We love talking about art supplies and various tips and tricks for using them almost as much as we love drawing. Here are some great ideas from Sketchbook Skool co-founder Danny Gregory:
- Don’t feel compelled to start a new sketchbook on the scariest page: the first one. Open in the middle and then, once you have confidently filled up some pages, go back to the beginning.
- Always, always, write some contact info in the beginning of your book. That’s a tip from a serial-book-loser.
- Use a piece of colored tape to identify your favorite pen. This makes it easiest to grab it out of a crowded pen bag.
- If you use cartridges in a fountain pen, stow a back up in the barrel.
- Dip pen users: Buy India ink by the pint (cheaper), and refill a smaller ink well.
- To make a portable ink well, drill a hole in a small block of wood and stick a plastic test tube with a screw cap into it. It’ll stay upright, it’s easy to carry, it’s unlikely to spill, and it won’t be a disaster if it does.
- Keep a folded square of paper towel in the back pocket of your Moleskine. If your page is still wet, it makes a protective blotter.
- You can hasten your watercolor drying process with a microwave oven. Just zap your open sketchbook for 15 seconds. This may sound insane, but I do it quite often and only set a sketchbook on fire once (make sure there’s nothing metal in the book).
And Danny’s last tip: Feed your inspiration with fresh lessons. You’ll find a bunch of them on our kourses page.
