Vacationing this Summer? Take Your Art with You!

On a recent trip to Washington D.C., I decided that I wanted to take a travel journal with me. I would jot down what I did that day, tape tickets into the back of the book from the museums I visited, and maybe sit down to sketch a few of the monuments. In preparation for the trip, I went through about a thousand configurations of my art kit before I settled on the basics that I would need to create some fun sketches and color them in. This is the kit that I perfected for my trip and I hope that it allows you to hone in on which items you need in your traveling art kit. All of these items fit in a small backpack or in an accessory pouch and still leave plenty of room for your camera, hat, water bottle, and anything else you may be traveling with.

What’s Inside:

• Art Journal – For this trip, think small. The Dylusions creative flip journal is about half the size of a traditional art journal, making it easy to stash in your luggage. It also has nice thick pages for painting on and a sturdy cover so that it can stand up to riding the London Tube, being dropped on the ground while running with the bulls in Spain, or taking an open air drive through the game reserves of South Africa.
• Pens and Pencils – Always pack extras of the basics. Pencils are great for jotting down a quick sketch as the light filters through the metal struts of the Eiffel Tower, or catching the last fleeting moments of a squirrel saying hello at Yosemite National Park. The Stabilo pencil is a great way to add a foundation to your sketch because it is water-soluble and will blend seamlessly when painting. The Fude ball pen by Ranger Ink provides rich, dark lines and is perfect for adding details to your paintings. Remember a sharpener so that the point of your pencil is always ready for the next sketch.
• Water-Soluble Oil Pastels and a Water Brush – I find that the easiest way to get a painted look without the mess is with water-soluble color tools. The Prima Marketing oil pastels provide vivid pigment that is easy to blend with a water brush. Since less water is used than in traditional paintings, the page will dry much faster, allowing you to keep moving on your trip. If you want to add color quickly to capture the moment, you can also just scribble in the colors and blend with water later. I sketched the Washington Monument while sitting on the lawn at the National Mall. I scribbled enough with the oil pastels to plan where I would put the cherry blossoms, then packed up and headed to the Lincoln Memorial. After a day of walking, I spent the evening in my hotel room, blending the pastels with water to create the painted look that I wanted.
• Carrying Case/Pouch – Keeping your supplies organized and put together on a trip is a must. A carrying case can be a great investment to keep your tools together. The Papaya Art accessory pouches are just the right size to fit all of your supplies. Plus, when you return home, your art kit can be grabbed for an impromptu road trip or a weekend away at a moment’s notice.

 

Other Traveling Art Kit Ideas to Consider

• Be sure to pack your go-to items in your art kit. If you always add washi tape, consider wrapping a length of washi tape around the end of your pencil so that you can add a decorative touch to your finished artwork.
• Do the foundation work for your art journal before you leave on your trip. Collage a few book pages onto the page, then give them a thin layer of gesso so that your work will have a mixed-media look without having to haul containers of paint and gel medium with you on your trip.
• Need a little help sketching? Buy postcards of the landmarks and monuments that you would like to sketch, then trace them to get the dimensions right for your painting. I also always take an inspiration photo of the exact angle that I am drawing so that I can reference the image later on.

 

Interested in making your own Traveler’s Art Kit? Start with our kit full of all the essentials here.