My Illustrated Life

I'm starting something new just for me, My Illustrated Life, a visual journal that will become full of all the inspiring/beautiful/creative/insightful/fun things that I want to remember. I hope to finish this first chapter by next spring, when I plan to start My Illustrated Journey, The Painted Road Project. 

Some of my favourite books for inspiration and reference.

I've recently become super captivated by multi-media, pen and ink, and watercolour drawings. One of the most inspiring books I can't get enough of is An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory. It's one of those special books that make you think, Hey I need to do that! 

One of my first journal entries, a watercolour sketch of Meat Cove, Cape Breton (to the left) and (to the right) comic blocks of great memories I want to hold on to of a recent camping trip with my folks around Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail.

So I put together a portable kit complete with essential quality supplies, so I can sketch and paint anywhere my heart desires (see kit contents below). The only thing missing was a special journal that could handle the heavy use and media I planned to illustrate with. Then, this weekend at the Halifax Crafters TIBS Pop-Up show I found it! Hand-crafted by Mule Mother Books, I couldn't stop thinking of this beauty all day. Finally I broke down and bought it... and commissioned the lovely Ellen C. Murphy to craft a special book for my journey next year. The same size, with 100 sheets of smooth 140lb watercolour paper for painting, pen and ink work, spaced between translucent vellum paper for sketching and writing, with a pocket inside the front and back cover, and an elastic closure. I'm so happy Ellen was just as excited to make this for me as I am dreaming of filling each page with art!

My new art journal, by Mother Mule Books.

Portable Illustrated Journal Kit
Iris 12"x12" Slim Scrapbook Case (from Michael's) holds the following items...

• Set of 24 Louvre Watercolour Studio paint tubes (highest quality paints are best)
• Windsor & Newton mini portable field kit with paint cakes
• A foldable, portable watercolour palette (about 8"x3.5"x0.5")
• Small spray bottle for water
• Pebeo Drawing Gum
• The Incredible Nib (for the drawing gum)
• Windsor & Newton Designers Gouache (bleedproof white)
• Pad of 140lb watercolour paper
• Set of 12 Prismacolour Water-soluble colored pencils
• Set of 12 Derwent Graphitint Water-soluble tinted graphite
• Set of 24 Faber-Castle PITT Artist Pens
• Various black Pigma Micron archival ink drawing pens
• Various watercolour brushes and sketching pencils
• Scissors 
• Stick of acid-free permanent glue
• Old toothbrush (for drawing gum or paint)
• Eraser
• Roll of 1" painter's masking tape
• Small Mason jar or lidded plastic container for holding water

In addition to this portable set, I'm loving my new Derwent 36 set of Coloursoft pencils and Derwent 36 set of Watercolour pencils. Next I'm looking forward to trying their Aquatone and Inktense products. With the exception of the Iris case and the Prismacolour pencils, I bought all these items at our local Deserres art store in Halifax. 

As for the books, I also got most of these at Deserres, and what I couldn't find locally I ordered online.

• An Illustrated Life, by Danny Gregory
• The Landscape Painter's Essential Handbook, by Joe Francis Dowden
• Painting with Watercolor, Pen & Ink, by Claudia Nice
• Different Strokes - Watercolor, by Naomi Tydeman

~ xo DS