Enchanted Nature

My minimalist kit

I believe Nature is everywhere and should be enjoyed everywhere and anywhere and whenever I have a moment.  I also think that my sketchbook is for anything really and I draw and record all sorts of moments in it.  So my supplies are always with me and I admit that I have the gigantic purse full of stuff.  So, my supplies need to be light and portable since I need room for my wallet, snacks, library cards, chapsticks, gum, and reuseable shopping bags.

I am experimenting with a new sketchbook format.  It has one signature and fits in a little sleeve, made from a file folder, that I decorated. It is really light and fits in my purse without adding too much weight. The signature is a combination of Arches hot press, cold press and Canson mi-Teintes paper.  I find that the colored paper forces me to be creative in a new way which is why I add it.  My plan is that after I have completed 4 or 5 signatures I will bind these together in a cover.

For my other supplies, I carry a mechanical pencil, a Pentel click eraser, a non photo blue pencil, my Koh-I-Noor Nexus pen and sometimes a White Uni-ball Signo pen.  My other favorite pen is a Pentel Pulaman pen which bleeds like crazy when you go over it with water but this is exactly what I love about it.  Finally I usually have a decoy pen.  This is the pen I hand over when someone asks me for a pen or I use when I need to write a check.  I love to carry a purple one but any pen in any color will do.  I don't want to give anyone my Nexus or Pulaman pen and most people know I have a pen on me for sketching so they are perplexed when I claim I don't have one.  I simply don't have one I want them to use and that does seem rude.  Just for them I carry my decoy pen.

If I am feeling like carrying more or am on a specific sketching outing I will bring along my watercolor kit which consists of my palette and a Pentel Aquash water brush.  There are a variety of these brushes on the market but this one is my favorite.  Basically it contains water in the barrel so you don't need a water container to paint.  If you lightly squeeze the barrel a small amount of water comes out and this can wet your paints or if you rub it on a paper towel, clean your brush.

Kids in the park

Recently we went to the local park with the girlscout troop and the girls immediately gravitated towards small passageways in the bushes which led to "caves" and "forts".  This became a springboard for extensive games of pretend where they were kittens and nurses and firefighters.  These are really the best moments for me.  Moments where their imagination completely lets loose and a free flowing game includes everyone and everyone can be important and have a role.  Where sticks and bushes and things picked up off the ground are all they need for their game.

Undoubtedly we had originally had some other plans for them, probably involving them recording their thoughts in a Nature journal.  I just cannot withstand the opportunity to let them just play outside and so I let them.  Meanwhile I try to lead by example...

The girls did remind me that is was not very nice of me to be standing on the table and that someone may want to eat there.

The holiday break

Today the girls went back to school and the house is very quiet.  But the day started with the hectic school routine of making sure everyone is up, lunches are made and everyone gets out the door with what they need.  Then the quiet descended over the house and Itook some time to reflect over the last two weeks.

I did not feel like sketching much during that time.  We went for a walk in the local park and did some exploring and I did do some sketches then but I never colored them in.  I let my sketchbook sit in my purse and did not pull it out.  Perhaps it was because it is a new book and I have trouble getting started in new books.  Perhaps it was because I did not have time with the holidays.  Perhaps I was just not in the mood.

I think the actual reason is a combination of my mood and the new book.  I did not want to feel like I had to sketch because it is what I do.  I wanted to read Harry Potter and knit my Christmas gifts and create Zentangles.  I wanted to flow with my moods and live in the haze of the school break.  The only problem with this was that I forgot to pay attention to the laundry so I did have a marathon laundry session which resulted in having to fold a large pile of laundry one evening.

I received a zentangle kit for Christmas and I have been enjoying the tiny bits of creativity I can accomplish in a small moment of quiet.  Don't misunderstand me, I do not need quiet for drawing in my sketchbook.  Frequently I can do this while I am busy with the regular day to day things by putting my book on the "countertop of doom" with my paints and I work in bits and pieces.  I involve the girls in my sketching work and they are completely used to the patience they need for me to stop and draw.  They have their own sketchbooks and sometimes they can use a page in mine to draw something if they forgot theirs.  I would say that N prefers to use the time to play in Nature and explore while J will sometimes prefer to draw.

But now I am again ready to get started on the new year.  I feel my creativity has been rejuventated by concentrating on other forms of it for a couple of weeks and not feeling bad or guilty about it.  I was able to spend a few moments thinking of what I want to accomplish this year.  For the month of January I will be focusing on Nature Drawing and working through Cathy Johnsons book "the Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature" so I will be sharing the work I am doing for that here in the coming month.

For now, here is a Zentangle