Description
How it came about…
I’ve been sketching on location all over the world since 2012, when I was living on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.
When I first fell in love with sketching on the spot in ink & watercolour, I would bring a huge amount of kit with me. I whittled it down over the years, but no matter what sketching bag I used, I was always faced with the same problem: I could not sketch and then add watercolour while standing up, and would always need to sit to reach my water. Bags that did allow that were heavy or utilitarian in appearance, and I like my bags to coordinate with my outfit.
So I started experimenting with patterns, and the first bag I made was cute but all wrong for my needs. It was too small, wasn’t hands-free, the pockets faced the wrong way…I realised I would have to start again from scratch. Within a few months my studio was a mess of canvas, wadding, threads and zips, and under the chaos you could just about make out ten versions of my bag in different fabrics, shapes and sizes. I still have all those versions, some still with pins sticking out.
While I have been sewing since I was very small, this project was rapidly evolving to another level, and I realised I needed help. Luck stepped in just when i needed it, and I met an incredible team of designers and manufacturers whose skills have left me in awe and gratitude.
With their help, some valuable input from my global sketching community and many more tweaks to the design, I finally came up with a bag that is perfect for my needs as a sketcher, and, I hope, for yours.
Then there was the question of fabric: would canvas be durable enough? I wasn’t convinced. I decided to use leather, but I wanted to use something other than animal leather. In my search for an alternative, I came across many plant-based leathers. My favourite by far was cactus leather for its appearance and performance (it’s made from the nopal cactus in Mexico, which needs no watering or fertilising). It’s smooth and strong and looks beautiful.
Nowadays I never leave the house without my SketchPocket. I keep my phone and wallet in the front pocket, my bank or travel cards in the back, and then when I am ready to sketch I just unzip it, get out my sketchbook and pens, and have a fully-painted sketch completed in no time, with zero mess. In a café, on the beach, on a train, out on a hike or sitting at home, I am sketching more than ever. I can capture any beautiful sight that inspires me, meaning I am slowing down while still getting through everything that needs to be done. I’m using my black one at the moment, but I look forward to using the off-white one with summer outfits on a visit to a warmer climate next year…
Size – What can a SketchPocket fit?
- There are 5 slots + pockets for pens and 4 slots for water brushes.
- There are two pockets on the bottom (when in use), one for a box of 12 half-pans and one for an A6 sketchbook.
- Behind the elastics and pockets for pens and brushes is a pocket for an A5 or A6 sketchbook.
- On the outside of the bag at the back is a flat pocket with space for a flat item (such as your collapsible water container) and two credit-card sized slots, which will remain secure against your body.
- Also on the outside in the front is a separate zipped pocket that fits a phone (note: it will be a little wider than you see in these photos, to accommodate larger phones comfortably)
- While the bag is primarily intended for use with an A6 sketchbook, it also fits an A5 200g Watercolour Sketchbook by Hahnemühle. However, if you put BOTH an A5 and an A6, and all your pens and brushes, it’s going to be a tight squeeze. I recommend bringing one sketchbook only when you head out, OR bringing loose sheets in both sizes.
Returns
You can return your purchase within 14 days of receipt, but we cannot cover return postage, unfortunately. All packaging must be returned and the bag must be in an unused condition with labels attached, the art products unopened and unused and any paper material included.
Guarantee
Your SketchPocket is guaranteed for 12 months from the date of purchase. If it breaks during normal use as described above I will pay to have it repaired.
Update Decenber 2025: Some people wonder whether the off-white SketchPocket will be impractical. I have an honest answer for you: yes, and not necessarily. I have brought my white SketchPocket to the dusty, dirty mountains of the South Pelion in Greece and the very wet and muddy Midlands of Ireland on a cold June weekend. The bag stayed spotless but the strap definitely got dusty-looking in Greece. I threw the strap in the washing machine with my regular load and it came out considerably cleaner – not like brand new, but not offensive. Another time I splashed some dark blue ink on my white SketchPocket. The ink is waterproof so it doesn’t come off with water, but it came off perfectly with my pen cleaning fluid, as you would expect it to! So I would say if you love the off-white get it, if you’re prepared to clean it once in a while.
