The Art of Pairing Down with Shari Blaukopf
As an urban sketcher, Shari Blaukopf (Ep.52) knows the importance of pairing down.
After all, she wants to be ready to sketch or paint anywhere…without being weighed down by too much stuff. It’s a fine balance between enough and too much.
Here’s what she has in her kit:
1) High quality sketchbook.
If you’re working with wet media, Blaukopf suggests at least 90lb watercolor paper. Blaukopf always has a 3x5 inch sketchbook in her pocket. Although she travels with an 8x8 inch sketchbook.
2) A small pencil and permanent marker like a Pitt pen
3) A small travel palette with a little water brush.
Not only does she bring this with her urban sketching, but also everywhere else. This way she can take advantage of unexpected openings in her schedule like the waiting room of a dentist or getting tires changed.
Put it to Practice:
When you're first getting started with urban sketching or plein air painting, it can feel like you need your entire studio. But most show guests suggest that you’ll be happier with less stuff.
Fewer materials doesn’t just mean you have less physical stuff to keep track of, but having fewer options may actually help you when dealing with the very complex nature of working from life.
Give Blaukopf’s list a try for a few sessions. Then, if you realize you do in fact need a few additional items, add them in. But first give it a test run (or a few) to see if you can do without. You might discover you feel much freer when not weighed down (physically and mentally) by materials.