Keeping a written journal while traveling is such a wonderful way to record your journey in greater depth. When I read my travel journal entries, I am always happy that I took the time to write down details that I would have otherwise forgotten. I might write about something great we had to eat, nice people we met, or unusual little incidents that happened along the way. My problem with journalling is though I am all gung-ho at keeping up with a daily entry at the beginning of a trip, I lack the discipline while traveling to keep it up. Hence, my travel journals are never really a very complete record of the entire trip.
My husband Brian, on the other hand, has taken to keeping illustrated travel journals of our trips. Travel sketching was a very popular pastime among travelers in the 18th and 19th centuries, but the practice had fallen away with the advent of modern photography.
Why sketch?
You might wonder, why sketch when you have a great camera in your pocket and the convenience immediate sharing on social media? When everyone can take countless images without the worry of film and developing costs, why bother with something as time consuming as handcrafting an image by hand?
Unfortunately, we live in an age where the need to capture and share an instagram moment seems to take away from actually experiencing a place. We were at one of our favorite museums, the Musee d’Orsay, where we witnessed a young woman moving methodically to each piece of art on display, snapping an image of the work and the title card – barely giving a glance to the artwork through her viewfinder before moving on to the next piece. We watched her doing this in several of the galleries, thinking perhaps she must be an employee of the museum. When leaving, we witnessed the same woman join up with her tour group, and we sadly realized she never once stopped to take in the wonder of a Van Gogh or Monet, or the beauty of the building’s architecture. Marching around snapping photos would be her museum experience and memory.
Though always an avid photographer, Brian feels that by taking to time to immerse yourself in a place long enough to draw it creates a richer travel experience – it is a way to soak in the scene – really see it. When he records scenes with pen and ink on paper, he is emblazoning the sights, smell and sound of the moment in his mind in a way impossible to recreate when simply snapping an image on your phone and moving on.
One of the many benefits of sketch journaling is meeting people. Brian, with pen scratching away in his sketchbook, is a magnet for the curious. We have met so many people who are interested in what he is doing. Often Brian’s drawing subjects request that he email them a copy of a drawing when it is complete, and he is happy to oblige.
The Process
Brian begins working on a book when still at home. Every journal begins with the story of the trip, including a map of the planned itinerary. The map often has to be revised to reflect any changes that occurred along the way, like when a 7-week sabbatical trip through Europe in 2020 became derailed by the pandemic.
When we travel, Brian is never without his sketch bag, he brings it along almost everywhere. Cafes are a great place to sit and draw, but Brian will draw sitting or standing if he is engaged by a sight.
His process begins with sketching the scene using waterproof black ink and fountain pen. He will take a quick snap of his subject matter with his phone camera as a reference image for color. Generally, he fills in the color and any other special paint effects at a later date. He will add notes or comments to some pages, and sometimes even glues in bits of relevant ephemera like receipts or ticket stubs – whatever he feels helps to tell the story.
Brian prefers and enjoys drawing on site, but sometimes it is just not possible, and he will draw from a photograph. Sometimes he creates a scene as he pictures it may have happened if he feels the image is necessary to convey the story of the journey.
I sometimes wish Brian’s beautiful drawings could be framed to hang on the wall and enjoyed every day. But at those times when I slip one of his travel journals from the shelf and flip page-by-page through the leaves, I know it is only right and fitting for these memories to be bound together for all time, just as they are in my mind.
Some of the goodies in Brian’s sketch bag:
Sketchbook – Premade sketchbooks are available in many sizes and with varying quality of paper. Brian prefers to hand-bind his favorite watercolor paper – Saunders Waterford Hot Press 200GSM/140lb – between linen covered boards. (His sketchbook making technique is a blogpost in itself :))
Pens – Sailor Fude De Mannen nib fountain pens, 40° and 55° angle tips
Ink – Noodlers Bulletproof Black water resistant ink #19001
(its important to used waterproof ink if you intend to add color with watercolor paints)
Paints – Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Paint in tubes
(tubes are squished into watercolor palette tins and dried to a solid state)
Brushes – Brian relies on only 2 brushes, for detail work a #7 Raphael Kolinsky Sable 8404, for washes a #14 Isabey 6116 Kolinsky 6116
Collapsable water cups and canvas rollups for safe storage of pens, brushes, pencils etc. are great for keeping his kit compact and easy to carry around.
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