Morris Jensen
Morris Jensen
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2019....
I often get asked about the painting gear I take with me when backpacking, and the art items I took on my two Caminos.
While there is no one perfect art-pack to take with you whether for a single day’s hiking or a long month plus on the Camino, a small pack of well chosen item could help you produce some lovely small sketches. Even a complete beginner!
In the end it all comes down to two things, weight and goals. How much are you happy carrying and what do you what to achieve? For this posting let’s assume that (a) you don’t want to carry too much extra weight and (b) you’d like to do some nice simple sketches to accompany your daily journal, in fact let’s assume that your journal and sketchbook are the same thing. This works very well because if you use the left side of the two leaves for writing and the right side for sketching, or visa-versa, not only can they compliment each other but this also avoids having two watercolour sketches back to back; as they may show through especially if using journals made from thin cartridge paper.
When choosing a journal/sketchbook I prefer a small one with a ring spine, hard backed 8 x 5 inches, about 40 pages. Add two small bulldog clips to hold the pages open in the wind.
A small 10 - 12 pan watercolour paint box with mixing palette in the lid and a thumb holder underneath is ideal.
Watercolour pencils are also very good.
Whatever colours are already in your shop bought box make sure you have the following:
Cadmium Yellow - warm
Lemon Yellow – cold
Yellow Ochre
Ultramarine Blue – warm
Cerulean Blue – cold
Cadmium Red - warm
Alzarin Crimson – cold
Warm colours go in the skies and foreground trees, cold colours are great for shadows, distant hills and tree lines.
Also consider these colours for mixing greens and greys
Viridian Green - Prussian Blue - Paynes Grey – Lamp Black – Burnt Umber.
The small block of Chinese White if used correctly turns all of the above colours into a more opaque gouache, just take care not to ‘dull’ the other colours in their tubs so mix separately.
You can find travel brushes that separate and can be stored in their own handles.
A plastic pen brush that can be filled with water is ideal for laying a sky wash and for mixing greens. A non water soluble drawing pen for pen & wash.
Water-soluble pencil 4B and a couple of other soft pencils 2B/3B. I cut mine in half and keep them in different pockets.
Make lots of notes next to your sketches, then if you want to repaint it back home you will have more details to help. Include the position of the sun/light source, smells, sounds and colour notes – cloudy sky, blurred blue hills, multi green trees line, one reddish tree etc.
Decorate your journal with the same Camino stamps you collect in your passport, have it handy for your host to stamp and look through. Add wild flowers, tickets & receipts and new friends’ emails on the date page when you met them.
You may want to buy some watercolour paper, cut it into postcard size pieces and after you have painted a little gem you can send them home in envelopes as postcards, give them to fellow hikers or your host as gifts with 'stay in contact details' on the back, or tape them into your journal.
Stop and Sketch: If you stop four or five times a day to sketch 10 to 15 minutes you will still arrive at your albergue in plenty time to clean up and chat with friends before eating. If you don’t you will be sat around with little to paint wishing you had stopped by the steam, farm, hill-top that you passed by earlier in the day. By all means take photos to help you reproduce the painting later, not replace a sketch while walking.
Accessibility: If you keep your sketchbook in your backpack it will never get filled. Try and carry your sketchbook and art gear separate from your main pack, like your camera. Keep a small sketchbook tucked inside your jacket ready to whip out. A small separate pack allows you to drop your large pack off at your albergue on your bed and go straight out to sketch. Between albergues you can drop your backpack, sit on it and open the small pack and be sketching in under a minute. Tell friends to go ahead, you will catch them up. Don’t let them wait, it’ll only rush you. Enjoy the calm once they leave, the joy of seeing them again later and sharing your sketches.
Misc Extras
Small tight lidded container for water.
A small separate plastic soda bottle mark FOR PAINTING DON’T DRINK – skull & crossbones - to be filled from non drinkable water sources, puddles, streams.
Hat with a large brim.
An old tea towel for drying brushes and wiping hand, mopping your forehead, covering your neck.
Buy one soft moulding eraser and cut it into four pieces, like your pencils keep them in separate pockets.
Sharp retractable blade knife, trims pencils, scrapes out white on w/colour paper.
A soft light-weigh bum pad to keep your bum warm and dry while sat on damp walls.
A piece of natural sponge for dabbing in trees.
Start doodling and sketching now, everyday, everywhere and believe me you will improve and be ready to make some great sketches along your Camino.
While there is no one perfect art-pack to take with you whether for a single day’s hiking or a long month plus on the Camino, a small pack of well chosen item could help you produce some lovely small sketches. Even a complete beginner!
In the end it all comes down to two things, weight and goals. How much are you happy carrying and what do you what to achieve? For this posting let’s assume that (a) you don’t want to carry too much extra weight and (b) you’d like to do some nice simple sketches to accompany your daily journal, in fact let’s assume that your journal and sketchbook are the same thing. This works very well because if you use the left side of the two leaves for writing and the right side for sketching, or visa-versa, not only can they compliment each other but this also avoids having two watercolour sketches back to back; as they may show through especially if using journals made from thin cartridge paper.
When choosing a journal/sketchbook I prefer a small one with a ring spine, hard backed 8 x 5 inches, about 40 pages. Add two small bulldog clips to hold the pages open in the wind.
A small 10 - 12 pan watercolour paint box with mixing palette in the lid and a thumb holder underneath is ideal.
Watercolour pencils are also very good.
Whatever colours are already in your shop bought box make sure you have the following:
Cadmium Yellow - warm
Lemon Yellow – cold
Yellow Ochre
Ultramarine Blue – warm
Cerulean Blue – cold
Cadmium Red - warm
Alzarin Crimson – cold
Warm colours go in the skies and foreground trees, cold colours are great for shadows, distant hills and tree lines.
Also consider these colours for mixing greens and greys
Viridian Green - Prussian Blue - Paynes Grey – Lamp Black – Burnt Umber.
The small block of Chinese White if used correctly turns all of the above colours into a more opaque gouache, just take care not to ‘dull’ the other colours in their tubs so mix separately.
You can find travel brushes that separate and can be stored in their own handles.
A plastic pen brush that can be filled with water is ideal for laying a sky wash and for mixing greens. A non water soluble drawing pen for pen & wash.
Water-soluble pencil 4B and a couple of other soft pencils 2B/3B. I cut mine in half and keep them in different pockets.
Make lots of notes next to your sketches, then if you want to repaint it back home you will have more details to help. Include the position of the sun/light source, smells, sounds and colour notes – cloudy sky, blurred blue hills, multi green trees line, one reddish tree etc.
Decorate your journal with the same Camino stamps you collect in your passport, have it handy for your host to stamp and look through. Add wild flowers, tickets & receipts and new friends’ emails on the date page when you met them.
You may want to buy some watercolour paper, cut it into postcard size pieces and after you have painted a little gem you can send them home in envelopes as postcards, give them to fellow hikers or your host as gifts with 'stay in contact details' on the back, or tape them into your journal.
Stop and Sketch: If you stop four or five times a day to sketch 10 to 15 minutes you will still arrive at your albergue in plenty time to clean up and chat with friends before eating. If you don’t you will be sat around with little to paint wishing you had stopped by the steam, farm, hill-top that you passed by earlier in the day. By all means take photos to help you reproduce the painting later, not replace a sketch while walking.
Accessibility: If you keep your sketchbook in your backpack it will never get filled. Try and carry your sketchbook and art gear separate from your main pack, like your camera. Keep a small sketchbook tucked inside your jacket ready to whip out. A small separate pack allows you to drop your large pack off at your albergue on your bed and go straight out to sketch. Between albergues you can drop your backpack, sit on it and open the small pack and be sketching in under a minute. Tell friends to go ahead, you will catch them up. Don’t let them wait, it’ll only rush you. Enjoy the calm once they leave, the joy of seeing them again later and sharing your sketches.
Misc Extras
Small tight lidded container for water.
A small separate plastic soda bottle mark FOR PAINTING DON’T DRINK – skull & crossbones - to be filled from non drinkable water sources, puddles, streams.
Hat with a large brim.
An old tea towel for drying brushes and wiping hand, mopping your forehead, covering your neck.
Buy one soft moulding eraser and cut it into four pieces, like your pencils keep them in separate pockets.
Sharp retractable blade knife, trims pencils, scrapes out white on w/colour paper.
A soft light-weigh bum pad to keep your bum warm and dry while sat on damp walls.
A piece of natural sponge for dabbing in trees.
Start doodling and sketching now, everyday, everywhere and believe me you will improve and be ready to make some great sketches along your Camino.
