Plein Air Kit Preview and Backstory
I surveyed the hills and valleys in front of me. The land was covered in organized rows of 100 year old grape vines and olive trees, interrupted only by winding dirt roads connecting farms to the outside world. Terra Cotta-roofed houses speckled the landscape, and in the distance the hills transformed into mountains. The sun felt warm on my skin and the smell of fresh soil filled the air. As I looked up from my paint palette and over my canvas, I wondered at how this place must have looked when Leonardo was born. I had come here to Vinci, Italy to paint and to remember the importance of being an artist.
Art has always been a thread woven into the fabric of Peg and Awl, but on a personal level through the past ten years it had become a thing that Margaux and I would fit into the cracks of responsibility. Then in 2016 Margaux attended an illustration workshop in Spain and she was awakened. Art transformed into a necessity, and every day she devoted several hours to drawing, painting and writing. As I watched it feed her soul, I began to feel the pull myself. I decided to apply for a juried workshop taught by Jeremy Mann and Nadezda, and hosted by Art Escape Italy. I applied and waited, doubting I would be one of the 17 chosen. When I got the acceptance email I was ecstatic and nervous, with a underlying feeling of “what did I get my self into?” After months of struggling through the required homework of copying every page of Bridgman’s Complete Guide to Drawing From Life (which I did not complete before the trip), I hopped on a plane with my paints, brushes and canvases and headed to Tuscany, Italy.
Along with 16 other aspiring artists, I stayed at a secluded retreat situated atop a hill surrounded by vineyards and orchards. For 6 days we were immersed in instruction, reading, discussion and painting with Jeremy and Nadezda as they shared their passion for what it means to be an artist. One night we all set up along the edge of the hill and painted the landscape before us. I had never plein air painted before and had no idea what a plein air kit was. But as I taped a gessoed and toned canvas to my palette, threw a few paints and brushes in my pockets and sat down in the grass, I was enthralled.
The way that Jeremy explained the process was delightful. He had built a small plein air set up out of an old cigar box. His canvases were 4″ × 5″, and the box was small enough to fit in his hand while he painted. Inside was everything he needed: a glass palette, reused film canisters for liquin and turpentine, small whittled-down brushes and miniature paint tubes. This portable pochade box was so manageable that he always had it with him, and the scenes that he painted were amazing color studies and sketches that captured the aura of the moment. That night I decided to design a box that I could take on my own adventures.
On the flight home, I sketched out a rough plan and within a few days of my return I had made the first prototype. Made of walnut with a vegetable tanned leather cover and shoulder strap, it housed all my painting supplies and four canvases that could be stored safely when wet. I took it with me everywhere and stopped to paint whenever I saw a moment that I wanted to capture. For the next 8 months I made modifications, perfecting the design and usability of the Scout Plein Air Box in preparation to finally share it with the world.
I look back to one year ago when I was preparing to leave for Italy and I see how I have grown as an artist. Plein air painting has changed my life. The excitement of slinging my pochade box over my shoulder and setting out on a painting adventure is intoxicating. Being able to set up anywhere within a few minutes has encouraged me to paint often, to more closely observe the things around me, to hone my memory as I strive to capture a fleeting moment, and to constantly learn how to mix colors. It has taught me the importance of being in the moment, and of considering the physical world around me and my relationship with it. Plein air painting has helped me to live more like an artist.
Watch the Walkthrough of my Scout Plein Air Box.
Suggested Blog Posts
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Specimen Cards and a Closer Look Around
Specimen Cards
I look forward to the coming weeks here, the hopeful explosion of plants! Until then, here are some Specimen Cards that Søren (15) and Silas (13) made for me for Christmas, which include a variety of plant friends and creature friends who share the land with us!See more of their work on Instagram: @sorenscoutkent and @koshooniart
We have Garter and Northern Water Snakes here... And a variety and abundance of frogs and toads! 
We also have a family of Painted Turtles! All of these creatures live by and in the untended to ponds. 
Our Pearl! Piplup is the last of our many chickens and guineas. She has somehow survived the many attacks of foxes, &c.At Home Exploration
We’ve returned home from Florida, where winter’s end, hormones, lawn talk, and chain stores wreaked havoc on my mood the first day. Fortunately, for myself and everyone around me, a walk around Wakodahatchee Wetlands quickly settled my inner chaos. Florida, like anywhere, can be so many things at once!
Back home, at the Five Acre Wood, Pearl and I awoke early to sunshine and went outside to visit all the plants’ changes during our weekend away. The three small Witch Hazel transplants survived: their tiny yellow flowers small and sparkly in the woodland. A few Squill, Hellebores, and Crocuses have flowered. Snowdrops have bloomed by the thousands, the snow drop math proving successful here though when I step back, the little clumps have a lot of multiplying to do before they change this comparatively expansive landscape! Even more Daffodils are about to burst, whilst Hepatica, Foam Flower, Geraniums, and other greenies have sent their distinct tops out of the soil and into the sun! A few years ago, I couldn’t have identified these plants by their flowers, and here I am, calling them by their names so soon. It feels magical, this ever-learning.
I’ve planted thousands of plants since we moved here five years ago. Some will take five years to bloom; others have already started on their journey, only to be destroyed by my rambunctious Pearl or over-eager deer families, hopping the fence when Pearl is elsewhere.
Snowdops by Silas Jack-in-the-Pulpit by Søren 
May Apple by Søren Daffodils (most abundant) by Silas 
Bamboo by Silas Virginia Bluebell by Søren* * *
Our Specimen Card Notebook! Story on the back! 
Some of the boys’ early drawings on the end pages! It fits inside our Sendaks!Our Boys Document Creatures and Plants with their Specimen Card Notebooks!
Specimen Cards I look forward to the coming weeks here, the hopeful explosio...
Read The Post -
This Of a Kind launch was meant for last year, in Winter, but we got tangled in the decision we shared in our last newsletter (if you missed it, you can read here!) And so here we are, ending winter with an abundance of scrumptious old blacks and blues!
Excitingly, in the time between meant-to and are, we’ve added some fun extras, including gorgeous Handmade Ink by A Rural Pen, Tintype Journals, and Alternative Sketchbook Tins!
Each new Of a Kind collection allows us to dig around and find treasures within treasures. Every discovery holds a bit of the past, and the story and marks accumulated. They are a joy to put together and harken back to the best part of our origin story – the gathering of old things and the reimagining and reworking of them into once again useful objects.
We have a handful of One of a Kind Custom* Pouch Sizes – this one is made with an 1800s Quilt Block! We have a selection of Hand-Bound Tintype Journals in this collection – read more below!*Custom Pouch Size: We have 7 pouch sizes in our Peg and Awl catalog, but when we find a quilt block or scrap that is perfect as is, we make the pouch match its size!
Our Wintery 2023 Of a Kind Collection!This Of a Kind launch was meant for last year, in Winter, but we got tangled in the decision we shared in our last newsletter (if you missed it, you can read here!) And so here we are, ending winter with an abundance of scrumptious old blacks and blues!
Excitingly, in the time between meant-to and are, we’ve added some fun extras, including gorgeous Handmade Ink by A Rural Pen, Tintype Journals, and Alternative Sketchbook Tins!
Have a wander through our collection of bags and pouches made with homespun linen, quilt blocks, prints from the 1800s, feedsacks, and 1930s dressmakers cotton, along with some of our favourite scraps of scraps, with which we made a variety of littles. Some of the bags are made with our classic waxed canvas colours, and others with our Autumn colours — so many hoorahs!
Here we are, ending winter with an abundance of wintry blues when all I feel is colour!
A Rural Pen Handmade Ink!
View in our ShopThis ink is handmade, bottled, labeled, and waxed by alchemist Thos. Little of A Rural Pen. I was so enamored with the ink, and when I learned I couldn’t purchase a bottle directly, I decided to order some for all of us! The ink is made using a historic formula of extracting and dissolving the iron from guns with Sumac, instead of Galls. The ink goes on as a pale, smoky, cool grey, and quickly oxidizes on the page; the shade and depth varies depending on the paper used.
This ink is for dip pens only – it cannot be used in fountain pens.
Note: The ink is hand bottled, labeled, and waxed. Some bottles have a little leakage through the wax. When you use the ink, it will also get on the label so please accept this possibility, as we do not consider it a defect.
Handmade Ink by A Rural Pen Playing with the ink for the first time! 
Testing this magical ink – drawing paper (Left) and watercolor paper (Right)! Inky left-handed Witch Hazel – watch my drawing video, here! Crossbody Bags made with Vintage Textiles!
View in Our Shop
Standard Tote with Feedsack: Wylie Mini Tote with 1800s Homespun: Edward 
Small Hunter with 1800s Quilt Block: Astrid Heavy homespun linen blanket transformed into a Hunter Satchel lined with Truffle. 
I found two full bolts of this textile from the 1800s long ago. The width was 36" which was the width of the looms then. I've been savouring it, and we may have some small bits for bookbinding linens, but mostly, this is its last hoorah! Hunter Satchels are my favourite hiking and flea market bag — carry only what you need!
Pouches made with Vintage Textiles!
View in Our ShopWe’ve been finding so many gorgeous textiles at Flea Markets lately and have to tame the scale of each collection. We’ve transformed the gathering of patchwork and scrap into useful pouches, giving them new life.
These pouches are perfect for art supplies, make-up, and anything else that needs organizing in your bag or on your desk — they’re hard to be without and you can never have too many!
This feedsack was washed again and again until its printing faded to just a subtle reminder of days past. 
Custom Pouch with 1800s Quilt Block: Mackenzie Essentials Pouch with 1800s Dressmaker’s Fabric: Dolly 
We reserved some Elderberry before it sold out for this collection! Scribbler Pouch with 1800s Antique Cotton: Sinclair 
Keeper Pouch with 1930s Dressmaker’s Fabric: Delia Spender Pouch with Early 1900s Scrap Bundle: William 
Hand Stitched Custom Quilt Block – perfect for small things, fits inside our bags’ pockets! Saver Pouch with Early 1900s Scrap Bundle: Joanna Edgeworth Tin: Alternative Sketchbook!
View in Our ShopWe have 6 blue tins in stock – they are nearly 100 years old and have varying degrees of rust and marks of past lives. Each tin comes with 100 sheets of Strathmore drawing paper in celebration of the upcoming 100 Day Project, which begins on February 22.
My Non-Dominant Hand 100 Day Project from Last Year
We don’t have many of these tins, and we are always looking for more, but in the meantime – grab your favourite tin, cut your favourite paper and voila! Here is our short video on cutting your own paper.
Tintype Journals!
View in Our ShopRead More About Tin Types!
One of a kind tintype journals are back! The cover is black vegetable-tanned leather, and is paired with some of our favourite antique black and white textiles from the 1800s. Beneath oval frames we’ve set enduring portraits of nameless faces newly christened. The insides, as always, are made of hand-stitched Strathmore drawing paper and work wonderfully with a variety of drawing and writing materials.
Standard Tintype Journal: Noam Standard Tintype Journal: Gertrude 
Companion Tintype Journal: Shirley + Jasper Companion Tintype Journal: Ethel + Timmy
The Secret to a Good Flea (Market) Day is a Good Friend!
Sneak Peak into our Wintery 2023 Of a Kind Collection
Each new Of a Kind collection allows us to dig around and find treasures wit...
Read The Post -
We’ve watched all of the YouTube reviews of our Sendak Artist Roll (thank you!) and have made our own video to answer some questions and share our experience!
We are grateful for all the wonderful Sendak reviews, and for sharing videos and spreading the word!
We’ve watched all of the YouTube reviews of our Sendak Artist Roll (thank you!) and have made our own video to answer some questions and share our experience!
We are grateful for all the wonderful Sendak reviews, and for sharing videos and spreading the word!
Video Transcript
Hello, everyone! I wanted to give you a little walkthrough of our Sendak Artist Roll. I've been seeing a lot of other people's video walkthroughs and it's been inspiring me to do the same.
Introduction
Here is my very well-loved and very well-used Sendak. This is the first "right one" that we made. We went through a lot of trial and error to get to this, so I want to show you what it has the potential to hold.
Supplies in my Sendak: Scissors and Glue (0:30)I always have glue with me because I do a lot of messy collage work, so I love to glue things and I also have scissors for that same reason. I use small scissors if I'm traveling anywhere where I'm getting on a plane, and I use big scissors if I'm just traveling in a car. Both sizes fit into the Sendak nicely. I tend to put the big scissors on an end, in one of the smaller pockets. The smaller scissors fit anywhere, it just depends what else I have in my Sendak.
The Pencil Pockets (0:55)
One of the most common requests that we get and one of the things that people tend to comment on is that these pencil pockets are too small for fountain pens. While that's true of this Kaweco cap (the bottom fits, the top doesn't), this vintage technical pen is pretty chunky, and I put it in there all the time. I carry two or three. You can see how it kind of draws the Sendak together, so ultimately there's going to be a little bit less room in other pockets. It's making other things more tight, but really, it's fine.
When the Sendak is new, the waxed canvas might be tight to even just fit a pencil, but as you use it, it breaks in and loosens up, and then it doesn't loosen any further – that's where it's going to stay. Once you use it more, you can easily fit two standard pencils or paintbrushes into each slot, so it's really not a too small slot once you break it in.
Supplies in my Sendak: Pencils (1:35)I love these beginners pencils that have really soft lead. I love making marks that are a little less particular than, for example, when I'm using my mechanical pencils (which I also love).
So, these are some of the supplies that I carry every day. I think where the variation comes in, is in which pencils I want, which softness levels, or if I want a water soluble pencil. I'll put the pencils together in this end pocket. It's important to note that the Blackwing fits in. This Blackwing pencil was sharpened once and it makes it a perfect fit. This one was never sharpened, and the eraser is worn down a bit, so it's just above that folding point (the Sendak measures 7.75″ tall at the folding point). The taller one will obviously still work, but I know these are awesome pencils that a lot of people have, so I wanted to show you that.
Supplies in my Sendak: Pens (2:15)
Another thing that I carry are dippy pens. I will put pen nibs into a tin. I love using antique tins to store pen nibs, and in this case, a kneaded eraser. These tins are great for little art supplies, and I just put them into the zipper pocket.
The Zipper Pocket (2:30)
In addition to the vintage tin, I put another regular eraser. When pencils get too small for the pencil pockets, then I'll put them in the zipper pocket. I also have some extra lead for my mechanical pencils, a pencil sharpener, and I often have a whitewash in there as well. You can fit a lot in this zipper pocket.
I like to not overstuff my Sendak so that it folds nicely. I really like it to fold up rather than to roll up, which happens when it is very stuffed.
The Interior Pockets (2:55)
We have 16 pen and pencil slots in the front, and then we have four pockets behind those. So these four are varying widths – you could see the width of the smaller ones that I use for scissors or pencils, which measure 2.5″ wide. The larger two measure 4.25″ wide. I use these two bigger pockets for sketchbooks.
We make these Landscape Orra Sketchbooks in our shop. We designed them to fit into both this Sendak and the Mini Sendak. They can also serve as a tool protector if you need it, for example, if I was putting in a dippy pen whose nib needed protecting, or paint brushes, that would be a great tool protector. We also sell acrylic tool protectors separately if you don't want to carry a Sketchbook or Painter's Palette.
The Iris Painter's Palette is another product that we make. It is for squeezing in tube paints, watercolors, or in this case, making your own paint and filling up these wells with homemade paint. This was made to fit in both the Classic Sendak and the Mini Sendak as well, in these large interior pockets.
I'm going to put my palette here, and these pens in the back here with some small scissors. I want to have another paint brush and then whatever colors I want to bring. Sometimes I get really organized and other times I just put stuff in. You don't have to be crazy overthinking this. It's just really supposed to hold what you need – what you need for the day, what you need for a week, what you need for a trip.
I also often have a bookbinding needle held in the top flap here, and I'll put some bookbinding thread here in the zipper pocket, in case I want to make a book. I'll also prepare by having folded paper here in these exterior pockets.
The Exterior Pockets (4:30)
These two outside pockets otherwise are great for random sized sketchbooks like this – this would have been one of those random ones that I made. I also love this tin. It's for 15 neocolors, but I've had it for years and I move pastels or other more delicate stuff into here that I don't want to crumble in the pen pockets. It's a really nice fit for these back pockets.
This is our Orra Portrait Sketchbook, which we made to fit into the Classic Sendak. We have three sizes of these sketchbooks – the Portrait, the Large Portrait, and the Landscape.
Closing the Sendak (5:00)
So when I fold up the Sendak – this one is pretty full with everything that I just stuffed into the outside pockets – but when I fold it up, I will hold everything down and pull down this top flap so that it folds nicely. Then I roll in the sides, starting with the zipper pocket, so that all the parts of my Sendak are where they should be. Then I just synch it closed with the leather strap and buckle.
I'd say this is pretty full – I have stuff in every pocket. In some instances, I have more than one thing in a pocket. There's still a lot of room on this leather strap. So that's it! This will fit nicely into my bag, and I've got what I need for a long time.
The Buckle Closure
Another question that we've had is about this buckle. This comes from a gun sling from maybe the forties, and it was intended to function exactly as we use it. We found that it just really holds the Sendak together nicely, and of course, we love incorporating old bits wherever we can, into whatever we make.
So there you have it! My Sendak, lovingly worn in and full of life.
Mentioned in this video:
From Our Shop:- The Classic Sendak Artist Roll
- The Sendak Mini Artist Roll
- Iris Painter’s Palette
- Landscape Orra Sketchbook
- Portrait Orra Sketchbook
- Acrylic Tool Protects (Out of Stock)
From Other Shops:- Blackwing Pencils
- Kaweco Pens
- Neocolor
- Vintage art supplies (dippy Pens, technical pens, tins) are from flea markets and sometimes eBay!
Related Blog Posts:
The Sendak Artist Roll: A Walkthrough Video
We’ve watched all of the YouTube reviews of our Sendak Artist Roll (thank you...
Read The Post
Suggested Blog Posts
Specimen Cards
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Our Pearl! |
Piplup is the last of our many chickens and guineas. She has somehow survived the many attacks of foxes, &c.
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At Home Exploration
We’ve returned home from Florida, where winter’s end, hormones, lawn talk, and chain stores wreaked havoc on my mood the first day. Fortunately, for myself and everyone around me, a walk around Wakodahatchee Wetlands quickly settled my inner chaos. Florida, like anywhere, can be so many things at once!
Back home, at the Five Acre Wood, Pearl and I awoke early to sunshine and went outside to visit all the plants’ changes during our weekend away. The three small Witch Hazel transplants survived: their tiny yellow flowers small and sparkly in the woodland. A few Squill, Hellebores, and Crocuses have flowered. Snowdrops have bloomed by the thousands, the snow drop math proving successful here though when I step back, the little clumps have a lot of multiplying to do before they change this comparatively expansive landscape! Even more Daffodils are about to burst, whilst Hepatica, Foam Flower, Geraniums, and other greenies have sent their distinct tops out of the soil and into the sun! A few years ago, I couldn’t have identified these plants by their flowers, and here I am, calling them by their names so soon. It feels magical, this ever-learning.
I’ve planted thousands of plants since we moved here five years ago. Some will take five years to bloom; others have already started on their journey, only to be destroyed by my rambunctious Pearl or over-eager deer families, hopping the fence when Pearl is elsewhere.
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Bamboo by Silas |
Virginia Bluebell by Søren
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It fits inside our Sendaks!
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Our Boys Document Creatures and Plants with their Specimen Card Notebooks!
Specimen Cards I look forward to the coming weeks here, the hopeful explosio...
Read The Post
This Of a Kind launch was meant for last year, in Winter, but we got tangled in the decision we shared in our last newsletter (if you missed it, you can read here!) And so here we are, ending winter with an abundance of scrumptious old blacks and blues!
Excitingly, in the time between meant-to and are, we’ve added some fun extras, including gorgeous Handmade Ink by A Rural Pen, Tintype Journals, and Alternative Sketchbook Tins!
Each new Of a Kind collection allows us to dig around and find treasures within treasures. Every discovery holds a bit of the past, and the story and marks accumulated. They are a joy to put together and harken back to the best part of our origin story – the gathering of old things and the reimagining and reworking of them into once again useful objects.
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|
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We have a selection of Hand-Bound Tintype Journals in this collection – read more below!
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*Custom Pouch Size: We have 7 pouch sizes in our Peg and Awl catalog, but when we find a quilt block or scrap that is perfect as is, we make the pouch match its size!
Our Wintery 2023 Of a Kind Collection!
This Of a Kind launch was meant for last year, in Winter, but we got tangled in the decision we shared in our last newsletter (if you missed it, you can read here!) And so here we are, ending winter with an abundance of scrumptious old blacks and blues!
Excitingly, in the time between meant-to and are, we’ve added some fun extras, including gorgeous Handmade Ink by A Rural Pen, Tintype Journals, and Alternative Sketchbook Tins!
Have a wander through our collection of bags and pouches made with homespun linen, quilt blocks, prints from the 1800s, feedsacks, and 1930s dressmakers cotton, along with some of our favourite scraps of scraps, with which we made a variety of littles. Some of the bags are made with our classic waxed canvas colours, and others with our Autumn colours — so many hoorahs!
Here we are, ending winter with an abundance of wintry blues when all I feel is colour!
A Rural Pen Handmade Ink!
View in our Shop
This ink is handmade, bottled, labeled, and waxed by alchemist Thos. Little of A Rural Pen. I was so enamored with the ink, and when I learned I couldn’t purchase a bottle directly, I decided to order some for all of us! The ink is made using a historic formula of extracting and dissolving the iron from guns with Sumac, instead of Galls. The ink goes on as a pale, smoky, cool grey, and quickly oxidizes on the page; the shade and depth varies depending on the paper used.
This ink is for dip pens only – it cannot be used in fountain pens.
Note: The ink is hand bottled, labeled, and waxed. Some bottles have a little leakage through the wax. When you use the ink, it will also get on the label so please accept this possibility, as we do not consider it a defect.
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Crossbody Bags made with Vintage Textiles!
View in Our Shop
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Pouches made with Vintage Textiles!
View in Our Shop
We’ve been finding so many gorgeous textiles at Flea Markets lately and have to tame the scale of each collection. We’ve transformed the gathering of patchwork and scrap into useful pouches, giving them new life.
These pouches are perfect for art supplies, make-up, and anything else that needs organizing in your bag or on your desk — they’re hard to be without and you can never have too many!
This feedsack was washed again and again until its printing faded to just a subtle reminder of days past.
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Edgeworth Tin: Alternative Sketchbook!
View in Our Shop
We have 6 blue tins in stock – they are nearly 100 years old and have varying degrees of rust and marks of past lives. Each tin comes with 100 sheets of Strathmore drawing paper in celebration of the upcoming 100 Day Project, which begins on February 22.
My Non-Dominant Hand 100 Day Project from Last Year
We don’t have many of these tins, and we are always looking for more, but in the meantime – grab your favourite tin, cut your favourite paper and voila! Here is our short video on cutting your own paper.
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Tintype Journals!
View in Our Shop
Read More About Tin Types!
One of a kind tintype journals are back! The cover is black vegetable-tanned leather, and is paired with some of our favourite antique black and white textiles from the 1800s. Beneath oval frames we’ve set enduring portraits of nameless faces newly christened. The insides, as always, are made of hand-stitched Strathmore drawing paper and work wonderfully with a variety of drawing and writing materials.
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The Secret to a Good Flea (Market) Day is a Good Friend!
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Sneak Peak into our Wintery 2023 Of a Kind Collection
Each new Of a Kind collection allows us to dig around and find treasures wit...
Read The Post
We’ve watched all of the YouTube reviews of our Sendak Artist Roll (thank you!) and have made our own video to answer some questions and share our experience!
We are grateful for all the wonderful Sendak reviews, and for sharing videos and spreading the word!
We’ve watched all of the YouTube reviews of our Sendak Artist Roll (thank you!) and have made our own video to answer some questions and share our experience!
We are grateful for all the wonderful Sendak reviews, and for sharing videos and spreading the word!
Video Transcript
Hello, everyone! I wanted to give you a little walkthrough of our Sendak Artist Roll. I've been seeing a lot of other people's video walkthroughs and it's been inspiring me to do the same.
Introduction
Here is my very well-loved and very well-used Sendak. This is the first "right one" that we made. We went through a lot of trial and error to get to this, so I want to show you what it has the potential to hold.
Supplies in my Sendak: Scissors and Glue (0:30)
I always have glue with me because I do a lot of messy collage work, so I love to glue things and I also have scissors for that same reason. I use small scissors if I'm traveling anywhere where I'm getting on a plane, and I use big scissors if I'm just traveling in a car. Both sizes fit into the Sendak nicely. I tend to put the big scissors on an end, in one of the smaller pockets. The smaller scissors fit anywhere, it just depends what else I have in my Sendak.
The Pencil Pockets (0:55)
One of the most common requests that we get and one of the things that people tend to comment on is that these pencil pockets are too small for fountain pens. While that's true of this Kaweco cap (the bottom fits, the top doesn't), this vintage technical pen is pretty chunky, and I put it in there all the time. I carry two or three. You can see how it kind of draws the Sendak together, so ultimately there's going to be a little bit less room in other pockets. It's making other things more tight, but really, it's fine.
When the Sendak is new, the waxed canvas might be tight to even just fit a pencil, but as you use it, it breaks in and loosens up, and then it doesn't loosen any further – that's where it's going to stay. Once you use it more, you can easily fit two standard pencils or paintbrushes into each slot, so it's really not a too small slot once you break it in.
Supplies in my Sendak: Pencils (1:35)
I love these beginners pencils that have really soft lead. I love making marks that are a little less particular than, for example, when I'm using my mechanical pencils (which I also love).
So, these are some of the supplies that I carry every day. I think where the variation comes in, is in which pencils I want, which softness levels, or if I want a water soluble pencil. I'll put the pencils together in this end pocket. It's important to note that the Blackwing fits in. This Blackwing pencil was sharpened once and it makes it a perfect fit. This one was never sharpened, and the eraser is worn down a bit, so it's just above that folding point (the Sendak measures 7.75″ tall at the folding point). The taller one will obviously still work, but I know these are awesome pencils that a lot of people have, so I wanted to show you that.
Supplies in my Sendak: Pens (2:15)
Another thing that I carry are dippy pens. I will put pen nibs into a tin. I love using antique tins to store pen nibs, and in this case, a kneaded eraser. These tins are great for little art supplies, and I just put them into the zipper pocket.
The Zipper Pocket (2:30)
In addition to the vintage tin, I put another regular eraser. When pencils get too small for the pencil pockets, then I'll put them in the zipper pocket. I also have some extra lead for my mechanical pencils, a pencil sharpener, and I often have a whitewash in there as well. You can fit a lot in this zipper pocket.
I like to not overstuff my Sendak so that it folds nicely. I really like it to fold up rather than to roll up, which happens when it is very stuffed.
The Interior Pockets (2:55)
We have 16 pen and pencil slots in the front, and then we have four pockets behind those. So these four are varying widths – you could see the width of the smaller ones that I use for scissors or pencils, which measure 2.5″ wide. The larger two measure 4.25″ wide. I use these two bigger pockets for sketchbooks.
We make these Landscape Orra Sketchbooks in our shop. We designed them to fit into both this Sendak and the Mini Sendak. They can also serve as a tool protector if you need it, for example, if I was putting in a dippy pen whose nib needed protecting, or paint brushes, that would be a great tool protector. We also sell acrylic tool protectors separately if you don't want to carry a Sketchbook or Painter's Palette.
The Iris Painter's Palette is another product that we make. It is for squeezing in tube paints, watercolors, or in this case, making your own paint and filling up these wells with homemade paint. This was made to fit in both the Classic Sendak and the Mini Sendak as well, in these large interior pockets.
I'm going to put my palette here, and these pens in the back here with some small scissors. I want to have another paint brush and then whatever colors I want to bring. Sometimes I get really organized and other times I just put stuff in. You don't have to be crazy overthinking this. It's just really supposed to hold what you need – what you need for the day, what you need for a week, what you need for a trip.
I also often have a bookbinding needle held in the top flap here, and I'll put some bookbinding thread here in the zipper pocket, in case I want to make a book. I'll also prepare by having folded paper here in these exterior pockets.
The Exterior Pockets (4:30)
These two outside pockets otherwise are great for random sized sketchbooks like this – this would have been one of those random ones that I made. I also love this tin. It's for 15 neocolors, but I've had it for years and I move pastels or other more delicate stuff into here that I don't want to crumble in the pen pockets. It's a really nice fit for these back pockets.
This is our Orra Portrait Sketchbook, which we made to fit into the Classic Sendak. We have three sizes of these sketchbooks – the Portrait, the Large Portrait, and the Landscape.
Closing the Sendak (5:00)
So when I fold up the Sendak – this one is pretty full with everything that I just stuffed into the outside pockets – but when I fold it up, I will hold everything down and pull down this top flap so that it folds nicely. Then I roll in the sides, starting with the zipper pocket, so that all the parts of my Sendak are where they should be. Then I just synch it closed with the leather strap and buckle.
I'd say this is pretty full – I have stuff in every pocket. In some instances, I have more than one thing in a pocket. There's still a lot of room on this leather strap. So that's it! This will fit nicely into my bag, and I've got what I need for a long time.
The Buckle Closure
Another question that we've had is about this buckle. This comes from a gun sling from maybe the forties, and it was intended to function exactly as we use it. We found that it just really holds the Sendak together nicely, and of course, we love incorporating old bits wherever we can, into whatever we make.
So there you have it! My Sendak, lovingly worn in and full of life.
Mentioned in this video:
From Our Shop:
- The Classic Sendak Artist Roll
- The Sendak Mini Artist Roll
- Iris Painter’s Palette
- Landscape Orra Sketchbook
- Portrait Orra Sketchbook
- Acrylic Tool Protects (Out of Stock)
- Blackwing Pencils
- Kaweco Pens
- Neocolor
- Vintage art supplies (dippy Pens, technical pens, tins) are from flea markets and sometimes eBay!
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Comments
Mike G. Hewitt
April 17, 2023The best art bag ever. I’ll buy it.
Leeann
March 31, 2023So nifty. I would love one of those. Your landscapes are beautiful. Can I ask for advice on a good limited palette for landscapes? 🙏
Vijay
February 06, 2022How can I get it and price?
Ute Plank
July 26, 2020I would love to have one of those! So beautiful and practical!
Joey
July 24, 2020Absolutely beautiful! Please save one for me. I’m ready to purchase this as soon as it is available. I have been watching you use and build this beautiful set. I am in love. Please please let me know when this is available.
shauna
July 23, 2020I love your story on all levels.
Art and Nature belong together, Whether you’re a Plein air or abstract artist. And constantly exploring and trying will guarantee a rich life.
Thank you for reminding us all that the artist is within everyone.
And thank you for sharing your lovely paintings with us.
I cant wait for this item to be available!
It’s clear you’ll have to start making table top and standing easels next😊
Margaux Kent
July 22, 2020The box will soon be available on our website!
and Risa- the box weighs only 6 pounds:)
Susan Hemann
July 22, 2020Can hardly wait!!!
Camilla La Mer
July 22, 2020As I mentioned before, I am patiently waiting for my Plein air box!!! I can’t wait!!!
Risa
July 22, 2020Amazing. The perfect plein air set up.
If the box for the paintings were somehow separable the whole setup could be easily carried by non car people like myself. The weight would be distributed on both shoulders.