Next to clothes, art supplies take up the most packing space. I have to say, though, I have already used almost all of these supplies at least once in just a few days.
Making little pictures in cool places is one of the things I am most excited for about this trip.
In addition to these, I have two "Stillman & Birn: Gamma Series" notebooks, which are landscape oriented, hard cover, with beautiful creamy paper, and three 3 x 5 Strathmore sketch books that can fit in my purse.
I've developed this system mostly by accident over years of loving blank notebooks and the potential they hold. The mini sketchbooks turn out to be ideal for making notes during the day and gluing little things in, and then these can be added to the bigger notebook whenever there is time. I also have a pen that is pen on one side and glue stick on the other, so that goes in the purse with the sketch book.
This is my first time traveling with paint. After much hemming and hawing I bought the Windsor & Newton travel watercolor set, and it is amaaazing. I've always wondered why my watercolor pictures never looked like the ones you see everywhere and it turns out it isn't just the lack of skill but also the lack of proper equipment! With these water colors and real watercolor paper I look like I might know what I'm doing.
This year I also brought along mini watercolor paper, which were sold as "artist trading cards." I often get intimidated by a huge blank piece of paper, and having a tiny work space really helps. I love making these mini paintings, and they are perfect with the travel watercolor set. I have a little case that holds the paints and the little paper in one that I can keep in my purse.
Even though there is a lot of stuff, it packs up pretty well. I have a whole slew of smaller and smaller bags to pack them in--as much as I love art supplies I also love unnecessary little containers. They also divide out in a way that means I can take some things with me easily if I want without having to take the whole bunch. Especially useful has been this fabric "roll-up" with individual spaces for pens and brushes that I made a few years ago during a short-lived sewing phase.
An unexpected help is the tiny PackTowl brand super-absorbent travel towel. I had originally gotten it to use as a towel but, as it could barely cover a postage stamp, ended up buying two larger sized ones for human use. This one turns out to be perfect to lay down under the watercolor set and to wipe brushes on, so I've added that to my purse as well.
So, for anyone who is interested, here is the final breakdown:
1. Blue PackTowl, Windsor & Newton travel watercolor set, Artist Trading Card watercolor paper, brushes, watercolor pen brush (?) that has a water reservoir in the barrel
2. Faber-Castell PITT artist pens, mostly brush tip
3. Assortment of black pens, including Zig Writer, Staedtler lumocolor, Prismacolor premier double sided pen, Pigma Micron, and sharpies
4. Small scissors and exacto-knife with narrow blades for detailed cutting
5. Staedtler triplus color pen set, every color you could ever want, beware my fellow lefties as these smudge easily when fresh
6. Glue stick and white paint pen
7. Washi tape, couldn't resist
8. Prismacolor "assorted markers" set in black with different pen tip sizes
9. An assortment of water color tubes and a little mixing palette (never used yet), and a few acrylics because I like the texture they leave behind. Honestly so far I've mostly used these as finger painting, mainly as journal background.
So there you have it!
I am so excited to use these all around the world. I've always wanted to be a person who traveled and drew pictures and actually had supplies they traveled with, and now here I am.
I am by no means a great artist, or even good, but I am getting better the more I do it and, most importantly, I have the best time. I love collecting little scraps of paper that can be incorporated into journal pages later, and having all of these supplies at my fingertips to use anytime I want.
Three cheers for the world trip!
I loved reading about your tools. I agree that quality supplies can make the difference between a half-hearted hobby and a lifelong habit. For the record, I think your images are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have that same pair of tiny scissors—I use mine to snip yarn ends and embroidery threads.
I remember learning in an art class once that in Japan the elementary school children are taught using the proper supplies an adult would use. Not sure if that statement is universal, but its an interesting concept. Maybe more people would as you described have a lifelong habit if they felt better about their supplies. The difference between the "real" watercolor set and the things I've been buying at wal-mart is ridiculous.
DeleteLove you, scissor twin!