Joan of Art was established by the creative duo Suki and Thea Wilkins in 2016. The two ladies specialise in crafting useful art tools with the aim of making art fun and accessible, they also make plenty of artwork themselves too. Most recently, they have launched a Kickstarter campaign for a clever little portable Sketching Tin, which is the perfect tool for any lettering artist or illustrator on the go. In the past, they have released a number of art tools and themed products via their shop on Etsy.
I’ve known Thea for over ten years and our friendship formed over a shared interest in art, which is a pretty nice way to build a friendship. The Joan of Art Sketching Tin is a great item for developing artistic friendships, as it is a unique conversation starter and it can help to provide opportunities to meet people whilst creating out and about.
Joan of Art Sketching Tin
The Sketching Tin contains a variety of tools which are suitable for different styles of lettering.
Illustrative Lettering
Inside the tin you can find a 2B pencil which is perfect for sketching and drawing letters. There is also a pencil sharpener and rubber / eraser. Additionally, if you miss having some guide lines to keep your lettering straight and in proportion, then the side of the tin can provide you with a straight edge to draw along.
Brush Lettering
The 2B pencil can also be useful for brush lettering if you want to mark out some guides, or lightly write out where you want to place your brush lettering first. The brush pen and watercolour half pans which are included in the tin too, allow for a variety of brush lettering styles. Ombre effects can be created by adjusting the flow of water in the brush pen, and gradient effects can be created by mixing the half pan watercolours. With just three watercolour half pans a number of colours and gradients can be produced, and the tin lid is specially coated for mixing colours.
It’s also possible to make your brush lettering look smooth, rough or somewhere in between depending upon how much water you have in the brush and how dry the brush tip is. As an added bonus the tin includes a cotton cuff which you can use to dry the tip of the brush. This makes it easier to create dry looking brush lettering without wasting pages of your sketchbook, or sections of your paper trying to remove excess water from the brush.
How and Where to Get a Tin
At present, the Sketching Tin is only available through Joan of Art’s Kickstarter campaign. If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, to quickly summarise, it’s a platform which allows people to share awesome ideas. If the ideas get enough backing then they usually become a reality. Suki and Thea launched their Kickstarter campaign two weeks ago and it has been backed so much that the campaign has already reached 100% of the goal they set. There are still tins available though, and there are still two weeks left to go on the campaign. So if you’re interested in owning a tin and love the idea of being able to easily create lettering on the move without carrying a lot of equipment around, then I would act fast. The Sketching Tin is a tool I can recommend whole heartedly as I know how much time, effort and passion has gone into bringing it to life.
Learn More / Back the Sketching Tin
Once production of the tins has been completed, they will be despatched and shipped world wide towards the end of November making them a great Christmas or holiday gift idea. Joan of Art will also be showcasing work from around the world created with the Sketching Tin.
The Sketching Tin will be a valuable addition to any lettering artists toolkit, and it’s been wonderful to see Suki and Thea develop Joan of Art into something truly fantastic for the artistic community, and inclusive of the lettering community.
Connect with Joan of Art
Suki and Thea are very friendly folk and love sharing their adoration for the arts. To learn more about them and what they make you can visit the Joan of Art website, visit their shop, or connect with them on social media. They can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
