Portable, DIY Drawing Boards for On-Location Sketching
Many artists, particularly urban sketchers, are quite adept at holding their sketchbooks in their hands while sitting or standing and drawing as well as painting. I’m not one of them. I don’t do well either standing, holding a plate and eating. I prefer a table. Likewise with sketching and painting, I prefer to have a solid surface on which to put my sketchbook, water, and palette of paint. There are many commercial drawing boards and easels, but it is quite simple to make your own. By easel here I am referring not to traditional easels with legs you see painters use, but rather bags with a solid surface that hang from your shoulder and neck. Etchr sells one like this, the Slate Satchel and Slate Mini Satchel (https://etchrlab.com/collections/carry-range/products/slate). So, mainly I’m talking about a simple board to hold my drawing and painting materials that I can put on my lap.
Cardboard version. Tap to enlarge!
For my Sketching & Painting Sampler sessions I provide each participant with a simple piece of cardboard cut from boxes. Each is approximately 11x14 inches in size. The participants make a 5x7 inch sketchbook so the sketchbook can be clipped open and fit perfectly across the wider edge of their drawing board. I also give them each an empty medicine bottle to use for water and I make a hole in the cardboard “drawing board” so the bottle can be held in it. During class we also attach a short piece of magnetic tape to the cardboard so their DIY palette tin will stick to the board. Finally, everyone gets three binder clips: two to secure the open sketchbook to the drawing board and one to hold either a paper towel for cleaning brushes or a plastic lid (painted with white appliance epoxy) for mixing paints.
Wood piece to attach to tripod. Tap to enlarge!
Coroplast version. (Tap to enlarge!)
A step up from this is a foldable drawing board I made a few months ago using Coroplast, the material often used for political or real estate signs. Available from local hardware stores, Coroplast has ridges and if cut part way through, can be collapsed (folded) and stored in one’s art bag. My Coroplast board has all the capabilities of its cardboard counterpart though instead of making a hole for a water bottle, I attach a slip-on duo of metal containers that I use for water. Additionally, I crafted a board made from two pieces of 1/4” plywood with a 1/4-20 tee-nut on one side so when the board is clipped to the Coroplast, the drawing board can be attached to a tripod. This gives me several ways to use my drawing board while out sketching: (1) sitting on a chair or the sidewalk with it in my lap, (2) standing and holding it my hands, (3) standing or (4) sitting with it attached to a sturdy but lightweight tripod!
Any kind of drawing board helps make the drawing experience more enjoyable and having one that is super portable just makes it even better!
