No. 25: The Colors Of Fall

The building of a sketchbook spread and a few other announcements.

A finished spread in my sketchbook documenting a day in upstate New York. Read on for details about how the spread was created.

This past Sunday we went to Storm King Art Center, a 500-acre outdoor museum about two hours from Brooklyn, in New Windsor, New York. We go every year around this time to see the fall foliage and check out any new installations in the sculpture gardens. My older son takes his camera (he is a photographer), and my younger son loves to run up and down the hills—his favorite spot at Storm King is Maya Lin’s Wavefield. We all look forward to our yearly visit, and yesterday we were extra excited to have the quiet and quality time together outdoors, off screens, and away from the city.

Before we even got in the car, around 9:30am, I had made some mental notes of how the day had begun and what I might draw in my sketchbook. While waiting for the boys to get ready, I had walked through Brooklyn Heights to get some croissants to bring for the car ride, felt the cold air, and decided I’d need a heavier scarf for the trip, and then I’d run back up to the apartment to grab one before heading to the garage. By the time we were on the road I already had enough content to fill a whole sketchbook page. But I decided to hold off. Especially on days when I know there will be a lot to absorb, I like to wait and observe, take in the scenery, and see if something special and unexpected happens. I snap photos of different things and make small notes before committing to my drawings, and Sunday was no different. It wasn’t until we sat down for a late lunch at 2pm that I put pencil to paper.

I painted the colors I saw in small swatches on the corner of a page in my sketchbook, just to see them all together. It is a nice exercise that I recommend - mixing the paints, trying to match what you see.

I first focused on the colors, as there are so many beautiful colors this time of year. I saw oranges, ochers, greens, browns, and even some red and burgundy. I knew I wanted my sketchbook spread to be filled with this palette, so I was on the lookout for things that had some of these colors outside of the foliage and landscape itself. These are the things I decided to include:

1. A small garter snake that crossed our path. The snake was yellow ochre and dark brown and was the perfect addition for many reasons: I love an excuse to draw a creature I am unfamiliar with, a snake is simply a fun subject, and adding such an element tells more of an intimate story. As it moved so quickly (we startled it as much as it startled us), I could not pull out my phone to snap a photo fast enough, so I had to google “garden snake” to find some references. A ton of images popped up, and from what I could decipher, what we saw was possibly an eastern ribbon snake. I then proceeded to draw my own version. (An exact representation isn’t necessary in my sketchbook.)

2. A bowl of butternut squash soup from the orchard not too far away from Storm King, where we had lunch. The soup was the perfect color to match my palette, and the bowl and the plate it sat on had black and red details.

3. A packet of Maldon sea salt with simple green typography. (The soup needed some salt.) We use this salt at home, and this was the first time I had seen it in small packets. (I might have grabbed a few extra to keep my bag…) 

4. The leaves and a single vertical postcard-like scene from the hike around Storm King. All four of us took photographs, so adding a snapshot-like illustration rounded out the page.

On the left is my initial pencil sketch. As you can see, this stage is very fast and loose. I use the pencil to plan the page. On the right is how the page looks when I add more detail in ink, very loosely following my pencil lines.

The page on the right side of the spread is a larger landscape showing Andy Goldsworthy’s Storm King Wall and a tree, with colorful leaves in the distance. I did not sketch or draw in ink at all before beginning to paint this page. I added some ink at the end to get finer details.

The right page is filled with a larger landscape painting, which is something I don’t do very often. Since we went to see the landscapes specifically, it felt like the perfect way to round out the spread so that when I look back, I will remember the day and the beauty we saw. I really like how it looks next to the more detailed page on the opposite side of the spread. 

Materials used:
Blackwing pencil and large eraser
Platinum desk fountain pen with carbon ink
Derwent paint pans and waterbrushes
Uniball Signo white gel pen
(All of my favorite supplies can be found on this post: My Favorite Tools)

The finished spread in my handmade sketchbook.

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Artist Friends You Might Not Know

My very close friend, April Hannah, has been working on this unique candelabra for some time now, and I have been lucky enough to see the prototypes and get regular updates on production. They are made from four raw concrete pieces that are interlocking so you can design the candelabra in various ways. It is modern and gorgeous, and I am so excited to have ours on our table soon. Use code: SDB10 for 10% off until the end of October. Click here to learn more.

This past Saturday I visited my friend MG Van Der Elst at her studio in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and was blown away by her beautiful images. My favorite series are her self-portraits and her flowers.

Many of you know

Jennifer Orkin Lewis

work, but did you know she just launched a new wallpaper line? Check it out here.

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Meet-ups on Zoom

My next paid-subscriber meetup is Monday, October 30, at 3pm EST/8pm BST. (I sure hope I have that right, as next week, daylight savings time switches in the UK.)

My friend and sometime co-teacher, Ohn Mar, will be joining us. Her sketchbook work is so inspiring, and she is excited to spend an hour painting with us and talking about her process. I will be painting, too. We will be working on a fall scene together. The reference image and link to register will be sent in the chat. Click here to head over to the chat.

Thank you to those of you who came to the session last Friday with my friend

Gayle Kabaker

all about abstract play and how making carefree marks can help anyone, at any level of art-making, to de-stress. The replay is here if you would like to watch.

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Two-point Perspective Drawing and Painting with Derwent

My next FREE class with Derwent is on Monday, December 11th at 2pmEST.

In honor of the holiday season and gift-giving time, in this one-hour class we will be sketching and then painting a pile of presents stacked on top of each other. By first establishing a horizon line and then two vanishing points, we will be able to render the boxes with proper perspective. Once the first sketch is made, we will add some ink, erase some of the pencil, and then paint with the Derwent Inktense paint palette. Ribbons and patterns will be added as you desire. Watercolor or gouache paints are also fine to use if you do not have the Derwent paint pens. Feel free to follow along or simply watch and be inspired to create a pile of gifts in your own personal style. This is a great opportunity to learn some basic rules of perspective that you can incorporate into future work. Click here to book your free spot.

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Ambassador and Affiliate Codes

If you’d like to try out Blackwing pencils or just order some new items, please shop using this unique link, blackwing602.com/sdionbaker. When you purchase using my link, there’s no additional cost to you and I earn a small commission. I appreciate your support!

All Canvas lights and accessories are 10% off with my discount code: SDB10.

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