Bill Yu-Abstraction in Urban Sketching

BILL’S URBAN SKETCHING MATERIALS:

• Paints
• Paint palette/box
• Brush(es)
• Sketchbook, sketchpad, or block
• Water container
• Pen(s) with waterproof ink
• Plastic card (expired credit card, gift card, ID card, etc)
• Pencil
• Paper towels,napkins, or a natural sponge.
• Acrylic marker in white (https://www.dickblick.com/items/uni-posca-paint-marker-white-x-fine-tip-07-mm/)
• Bamboo reed pen

Optional gear

• Portable chair (camp chair works well)
• Sun hat
• Umbrella
• Portable easel/pochade (tripod, shelf, and support holder)
• Rubber shaper tool (https://www.dickblick.com/products/kemper-rubber-finishing-tool/)
• Kakimori steel nib dip pen ($$)
• Fountain pen with waterproof ink
• Drafting tape (3M blue or Frogtape)
• Spray bottle with water
• Squeegee
• Wax crayon

Paint

I suggest using tube watercolors, most of mine are from Daniel Smith, Schmincke and Winsor-Newton and are their professional grade quality. Since we will be doing limited palette work you can use as few as a single color but I would suggest no more than six (6) colors using two versions (a warm and a cool) of blue, red, and yellow.

My palette (all Daniel Smith except as noted):

• Ultramarine Blue
• Schmincke Cochenillerot Red (Alazarin Crimson)
• Hansa Yellow Medium
• Quinacridone Gold (or Yellow Ochre)
• Cobalt Teal Blue (or Pthalo blue)
• Cadmium Red Light

I keep my paints in a small tin (like an Altoids tin) which holds half-pans. I fill empty half-pans with my tube paints and let them dry before carrying them into the field. A palette should have an area to mix paint preferably on a white background. Any of the metal field palettes will work too.

You can also use a pre-filled set:

Kuretake Gansai Tambi (https://www.dickblick.com/products/kuretake-gansai-tambi-watercolor-paint-pan-sets/?Item=01664-1129)

Daniel Smith

(https://www.dickblick.com/products/daniel-smith-watercolor-half-pans/?Item=01683-1049)

Brushes

I use travel brushes for urban sketching but full-sized brushes are also good if you can carry them. I suggest using a good quality synthetic watercolor brush in a size 4 or larger if you can only have one. Or just use a waterbrush – I used this as my only brush for over a decade.

My brushes:

Rosemary and Co. R17 Pocket Golden Synthetic Pointed Cat’s Tongue – Size 4 (https://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/r17-pocket-golden-synthetic-pointed-cats-tongue)
Pentel water-brush – large (https://www.dickblick.com/items/pentel-aquash-water-brush-large/)

Also good:

Princeton Neptune
Princeton Heritage (1/2″ one stroke flat)
Kingart Original Gold (1/2″ Wash flat)

Paper

It’s best to use 100% cotton paper in a pad, block or a sketchbook but any paper that is 90lbs or higher in weight will work though this paper will not allow for multiple washes.  I use both cold-press and hot-press papers. Either will work for this workshop. If you have not tried one then I suggest you try the other but use the one you prefer if you have tried both. Cold-press paper will have more tooth so paint will ‘stick’ more. Hot-press paper is smooth so the paint will slide more and seem to sit atop the paper.

Watercolor blocks or pads

(7″x10″ –  12″x16″) – no bigger unless you have a portable easel:
Any of these manufacturers will work  as long as the paper is 100% cotton.

Arches
Fabriano Artistico
Saunders Waterford
Legion Stonehenge Aqua Watercolor
Winsor & Newton Professional

Watercolor sketchbooks – (at least 4″x6″)

Etchr Studio sketchbook – landscape or square (https://etchrlab.com/collections/sketchbooks)
Hand Book Paper Co. Travelogue Watercolor Journals – 5×25″ x 8.25″ or square
BAOHONG – Watercolor Sketchbook, 100% Cotton, 24 Sheets, 140lbs / 300gsm, 9.4″” x 6.37″” / 24 x 16cm, Hot Pressed, white

Portable easel/tripod:

I use:
Lightweight tripod with an Arcus ball head.
Panel holder from Prolific painter
Tripod flat shelf from Cup Easels