Even though I won't actually go to Paris until October, I want to maximize my anticipation of the trip by working in my sketchbook NOW!

The image above is the cover page of the sketchbook I'll be taking to Paris in October. I created an image in Photoshop using the leaf I had previously painted, some French ephemera and some indicia stamps. I then used gel medium to transfer the image to my sketchbook page.

The sketchbook is one I'm making and the page is 5.75 inches square. It's made from 140 lb. CP Moulin du Roy watercolor paper. I'm loving this paper! It's easy to work on and it folds nicely for a bound sketchbook.

Transferred images are not hard to do if you A) practice first and B) have plenty of patience. There are directions all over the internet if you're interested in giving it a whirl. Just be sure to give the gel plenty of time to dry and be very gentle when you go to remove the paper fibers!

Expect and embrace some imperfections in the image. (I've never had one to come out spot-on perfect.) In this case, the little things that went wrong add to the aged look of the letters behind the leaf.  I did one other version which had a different stamp on it and my impatience cost me the page as I lifted the paper before the transfer was completely dry. It lifted the stamp and left a gaping whole in the image.

While this isn't something I'd likely try while traveling, it is fun to do to build up my enjoyment and anticipation of the trip. By creating NOW rather than waiting until time to go, I'm able to work past the "white page paralysis" of a new journal and I'm keeping my sketching skills sharp.

Examples of other pages I intend to create include what I'm learning about Paris, books I've read, movies and shows I've watched about Paris, what I'm packing, my art kit, frequently used French words and so on. I also want to get out and do some sketching at the local coffee shop as a way to acclimate myself to sketching around people more.

Interested in joining me in October? There are still a few spots left for this workshop but it is beginning to fill! If you're thinking this is the trip for you, please sign up soon. Click the Paris link at the top of this page or click here for more info!

Have a question? Leave me a comment or use the Contact form at the top of the page!

Exploring Ideas

Building a sketchbook, or modifying one I've purchased, is part of the fun when I'm planning a trip like Paris 2018. (Wanna come to Paris, too? Click the link!) After all, why wait until the month before we leave to start playing with our art supplies? I'm ready to go now, but since that isn't possible, I can start preparing.

The system I used when I went to Acadia National Park was one of the most successful systems I've used for travel. (You can read about it here.) It involves creating a leather cover and signatures of the pages separately. The signatures are held in the leather cover via elastic bands like a Midori Traveler's Notebook. Once the trip and pages are complete, everything is bound into a permanent book with a nice cover if I choose or I can leave them in the leather cover.

Second Arrangement

I liked the system because I have a lot of flexibility to change the order of the pages and the ability to add in a page if I needed. It also saved a lot of wear and tear on what would be the final cover. One of the other BIG reasons I like doing it this way is a little scary to mention, but this is it—if I should lose my sketchbook or it became damaged, chances are good I would only lose the pages currently in the sketchbook because I won't carry all the completed sections with me each day I'm in exploring Paris.

In the images above, I have stamped out a variety of stamps on paper and then cut them out so I can arrange them in a bazillion ways on top of the paper that represents the overall size of my sketchbook. Until I find the combination and layout I want, I'll continue to push the pieces around.  

Once I discover the winning combination for the leather cover, I will use permanent ink to stamp them onto the leather and I'll share that part of the process with you in case you're interested in building your own system.

Since the trip is still ten months out, I have plenty of time to explore these ideas and make the sketchbook. If I was boarding a plane next week, I'd be going in a completely different direction with either a book I've already made or altering the cover of a purchased sketchbook.

Do you prefer to make your own sketchbook or do you use one you've purchased?

A-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n Spread, completed Stillman & Birn Zeta, 7 x 7 inches Ink & Wash

The idea of stepping out into the world where anyone might want to take a peek at the pages in our sketchbook can be daunting. Especially if we're new to the idea or at the beginning of developing our skills. Of course, this make an adventure like An Imaginary Trip Made Real To England seem huge, but it's not!

It boils down to performance anxiety. We're afraid of disappointing ourselves and others. What would we do if we went and then couldn't get anything worthwhile down on the page? Eeeek!

Let me ask this: if you were doing a speech in front of 150 people, would you wing it or would you write and practice your speech for days, if not weeks, in advance? If you decided to run a 5K race, would you wait until the day of the race to start building your endurance? Of course not!

My friends, sketching is no different! It takes practice, a willingness to leave our comfort zones and a sense of adventure. 

To begin conditioning yourself means starting to sketch NOW. Today. 

And that's where things like a-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n pages come into play. For me, anticipation pages began as a way to practice and psyche myself up for the "big event." Eventually, I realized that I kept creating them because they gave me a great deal of enjoyment. I like the build up of excitement before the actual trip.

By doing anticipation pages, I "knock the rust off" of my skills if I've been lazy about sketching on a regular basis. When I create pages in my home environment, I try to work from life, but sometimes that's not possible. Since I don't have any chickens, I went to the computer for inspiration. I worked from the screen rather than printing out a photo. Same goes for the soccer ball.

I had a champagne cork so I used that as my model, but I didn't have any cheese rolls lying around, so it was back to the computer. This time, I found out what cheese rolls looked like and then drew them in the composition I wanted for my page. The umbrella and tea cup were my own and I drew from life to strengthen my eye and hand coordination.

Taking It To The Next Step
While you're definitely in training when you're sitting in your kitchen sketching away, working outside of our normal work area, is an entirely different experience and one that should be practiced as well.

When I first decided to sketch on location, I waltzed out the door and went to a town about twenty minutes from me. The downtown area was full of interesting old buildings and mostly deserted on a Sunday morning. I was making sure there was no one about, but it didn't matter, I still failed spectacularly! I had not yet discovered a new mindset.

Since working on location totally blew my mind, I decided to begin again with baby steps—I started in my kitchen. I would pull a chair away from the table and draw something with my sketchbook in my lap. I sketched and painted whatever was outside the window or I'd set a leaf or pot of flowers on the window sill and draw.

After a while, I became bored with this set up and went outside and drew in my backyard. My backyard's not all that exciting so it didn't take too terribly long before I decided to go to the park and sketch. Sure, I chose an area where I wasn't likely to run into anybody, but I was still getting out there. I eventually went into town to sketch and then a restaurant and so on until I conditioned myself to sketch anywhere. Not all sketches were successful, but the training was!

I would occasionally gather up my courage and go sketching around a bunch of people in a busy location. Sometimes it worked out and other times it looked like a rabid squirrel had scribbled all over the page. My nerves would get the best of me and I'd panic.

But you know, I survived. And with each attempt I became a little stronger, a little gutsier. I also realized that most people have no clue what I'm doing. They don't notice. They're too busy with their own dramas to be worried about me and my little sketchbook.

There's also something about interacting with people, by choice, that lends another layer of patina over the whole experience. Most folks that stop and talk to you, who want to see what your doing, want to be like you. They want to be brave enough to sketch "out in the wilds." They want to be creative. Just listen to them. You'll hear it in their voices when they speak.

Changing Your Mindset
When sketching in the wilds, it requires a different mindset than sketching in familiar [safe] surroundings. First and most obvious, is the amount of time we'll have. When we work in our homes, we can work as long as we want [in comfort] on something, usually while working from a photo.

When we're on location, we have a much more limited amount of time and we must adjust our expectations to match the amount of time we have as well as the current skill level we possess.

Rather than viewing the time limit as a bad thing, use it to challenge yourself to see just how much you can get done on location. If you're not getting much down on the page, start looking for ways to work quicker. This usually means leaving out details or suggesting them rather than meticulously recreating them.

Another big change to consider is this: if you don't get finished on location, you can always take a quick snap with your phone and use it for reference later. Knowing you can take a photo helps to reduce the amount of pressure we place on ourselves to get the page finished in one sitting. Sure, that's the long term goal, but we're in training and that goal will be met eventually.

Last, it's a sketch. It's not a mini-masterpiece! When we're on location, dealing with the elements, the light changing, people walking around and other distractions, sketching becomes a mini-adventure within the bigger trip! It takes on a life of its own that becomes an indelible memory that queues up every time you look back at your sketch. And I will share a secret with you...even lousy sketches still serve as a great portal back to the moment in time where it was created!

So instead of postponing a marvelous adventure like An Imaginary Trip Made Real To England until "you're ready," go ahead and sign up today! Then start training for an adventure unlike any other. Challenge yourself to sketch something each and every day. Even if it's for just 15 minutes a day, you'll have logged over 30 hours of practice before we leave for England!!

And remember, once we're in England, you'll be with likeminded people and I'll be there by your side to help you create a sketchbook full of great memories!

How do you prepare for a big art trip? Any "training tips" you'd like to share that help you move past fear?

I don't know about you, but I love to create "a-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n pages" in my journal way before the actual trip starts! In this case, I'm already creating pages for my trip to England in August! (There are still a few spots left!) Anticipation not only increases my excitement, I also get to enjoy the trip for a much longer period of time!

Anticipation pages can be anything from purchases you make specifically for the trip (a new art bag anyone?) to things you learn about the place you're visiting (see below) to places you want to visit while you're there (umm, everywhere?!). Since this is art journaling, there are no rules and the anticipation pages in your journal can be anything you want them to be!

It's always a lot of fun (to me) to look up slang terms and arcane facts about a place I'm going to visit:

• Have you ever wondered what "high tea" is or how it started? 
• Do you know how many cups of tea are consumed in England on any given day?
• What about how"football" aka soccer got started (hint: a very barbaric beginning!)? 
• Do you know how much it rains in England? 
• How far the coast is from any given point inland? (I'd kill it in a trivia game...assuming it was about England!) 

Below is a series of photos of me prepping two facing pages to be used to capture information about England I did not know until I started getting ready for this trip. The pages have cut-edge borders to make them a bit more interesting.







As I add artwork and information to the page, I'll share over on my Instagram account and on my Facebook page!

What will you put on your "a-n-t-i-c-p-a-t-i-o-n pages" for England?" Why don't you come to England with me and then we can share our sketchbooks with each other over tea?!