Three Tips

• Watercolor washes in journals or any thin paper tend to buckle. I work around this problem by placing the journal under a stack of books for several hours. Keep an eye on the painted parts of the page, when the sheen is gone it is time to press.

• When you are finishing sketches in your journals, work from the most recent pages back to earlier ones.

• Sharpen your pencils with a knife and sandpaper. Take the wood back about three quarters of an inch with the knife, then sharpen the lead with sandpaper. Sharpen several at once. Keep the beveled edge sharp by not turning the pencil too much as you draw.