How to Make a Sketchbook

 

After searching many years for the perfect sketchbook, I finally gave up on the commercial brands and decided to make my own. For weeks I stayed up all night tearing paper, threading needles, poking holes in mat boards, and utilizing all kinds of gadgets, until finally I created the sketchbook I had been searching for. Here are the steps I used to make my favorite sketchbook.

  1. Measure out and tear (using the side of a ruler) a full sheet (22″ x 30″) of Arches watercolor paper into eight, 7.5″ x 11″ sheets (a full sheet is actually 22.5 inches wide so the individual pieces will be 11.25″ long including the deckle edge). Make sure the paper’s front side is up (watermark is readable on front side). Repeat until 4 full sheets have been torn into a total of 32, 7.5″ x 11″ sheets.
  2. Organize torn sheets so all the deckled edges are together on the right side.
  3. Cut two mat boards 7.75″ x 11.75″.
  4. Wrap 2″ wide, book binding cloth tape lengthwise around the left side of each cut mat board, with approximately 1″ on top and 1″ on the bottom. This will give the binding more support.
  5. Sandwich the stack of paper in between the two mat boards with the deckled edges facing away from the taped ends. Take the book to FedEx Office (or any other office supply store that has binding), and have it spiral bound along the taped side. I had FedEx Office spiral bind my sketchbooks but it’s also possible to buy a spiral binding machine. Zutter’s Bind-It-all and We R Memory Keeper’s The Cinch are two products I’ve heard good things about and both have YouTube video demonstrations.
  6. Once your book is bound, use an awl to punch two holes into the back side of the mat board. (It’s a good idea to put a couple of layers of cardboard behind the mat before making the holds so as not to poke a hole through anything else.) Using approximately 21″ of elastic, push each end up through the holes and pull tight until the elastic is snug around the sketchbook. Overlap the two elastic ends and stitch them together with sturdy thread.
  7. Finished!

***UPDATE***
I recently purchased “the Cinch” for binding books. The tool works quite well and easily punches through mat board. I purchased the 1″ plastic spirals (it’s the only size they make) and found them too large. So I ordered the metal binders sizes (3/4″ and 1″) and they seem to work pretty well (I prefer the 3/4″). Ultimately, I like the binding better from FedEx Office but it’s not worth the hassle for me to drive and wait hours for my order to be completed. I think the Cinch will be my sketchbook binder of choice!

***Click here to see how to paint a sketchbook cover***

My Favorite Sketchbook Ever!

The sketchbook is an artist’s personal traveling companion, a place to record observations, thoughts, and personal musings and I never leave home without mine. But to find a sketchbook that I actually love to use, is as elusive as it is desirable.

I searched many years for a “just right” sketchbook and a few months ago, after several purchases each proved disappointing, I gave up on commercial brands. Determined to make my own, I bought sheets of Arches hot press paper, linen thread, needles, cloth tape, hole punches, and more. After measuring, marking, stitching, binding, looping, fretting, tearing, and throwing my hands up in the air, I finally landed, what is for me, a near perfect solution.

Its only deficiency is that the binding requires the purchase of a special tool or the help of a third party supplier. Though I tried for weeks to make a stitched binding that worked, it wasn’t until I had the book spiral bound that I found what I was looking for. The spiral binding allows me to tuck the finished pages underneath to save space and to occasionally tear a page out for a friend, sell to a buyer, or toss the occasional, unsightly drawing away. But most important of all, I have my favorite paper to sketch on.

Since making my own sketchbook, I’ve sketched my ramblings around town, hanging out in coffee shops, and roaming the countryside. In fact, I’m so pleased with my sketchbook, I just made two more. So my persistence paid off and now I can concentrate on my true love, sketchbooking.

***Click here to see how to make your own sketchbook***

Robert Rue Vineyards and Winery

I sat under a row of blossom-covered plum trees, having set out to sketch Robert Rue Vineyards’ road sign. Drawing in pencil, then ink, I fleshed out the tree branches and the sign on paper. Pink petals fell gently around me like snowflakes, diverting my attention as I watched them float to the ground.

Plums were once a farming staple in this area before wine grapes became the favored crop. In the earlier part of the twentieth century, Healdsburg was called The Buckle of the Prune Belt. Nowadays, prunes are called dried plums, and plum trees are mostly used to beautify roadways, while the actual fruit orchards have moved to California’s central valley or Mexico. But even still, the taste of a juicy, ripe plum can be irresistible, especially when accompanied with local goat cheese. The taste and aromas of plums are also common descriptors of red wines.

A flurry of petals caused by a gust of wind fell on my sketchpad and water cups, signaling it was time to move on. I finished the sketch, painting green winter grasses and thin washes of color that defined the background. After packing my supplies, I headed down the driveway to the winery.

Today was the second and final weekend of The Wine Road’s Barrel Tasting Event. I’d read great things about Robert Rue’s Zinfandel and thought this would be a good time to visit. As I approached the tasting room, the aroma of fermented fruit drifted out the doorway.

Standing behind a table stacked with wine glasses, Carlene Rue smiled and welcomed me as she distributed glasses to arriving guests. I spoke to her about my intention to sketch the winery and she responded enthusiastically. Taking a break from her hostess duties, Carlene guided me on a quick tour of Rue’s new production facility, pointing out various pieces of wine making equipment: crusher, de-stemmer, and fermenting tanks, all of which would be idle until fall harvest.

Mentioning her family’s love for antiques, she pointed out a vintage bottling machine and a manual grape crusher. A 1941 beer truck from San Francisco sat parked nearby, loaded with used wine barrels. Behind the truck where the winery began in 2001 stood an old but well kept barn. With a newer facility now in use, the barn makes a great storage space.

Carlene invited me to roam and sketch whatever appealed to me and excused herself to help staff manage the event. I found a seat on the patio with a view of the grounds and antiques. Over the next couple of hours, I sketched the barn and truck, along with a drawing of the intricate mechanics of the bottling machine.

Then I headed into the winery where Carlene introduced me to her husband Robert (Bob) Rue. He was aware that I was sketching the winery and presented an overview history of the Rue winemaking operation. He and Carlene purchased this 10-acre, 100 year old vineyard in 1973, and sold their grapes to local wineries. But in 2001 the Rues’ dream of producing their own wine became a reality. While listening to Bob, I drew him in my sketchbook.

Bob then beckoned me outside for a stroll along the vineyard. As we walked, a cool breeze kicked up and I buttoned my jacket. The vineyard is a field-blend of predominantly Zinfandel, interplanted with Petite Sirah, Carignane, and Alicante Bouschet grapes. The blended wine from these vines has garnered many awards over the past decade.

This year, Bob said, there is concern about winter’s warm temps, which have caused an early bud break. When this occurs, farmers are haunted throughout spring by the specter of an early frost. Bob relayed that the last several years had been fraught with cold, wet springs, cooler summers, and heavy rains during harvest. None of these weather conditions is conducive to an easy growing season. The weather was so unfavorable in 2010, in fact, Bob said he lost 90% of his crop. Zinfandel grapes, with their tight berry clusters, leave little space for the sun’s warmth to inhibit mildew growth, and are in particular danger during pre-harvest rainstorms. Once mildew sets in, the berries begin to rot, making them unfit for wine. But despite a cooler summer of 2011, the Rues did well, pulling in all their fruit before bunch rot could set in.

As Bob spoke, rain clouds darkened the western sky, so we agreed to move the conversation inside. Upon my entering the barrel room, wood and wine danced around my nose, teasing me to have a taste.

Bob introduced me to Rue Winemaker, Dan Barwick, as he provided barrel samples of their 2011 Zinfandel to tasters. Dan has been winemaker since 2008 and before him Carol Shelton provided the young winery its first vintages. I watched Dan fill the wine thief and empty its contents into my glass. This Zinfandel, I learned, had been oak-aged for less than three months. I swirled the wine in my glass and held it up to my nose. I noticed aromas of bright plum and blackberry fruit, detecting little to no evidence of the oak barrel. The fruit flavors were so fresh, it tasted as though newly-picked plum and blackberry juice had been added to the aging wine. As I closed my eyes, the plum essence reminded me of the trees I’d sketched earlier, and images of those delicate pink flowers came to mind.

I asked Dan if I could compare the barrel sample with a finished wine, and in answer, he provided two more glasses, one containing 2007 vintage Zinfandel, and the other 2008. This side-by-side comparison of wines from the same vineyard can prove quite instructional, and I began to compare and contrast these three. The two finished wines felt more full and round. Plenty of fruit was still in evidence, but there were other nuances that added complexity. The 2007 tasted of blackberry, raspberry, and spice with a touch of vanilla and rich oak. The 2008 held equal interest, with flavors of dark chocolate cherries, plums, and black pepper, along with a velvety chocolate mouth feel. Both finished wines were fuller-bodied than was the barrel sample, and they activated the full complement of my taste buds. The barrel sample was loaded with fresh, mouthwatering fruit and absent of the oaky backbone of the other two, but I imagine that this young wine would mature with great nuance and complexity as it ages in the barrel.

Lastly, I tried the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc. Dan qualified it as fermented only in stainless steel. Turning the knob on a small stainless steel tank, he poured an ounce of light golden liquid. I swirled it in my glass and held it to my nose. Redolent of citrus fruits, peaches, flower blossoms, and a hint of fresh grass, this wine’s perky acidity made my mouth water. It was so appealing, I requested a second taste. Dan looked pleased and said the Sauvignon Blanc was ready to be bottled.

Having tasted all the wines, I pulled out my sketchpad and stepped back from the barrels. I often find it difficult to sketch people, especially in groups. But today I got lucky as Dan held the same posture leaning on the barrels, which provided enough time to complete a sketch. Tasters, on the other hand, moved so often that I ended up drawing one figure as a  composite of several. It’s a representation of the period of time I spend drawing, with Dan as the constant.

With the day drawing to a close, I packed up my gear and found Carlene and Bob in the tasting room with visitors. I thanked them for their hospitality and the opportunity to spend the day drawing their winery. After saying goodbyes, I collected a couple of bottles of the 2007 Zinfandel and headed into the moody spring weather, toward home.

 

Pedroncelli Winery, Barrel Tasting Weekend

Barrel Tasting is one of Sonoma County’s most popular annual wine events and also my favorite. On the first two weekends in March, more than 20,000 tasters converge upon Healdsburg and the surrounding area to sample young wines right out of the barrels where they age. The weekends also provide the opportunity to purchase wine “futures” on upcoming releases. The discounts are hard to pass up, and many limited-release wines sell out before they’re even bottled.

What I appreciate most about Barrel Tasting is that winemakers, cellar masters and winery owners are available to answer questions, providing an insider’s view of the winemaking world not often available to the public.

On the first Saturday morning, I drove out Canyon Road from Geyserville toward Pedroncelli Winery. After passing through a long stretch of moss covered oaks, the view that opened before me confirmed my choice of location. Before me, leafless rows of knotted vines followed the curves of the hilly landscape, seeming to flow like waves into the valley below.

When I reached the Pedroncelli sign, I turned left to park beside a vineyard. As I walked up to the winery, Family member Ed St. John greeted me and several other newly-arrived visitors, handing each of us a tasting glass. Pointing out the barrel room, Ed invited us to first join him on a mini tour of the grounds while sharing a bit of winery history.

During Prohibition, the John Pedroncelli family purchased this then-defunct winery. At that time, commercial winemaking was illegal, and Mr. Pedroncelli planned to sell grapes to home winemakers. Long after repeal, a few decades later, John’s winemaker son—also named John—joined his father, and a few years later, his brother Jim became sales manager. In the early 1960s, the brothers bought their dad out. Fifty years later, and with the help of third, and now fourth generation Pedroncellis, the winery continues as family owned.

Pedroncelli-Winery-Barrel-Tasting_s2

At the tour’s end, our group filtered into the barrel room for tasting. Before indulging my taste buds, I wanted a sketch of the action. We all watched as octagenarian John Pedroncelli extracted wine from the barrel. To do this, he used a wine thief, a long glass tube tapered at one end, with an opening at each end. John lowered the tapered end into the barrel and then covered the top opening with his thumb to hold the wine in the glass tube. Placing the tube inside the taster’s glass, he released his thumb, allowing the inky-red liquid to flow into the glass. It’s quite a treat to watch.

After about an hour, there was a break in the crowd, so I set down my sketch pad and introduced myself to John. He poured me a sample of garnet-colored liquid from the barrel, describing it as a 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Cabernet Franc. I swirled my glass to draw air into the wine and thereby release its aromas. The wine tasted full-bodied and had a velvety texture in my mouth. I wondered how long the wine had aged in the barrel, and I asked John if it would soon be bottled. He told me it had been aging for 12 months, and would spend another month or two in the barrel before bottling and release.

Remembering the vineyard I’d parked beside, I asked if those grapes had been used to make the wine I was tasting, and John stated that those vines were 100-year-old Mother Clone Zinfandel. The Cabernet grapes, he said, were located a couple miles down the road in the Valley.

Cellar Master Polo Cano then arrived, and John introduced us. I asked Polo about his responsibilities, and was impressed by their scope, which consists of oversight of all wine production from crush pad to bottle. One of his recent jobs had been the installation of two vineyard owl houses. Owls are great hunters of the mice and gophers that feed on vineyard roots. Polo was pleased to report that one of the houses was already occupied.

Noticing that the day was fleeting, I asked for advice on a good vantage point for sketching. John and Polo both agreed that the two small hills behind the winery provided the best views. Thanking them both, I headed out to sketch.

Outside the barrel room, I was pleasantly greeted by my wife Marilyn, who met me with a smile and a picnic basket. She’d arrived an hour earlier to relax and enjoy the view from the bocce ball courts. Together we climbed the hill behind the winery, wading through chamomile flowers used as a vineyard cover crop, and found a place to sit in the shade of an oak.

While lunching on goat cheese, crackers, and delicate slices of roast turkey, we enjoyed the unseasonably warm temperatures and watched the bees buzz. With much of Dry Creek Valley visible in the near distance, we listened to laughing tasters make their way in and out of the winery below. After savoring a square of chocolate, I sketched the winery while a ladybug crawled across my sketchpad.

With a full day of sketching, picnicking, and wine tasting behind me, I picked up a bottle of Mother Clone Zinfandel from the tasting room and Marilyn and I headed home with smiles on our faces.

The Vineyard and the Pear Tree in Winter

I have painted this place once before. The previous occasion was last fall, when vineyard leaves had dried to blazing yellows and reds. The grasses were still dormant from the dry summer season, and the pear tree’s leaves had gone gold. Today, in February, all that’s left are dark brown vine trunks with white and yellow cover crops filling in between the rows.

The pear tree, like the vineyards, looks like a skeleton of a once-living thing. But in contrast to the vines, the tree is in such a state of decay as to appear dead. I know better, though, after watching it produce buds, flowers, then fruit, year after year.

This winter has been unusually dry as most clouds waft by overhead without a drop. The occasional rainfall has kept the earth from completely parching, and at times like this, after we’ve had a few rains, nature can relax from her struggle for moisture.

Wild plants and grasses that dried into sticks and stubs are growing new shoots, turning the fields emerald green. Deer, jackrabbits, and other wild animals that had resorted to feeding upon domestic plants like rose bushes, much to gardeners’ dismay, may now dine on fresh shoots, tiny wildflowers and mushrooms.

While painting this scene in my sketchbook, I notice how different my color palette is today from that of last autumn. What was violet is now blue, and yellows have turned green. The rejuvenated landscape coupled with low sunlight makes what I capture on paper appear quite different.

Hearing a screech from above, I look up to see two hawks circling. As I pause to watch their graceful flight, velvety gray clouds move inland from the Pacific, blocking the sun’s warmth. A winter storm is on its way and the air feels heavy with moisture. This time, I think it’s actually going to rain.

Christopher Creek Winery

Climbing the steep hill to visit a friend at Christopher Creek Winery, I stood up on my bike pedals to get the leverage needed to reach the top. Once the road leveled off, I stopped to rest and enjoy the view of the Russian River Valley.

A head-pruned vineyard sloped downward toward the valley floor with leafless vines creating a chaotic thicket of sticks. Between the rows grew yellow mustard flowers, reminding me that even though the sun is shining now, we are still in the midst of our rainy season. At the bottom of the hill, vineyards, oak trees and farm houses blanketed the valley floor until the coastal range on the far side pushed skyward. There is so much to see here in Sonoma County that I wondered if I’d ever experience it all.

With my breath now even, I set my bike down near a picnic table with its folded patio umbrella standing guard. Walking around the grounds, I noticed zig-zagging vineyards on a far hill that, from this distance, reminded me of a Zen sand garden. As I stepped back from the view, I found a good spot to sketch the winery, rolling hills off to the left. I pulled out my drawing pad and travel stool and began to paint.

After packing my art supplies, I entered the tasting room, expecting to see my friend Al. Instead, Jerry and Carry warmly greeted me. I asked how Al was doing, and Jerry said Al had called in sick. Sorry to hear this, I made a mental note to check on him later.

Jerry asked if I was interested in tasting. I’d come not only to say hi to Al, but to find a bottle of Zinfandel for an upcoming tasting party in Napa, so my answer was yes. Even though I had Zinfandel on my mind, I couldn’t help starting off with Catie’s Corner Viognier. The grapes are grown here in the Russian River Valley and I love the wine’s crisp pear, lemon and floral aromas.

Then I asked to try some of their Zinfandel, and Jerry set down a second glass in order to taste two wines side by side, one from the Dry Creek Valley and the other from the Russian River Valley. In simply swirling each one by one, my nose noticed differences. Jerry pointed to the importance of terroir as factor differentiating the wines. I found the Dry Creek Zin tasted of raspberries and cherry jam, tobacco, vanilla, and spices of black pepper and clove. The Russian River Zin showed darker fruits like blackberries and plum, and had a long finish. This is a good food wine, I thought, especially with pasta. I enjoyed both wines but chose to purchase a bottle of the Dry Creek Zin for my tasting party.

Then I asked permission to sketch the tasting room and got the okay. I drew Jerry and Carry while they worked on taking inventory. After finishing my drawing but too tired to add watercolor, I took a couple of pictures so I could finish in my studio.

After thanking my hosts for the tasting, I packed the wine in my backpack and stepped out into the cooler outdoors. The sun was inching closer to the horizon, hinting it was time to get back before sunset. Hopping on my bike, I coasted downhill and toward home.

Foppiano Vineyard’s Frost Fan

While biking to visit a friend employed at Christopher Creek Winery, I abruptly turned off Limerick Lane at the railroad tracks and kicked up a cloud of dust behind me. A towering fan above Foppiano’s sauvignon blanc vineyard had caught my eye and I wanted to get a quick drawing of it. Once the dust settled, I swung myself off the bike, leaned it against a eucalyptus tree and pulled out my sketchbook. This morning was a little warmer than most because dense morning fog had held in the previous day’s warmth. But now the sun had broken through the mist, and the coastal range of mountains was visible in the distance.

Healdsburg averages over forty inches of rain a year, but this year may be an exception since we’ve only received half our average. Without clouds and the rains that accompany them, nights get extra cold and frost dusts the landscape in a blanket of powdery white. Although beautiful in the early morning, the frost doesn’t bode well for plants, especially early-budding grape vines. To protect the delicate buds from frostbite, many farmers use tall fans above the vineyards to capture the warmer air hovering just above the cold.

One problem with the fans is that they are incredibly noisy and so are unpopular among neighbors. They’re said to sound like a loud lawn mower or even worse, an airplane taking off. Averaging 70 to 80 decibels each, one can understand why they wouldn’t please those living nearby. Closer into town, the use of much quieter, traditional overhead sprinklers is often used as a frost deterrent.

After putting the finishing touches on my sketch, I gathered my drawing supplies in my backpack and rode up the hill toward Christopher Creek tasting room.

The Art of Bicycle Maintenance

My bike is an extension of myself while I’m out on the road. If it isn’t running well, or I don’t feel well, we are each going to effect the other. Over the holidays, I needed a bit of time off, and a flat tire was just the excuse needed to prop up my feet and give in to rest and relaxation. But it’s time again to hit the road.

Spinning my flat tire to find a puncture, I easily found the blackberry thorn stuck between the tread. I pulled the tire off and removed the tube. Memory is a funny thing. I hadn’t fixed a tire flat since I was a kid, but I remember quite well how to do it. First, I scraped the inner tube with sandpaper, then squeezed glue around the hole, then let it dry. At this point, I chose to make a quick sketch of the repair kit while waiting. 30 minutes later, the sketch finished, I applied the patch and reattached my tire. A quick spin around the block assured a solid mount, and I was ready to get back on the road.

Downtime is more than a good thing, it’s necessary. It allows me to regroup, refocus and rejuvenate. Now that I’ve had some time off, I’m ready to dig some fresh tracks in the dirt as I explore more of wine country.