Alaskan Adventure: My Travel Journal at Sea

I chose a Stillman & Birn watercolor sketch book to serve as my main travel journal in Alaska.  I also used the Hand Book Journal Co. watercolor journal for wider landscape studies.

I like to add the itinerary to remind me of when and where we traveled.  This is the title page of my Stillman & Birn journal.

I clipped the photo from a Cunard advertisement.  Queen Elizabeth is the tiny ship sailing up an Alaskan fjord.  You may recognize it as the picture that I used as a reference for the painting I made before we left in the post here.

On embarkation day, I stood on Deck 10 and took in this view of Vancouver Port.

I made a quick watercolor sketch of the port scene in my watercolor landscape journal.  I was excited, jet-lagged and blown away by the beauty of the mountains & Stanley Park.

On our first morning I awoke to gorgeous, misty island shores right outside our state room.

  Sitting at the little stateroom desk, I looked out beyond the balcony, and painted quickly, writing in observations like:

"The air smells like seaweed & mollusks -- sea air with a land/port smell of nature."

"5:30 AM Awoke to green-gray mountains fading to misty gray in the distance.  The sea air smells alive, invigorating, full of memories for me -- it reaches deep within."

Making fast watercolor sketches as the ship sailed was a wonderful challenge.   It's a great way to begin and loosen up.  When you have very little time, you don't judge your marks as much, making your work freer.

Even the water in the Pacific Ocean was gorgeous, jade-green and frothing up from the ship's propulsion system. 

I invite you to try a quick watercolor sketch of any of these scenes -- or of a scene in your life right now.

  Remind yourself that you're not making a finished painting but a quick study to get the ideas, the shapes, the colors down.  You're not making an exact replica, just an impression.  A gesture.

Encourage yourself to play.

Set yourself a time limit -- you can set a timer for 3-5 minutes per painting if you like.  You pick the time limit and the painting size that suits you.  My paintings are about 5" x 12". Simply allowing yourself to play with no expectations creates the magic that makes it fun.

I hope you give it a try.  I hope you make discoveries and have fun playing!

Happy Creating!

Testing Travel Journals

In my quest for the best travel journal for our Alaskan adventure this summer, I tested journals by Canson, Strathmore, and now Stillman & Birn Delta Series Watercolor Sketchbook.

I used Winsor & Newton Watercolors from my travel set to make that quick sketch of the mulberry branch.  

What I liked:

• the sturdy binding
• the way the paper lays flat
• the cream color of the paper - not glaring white
• the thickness of the pages- some buckling when a lot of water is used, but dries mostly flat
• the smooth texture of the pages

What I didn't like:

• Some of the watercolors felt like they were sitting on top of the paper rather than soaking in.

I used this journal on my Transatlantic Voyage in 2023, and was pleased with the results with colored pencil, graphite, ink and watercolor.  You can see that journal here: 

https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/2023/08/

I think this is my current favorite, simply because I like the smoother texture of the paper.  Sometimes our preferences are more about personal taste than the quality of the materials.  

All 3 of the journals I tested would support my art well.  I am fortunate to have a choice and a journey to take them on.

Now I just have to pick out my travel kit!

Red Geraniums

 

Back in June, I had a modeling job for a college class that finished at the peak of rush hour.  Rather than grind through the maddening traffic, I sat with my paints and a watercolor journal in a quiet courtyard, and let the roads open up while I splashed paint around. 

I looked through a cardboard viewfinder to frame my composition, then sketched in pencil and added watercolors from a small palette with a water brush pen.

Relaxing in the elegant space and focusing on the colors and shapes around me felt like a mini vacation.

I hope you can find little spots in your schedule to fit some art for self care!