My new and improved urban sketching set up
My Urban Sketching Toolkit Set up
A couple of months ago I wrote a post about my latest urban sketching set up and the modifications I’d made to my travel sketching board, but I wasn’t entirely happy with how streamlined it was and decided to tinker with it after watching Doug Jackson’s video about how to create a portable sketching board.
Modifying my Travel Sketch Board
One thing I didn’t like about my sketch board is that it slots into the back of a sketch book, and because my board is made up of a couple of layers of card from the back of a watercolour pad, it creates some bumpy areas when inserted into my sketchbooks because of the depth of the card.
Changing my Sketch Board from a Slot-In to a Clip-On and Covering it
So I cut two side slots into my board where I could slide in a couple of bulldog clips into them, and then clip my sketchbook on top of the sketch board, instead of slotting the sketch board into the book (thanks to Doug Jackson, for this inspiration). I road tested this newly designed travel sketching board on an urban sketching day out to two different cafés at the end of May, with two different sized sketchbooks, and it worked really well. It’s nice and sturdy, and solved what I didn’t like about my prototype version.
Now that I am happy with the functional design of my sketch board, it’s time to make it pretty. I covered the front and back with some paper I bought off Vinted, and cut the slots out again with a scalpel, before covering it all with wide packing tape.
Initially I was going to use matt medium to seal the paper, but the packing tape makes the board robust enough to take the punishment of continually adding and taking off the bulldog clips and water vessel clips, so that they don’t tear the paper.
Organising my Sketch Board Set up
I decided I didn’t like the set up of my existing sketch board, and experimented with the organisation of the different elements I need to clip to my board. I was missing one functional element. Destiny intervened. The first outing for my new urban sketching set up was at a flea market, and I found the missing piece.
These are the elements I clip to my sketch board:
- 3 magnet clips
- 3 bulldog clips
- Watercolour palette
- Watercolour mixing palette
- Brush Holder tin
- Pen/Pencil tin
- Double water container
- Single water container for paper towel
How I use my Clips
Two bulldog clips are used to connect my sketchbook to my board, and the third clip is to hold the pages together on the page opposite to the one I’m sketching or painting on, so that the pages don’t flap about.
In this image you can see the bulldog clip holding an A6 landscape size sketchbook onto my sketch board.
One magnet clip is used to clip the watercolour palette to the board and hold the mixing area. And the other two magnet clips hold the tins with my brushes and pens I want continual access too when I’m sketching and painting.
Watercolour Palette and Mixing Area
My studio palette has 20 half pans, but when I go out urban sketching or travel sketching I usually take my travel palette which has 15 quarter pans, and it does the job and is much more portable. This clips onto my sketch board with a magnet clip. The only trouble is that I’m a bit short on mixing palette area.
So I looked through my stack of small palettes, and took the metal mixing palette flap off another palette, and added it on top of the magnet holding my watercolour palette. It’s not idea, but it does the job. And I like that I’m getting dual-use out of this magnet clip, and I don’t have to take up any more real estate on the board.
The magnet is also strong enough to hold another smaller palette in addition to the mixing palette. My goal with this small add-on palette is to make sure I can mirror all the colours I have in my studio palette. This little watercolour palette was once a pill holder, but now it holds 9 watercolours. 5 are the missing colours from my studio palette, and the other four are bonus colours that I’m testing out where I will actually use them.
It’s a sturdy set up, because these clip magnets are really strong. Ideally I’d like to find a mixing palette that looks nicer and is a little more functional. But for now, this works find.
Water Containers
I use the double water container with lids to transport my water so they’re ready to go. I use one to rinse my brush and the other for clean water for my palette.
I use the single water container without a lid to hold my paper towel. I rolled up three paper towels into a spiral and put them in this container, and this works really well as an area to dry off my brush. But it also means that if I need to dab off excess water on my page, I can just take the paper towel out, and dab my paper with the side or the underside of this roll, or just unroll it a bit if I need a larger piece of kitchen roll.
Brush and Pen Containers
I’ve had this little Smints tin for years, but have only recently started using it as a brush holder for my sketch board, and I’ve been looking for another one to add to my board, and I found an even better solution at the flea market which is bigger than the Smints tin.
These two tins work really well. They both have hinged lids, that flap open to connect with the magnet clips that are clipped to my board. The tins hang down each side of the sketch board, and if I need to put the board on a table for a rest between sketches, the tins fold up horizontally so the board lays flat.
I think this Euro tin is for a pack of cigarettes or a pack or cards, and was really timely flea market find. It’s the perfect width for the side of the board, and large enough to fit my fountain pen, Tombow pens, and other finalisers or pencils.
I usually take a set of watercolour stubbies sketching with me, although I may not always use them. I discovered that I can store the stubbies in this tin for transportation. They’re a perfect fit, and it saves space in my pencil case.
I’m going to keep road-testing this new travel sketching board in all of my upcoming urban sketching outings to see if it needs further modifications… but I think we’re getting close to damn near perfect.
Making your own Handmade Sketch Board
Because I used the back of a watercolour pad my size was limited to 24cm x 16cm, but you could just as easily make it bigger or smaller to fit your requirements. I usually sketch with A6 or A5 landscape sketchbooks, and it works great for both.
I’ve also used this board with an A4 landscape sketchbook. The main thing to consider is how many add-ons do you want to clip onto your board to make it functional for urban sketching. I’m feeling like the size of my board is pretty optimal.
