Here is a pen-and-ink sketch I made on February 6 while standing on the bridge leading to the entrance to Angkor Wat.
Introduction
Early in 2019 we planned a second trip to South East Asia, where we had enjoyed a marvelous vacation in 2016. We planned to see new places and revisit some others. In particular I wanted to revisit the ruins of the Angkor empire.
We headed out on January 15, 2020 and returned home on March 2. Along the way I stopped to make numerous sketches and some watercolors which I aim to share here, taking you through the trip step by step.
You can follow along, if you like, with this annotated Google map. The tour begins in Bangkok and wanders through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam before leaving for — well we’ll leave that part for later.
The Artwork
I see myself as an artist. But where most artists use their websites to sell their wares, this series of entries is something different. The pictures you’ll see here comprise a sort of dialog with myself. It’s a collection of ideas, impressions, reactions. Not really ready for prime time; many not even in a finished state at all. My intention is to use these in the creation of ‘real stuff.’ Please keep this in mind, as much of what you’ll see is pretty raw, in-the-minute scratches.
My intention was to record amazing things I saw and witnessed. I think of myself as very lucky, and so I tend to look for what is beautiful and cheerful-to celebrate my luck, perhaps. But not everything that is amazing is amazing in a positive way, so you’ll find some of that here, as well.
Why put these half-finished pictures out there? Well, friends have shown an interest seeing this stuff. I hope you enjoy it, too. And I welcome feedback.
The Tools
Some of you may want to skip over this geeky stuff. Just log back in for the next installment.
For you artist types, I had planned to mostly pen-and-ink drawings like the Angkor Wat sketch above, and some watercolors along the way.
My favorite pen, a pilot Falcon, was loaded with Noodler’s Borealis Black. I like the way it grays out. Another fountain pen and a Pentel brush pen carried Noodler’s Lexington Gray, the color of the above sketch. Another set of pen and brush was loaded with Apache Sunset. I carried a number of water brushes to create shadows, soften edges, etc.
The water brushes were also used with Golden’s pocket-sized watercolor palette, which I found very convenient while walking around. In addition I had a 24-pan folding watercolor set and travel brushes, a collapsible cup, etc.; graphite and watercolor pencils, and a Pentel 8-color mechanical pencil that was very handy for quick sketches.
For paper, two Stillman & Birn 3.5×5.5 pads, and S&B 5.5×8.5, a Pentalic watercolor pad, 5×8. Also some Winsor & Newton watercolor paper, 10×7; a couple of notepads; a lovely red-leather-bound journal which I plan to finish filling now that we’re home.
Next up: Bangkok www.kotrch.com/chapter-1-bangkok