Field Sketching Kit Talk by Wendy Berube
Field Sketching Kit Overview by Wendy Berube
Wendy Berube Field Sketch Entry

Field Sketching Kit Presentation by Wendy Berube

What’s in your field sketching kit?

Wendy Berube, a longtime GNSI-NE member, gave a nice presentation on her travelling watercolour field sketching kit at our January General Meeting. Anyone who has ventured out into nature to sketch is all too familiar with the challenges this can present. Wendy has some very creative and useful ideas to make your field sketching outings a little easier to manage. 

Wendy’s field sketching kit contains:

  • Coroplast – A backing board made up of 2-3 layers of Coroplast, a sturdy plastic sheet, which is waterproof, lightweight, stain resistant, and easily cut with a utility knife. Coroplast can be found at most hardware stores and sells for about $20 for a 48” x96” x 0.157. You can hinge the pieces with tape to make a sturdy carrying case for finished pieces!

  • Schmincke Empty Watercolor Tins and Pans – Your own ideal paint set is easy to create with these empty watercolor pans and tins from Schmincke. Simply fill the pans with your favorite tube watercolors, let them dry, and then rewet them when you’re ready to paint. Use colors straight from the tube or mix up your own custom shades. Watercolor tins are offered in a variety of sizes and configurations. They are sturdy, reusable, and feature a black enamel exterior and white enamel interior with foldout palette wells. Use Velcro to attach to your Coroplast backing board. These palettes are available from Blick.

  • Doppelganger Outdoor Folding Aluminum Frame Ultra-light Chair C1-55 – Wendy recommends this cute little stool for extended outdoor sessions. These are widely available online through eBay or Amazon. Great for packing in your kit since they are collapsible, lightweight and amazingly sturdy. 

  • Large binder clips – Use these to hold brushes or sketch pad to your Coroplast board.
  • Collapsible water container – You can secure your water container to your Coroplast board using velcro.
  • Cotton Headband – Wrapped around your wrist to make a convenient brush wiper that won’t blow away if it’s breezy outside.

Do you have any field tested and approved items that you prefer to use in your field sketching kit? Wendy shared a lot of great ideas with us! Let’s get out there and get creative!

Write up by Laurie Bebick and Wendy Chadbourne