Try something new
One of my favorite technique books for learning how to travel with a sketchbook is given exactly that title: THE ART OF TRAVEL WITH A SKETCHBOOK: Six Tips to Get Started, by Mari Le Glatin Keis. I mentioned it once before on this blog and am now reading it again.
One of her techniques involves drawing over an article in a local newspaper. News junkie that I am, I do buy newspapers when I travel. I have never drawn over an article. In our own Sunday paper today there was a cute article on waitering when everything goes wrong, with an accompanying photograph. I decided to attempt this draw-over-it method.
I tore out the article because I liked the ragged edges and glued it in my Moleskine. Then I painted over part of it with white gouache to give myself some drawing space. Then I sketched from the photo -- if I were traveling I would draw my surroundings -- and used Prismacolor pencils to make the ink drawing more colorful. 
I'm glad I practiced before using this idea on site because I learned that it is easy to apply pencil and black ink over gouache but the colored pencils weren't happy with that surface and balked a little. I also learned that when I tried to thin the gouache the paper began to wrinkle with the extra water. And I was reminded that I still don't know how to draw faces and it's beginning to cramp my style. Still and all, when I travel I would consider this technique for added interest in a sketchbook and fully intend to use it. Now.... where should I go?
