Color First, Ink Later with Mike Daikubara
Online Workshop
Saturday, May 4th from 10am–12:30pm Pacific
Registration closes at noon the day before the workshop, or when the workshop is full.
Join us online on Saturday, May 4th from 10am–12:30pm Pacific for Color First, Ink Later with Mike Daikuara!
Sketching a complex scene can be intimidating at first, requiring lots of planning, underlying line work, and time. The thought of it might even make you give up before even starting! Artist Mike Daikubara is here to introduce an approach he likes to call “color first, ink later,” which emphasizes jumping into a sketch where the details come later.
In Mike’s workshop, you will learn to dive in with broad watercolor washes of loose color first. Instead of diving deep into small details and intricate line work, we will focus on embracing the unpredictability of watercolors and the spontaneous color mixing that comes from making a splash on your page and yielding vibrant, dynamic sketches!
Mike Daikubara is the author of two fantastic Urban Sketching tutorial books including Sketch Now, Think Later and Color First, Ink Later. The latter is the inspiration behind his Art Toolkit workshop, perfect for beginners and more experienced sketchers who want to try a different approach to sketching!
We hope to see you there!
How Our Workshops Work
When you register for a workshop, you will be invited to join the Art Toolkit Learning Community, where you can share your work and connect with other students.
In addition to the community space, each workshop has a dedicated area where you can post and read information specific to the workshop, and download supplemental materials such as reference images.
Our lessons are live streamed, which means you’ll need a computer or mobile device with access to the internet. If you’re not able to attend the live lesson, don’t worry! We send a link to a recording to all students, which will remain online for at least six months.
All Art Toolkit Workshops are listed in Pacific Time, so please double-check the start time and adjust for your timezone as necessary.
Recommended Supplies
Pen and pencil
Mike recommends having a waterproof ballpoint pen, a felt tip, or a fountain pen. He also likes having brush pens, such as Tombow, on hand. We carry the Pentel Brush Pen and a variety of fountain pens on our website!
Watercolors
Mike has used Sakura Koi’s watercolor kit for years as a starter set, but any watercolor starter set works fine. We offer the Explore Palette Plus which is great for anyone looking to get started with watercolor!
Brushes
The star of this workshop is going to be a Mop Brush. Mike uses the Davinci #2 Mop Brush, and we offer the Rosemary & Co R3 Red Dot Large Mop in our shop. Any brush that holds a lot of water will work just fine. You should also have a water brush on hand.
Paper
Any sketchbook with paper thick enough to handle lots of water. Mike’s personal favorite is the Stillman & Birn Beta series with thicker paper appropriate for large water usage. Our favorite is the Hahnemühle Watercolor Book.
Additional Supplies
White ink
Sakura Gelly Roll and Uni Posca White.
Water cup
Paper towel or rag
We like the reusable blue shop towels available at most hardware stores.
Registration Details
This is an online workshop that requires a computer or mobile device with a reliable internet connection.
To register:
- Select “Add to Cart” above, and complete checkout.
- Check your email inbox. We will send you a payment receipt, and a separate email including important details for each workshop you have registered for.
- For each of the workshop emails, click the “Complete registration” link.
If you don’t see your payment receipt email, or a workshop details email for each workshop you registered for, please check your junk mail folder. You may need to add "hello@arttoolkit.com" to your trusted contacts.
Questions? Please send us an email and we’ll help you out.
About the Instructor
Mike Daikubara (@mikedaikubara) 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.