Starting a new series tonight…of some of the unusual things I do in preparation for a trip (perhaps the best part?)

One would think that drawing three little rectangular watercolour pans would be easy for an architect… but a bit too tired to really try too hard.
also quirky has become somewhat murky tonight…

I am serious about my intentions of keeping a sketchbook journal during my upcoming trip and being ready to do so from Day 1 needs preparation!
What I found in Sept 2007- my first attempt – is that after the first week I tried to get into a routine – this time I want to set the parameters now. So here is a template for the opening spread for each day.
I expect to vary it from day to day – the layout of the map probably being the driving factor in the composition!

After planning the template I then gave it a trial run – not doing anything much today so it was fun to make it look like an adventure! The map is an abstraction of my house and garden!

Is this really a necessary part of trip prep – or did I just feel like doing a colour chart? Whatever the reason it was fun!Oh! I love colour!

This certainly is an important part of my trip prep!!!

A very quick page….mmm bags are so much fun to draw!

Even I am amazed at how ultra organised I am this trip..it is working really well!

Woke up really early this morning… So a quick sketch before breakfast (sketching and painting in bed… I often do this!… Hence the strong directional light from my bedside lamp!)

My definition of trip prep is rather broad…

The good thing about doing a series is that you have to post even if it is really wonky – like this one is!

Is this really a trip prep… or just an excuse for a late night baroque scribble!

Don’t worry, I am not starting to pack 2 weeks out… it is just that I have got my suitcases out – they are a good place to store the bits and pieces that I am starting to collect (such as my sketchbooks!)

This is really a quirky trip prep!!! I hope you all don’t think I am totally loopy – just mildly eccentric!?!

I don’t expect that there is anyone else that would think of planning to draw the classical orders on a long international flight… Or to do this as relaxation! But I hope that there is at least one of my architectural flickr friends who will understand my desire to draw them somehow one day. Here in Australia most architects don’t have any interest in them – certainly the architectural education that I received had the emphasis that all exciting architecture started with Le Corb and FLW! I am not advocating the design of classical buildings today ( I love modern buildings!) …but simply appreciation of them.

BTW, I might have tried to sketch neatly but I still splashed the colour on with no regard for staying inside the lines!

Here are tests that I did with 4 pages- original DR(the best but no longer available!) and new DR(the worst!) then the two alternatives, Jasart (which I have 8 of now!) and Millini – which I wish I had 8 of!
I think the my brain does strange things when I am exhausted (like the urge to sketch baroque buildings) this particular day (late Friday night) I decided to do a more mathematical estimate of the number of sketchbooks to take. I just can’t imagine that I could fill all those sketchbooks – who knows I might just get TIRED of sketching half way through the trip…. mmmm do you think that is possible? I don’t! I am seriously concerned at the lack of ‘chill out’ days!

BTW I think I will stick with 8 not 9 (3.2kg worth of paper is enough surely!)
BTW2 – For those that will point out to me that I can always buy a sketchbook on the way- it doesn’t help my weight management as the tighter baggage limits are on the 2nd half of the trip. I prefer to know that I have 3.2kg the whole way!

A test within one of the sketchbooks (and yes I talk to myself all the time in my sketchbook)
Mmm… the paper might buckle a bit but I am so happy with the way it has scanned. This is a real rough quick test sketch.

Thinking about leaving it in the middle of my sketchbook – a nice surprise when I am away?

I think I’m ready to go away on my trip now!