The Favourite Watercolour Pencils Awards! (2012 Brand Poll Results)

This post is about my Annual Poll to determine the best brand of Watercolour Pencil on the market from those available to purchase at the beginning of the year.

Once again Faber Castell is the market leader in terms of both market share and the favourite watercolour pencil.

The Favourite Watercolour Pencils Awards 2012

1. Favourite Watercolour Pencil in 2012 - Faber Castell Albrecht Durer
2. Favourite Woodless Watercolour Pencil in 2012 - Joint Winner: Cretacolor Aqua Monolith & Derwent Aquatone
3. Favourite brand of Watercolour Media in 2012 - Faber Castell

The results also indicate that wood pencils are more popular than woodless pencils and that the market for woodless pencils appears to be shrinking over time.

Results of the Annual Poll on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

This poll was first introduced in 2010 when 144 people voted. 125 people voted in 2011 while only 64 people voted in 2012 on my 2012 POLL: What's your favourite watercolour pencil?.  The poll is now closed.

Here's a table of the results over the last 3 years

FAVOURITE	2012	2011	2010
Watercolour Pencil	Faber Castell Albrecht Durer	Faber Castell Albrecht Durer	Faber Castell Albrecht Durer
Woodless Watercolour Pencil	Cretacolor Aqua Monolith & Derwent Aquatone	Caran d'Ache Neocolor & Derwent Aquatone	Caran d'Ache Neocolor & Derwent Aquatone
Brand of Watercolour Media	Faber Castell	Faber Castell	Derwent and Faber Castell

Below is a table indicating the actual numbers across all products for the percentage market share - of those people who responded to the poll.

It's very clear from this relatively small sample that Caran d'Ache and Derwent's results have reduced while Faber Castell has grown its share of the market.

A growing interest in Faber Castell is to my mind entirely consistent with more and more coloured pencil artists becoming aware that the favourite watercolour pencil is the Faber Castell Albrecht Durer. It's way out in front of the rest.  I'd always expect growing awareness of what people like and recommend to influence the buying patterns of those trying new media for the first time.

Table: Manufacturers percentage share of respondents

Watercolour Pencil Manufacturers	2012	2011	2010
(all brands)	%	%	%
Caran d’Ache (all brands)	9.4	18.4	20.9
Cretacolor	3.1	3.2	1.4
Daler Rowney	4.7	0	0
Derwent (all brands)	18.8	27.2	34
Faber Castell Polychromos	40.6	32.8	34
General’s Kimberley Thin Lead	6.3	0	0
Lyra Rembrandt	1.6	4.8	4.9
Sanford Prismacolor	7.8	6.4	4.9
Staedtler Karat Aquarell	4.7	2.4	0
Royal Talens van Gogh	3.1	4.8	0
	100	100	100

We do however need to remember that the results in part are ALWAYS dictated by the fact that not all brands are well known or easily available in local art shops.  However all are available from online suppliers (see below for links to Art Suppliers in the UK and USA) and I'm trying to enhance awareness via the 

I'm minded to ponder on the fact that CPSA banned from use of the Caran d'Ache Neocolor II for their main international exhibition in 2012.  To my mind it is to all intents and purposes exactly like other woodless watercolour pencil type media.  I have yet to come across a convincing argument as to why this medium is not allowed other than the fact it uses the word 'pastel' wjile others describe it as a crayon - while being neither a soft pastel nor an oil pastel!  Could it be a question of language?

Those using watercolour pencils will be interested to know that the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) also tests the lightfastness of all watercolor pencils and provide the results in their CPSA - Lightfastness Test Result Workbook Version 6

A new poll is now open and you can find it here - 2013 POLL: What's your favourite watercolour pencil?

Links:

• UK Art Shops & Online Art Supplies
• USA: Art Supply Stores & Online Art Supplies
• Art Supplies Around The World - Resources for Artists

How to vote for the best coloured pencils in 2013

I like using different brands!

This is an invitation to coloured pencil artists to VOTE for your CURRENT FAVOURITE BRAND of:

• Artist Grade Coloured Pencils and 
• Watercolour Pencils. 

You can find two BRAND NEW 2013 Opinion Polls about coloured pencils for 2013 on my website Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

The links to the polls are below

• 2013 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?
• 2013 POLL: What's your favourite watercolour pencil?

This is a brand new poll - so even if you have voted before in previous years you can vote again.

The purpose of having an Annual Opinion Poll is to identify which are the most popular coloured pencils in 2013.

This enables:

• artists to change their votes if they have been experimenting with brands which they've not used before
• new brands to be reflected in the poll.  
• voting to reflect changing preferences as to existing and new brands of coloured pencils
• feedback to the manufacturers about your preferences.  Hopefully this provides an incentive to continue to provide continued improvement in the quality and lightfastness of products available in the marketplace

Don't forget to check all the options before you vote. The coloured pencils are listed in alphabetical order. 

If any of the marketing people from the different pencil manufacturers are reading this and note that their new brands are NOT included please contact me with the date your product is/was made available in the marketplace AND on your website.

The results of the two polls about your favoured brands of artist grade coloured pencils and watercolour pencil in 2012 will be published tomorrow.

Brands of Artist Grade Coloured Pencils

The brands listed are all those which were available at the beginning of 2013.  Not every brand is included.  For example, they exclude those which are most suitable for children/school students rather than fine art.

You can find out more about the different brands in

• Artist Grade Coloured Pencils - Brand Information
• Coloured Pencils - Colours and Lightfastness
• Watercolour Pencils - Brand Information

The brands of artist grade coloured pencils included this year are

• Blick Studio Artists 
• Bruynzeel Sakura 
• Caran d'Ache - Luminance (6901) 
• Caran d'Ache - Neocolor II 
• Caran d'Ache - Pablo 
• Cretacolor Karmina 
• Derwent Artist 
• Derwent Coloursoft 
• Derwent Drawing 
• Derwent Studio 
• Faber Castell Polychromos 
• Holbein Artists 
• Koh I Noor Polycolor 
• Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor 
• Mitsubishi Uni 
• Prismacolor Art Stix 
• Prismacolor Premier 
• Prismacolor Verithin 
• Soho Urban Artists 
• Talens Van Gogh (6901) 
• Tombow Irojiten 
• Utrecht Premium

VOTE for your favoured brand of artist grade coloured pencil?

Brands of Watercolour Pencils

The brands of watercolour pencils identified for the 2013 Poll are: 

• Caran d'Ache Supracolor Aquarelle 
• Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Aquarelle 
• Caran d'Ache Museum 
• Cretacolor Aqua Monolith (Woodless) 
• Cretacolor Aquarell 
• Daler-Rowney Artists' Watercolour 
• Derwent Aquatone (Woodless) 
• Derwent Graphitint 
• Derwent Inktense 
• Derwent Watercolour 
• Faber Castell Albrecht Durer 
• General's Kimberley Thin Lead Watercolor 
• Lyra Rembrandt Aquarell 
• Sanford Prismacolor Watercolor 
• Staedtler Karat Aquarell 
• Talens Van Gogh Watercolour 

VOTE for your favourite watercolour pencil

The Favourite Watercolour Pencils Awards! (2010 Brand Poll Results)

2010:  Which is your favourite brand of watercolour pencil?

In 2010 I introduced a new Opinion Poll to determine the best brand of Watercolour Pencil on the market at the beginning of 2010.

144 people voted during 2010 in the 2010 POLL: Which is the best watercolour pencil? on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artist to determine the best brand of watercolour pencil.

(For details of the best artist grade coloured pencils see The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2010 Brand Poll Results)

The poll is now closed and below you can find the results.  When considering the results, it needs to be remembered that

• this is a new poll and generally more reliable results are generated as more people get to hear about the poll (which is now repeated annually with a new poll starting January each year)
• not all brands are easily available in local art shops.  However all are available from online suppliers (see below for links to Art Suppliers in the UK and USA)

Having studied the results I've split the favourites into three different categories

• The Favourite Watercolour Pencil in 2010 - Faber Castell Albrecht Durer
• The Favourite Woodless Watercolour Pencil in 2010 - Joint Winner Caran d'Ache Neocolor and Derwent Aquatone
• The Favourite brand of Watercolour Media in 2010 - Joint Winners: Derwent and Faber Castell

Faber Castell's Albrecht Durer is the pencil of choice with 34% of respondents choosing this pencil over the next most popular pencil the Derwent Inktense (20%).  This means that Faber Castell - by focusing on a single pencil for both artist grade and watercolour pencils - has won both both polls.

However while Faber Castell tends to offer just one brand of pencils, Derwent manufacture a range.  Derwent tied with Faber Castell for the manufacturer producing the most popular watercolour media in pencil form.  Each attracted 34% of respondents choosing their brand of watersoluble media.  (see the table below which totals the results by manufacturer).

Watercolour Pencil Manufacturers	2010
(all brands)	%
Caran d’Ache (all brands)	20.9
Cretacolor	1.4
Derwent ( all brands)	34
Faber Castell Polychromos	34
Lyra Rembrandt	4.9
Sanford Prismacolor	4.9
Royal Talens van Gogh	0
	100.1

Table: Total of % of all respondents
per manufacturer of water soluble coloured pencil media

Essentially the marketplace for watercolour pencils is a three horse race with Caran d'Ache putting in a very respecetable showing in 3rd place with over 20% of market share.

The results also indicate that wood pencils are more popular than woodless pencils.

There is a tie for the most popular woodless pencil between the Cretacolor Aqua Monolith and the Derwent Aquatone - both of which had 4.2@ of the vote.

The most noticeable result of the Poll is how much more popular artist grade pencils are over the watercolour versions.  I wonder if this is because it's possible to dilute all artist grade pencils using solvent?

Those using watercolour pencils will be interested to know that the CPSA test the lightfastness of all watercolor pencils and provide the results in their CPSA - Lightfastness Test Result Workbook Version 6

Links:

• Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists - WATERCOLOUR PENCILS - BRAND INFORMATION
• Making A Mark - The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2010 Brand Poll Results)
• Art Supplies in the USA - Resources for Artists 
• Art Supplies in the UK - Resources for Artists 

UPDATE: Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

I've recently been giving Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists a major overhaul.  This post is by way of:

• a major update on what's changed and 
• a request for information about reviews which you've done (or seen) and which might be suitable for inclusion in this leading resource about coloured pencil art.

While I independently search for and include links to websites providing good quality information, I also welcome hearing from people who think they've got a link to a site which might be suitable for inclusion in this resource.  See bold sentences below for the type of information I'm looking for.

The major changes I've been making are listed below.  Click the COLOURED LINK IN CAPITALS to get to visit that section of the site.

ARTIST GRADE COLOURED PENCILS - BRAND INFORMATION

This is now organised so that brands and news/reviews relating to each individual brand are grouped together.  (see also Updating Coloured Pencils which comments on websites of manufacturers)

If you've done a review of a individual brand of coloured pencils please let me know.  My preference given the new layout is one brand per review.

If you've done a lightfastness test of your coloured pencils and this is not listed please let me know.

COLOURED PENCIL ART SOCIETIES & EXHIBITIONS

This includes coloured pencil art societies across the world.  It also makes some of the links on the national society websites a bit more visible eg in relation to past exhibitions

If you have a coloured pencil art society - or local group - which is not listed please let me know.

HOW TO DRAW - USING COLOURED PENCILS

I've reorganised all the tips and techniques into more sensible sections and in doing so have identified some gaps in information which I'm trying to fill.  At the same time I'm always keen to be able to include links to high quality information about instruction.

This is the new list of sections:

• Online Art Instruction
• Coloured Pencil workshops
• Coloured Pencils - how to use different papers and supports
• Coloured Pencils - Dry Blending and Burnishing
• Coloured Pencils - Blending using water and other solvents
• Coloured Pencils - How to use heat with wax pencils
• Coloured Pencils - Making a mark
• Coloured Pencils - How to remove or erase
• Coloured Pencils - Wax Bloom
• Coloured Pencils - General Tips and Techniques
• Coloured Pencils - Lessons, Projects and Themes

Please let me know if you've written a blog post or website article  or created a pdf free to download file which relate to any of these aspects - and which you would like to be considered for inclusion.

The last major part of the site relates to different subject areas

• PORTRAITS AND DRAWING PEOPLE IN COLOURED PENCILS
• BOTANICAL AND FLORAL ART IN COLOURED PENCILS
• DRAWING ANIMALS AND WILDLIFE IN COLOURED PENCILS
• STILL LIFE ART IN COLOURED PENCILS
• LANDSCAPES IN COLOURED PENCILS

In each of these I identify the websites and blogs of leading artists in each field together with relevant books, workshops and online tutorials

If you have a tutorial which might be suitable for one of these sections please let me know.

and finally......

I'd very much like to thank the very many people who have given this site a "thumbs up" on Squidoo and/or linked to it on Facebook - BEFORE the facelift!  I'm very gratified to find so many people appreciate this site.  I hope you also like the new and improved version.

Your favourite coloured pencil - an update

551 people have now voted on the Making A Mark 2010 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil? on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artist.  

Current votes show a quite dramatic change in the overall numbers when compared to the percentages as at 31st December 2009 - see Two new coloured pencil opinion polls for 2010 which has a chart for the previous poll.

When disaggregated into brands in 2010, it's very clear that Faber Castell Polychromos pencils are the leading brand of coloured pencils and have a clear and significant lead over Prismacolor Premier pencils. 

2010 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?

Detailed results are as follows:

• Faber Castell Polychromos - their percentage of the market shows a small increase (28.7% compared to 27.3% in 2009)
• In 2009 I just offered Sanford Prismacolor as one option and this topped the poll at 29.4%.  However what was taken to be a clear lead attributable to the popularity of Prismacolor Pencils now appears illusory given the percentage who like the Art Stix.  Overall there is a slight drop ion aggregated market share.
• 17.6% for Prismacolor Premier in 2010
  
• 1.5% for Premier Lightfast
• 8.5% for Prismacolor Art Stix
• 0.7@ for Sanford Prismacolor Verithin. 
• Caran d'Ache retains overall market share - however it is now split across two brands
• Caran d'Ache Pablo have dropped from 10.4% to 6.4% - a drop of 4%. 
• However Caran d'Ache Luminance (an accredited lightfast range) - which were not offered as an option in the last poll - now count for 3.8%
• Derwent was the only make in the previous poll where I identified the individual brands.  Overall to date Derwent has experienced a drop of 2.5%.  Changes to date are as follows:
• 8.7% in 2010 for Derwent Artists - compared to 9.3%
• 9.8% for Derwent Coloursoft - compared to 11.2%
• 4.5% Derwent Studio - compared to zero
• zero for Derwent Signature - compared to 2%
• Lyra Rembrandt has reduced from 7.2% to 4.9% in 2010.
• Royal Talens Van Gogh (an accredited lightfast range) has increased from 2% to 2.4% in 2010
• Blick Studio Artists is a newcomer to my poll and takes  2.4%

I'm trying to work out what the reasons for the changes might be.  Preliminary guesses are as follows:

Technical sampling issues

• small changes are more than likely accounted for by sample size
• Last time the narrower range of options on offer probably meant people opted for whatever was the nearest option.  
• Similarly the changes in pencil brands alone will account for some of the changes

Marketing

• Prismacolor seems to have stopped marketing its lightfast range (it's nowhere to be seen on its website) - which is odd given the relative success that Carann d'Ache have had in marketing the Luminance range which is not cheap!
• The initial enthusiasm for Coloursoft is probably reflected more in the older poll and this one probably represents better the long-run demand level
• I have an impression - and that's all it is - that American artists now experiment more with brands which are not Prismacolor.  
• Overall, I'm guessing, but I think the more people order online the more likely they are to try brands which are not stocked in their local art shop

Pricing

• The sterling exchange rate is having a significant impact on the cost of some pencils for UK artists.
• The exchange rate also means some products look better value to USA artists

All suggestions are welcome as to any other possible explanations.

I'll repeat this analysis after the end of the year and start a new poll for 2011.

You can find out more about the different brands of artist grade coloured pencils on  Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artist - where you will also find a poll for watercolour pencils!

CPSA Lightfastness Handbook Version 6 - out now

Version 6 of the CPSA Lightfastness Workbook was published at the beginning of May.

The workbook provides a set of sheets for all the different brands of coloured pencils. CPSA has been working its way through all the brands since it published the first version. Each sheet records the name and number of each coloured pencil which passed the lightfastness tests for every brand of artist grade coloured pencil in production. Which is another way of saying I can't think of any which are not now covered by this book.

Version 6 now includes new results for the following:

• Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901,
  
• Cretacolor Karmina,
  
• Cretacolor Marino,
  
• Staedtler Ergosoft,
  
• Staedtler Ergosoft Aquarelle,
• and Staedtler Karat Aquarelle

Plus

• Updated information about brands tested
• Corrections and additions ot color listings
• Complete list of all pencils tested by brand

The lightfastness tests are conducted according to the international art materials standard for coloured pencils approved for this purpose in 2003 - which you can find explained on my website page about lightfastness - An overview of the lightfastness of reputable coloured pencils.

This is the post I wrote when version 5 was published and I got hold of my copy of it - CPSA Lightfastness Test Result Workbook - Version 5 published

If you want to know whether or not the colours you are using are acceptably lightfast or better (ie rate 5.5 or better against a blue wool card under approved test conditions) then I strongly recommend getting hold of the lightfastness test results. I've personally seen some of the original blue wool cards which were used and the way some of colours had bleached to nothingness when exposed to light!

How to order

This book is available only to CPSA Members which adds to the cost of this book an extra $40 to coloured pencil artists living in the US or Canada or $45 to artists living elsewhere. The cost of the book on the order form is indicated below

VERSION 6 • LIGHTFASTNESS TEST RESULT WORKBOOK
Cost in U.S. Funds
U.S. $15 + $2 shipping = $17.00
All other countries $18 + $5 shipping = $23.00

That means the cost of this book is as detailed in the table below.

Category of purchaser	CPSA membership	cost of book	postage	TOTAL
existing CPSA member / lives USA		$15	$2	$17
lives USA	$40	$15	$2	$57
existing CPSA member / lives Canada		$18	$5	$23
lives Canada	$40	$18	$5	$63
existing CPSA member / lives overseas		$18	$5	$23
lives overseas	$45	$18	$5	$68

A fully paid up member of UKCPS living in the UK would need to pay $68 for this book.

I can highly recommend it - although I do wish CPSA would price it to make it more accessible for UKCPS members. I know many members who would like to order a copy but who have been completely deterred by the huge cost to overseas artists who are not members of CPSA.

In effect this is prospective income which CPSA is not realising at the moment due to its pricing policy. Such income could be realised if

• either subscription rates were created for overseas members of other coloured pencil societies which recognise that they are unable to participate in or benefit from the bulk of CPSA activities at a branch level
• or a book price for fully paid up members of recognised coloured pencil societies located outside the USA which doesn't require you to become a member of CPSA (eg book price plus a premium contribution to recoup costs)
  

I'm sure an agreement could be reached for mutual benefit if there is goodwill and effort applied on both sides.

A greener option? Another option which I hope CPSA will seriously consider is to produce the book on CD or DVD so that members could print off only those pages they needed for the brands of coloured pencils that they own. That would be a much greener option, would help cut costs of production and postage and would save a few trees as well!

Further Information

For further information, try the CPSA website - Product Research

My website Making A Mark has a page which provides An overview of the lightfastness of reputable coloured pencils. This covers:

• What is lightfastness?
• Why is lightfastness important?
• Why is lightfastness in coloured pencils important?
• What's the lightfastness standard?
• Lighfastness - Tests
  
• Lightfastness - Brands

You can also read more about pigments and how they relate to colour in Making a Mark: Colour - a materials perspective #1 - pigments and dyes

Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

Find out about coloured pencils. This leading resource has information for everybody from experienced artists to beginners wanting to learn all they can. Topics include

• tips and techniques for working with coloured pencils,
• information about coloured pencil brands and associated products (CHECK OUT the poll - find out which make of artist grade coloured pencils is the favourite.)
• coloured pencil societies,
• coloured pencil artists and
• forums where you can discuss coloured pencil matters with artists working in coloured pencils

Two new coloured pencil opinion polls for 2010

As promised earlier this year, today I have set up two BRAND NEW opinion polls about artists' grade coloured pencils and watercolour pencils on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists.

The main reason for starting a new poll is because there have been a lot of advances since the original poll was started:

• CPSA has now published more data about the resusts of its lightfast testing of different brands of pencils
  
• there are now more lightfast pencils, more people are aware of the lightfastness issues and people's preferences may well have shifted
  
• new brands have been created eg Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils
• people will have experimented with more brands and new brands and may well have changed their preferences!

Making A Mark Reviews (16 November 2009) Opinion Poll: Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil?

POLL: Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil?
Results chart as at 31st December 2009
(792 votes)

So - as of today there are now two NEW polls. Click the links below to view the options and vote:

• 2010 POLL: Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil?
• 2010 POLL: What's your favourite watercolour pencil?

The purpose of the polls is to identify which are the most popular coloured pencils in 2010 - hence all past votes which applied to choices available in the past no longer apply

Which means that all of you who already voted on the first poll can VOTE AGAIN! This time I want to know which brand - out of the ones which you use right now - is your favourite brand.

Note also that this is the first time I've set up a poll specifically for watercolor pencils.

As previously indicated, hopefully by providing feedback to the manufacturers about preferences there will be some incentive to continue with a good selection in the marketplace and products which continue to improve in both quality and lightfastness over time.

If any of the marketing people from the different pencil manufacturers are reading this and note that their new brands in the pipeline are NOT included please contact me with the date your product is due to be in the marketplace AND on your website.

Note: The first poll about artists' coloured pencils is being "retired" although its results will be maintained as an image (see above) on this blog and on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

Links:

• Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists
• Making A Mark - Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil? (August 2008)
  
• Making A Mark reviews...... Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil? (April 2009)
• Making A Mark - Derwent Coloursoft Pencils
• Making A Mark - Derwent Coloursoft Update (May 2006) - includes a link to the Derwent colour charts for all 72 colours
• Making A Mark - Royal Talens Van Gogh Coloured Pencils
• Making A Mark - Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Pencils (March 2007) - includes my colour chart
• Making A Mark - Ashness Bridge - my drawing for the new Derwent Catalogue (Derwent Artists' Pencils)
  
• Making A Mark - Prismacolor - new colours for 2006 but no change in the breakages (August 2006) - includes my colour chart
• Making A Mark - Prismacolour Premier Lightfast Colored Pencils (October 2006) - lists the 48 new colours by name and number
• Making A Mark - How lightfast are your artist grade coloured pencils?

Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

Find out about coloured pencils. This leading resource has information for everybody from experienced artists to beginners wanting to learn all they can. Topics include

• tips and techniques for working with coloured pencils,
• information about coloured pencil brands and associated products (CHECK OUT the poll - find out which make of artist grade coloured pencils is the favourite.)
• coloured pencil societies,
• coloured pencil artists and
• forums where you can discuss coloured pencil matters with artists working in coloured pencils

Book review - Taking a Line for a Walk: 1100 Miles on Foot, Le Havre to Rome

Title: Taking a Line for a Walk: 1100 Miles on Foot, Le Havre to Rome by Christopher Lambert

Synopsis: In the summer of 2000, Christopher Lambert drew a straight blue line between Le Havre and Rome on a map of Europe when eighteen months short of his 70th birthday. He then set off with his all leather Brasher walking boots, a small rucksack, a couple of pens, some watercolour pencils and a sketchbook journal. 1,075 miles and 71 walking days later he arrived in Rome having taken a page each day to sketch and write about what he saw on his trip. This is the hardback facsimile version of his sketchbook. As a concession to his handwriting, there is a thin typescript margin containing two lines of summary text about each day - as he says his writing gets a bit cramped at times!

Summary review:  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED This book is a joy for all those who sketch on their travels.  It's both an inspiration to improve one's own sketches and a gentle reminder of how to slow down and reflect on life and the pleasures of our surroundings and all we encounter on our travels.  If you find his writing a bit small I recommend a magnifier as the book is a facsimile which is the only way to experience 'as if' looking at the original book.

Highlights daily sketches while travelling in a loose and unfussy style over 240 illustrations of a huge variety of 'views', buildings, people, flowers and insects one of the very best travel journals I have ever seen - sets a standard to aspire to! a particulour joy for all those - like me - using pen and ink and coloured pencils

Think Again? those with sight impairment might find the handwritten text a bit of a struggle - but you can still enjoy all his sketches and you can certainly read the text easily with the use of a magnifier

Who should buy this?: people who need to slow down and learn to appreciate the places they visit avid sketchers people planning a journey and interested in keeping a travel journal artists using pen and ink and/or watercolour pencils who want to try sketching their travels

Who should not buy this? people who don't like sketches people who don't like travel journals anybody who likes travelling at top speed!

Author / (Publisher) Chris Lambert / The Antique Collectors Club (15 Sep 2004)  Technical data: Current Publication Date: July 7, 2006  It would appear that the book may have been reprinted in 2006 and that the original publishers are no longer involved.  The link at the top is to the amazon.com 2006 book.  The link at the end is to the amazon.co.uk 2004 version. Hardcover (with dust jacket) - 144 pages; ISBN-10: 1851494707 | ISBN-13: 978-1851494705

Paul Klee once explained that "a drawing is simply a line going for a walk".

Christopher Lambert, the creator of this facsimile sketchbook, developed a taste for long distance walking when, on his retirement, he walked 440 miles along five ancient footpaths across southern Britain to his new retirement home in Devon.

For the Millennium he thought he'd like to try one of the pilgrim routes across Europe. Consequently, in July 2000 he set off carrying a pilgrim's passport - a letter of brotherly greetings in Latin from the Anglican Provost of Portsmouth Cathedral to Pope John Paul in the Vatican in Rome.

On his trip he averaged just over 15 miles each walking day overall, although this inevitably varied along the route across France, through Switzerland, down through northern Italy and the 'thigh' of Italy to Rome. En route - and along his straight line - he visited Honfleur, Fontainebleau Forest, the Canal de Bourgogne, Dijon, Lausanne and from there along the ancient pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena, through the Grand St. Bernard pass across the Alps to Aosta, Lucca and Siena before reaching Rome.

What particularly appealed to me about this book is his habit of doing daily sketches while travelling - a habit I developed on my two trips to the USA. I also identified with his approach to sketching. He uses pen and ink to sketch, followed by coloured pencils to indicate values and form and something of local hues. The book contains over 240 illustrations of a huge variety of 'views', buildings, people, flowers, insects and the butterfly which sat on his hand one day while he drew (see below - page 52 Col du Grand St Bernard)

Pages 85 and 85 Lucca

"Taking a Line for a Walk"

copyright Christopher Lambert - used with permission

The author is a former architect and it's evident that his working life enables him to take him scenes involving buildings with an ease which others can only aspire to.  His eye takes in and quickly absorbs the key features of complicated architecture. I loved the way he tells himself off when he's done something overly complicated - giving himself injunctions to simplify. Overall, despite what he says below, his style is very pleasing - being loose and unfussy. Some of the very simplest sketches have the greatest impact.

"The sketches had priority - to the extent that I would often make myself late departing from a place because I just had to record it....I wanted to shake off my architectural topographical style and in a few flicks of the pen and pencils capture the essence of a thing or place, but it very rarely happened. Nevertheless these small drawings became my footsteps as the miles elapsed and the pages filled...."

His habit of sketching over meals is also one with which I'm very familiar. I even suspect, given the nature of his sketches, that we might share the same habit of table hopping to find the table which offers the 'right' view. Which is not always the best view but rather is the one which lends itself best to sketching.

His meditations on walking, his surroundings and the impact that a long walk has on an individual are both interesting and powerful reminders to reflect on life at something less than 4 miles an hour. It's a book which more than repays any attempt to read his handwriting - which is not so difficult once you get used to it. This is a book that I can particularly recommend to all those accustomed to travelling to many destinations at top speed and who may not be acquainted with the benefits and "the inevitability of gradualism"! ;)

In conclusion, I'd highly recommend this book for anybody wanting to keep a sketchbook journal of a trip. Those visiting places along this route will also get an insight into life outside a car and the rhythm of life which occurs when walking everyday on a very long walk.

"The illustrations have a wonderful vividness and the text has a gentle undercurrent of humour.......It's the kind of book that you can pick up time after time and feel yourself wandering through the byways of France and Italy, hearing the sounds and smelling the fragrance of the hedgerows and fields around and about, or imagining yourself sitting outside in a village square enjoying a glass of wine" Sir Chris Bonington

Note:  This review was first published in my sketchbook blog  Taking a line for a walk - from Le Havre to Rome (Wednesday, March 21, 2007) and is published again here with a new front end to provide a complete record of my book reviews on this blog


Links:

• Christopher Lambert: Taking a Line for a Walk: 1000 Miles on Foot - Le Havre to Rome
  
• More quotes by Paul Klee