The first journal entry

Let me back up to the first journal entry.  It was a radish.  Plants are nice subjects, they come in a variety of colors, they have interesting shapes, and best of all they stay where you put them.  Radishes have a nice complement of colors and shapes that can produce a pleasing painting.  I wrapped the title and some text around the radish.  Part of journaling is writing, which means thinking about what to write and where to write it so that it fits the page and does not look like an after thought.

Starting with a cooperative subject let me focus on using my new Koi watercolor kit and water brush.  I was pleased with the color palette and how the colors blend and layer.  I love using the water brush.  The body is hollow, and designed to hold a small amount of water.  By gently squeezing water flows out through the flexible brush tip.  This gives you a lot of control over the amount of water you are adding to the paper.  It also makes it easy to clean the brush between color selections.  I have two small 2 oz plastic bottles of water that are part of my travel kit.  One has a spray cap for wetting the palette and paper, the other has a dropper top and I use this one to fill the water brush as needed.  I use a lot less water when I use the water brush then I do when I use regular brushes.


I was also using a new Strathmore 140 lb watercolor journal.  It has a wire ring binding and can lay completely flat or be folded open.  This makes it easy to hold in one hand or prop on the watercolor kit.  The paper stands up to water well and retains its shape after being wet.  I have been able to paint on both sides of the paper without any issues.  The texture is not too rough, which makes it easier to sketch with a pencil or ink pen.  It holds the ink and paint well and will stand up to a bit of scrubbing with the brush or eraser.  The 5.5 by 8 inch journal fits perfectly in my waist pack (along with the watercolor kit, water bottles, kleenex, pencil, crayon, pen, ruler and eraser).