Building Sketch Kits
Stuart LoughridgeDescription
Watercolor artist Stuart Loughridge demonstrates how to develop your own compact sketch kit from simple materials. He starts out with a day planner that includes a file for paper. He got one from a thrift store, showing how affordable it can be. The three-ring binder inside has been taken out using a hacksaw or pliers, and Stuart has added mat board to protect the paper.
He has his Winsor and Newton Cotman palette, his preferred palette, velcroed inside and loaded with the colors he needs. He has also included different-sized plastic water containers found at the department store, velcroed on the back to keep them in. He also has water bottles that are compact so that they fit into the day planner.
Stuart then demonstrates some other palette options and ideas. There are cheap palettes available at the art store, but the one he has for the demo has a thumb ring on the back to hold onto with deep wells inside. Stuart shows a makeup compact kit that he purchased at the department store and removed the makeup from so that colors can be put in the leftover wells. He suggests taking out the glass on the makeup compact so that you don’t have light reflecting back up to you.
Another option would be a little cigarette container. He took out the elastic that was in it, turning it into a good palette after being velcroed into the day planner. He suggests looking for items that are compact and that can close so that your palette doesn’t leak all over your paper in transit. Stuart also suggests keeping your eye out at the thrift store for items and materials to make your compact sketch kit that can be thrown into a backpack or shoulder bag for when you’re out and about.
Hi, my name's Stuart Loughridge. In this video, I'd like to take a moment to discuss how you can build a sketch kit from simple materials. So I have here a day planner that has a file that paper can be put in and you can find these day planners at thrift stores. Here's another one here. Still has the thrift store tag on it, 1.69. And inside the binder has been cut out, the three ring binder using a heavy pair of pliers or perhaps a hacksaw. Here in this one, it hasn't been taken out yet, which I do intend to take it out. You can install a mat board to protect the paper. Here's a Winsor and Newton Cotman palette. My favorite palette to use, although there are other ones. This still has the squares of color. Here's another little water container that can be bought at makeup counters, Target perhaps. I'm not sure exactly where you can find those, but velcro hold things in. A water bottle, different size water bottles here. It's preferable that they're not fully round, but somewhat squished on the sides so that they can fit into a compact case. This one would be able to fit this compact water bottle in as you can see, and any of these palettes, one of the most important parts would work. You can buy really cheap, simple plastic palettes from an art store, or you can buy something a little more fancy, such as this palette here, which also has a thumb ring or a finger ring to hold it. It could also be velcroed in. Here's a makeup kit that I purchased from perhaps Target. Took out the makeup. You could put some white acrylic paint down here on the glass or the mirror, or even pop the mirror out. You wouldn't want it reflecting back at you. And then you can put your colors into these. That would work. Closes, won't leak all over your paper. This would probably be something like a maybe a smoke container, a little cigarette container or something. And I took out the velcro or the elastic that was here. This would make a great pallet that could be velcroed into one of these and then closed. So just wanna, hopefully inspire you to go out and find some materials and keep your eye out at the thrift stores for these day planners where you can make a sketch kit that could fit into a backpack or a shoulder bag and you can be out and about and making your sketches. Thank you.
Thanks again Stuart, innformative sharing! :)
This is so inspiring. I'm already having fun just thinking of making one. Thank you!
Fantastically practical and relatively inexpensive too. Thanks for these great ideas Stuart.