Retail Trees

9/4/15 inks, watercolor, colored pencil

Fall is in the air – the cold morning air heats up by noon but cools off again by early evening – and it’s also in the trees. I’d been noticing hints of red and orange all last month, but when I returned home from San Francisco last week, the trees seemed to have starting turning all at once. At Northgate Mall and my neighborhood Safeway and Metropolitan Market stores, the maples are definitely showing their colors.

Unlike many people who use Labor Day weekend for a last-chance-of-summer getaway, with all the travel I’ve been doing, I was happy to stay at home all weekend. The most ambitious thing I did was to drive out to a retail parking lot each day and sketch trees.

(Technical note: Koh-i-NoorTri-Tone colored pencils sure are fun for giving a little color and texture to trees!)

9/5/15 inks, colored pencils

9/6/15 inks, colored pencils

Minor Travel Prep Updates

In front of my daily-carry purple Rickshaw Bagworks Zero messenger bag
is her adorable little sister: the "mini" size Zero messenger.

In addition to figuring out my ink backup plan, I have a couple of other minor updates to my travel prep:

1. One of the precautions I always take while prepping for travel is to seal all my fountain pens, brush pens and ink-filled waterbrushes in zip-lock plastic bags in case of high-altitude leaks. During all of the flights I’ve taken, I’ve never had any leakage problems, even minor ones, with any fountain pens or fountain-pen style brush pens I’ve carried. (On my flight home from San Francisco, I skipped this precaution and suffered no problems at all.) The only item that absolutely requires this precaution is the ink-filled waterbrush – it consistently leaks, sometimes quite badly. The solution is to fill the chamber as fully as possible – the less air available to expand, the less it will leak – wrap each waterbrush tightly with a paper towel, place them into a zip-lock bag, and seal it completely. When I arrive at my destination, I just toss the inky paper towel and rinse off the brush handles.

The "mini" size comfortably holds all my bare essentials during transit,
including minimal sketch gear. It's about 8" wide by 9" tall.

2. While in transit, whether by plane or train, I keep bare essentials in an easily accessible but secure passport case with a cut-proof strap. Remaining on my person throughout the ride, it holds my passport, cash and credit cards, glasses, smart phone, writing pen and ear plugs (for the inevitable crying baby in the adjacent row). Over time, my definition of “bare essentials” has expanded to include those items I would take to Gilligan’s Island: a fountain pen containing water-soluble ink, a waterbrush and a pocket-size catch-all sketchbook or my preferred Rhodia journal (for longer trips). Accessible without having to rummage through my backpack under the seat, those few sketching supplies have kept me entertained through many flights. This case is used during transit only; once I reach my destination, its contents go back into my daily-carry Rickshaw Bagworks Zero messenger bag.

Recently, however, I’ve found my old passport case to be a little too tightly stuffed for all of those items, so I tried something slightly larger on my recent trip to the Bay Area. It’s the “mini” size Rickshaw Bagworks Zero messenger bag – an adorable baby sister to my trusty “small” size Zero. I bought the mini last year when I was considering it for the “quiver” concept that ultimately failed, but this is a better use for it. It’s an ideal size for my bare essentials (even the slightly bulky Rhodia journal fits comfortably), the construction is soft and lightweight, and the “performance tweed” fabric I chose looks classy enough that it could go out for the evening (and still accommodate a little drinking-and-drawing). For greater security, I might try replacing the strap with the cut-proof strap that came on my passport case.

Product Review: Sailor Nano Kiwa-Guro Ink

Sailor Nano Kiwa-Guro ink cartridges

If you’ve kept up with the ongoing refinements to my travel sketch kit during the past couple of years, you know that by now I’ve got it down to its leanest and meanest. In France, I consistently used enough of the items I brought that I would be hard-pressed to take anything out, and I can’t think of anything I need to add. My biggest challenge is to resist bringing more pens than I need. After four years of refining my basic pen nib needs to a very narrow range – my Pilot posting nib for very fine sketching and a Sailor fude nib for everything else – I should be able to get away with only two pens, right?

Well, not quite. Because the other variable is ink. I always have to have at least one pen with waterproof ink and at least one with water-soluble ink. The latter ink type is a simple matter of resisting my need for variety – I always want at least a blue, a brown and a black – but I don’t really need that many colors for a two-week trip. I just have to convince myself that one will do.

The waterproof ink issue, however, is another issue. Platinum Carbon Black has been my go-to for years. If I run out, I’m not likely to find more on the road. Bringing along spare Platinum Carbon ink cartridges would be a very easy solution – except that they don’t fit in my favorite Sailor pens. I will not consider bringing a bottle of ink and syringe to replenish my pens, because that would take up precious space in my already over-stuffed TSA-approved liquids bag (I always fly with carry-on only), and I don’t even want to think about a potential ink spill. So my backup plan has always been to bring additional pens already filled with Platinum Carbon. But why bring more pens when all I need is the ink?

It boiled down to a simple search: Find a waterproof black ink cartridge that would fit in my Sailor pens. It was fast, as the choices are very limited; the only one I found is Sailor Nano Kiwa-Guro ink. (The previous link goes to J-Subculture, where I bought a 12-pack for less than $5, but it’s also available at JetPens at twice the cost. Since shipping from J-Subculture is only cost-effective if placing a relatively large order, if you only want one pack, it’s probably cheaper to purchase from JetPens or Amazon. I, however, seem to have no problem finding enough items I “need” from J-Subculture to make the shipping fee cost-effective. J)

My loyalty to Platinum Carbon Black is long and deep; I’ve tried many waterproof inks, but no other meets all three of my requirements:

1. It must dry almost immediately (most inks I’ve tried fail this one).
2. It must flow “wet.” This requirement is difficult to quantify or describe, as it’s subjective, but some inks I otherwise like for its color variety, such as the DeAtramentis Document line, flow too “dry” for my taste. If I had to characterize it, I’d say that a wet ink flows more like oil than water.
3. It must not clog my nibs, even during relatively long idle times – let’s say two weeks. (Super 5, a waterproof ink I initially liked, eventually flunked both the clog test as well as the “wet” test.)

Could Sailor’s competitive equivalent come close?

Water applied to Sailor Nano (bottom) and Platinum Carbon Black 10 seconds
after making the ink line.

Like Platinum Carbon Black, Sailor Nano Kiwa-Guro is a pigment ink. I conducted my typical waterproof test, which is to wait 10 seconds and then swipe the line quickly with a waterbrush. (Tests shown were done with Sailor fude pens and a Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook.) I daresay that the Sailor ink did better than Platinum Carbon – it showed almost no smearing after only 10 seconds, while the Platinum ink showed a trace of smearing. Dries almost immediately: Check.

I gave Sailor Nano the “wet” test in the only way I knew how: I sketched with it to see how it feels. Using it all morning at Bradner Gardens a couple weeks ago, I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between it and my favorite Platinum Carbon ink. In other words, in my subjective hand, it flowed just as wetly. (In fact, I forgot I was testing it – that’s always a good sign.)

The only remaining test was whether it would clog a pen after two weeks of idleness. On Aug. 22, I stopped using the Sailor fude pen filled with Nano ink and placed it nib-end pointing up in a cup. For comparison, I stopped using a second Sailor fude pen filled with my usual Platinum Carbon Black. It, too, was placed in the cup, nib pointing up.

On Sept. 5, I made test scribbles with each pen, and disappointingly, they were both equally dry. I spritzed the nibs with water and wiped them down with a wet paper towel, and soon enough, both started flowing well again. I thought Platinum Carbon Black had performed better in previous two-week idle tests, but that obviously had more to do with the pen (my all-time idle pen champ, the Pilot Petit1) than the ink. In any case, Sailor Nano fared no worse.

Conclusion: Sailor Nano is a nearly indistinguishable product from Platinum Carbon Black. Would I abandon Platinum and switch to Sailor Nano Kiwa-Guro permanently? By the bottle, it’s more expensive than Platinum Carbon, so I don’t see a reason to make an across-the board change. I’m just happy to have found an excellent waterproof ink available in a cartridge that fits my Sailor fude pens – the ideal solution to this travel backup need.

Updated 10/9/15: I'm retracting my view that Sailor Nano Kiwa-Guro is a worthy substitute for Platinum. After my Sept. 5 idleness test, I put the pen aside, still filled with the same cartridge as was used in testing. Recently I took it out it out again, and for whatever reason, it is not nearly as waterproof as it had been during those initial tests, even on the same sketchbook page. After waiting a half-hour, an hour and even longer, the ink still smears a bit when water is applied. How strange that it was more waterproof a month ago! I can't explain it, but that inconsistency and unreliability is troublesome.

My next post is about a couple more minor travel prep updates . . .

San Francisco, Part 3: Golden Gate Park

9/2/15 ink, watercolor

To call it a “park” is the understatement of the year. To me, a “park” is a grassy square with a few benches and trees. Golden Gate Park is more of a small city within a city. Home to several museums, a flower conservatory, an arboretum, a Japanese garden, buffalo (!), windmills and the terrific California Academy of Sciences, the whole park would have taken at least a week to experience sufficiently. All we had was one day, so we made the most of it without feeling compelled to see it all.

Our first stop was the beautiful Japanese Tea Garden, which felt serene even with the relatively large number of people walking through it while we were there. I could have sketched there all day, but I settled for a small slice of a lantern and trees on either side of a pond.

We spent the majority of our time inside the California Academy of Sciences’ spectacular Osher Rainforest, a multi-floor exhibit filled with free-flying birds and butterflies and thousands of other (non-free but definitely living) species of animals and other critters. Too busy trying to take it all in, I didn’t sketch much there, but I did fill a couple pages in my sketchbook with small studies of macaws, amphibians and butterflies that stayed still long enough for me to put down a few lines.

9/2/15 ink, colored pencils

9/2/15 ink, colored pencils

(Technical note: I’ve mentioned before that colored pencils come in handy in certain situations when watercolors aren’t practical. The Rainforest was an ideal example. I couldn’t sketch the macaws and butterflies without color, but pulling out paints in the crowd would have been unwieldy. Instead, I whipped out my small selection of water-soluble colored pencils mainly to remind myself of the brilliant hues. Later, back at our rented cottage, I gave the pencil strokes a few swipes of the waterbrush to intensify and blend colors. For example, I didn’t have an orange pencil, but I made a fairly accurate orange on the butterfly’s wings by mixing red and yellow pencils.)

After spending most of the day exploring the CAS, I was feeling frustrated that I still hadn’t sketched a dinosaur skeleton – and we’d passed several! It was nearly closing time when we finished viewing a planetarium show (the excellent and timely program, “Habitat Earth”). As we exited the theater, I found myself on a walkway bridge standing right over the T. Rex’s head! It was an irresistibly unusual perspective and an ideal last sketch of our San Francisco adventures.

9/2/15 ink, colored pencil

San Francisco, Part 2: USk SF at the Ferry Building

9/1/15 ink, watercolor (Ferry Building)

A highlight of our trip was meeting up with a small group from Urban Sketchers San Francisco Bay Area. After I contacted Cathy McAuliffe, whose sketches I have enjoyed for a long time on Flickr, she kindly organized an ad hoc group to meet me for a morning of sketching at the Ferry Building Marketplace. With colorful venues inside (in case of inclement weather), artwork outside (I sketched part of Nuestros Silencios, a series of provocative sculptures, below) and the historic building itself (at right), it was more than enough to keep us busy. I’m always delighted and amazed when the worldwide Urban Sketchers network makes it so easy to contact other sketchers wherever I go!

After parting with the other sketchers, Greg and I took a trolley and then a bus up to the top of Telegraph Hill, where I sketched Coit Tower, another SF icon. (You can also see it on the skyline in the quick sketch below.) Walking down Telegraph Hill back to the waterfront, we looked for the famed wild parrots that live there, but we could only hear them. However, that morning in front of the Ferry Building, Janine and I caught a glimpse of the birds flying by and heard their distinctive chatter in the trees.

Our last stop before heading home was Golden Gate Park . . .

9/1/15 inks, brush pen

9/1/15 inks, colored pencils ("Nuestros Silencios")

9/1/15 inks, colored pencils (Coit Tower and statue of Christopher Columbus)

Sketching with USk San Francisco Bay Area! Left to right: Janine, Judith, Suhita,
Cathy and Tina

Left to right: Suhita, Laurie, Cathy and Janine

Suhita sketched with us while scoping out sketch locations for her upcoming workshop!

Janine might be my longest-standing blog reader! Great to see you again, Janine!

San Francisco, Part 1: Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio

8/31/15 ink, watercolor, colored pencil

With wedding festivities and related family events behind us, Greg and I went into the city for a few days. Although we’ve been to San Francisco several times, it had been many years since the last time, so everything seemed fresh and new – especially now that I was visiting with a sketchbook.

8/31/15 ink, colored pencils

As I had felt when I sketched the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge was intimidating, to say the least. Not only is it a huge structural wonder; it’s also visually magnificent – a world-famous icon perhaps nearly as recognizable as the Eiffel. How do I approach it, and which angle do I take? One of the best views is from the Presidio, where I made the sketch above. I had my self-inflating cushion with me, so I considered sitting on the ground, but as soon as I did, the chain guard rail obstructed my view. I decided to sketch the bridge standing up. Afterwards we walked out to one of the piers, where a sea lion and fishermen competed for the daily catch.

8/31/15 inks, colored pencil

With that icon checked off my list, I could then relax and move on to the rest of the Presidio. A beautiful national park, the Presidio is, surprisingly, home to a number of businesses, including Lucasfilm Ltd headquarters. While researching the area before our trip, Greg had spotted a photo of the Yoda fountain outside Lucasfilm’s front door – impossible to resist! As you might guess, it was a popular location for selfies by Star Wars fans of all ages.

A short distance away was a statue of Eadweard Muybridge, known as the father of cinema. Just behind him in the distance, I spotted the elegant Palace of Fine Arts Theatre – an ideal background for my sketch.

Next stop: downtown and the waterfront.

8/31/15 ink, watercolor, colored pencils

Alix & Seila’s Wedding

8/29/15 ink, watercolor, colored pencils

If you think I’ve been traveling a lot lately, you’d be right: August was a record-breaking month! First, there was the West Coast Sketch Crawl in San Diego; then the Twin Cities; and finally the San Francisco Bay area this past week.

The occasion for the last trip was my niece Alix’s marriage to her longtime sweetheart, Seila. Shortly after we received their invitation, I started thinking about sketches I wanted to do for the event. One was the wedding ceremony itself. I’d never sketched at a wedding before, so I contacted Alix to get her permission, and I was delighted when she happily gave it. I had grand ideas about making the event an opportunity for sketch reportage (more on that later)!

The second was a sketch for their wedding card. What could I sketch that would be an appropriate symbol of a young couple beginning their lives together? The wedding invitation was in the University of Washington colors, purple and gold. I knew that Seila was a UW grad and still a huge UW Huskies fan. Could the wedding theme colors really be purple and gold? Indeed, they were – and that gave me the idea for their card. A few weeks before the wedding, I went out to Hec Edmundson Pavilion (AKA Huskies Stadium) on the UW campus to sketch the bronze Husky mascot sculpture.

7/30/15 ink, watercolor, colored pencils

As for that sketch reportage opportunity. . . ? Most wedding ceremonies I’ve attended, even informal, nonsecular ones, have lasted at least 15 minutes (and some have been much longer) – plenty of time for a sketch. Alix and Seila’s exchange of vows, however, was over in about five! I barely had time to finish Alix; Seila I had to do from memory (and I painted during the reception while we all waited for wedding cake). Originally I had plans to sketch during the reception too, but . . .

. . . speaking of reportage, this wedding was the first I attended with such strong social media coverage. Shortly before the wedding, the bride and groom asked guests to upload wedding day photos to Instagram with the hashtag #alixandseila. Seconds after the vows were completed, the groom snapped a group selfie, and during the reception, photos Instagrammed by guests were instantly projected on the walls, creating our own entertainment. Did I miss the tossing of rice or live band playing oldies? Heck, no! Instagramming photos (and my sketch!) to the live feed was way more fun (and then I forgot all about sketching)!

8/30/15 ink, watercolor

Half Moon Bay, the wedding location, is a lovely beach when it’s sunny, but it’s often windy and foggy. The morning and afternoon of the wedding day were cold and drizzly, but the sun came out just in time for the early evening outdoor ceremony. The day after, Greg and I spent a few hours walking on Half Moon Bay’s various beaches, where I sketched through all kinds of sunshine, wind and cold.

After the wedding festivities and sending the couple off on their honeymoon to South Africa, we went into the city for our own adventures . . . 

8/30/15 brush pen, watercolor