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An open sketchbook, with a gestural sketch of pastries and coffee in a café scene, lies on a table with an open Pocket Palette, markers, and pens.

Sketch Now, Think Later

Invite Sketching into Your Daily Routine with Mike Daikubara

Online Workshop

Join us online on May 20th from 10am-12:30pm Pacific for Sketch Now, Think Later with Mike Daikubara. In this workshop, Mike invites participants to bring sketching into their daily routine over a warm tea or coffee and a sweet pastry!

With Mike’s guidance, you will learn techniques for drawing with limited time and tools and how to use that to your advantage. Looking for the perfect subject, angle, and composition can take a lot of time and bog down the creative process. Mike will share his expertise as an urban sketcher and walk us through the tools, techniques, and strategies he uses to jump right into sketching anytime, anywhere, and in any situation!

So, bring your sketchbook, a cup of coffee, and your favorite pastry, and join us for a relaxing morning of sketching now and thinking later!

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Mike’s Recommended Supplies

  • Watercolor kit

    Mike will be using his Pocket Palette with 20 Mini Pans, a Large Mixing Pan (doubles as a sponge holder), and a Pentel Medium Water Brush.

    • Watercolor paints

      Mike uses Holbein paints, but equivalent colors from another brand will work (see our selection of Daniel Smith paints):

      • Permanent Yellow
      • Cadmium Yellow Orange
      • Jaune Brilliant No.2
      • Rose Madder
      • Cadmium Red Deep
      • Mineral Violet
      • Yellow Ochre
      • Light Red
      • Burnt Umber
      • Sepia
        •
      • Olive Green
      • Permanent Green No.1
      • Hooker’s Green
      • Terre Verte
      • Shadow Green
      • Horizon Blue
      • Royal Blue
      • Prussian Blue
      • Payne’s Grey
      • Lamp Black
        •

      • Sketchbook

        Mike’s personal favorite is the Stillman & Birn Alpha series in 10” x 7” Size.

        • Pens

          Any pen with non-water soluble ink is good. If you have never tried a Fude fountain pen, I would recommend one for this workshop. Sailor makes a nice one, as well as other manufacturers such as Hero and Duke.

          Please note: Most ink cartridges that come with fountain pens are not waterproof. Be sure to purchase a converter to fill it with the waterproof ink listed below.

          • Gray pens: Tombow Brush pens–N75, N65, N55
          • Black pen: Kuretake Bimoji
          • White gel pen: Sakura Gelly Roll 08, and Posca White

          Ink: Since we will be using watercolor on top of the lines, it is best to use a converter for the fountain pens and pick an ink that is waterproof. Noodler’s Lexington Gray works very well, and so does Platinum Carbon Ink.

          What to expect

          Art Toolkit workshops are live events that take place on Zoom. During the workshop, you will have a chance to ask the instructor questions. After the workshop, we’ll provide you with a link to a recording to review on your own time (viewable for at least six months).

          We’ll be in touch a week before the workshop with instructions for connecting and additional information. Please remember to adjust for your time zone. Tickets are non-refundable, but we may be able to transfer your ticket to another student if there is a waitlist.

          We present our workshops with automated captions. If you wish to request additional accommodations, please let us know in advance.

          Curious about tickets, technical details, gifting workshops, or anything else? Please see our frequently asked questions page for more details, and please don’t hesitate to contact us for help.

          An artist in a black shirt and black hat holds up a sketchbook and Pocket Palette in a cafe.

          About Mike

          Mike Daikubara is an artist, designer, and author who has published numerous books on urban sketching. Two of his books, Sketch Now Think Later and Color First, Ink Later, are instructional and draw on his vast experience sketching on-location from direct observation.

          He first began carrying a sketchbook in 2000 to help him communicate better and faster at his day job as a designer. Now, he sketches daily to see, understand, and enjoy the world around him!

          Mike is Japanese-American and grew up in Tokyo and New York City, attending an international school with kids from all over the world. For the past 25 years, he has worked as an Industrial Designer in various industries, such as Cosmetics, Consumer Electronics, and Household Appliances. Mike currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Kana, and their two Bengal cats, Tenten and Totora.

          You can see more of Mike’s work on his website and on Instagram, an in this Art Toolkit live demo.