Winter Weather Journaling

The winter season may seem like the most inconvenient time for plein air journaling, especially in the mountains, where the temperatures have been exceedingly low this year. However, it can be the most exciting time of the year for wonderful, paintable scenes. With the snow sparkling in the sunlight, the trees hanging full of ice crystals, snow covered barns and fences lining the roads, the mountains offer some picturesque views just perfect for recording in your journal. Taking photos for future reference is always a good idea; however, a lens cannot capture the same exciting scene that your naked eye sees. Creating a journal field sketch is a wonderful way to record the moment and view that caught your attention in the first place. You can note the weather, sounds, colors, activities, feelings, your mood or even as simple as the time of day. Lots of information will instantly bring you back to the very time and place of your journey. It also allows you to share the experience with others who view your art work.

The normal watercolor plein air supply kit may be too difficult and cumbersome to take out for just the few moments that the weather will allow. Convenience and portability is key. Your supplies have to be convenient and readily available with little prep time to allow you to be spontaneous, and they also have to be lightweight and portable too. That is why solid forms of watercolor pigments are perfect for quick color sketches. There are several choices available to you, including watercolor pans, water soluble pencils, water soluble markers, and especially watercolor sticks.

Watercolor paint pans are a compact convenient way to add a splash of color to your sketches. They are available in preselected sets, such as a field box. A field box will usually contain about 8 basic colors in half pans, which is more than enough colors to work with in the field. The pans can be replenished when you use up the paint that comes in box; however, the selection for open stock half pans is quite lean and can be rather expensive. Or you may choose to refill the empty pans with your tube paints. Just fill the well up completely and leave the lid open to allow it to dry before you travel with it.  My favorite take along studio is the Joe Miller Signature Watercolor Travel Set. It is  a wonderful way to pack everything you need for outdoor journaling. It includes a small stainless steel  palette that allows you to fill it with your own colors and is so well designed that everything has its own place.

Another portable option is watercolor pencils. These are water soluble pigments encased in wood that work just like a traditional colored pencil except that they dilute with water and give you real watercolor. You can create blended colors by layering the pigments and applying a wash. The biggest disadvantages to watercolor pencils is that they have a lesser amount of pigment and also that they are sold in sets and again difficult to replace one pencil at a time. You will also need to be careful when you sharpen them as the leads are prone to break inside the casing if dropped or sharpened too aggressively.

Another great alternative to tube watercolors in the field is the water soluble marker. This product is great for value studies, gestural, and especially contour drawing. After you have established the basic values in your thumbnail sketch, you can add water to diffuse the ink and then, strengthen the detail with the tip. The basic disadvantage to the markers is the minimal selection of colors and they are also prone to drying out over time, even with the lid on.

Now that brings us to watercolor sticks and what could be more convenient than watercolor pigment in a solid stick form. Just imagine, no paint palette, no paint tubes, no water bucket, no tables or easels, just you, your watercolor journal, the watercolor sticks and one or two water brushes. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. Packing a basic paint kit to leave in your car, carry in your hiking pack, or slipping into your purse, has never been easier.

The American Journey Artists’ Watercolor Sticks are a premium watercolor medium. They are made from concentrated pigments in the form of a water soluble crayon. They are available in several of the most popular colors of the American Journey Artists’ Watercolor paint line. The sticks are sold individually and are also available in sets that are package in a handy, stackable palette tray. They are high quality pure pigments mixed with a water soluble wax binder that have been molded into chunky crayon shaped sticks. You can draw with them and then use a water brush to liquefy them for a watercolor look. Creating new colors is not a problem, just layer two colors and then moisten with water to create a new color. You can wet the paper surface and then apply the pigment directly on it for a more controlled wet line. You can also wet the stick and run your brush over them to pick up the wet paint and use it as you would from a palette. The sticks are completely compatible with traditional watercolor paints and can be used wet or dry. There are several other techniques you can use the stick with including encaustics (melted wax art), stamping, mono printing, collage, and sgraffito (scratch art). Considering the sticks are a whopping 3 1/2″ long and 1/2″ thick of pure pigment, you’ll also want to use them every day in your studio!

Another great tip for reducing supplies to the bare minimum is to create a dry watercolor palette within your journal by applying heavy amounts of the watercolor stick pigment to a blank page.  Then tape a piece of watermedia acetate or even wax paper just below it to mix your paint on. This set up eliminates the need to carry all of the watercolor sticks with you making it even more convenient. You can wet the paints and use them as you would on a traditional palette. Just be sure to allow the “dry palette” to dry completely before closing your watercolor journal! This is an especially great idea for a day of winter hiking!

Now you can keep your journaling supplies with you at all times, ready to capture a memory or a future masterpiece. No excuses for not filling up that watercolor journal in no time. The possibilities are endless, and now, finding time may be your only challenge. And make sure you bundle up out there!

Happy Winter Journaling Day!