It’s raining as I write this and looks pretty dreary outside. Mud season has arrived. But March is passing quickly and it’s time to start thinking about upcoming vacations. Anticipating a trip is half the fun, and planning which art supplies to bring is way more interesting than deciding what clothes to pack!

Paris ©2012 Elizabeth Fram

As I wrote about in this post, my tendency is to overpack, but finding the right mix is a challenge I enjoy. Of all the various travel sketchbooks I’ve tried, I finally found one that I really liked: a 6″ x 4.25″ version made by Winsor & Newton. It has a faux leather cover that has taken a beating with no sign of wear. Its white paper has enough heft to take a light wash and it’s the perfect size and weight to fit in my bag. I’ve taken it to Paris, Switzerland and Vancouver, BC, but sadly, haven’t been able to find another one to replace it; they don’t seem to be available anymore.

Winsor & Newton 6″ x 4.25″, left                                  Hand Book Artist Journal 5.5″ x 5.5″, right

As an alternative, I tried a 5.5″ square Hand Book Artist Journal a couple of years ago. I really liked it, so much so that I made the larger 8.25″ x 5.5″ version my go-to, everyday sketchbook as well. The paper has minimal tooth and is heavy enough to stand up to dense pen work and light watercolor washes. There is less of a “jump” in the binding between pages, so drawing across a double page spread is easier. The only minor complaint I had at the beginning was that the paper is a buff color rather than bright white, but I’ve gotten used to it. It’s not as dingy as the scan below would have you believe.

Granville Island, Vancouver © 2015 Elizabeth Fram

This week, in his blog Citizen Sketcher, Marc Taro Holmes offered another really interesting idea that you might want to consider: an accordion-style sketchbook you can make yourself in about 5-10 minutes out of a single sheet of watercolor paper.

It seems like a great option on a number of different levels:

• You can choose whatever paper you like.
• You can devote one sheet to a particular series, categorizing and separating sketches from one outing/session, rather than having them bundled in the middle of a sketchbook filled with a variety of other work.
• It’s lighter and easier to tuck into a travel bag or pocket than a full sketchbook.
• With experimentation, you can vary the dimensions of your finished pages – and potentially change the number of pages.
• If you tend to be forgetful, it eliminates the fear of misplacing your regular sketchbook & risking the loss of a full vacation’s collection of drawings. Carry only one day’s worth at a time, leaving work from previous days in your hotel room.
• If you don’t mind cutting it up, individual rectangles can be separated to use as postcards or, as Marc points out in his post, you also have the option of painting panoramas which can be trimmed from the whole sheet later.

Here is a link to a pdf of the above pattern that Marc Taro Holmes generously uploaded and encouraged his readers to use and share.

Please take the time to fully check out his blog/website; there is a ton of useful information to be found there including other free downloads. He is based in Montreal and is a correspondent and board member of Urban Sketchers. I highly recommend his book The Urban Sketcher: Techniques for Seeing and Drawing on Location.

RER from Versailles to Paris ©2012 Elizabeth Fram

And, since it’s always helpful to hear personal feedback on materials, it would be great if you would weigh in with your preferred travel sketchbook.