Sketching Toulouse at the 'USk France Rencontre Nationale'

Sketchbook spreads from a colourful and fun weekend in Toulouse at the annual meeting of the French Urban Sketchers. Huge thank you to the organisers for putting together such an enjoyable event!

 

My current favourite art materials

It was really nice to be featured on the Jackson's Art Blog this week. A few people have asked me about the specific materials I use, so here is a list for you.

Sketchbooks

Stillman and Birn Beta Series

 

Watercolours (W&N =Winsor and Newton, DS = Daniel Smith)

Winsor Lemon (W&N)

Naples Yellow (W&N)

Indian Yellow (W&N)

Opera Rose (W&N)

Winsor Red (W&N)

Cobalt Violet (W&N)

Buff Titanium (DS)

Goethite (DS)

Indian Red (DS)

Vandyke Brown (W&N)

Neutral Tint (W&N)

Terre Verte (W&N)

Oxide of Chromium (W&N)

Hookers Green (W&N)

Olive Green (W&N)

Permanent Sap Green (W&N)

Perylene Green (W&N)

Cerulean Blue (DS)

Cobalt Turquoise Light (W&N)

Cobalt Blue (W&N)

Veridian (W&N)

French Ultramarine (W&N)

Lunar Blue (DS)

Cherry Blossom (Deep Deep Light)

 

Pens, pencils, brushes:

Rotring Tikky pens in different nib widths

Pentel black brush pen

Derwent Line Marker in Sepia

Uniball Signo Broad white gel pen

Pentel Micro Correct white pen

Faber Castell pencil

A few Crayola crayons

Several Caran d’Ache Neocolour II

Escoda Travel Brushes

Pentel Water Brush

 

Other materials:

Bulldog clips

Jam jar for water

Sketching stool

 

Exhibiting at the French Travel Sketchbook Festival 'Rendez-vous du Carnet de Voyage'

My first real recollection of hearing about ‘Rendez-vous du Carnet de Voyage’ was via artist Andrea Joseph, who wrote about her experience there on social media a number of years ago. Since then I have visited twice and applied twice to exhibit. You can read about one of the trips here. Last year I was lucky enough to be selected for the show and invited to display my drawings alongside a hundred or so other artists. As well as the artist stands, there are also films, talks and demonstrations. I don’t know of any events like this in the UK and speaking to people from other European countries, it seems like a specifically French thing. I’d describe it as cross between a trade show, an art college degree show with a heathy dose of village fete thrown in, as it a lovely community feel. 

In the application process, I proposed creating a 48-page zine based on sketches that I had made during the pandemic. Entitled ‘London Greens’ it told the story of small journeys in the capital during 2020 and 2021. As well as the zine, I had to create a display and decided to make banners as they would be the easiest to transport across to France, as I would be travelling by train. 

I decided to do the layouts for the zine myself using InDesign and get it published by one of the online printing companies. I rescanned everything and cleaned up the files, resizing some as they were in a variety of sketchbooks. I used MixamUK for the printing and was pleased with the result.  I found this video on YouTube particularly useful for helping with the layout and getting it print ready – Basic Indesign for Zines and Booklets Layout Tutorial by Olivia and Pindot

Time to go!

I travelled to Clermont-Ferrand by train, taking the Eurostar from London to Paris Gard du Nord, then took the Metro across the city to Bercy to pick up the train for the final leg. It is a long journey and took all day. An alternative is to fly to Lyon and then take a train or bus to Clermont-Ferrand. 

Setting up 

I set up on Thursday, the day before the event opened. The banners were relatively quick to hang up thanks to my trusty assistant and I put the original sketchbooks in the display case provided. My zines were dropped off at the self-published sales desk as this is where they would be sold. The organisation takes 20 percent of all sales to help fund the event.

Set up complete

Friday 

When I arrived just before 9am, there was already a queue forming at the venue door and the opening day was very busy! Lots of school children and college students visited and I hadn’t quite envisaged the amount of footfall. They asked lots of questions, wanted me to make drawings for them and to practice their English. In return I asked some of them to draw in my sketchbook.

I had been invited to give a talk to a group of university students between 5-6pm so I headed to one of the venue’s rooms. I’d prepared a short slide presentation about my work and process, and I answered questions from the group who were studying tourism and publishing. All in English, luckily for me!

The doors on the first day closed at 7.30pm, with an awards presentation afterwards.

With the University students

Saturday

Although a lot of the visitors are people that draw, it is a big event in the local calendar so many people come along from the city and surrounding area. The event is also popular with the Urban Sketching community and I met and talked with lots of people, some of who I hadn’t met in person before. So it was really nice in that respect. I signed lots of copies of the zines and by the end of the day I had sold out of the stock which I had brought with me.

I managed a short lunch break when one of the visitors from the UK kindly came and sat in for me on the stand.

When the doors closed at 7.30pm everyone headed off to have a celebratory meal together in the city. Myself and my trusty assistant had a lovely time chatting with some of the other exhibitors and eating the local delicacy of ‘truffade,‘ a filing baked dish of potatoes and cheese.

In the catalogue

Sunday

Even though the zines were sold out, I still had lots of visitors to the stand. There were more drawings to make and some people returned to show me their own sketchbooks which was lovely. It is possible to buy a weekend ticket which gives admission for all three days and if you have the time, I think it is a really good way to see the show. There is a lot to take in and it can feel a little overwhelming to do it all in one go. Some of the visitors from the Urban Sketcher community combined time at the venue with bursts of sketching nearby. Although I have to say it is very cold in Clermont-Ferrand at this time of the year! There are a few museums and galleries for indoor sketching too, including the Michelin Museum, as the company has its roots in the city.

I managed a very quick look around the other displays during the last hour of the festival. It had been so busy over the past three days that I hadn’t really had a chance to see everybody’s work properly. At 6pm the doors closed for the final time and we took the display down. That bit never seems to take as long!

Sketch of me sitting on the stand by Anne Rose Oosterbaan

By this time I was pretty exhausted and ready for a good rest before heading home the next afternoon. It was a great experience and I am so pleased the organisers accepted my application. If you are into drawing and travel, it’s a really nice event to visit.

For all the details about the festival, head to the Rendez-vous du Carnet de Voyage website https://www.rendezvous-carnetdevoyage.com/en/

Creating an Environmental Policy as a self-employed illustrator

I have to create an Environmental Policy as part of a current application process. As a small business and sole trader, it is not something I already in place so I thought I would record how I went about it here, in case it could be useful for others. It is not, at the moment, a statutory requirement. Of course, in my personal and home life, green issues are something I do think about often, I am sure we all do, but I had not really delved into it formally in my business.

Initial research was done on the internet, searching the terms. Here are the articles which I found useful with links: 

British Assessment Bureau - Environmental policy: confirming your green credentials

https://www.british-assessment.co.uk/insights/writing-an-environmental-policy/

 

Common Objective - What to include in an environmental policy

https://www.commonobjective.co/article/why-your-business-needs-an-environmental-policy

 

Small Business - Environmental checklist for small businesses

https://smallbusiness.co.uk/environmental-checklist-for-small-businesses-2558278/

 

ISO Standards - Environmental Management

https://www.iso.org/iso-14001-environmental-management.html

 

As a second step, I felt it would be useful to do an audit and think about materials I use, where I work, the way I travel etc.

 

Materials

Paper (watercolour sheets, printer paper)

Sketchbooks (various)

Pens (Tikky fine liners)

Pencils (graphite mainly)

Watercolours (Winsor & Newton, Daniel Smith, Deep Deep Light)

Brushes (Synthetic only)

Existing materials of inks, gouache, acrylic markers etc.

Assorted ‘freebies’

Packaging materials (envelopes, card)

Promotional cards/flyers

Glues and tapes

Printer inks

Bubble wrap

Glass jam jars

 

Tech

iPad

Phone

Desktop computer

Scanner

Printer

Graphics tablet

LED Lightbox

 

Storage

Digital Cloud storage

Digital hard drive storage

Archive sketchbooks

Archive illustrations

Reference books and magazines

Wooden plans chest

Large plastic boxes

Cardboard boxes

 

Workplaces

Studio (use of radiator, light, kettle, brush-room)

Home (use of heating, light, kettle, cooker)

On location (take water with me)

 

Travel

Walk

Public transport

Trains and planes (overseas travel)

 

Supply Chain

Mixam UK - printed zines

Moo - business cards and flyers

Amazon -packaging supplies

The Traveler Art - prints and packaging

ASC studios

Post Office and Royal Mail

Jacksons Art (materials)

Cass Art (materials)

 

Moving on from the audit, I need to think about ways and practices that could be changed or improved in the future. It will be important to revisit the policy regularly, at least annually, to update it as advice changes.

 

Here is what I have come up with…

 

Lis Watkins Illustration Environmental Policy  

I create hand-drawn images and maps mainly using the traditional analog materials of paper, pen and watercolour for clients on the travel and event sectors. I also give workshops both in the UK and overseas, sell printed zines and license my work to be made into prints. I have a presence online via a website, portfolio sites and social media channels. I would like to work in a way that means I can behave responsibly and aim to have the least negative impact on the environment. I have made an audit of my current practices and have looked at where I can improve my performance. 

Materials

•   Make best use of the materials I already have by making sure they are visible or clearly marked in the studio and at home

•   When buying new materials, place fewer orders to cut down on deliveries

•   Only accept ‘freebies’ when I know they will be used

•   Reuse paper from archive illustrations/drawings when possible

•   Print double-sided

•   Only use paper/card packaging going forward

•   Encourage customers to recycle packaging by adding a message on my postal packages 

Technology

•   Switch off when not in use

•   When replacements are needed, consider refurbished options before new

  

Workplaces

•   STUDIO - The studio is run and owned by ASC Studios. I could not find an Environmental Policy on their website but can ask if they have one. At the studio I use the light, a power socket, a radiator (during the winter) and kettle in the kitchen. I already take home any waste and recycle it. I use the brush-room to clean water jars and refill. Need to continue ensuring that everything is switched off when I leave.

•   HOME - Sometimes I work from home using heat, lighting, the desk top computer and kitchen. Need to continue the switch off policy here. Our local authority collects food waste, paper, glass and plastics to be recycled.

•   ON LOCATION - Often I spend time drawing outside and I need to continue taking home any waste and disposing of any dirty water carefully

 

Storage 

•   Physical storage at the studio is in large plastic crates and card boxes. I chose the plastic crates as there have been leaks in other studios and I felt this was the best way to protect my work. At home I use a wooden plans chest and card boxes.

•   Digital storage is on the Cloud, computer hard drive and external hard drive. This is one area where I could make a lot of improvement.

  

Travel

•   I travel to the studio by public transport and also when going to draw on location in the UK

•   Travelling overseas is more tricky if the client is paying, they will usually want me to use the cheapest option which is usually flying. I can ask if they would consider the train or offer to pay the difference in price. For my own research and development trips I need to consider the various options.

•   Arrange phone calls or Zoom meetings with clients to cut down on travel

  

Supply Chain

•   Do research on existing suppliers and due diligence on potential new ones

 

This is my initial Environmental Policy and I realise that I need to monitor it regularly and update it annually.

Lis Watkins January 2023

Looking back to a sketching weekend in Lille

Sketches from a trip to Lille, France, earlier this year. I went to the annual French Urban Sketchers meet up with a group of UK sketchers. So easy to travel there by Eurostar from London and a great place to draw!

 

Trying out new art materials

As part of being involved in the USk London 10^th Anniversary Weekend, I was given a ‘goodie bag’ containing a variety of art materials. I decided that instead of just looking at them and then putting them to one side, I would use them throughout the summer. It meant removing my tried and trusted watercolour tin as I knew that I would revert back to that if I found it difficult to use the new supplies! You can see some of the experiments in the previous post about the drawing trip to Liverpool too.

VIVIVA COLOUR SHEETS

My initial reaction to using these was how vibrant the colour was! I used them ‘neat’ for this sketch at the ‘Drink and Draw’ evening at the USk UK Leeds Weekend.

I also tried toning the colours down by mixing them with white gouache, as in this sketch of the Corn Exchange in Leeds.

On the plus side the colours are rich and the sheets are small and light to carry around. On the minus side, they can stain your hands (if you are messy like me!) and difficult to mix with each other.

DEEP DEEP LIGHT WATERCOLOURS

I received 3 half pans (in a cute little tin) and a ‘dot’ sheet from this company and particularly liked the more pastel colour shades ‘Cherry Blossom’ and ‘Flax.’ I think they had a big influence on much of my work over the summer. The texture of the watercolours is quite creamy, nice to use and, as I am always looking for colours to use when drawing architecture, felt really useful.

DANIEL SMITH DOT SHEET

This was actually a gift from the USk UK Leeds Weekend, with colours from the sombre palette of Nicholas Lopez.

WINSOR AND NEWTON FINELINER

The fineliner I was given was a 0.1 size and is a decent enough waterproof pen but I am very loyal to my favourites, Tikky pens by Rotring so won’t be swapping over yet.

NEW BRUSHES

I tried new brushes over the summer too; a decorating brush from Harris that had been a gift and I bought two ‘riggers’ from Pro Arte, sizes 1 and 5 and even made a brush roll (recycled from a promotional canvas bag) to hold everything in as a way of making it easy to keep everything together.

INSPIRATION

I think that a lot of the inspiration came from two sources. Firstly meeting up with Carol Gillott aka Paris Breakfast and also going to a colour workshop earlier in the year with ‘The Colour Tutor.’

I met up with Carol on the Friday of the USk London Weekend. I’ve been following her on social media for ages and own one of her prints so it was lovely to meet her in person. We talked about pigments and Paris over an English Breakfast in the unique setting of the Chelsea Arts Club. Great to get a glimpse of her sketchbooks and colours!

In June, I’d spent time in Cambridge at the studio of ‘The Colour Tutor,’ for an intense day looking at colour, specifically in relation to illustration and painting. One of a small group of four people, it was an interesting experience, with demos and time for practical colour mixing. Comprehensive notes from the day were useful as I feel that I have only just scratched the surface and would benefit from spending more time experimenting with colour.