Testing the Hand Book Journal Company Watercolor Landscape Journal

I'm planning to go on an Alaskan cruise this summer, and I've been trying out watercolor sketchbook journals to use as my travel journal.  I hope to paint a lot of landscapes of the gorgeous Alaskan coast, so I thought this extra-wide and narrow format would be ideal.

I used a photo from a travel brochure as my reference picture, and tested out the graphite pencil and watercolors from my travel kit.

I sketched the scene with an HB mechanical pencil.

Then I masked out the snowy mountaintops and waterfalls with a white Crayola crayon.

I began laying in washes of phthalo blue for the sky and distant mountains, mixing in a touch of alizarin crimson for the nearer cliffs and mountains, touching in sap green and yellow ochre for the plant foliage.

I used a Micron 005 pen in permanent black to add the details of the cruise ship.

I love this watercolor journal!  I was able to work wet-in-wet easily, and the paper didn't buckle.  The light texture is ideal for my preferences, and the paint soaked in beautifully.  I loved the way the pages lay flat.  

I think this journal is going with me on our trip!

Are you taking any trips this summer?  I hope you take a little time for yourself to make art and tell the story of your journey. Even a rough sketch holds memories for you to enjoy later when flipping through your sketchbook.

Happy Creating!

 

Copyright Betsy Bangley 2024. All rights reserved.

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!

Testing Another Travel Journal

Sitting outside with my cat and a watercolor sketchbook to test out on a summer evening was a relaxing "assignment."  When you make art with the plan simply to experiment and test supplies, it takes away any expectation of perfection.  You're just playing.

I drew a series of circles (tracing the rim of my water cup) and rectangles (tracing my phone), and filled each in to tell the story of the scene before me.

I enjoyed this approach!  

These sketches were made in a Strathmore 400 series Watercolor Sketchbook.

What I liked:

• The sturdy, sewn binding allows the pages to lie flat.
• The thickness of the paper 
• Paper didn't buckle when wet.
• Pen and ink flowed smoothly over the paper.
• No bleed-through -- you can use both sides of the page.
• I was able to do some wet-in-wet, and use granulating pigments to good effect.  
• It handled the pen and ink well.

What I didn't like:

• The paper seemed thirsty. I wonder if I could do a full-page painting and keep it wet long enough for good wet-in-wet effects.  I'll have to try this out, too.
• Has textured paper on one side. It's not deeply textured, but I prefer a smoother surface to work on for travel journals.

Overall, my tests showed this journal is of good quality. I can recommend it for general watercolor sketch purposes. I think this journal would work fine as my travel journal.

 I used this 400 series Strathmore Watercolor Journal as my travel journal on my Transatlantic Voyage in 2022.  You can see that here: 

https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/2022/09/transatlantic-crossing-travel-journal.html

Art at the Beach

 

Over last weekend, David and I vacationed in Florida on a gorgeous natural beach.  The beauty of the dunes, the plants, and the wildlife inspired and relaxed me.  

Between dunks in the Atlantic Ocean, I sketched, snapped photos of nature, and painted.  I used the photos I took to create more pages in my travel journal after we had left the beach.  

Above is a painting I made of Sea Grapes while waiting for our flight home.  Here's my reference photo:

My travel art supplies fit into a makeup bag I bought at the Goodwill.

Less is more!

I find that having fewer supplies makes me more likely to draw and create, and that filling a 6"x 8" journal page is less daunting than a larger space. 

Why not give yourself the gift of a mini art vacation to sketch, relax and play with your art supplies?

Even if travel isn't in your plans, you can still set up a travel art kit.  Pick out a few of your favorite supplies and tuck them into a pocket, a pack or a zippered case, then visit someplace interesting to you.  It could be a coffee shop, a park or a greenhouse in your area.  

Any sketch, even one you see as imperfect, is far more interesting than a blank page.  

And every time you create, you build your skills & practice self care.

Create. You're worth it!

Transatlantic Crossing Travel Journal Part I: Arriving in England

This summer, my husband David and I did something we had dreamed of-- we booked a Transatlantic Crossing on Cunard's Queen Mary 2, the most romantic way to travel from England to the USA.

Before we left, I collected a small kit of art supplies: 12 Faber Castell colored pencils, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens in black, Sakura Koi watercolors and waterbrushes, a mechanical pencil, eraser, pencil sharpener, & a little water mist sprayer. It all fit into a small zippered bag I could stow in my backpack. I worked in a Strathmore Watercolor Journal (140# cold press). I found that sketching simple scenes while waiting for a bus, or at the end of the day helped me to slow down, deepen my experience, and have a record to look back on.

  

We flew into London's Heathrow Airport, and took a bus south to Southampton, the port where we would embark on our ocean journey.

The landscape around Heathrow & along the motorway south of London showed signs of the recent heat wave and drought, with yellow, dead grass.  The fields along the roadway had recently been mown.

Our hotel room in Southampton looked right out onto the port and the cruise terminal.  Every morning,we would awake to new cruise ships docked in the port, often 4 ships at a time.

We could open our window (no screen as they had no mosquitoes or biting flies!) and let the cool sea air refresh our room.

It was lovely to have a few days to sketch gulls and recover from jet lag.