick shading.

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A Nifty Bag

I am especially enamored of the tiny bag.

It’s a sort of Tardis of sketching bags. A back pocket hides my phone, a front one my pencil sharpener, and an eraser; all the pens and pencils are readily available under the main flap in the front. They are very easy to reach.

Beneath a velcro fastener is an inner section.

If I need to bring ID and cash, I can store them securely here and not accidentally open this part as I pull art supplies from the front.

The whole is quite lightweight and comfortable to carry.

Help for the Nitty Gritty of Pen to Paper

And if you need a resource to help you start drawing try:

Look at That! Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching, by Bobbie Herron. From the author:

Explore this new, lighthearted approach to looking, seeing, and finally sketching. So-called “non-artists” will quickly develop an artist’s eye. Artists will rediscover the joy of “beginner mind," back before perfectionism set in. You will come to love those five minutes of “Look-at-That” practice which have the power to relax and reinvigorate you at a moment's notice. Best of all, when your sketchbook is filled, you will also have a travelogue of your recent adventures seeing your world for the first time. You will be amazed.

A Giveaway

I’m giving away a kit similar to mine PLUS a print copy of Bobbie Herron’s book, Look at That: Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching to one reader of my monthly Paperblogging email newsletter.

The prize

One field bag as pictured above, one sketchbook as pictured, three Winsor & Newton fineline pens, a pentel brush pen, ten Prismacolor colored pencils similar to those pictured, three grey brush pens, a brass bullet sharpener, an eraser for colored pencil
and a copy of Look at That: Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching.

To enter for a chance to win, do both of the following:

Subscribe to the monthly Paper Blogging newsletter using the form below.
Leave a comment on this post. Let me know you’d like to be entered, and where you are on your sketching journey (there’s no wrong answer!)
Make sure you use the same email address when you comment as the one you subscribe with so I can tell you’ve done both and also can contact you if you win.

Already a monthly subscriber? Leave a comment and you’re entered.