One of my favorite things about painting with watercolors is how portable and easy to travel with they are. If you're reading this, it most likely means that you'll be joining me on a creative retreat this year. (yay!) Here is a list of some of my personal favorite supplies to travel with:
Packing list:
- Watercolor Paper Pad
- Variety of Brushes
- Watercolors (pan sets work great for travel)
- Cloth for wiping
- Basics: pencil, eraser, etc.
- Optional: Watercolor cup for water
First thing's first, paper.
Watercolor paper pads are excellent to travel with. Personally I like to carry around two styles when I'm on the go, spiral pads are great because you can work on different projects simultaneously without having to tear out each piece of paper. A great size that fits in most back packs is 9x12 inches, which is a bit larger that traditional Letter size but small enough to carry around in your bag.
Watercolor sketchbooks are also fantastic. My personal favorite is Moleskine's Watercolor Album. I like the smaller size because it's great for carrying around with you at al times. Make sure to get this style, regular Moleskines do not have appropriate paper for watercolors, it should look like this:
Watercolor Paints:
In my opinion watercolor pan sets are the best way to travel with your paints. No mess, the mixing palette is included and you have a variety of colors to choose from, all in just one box. There are many sizes and brands of watercolor pans, when I travel I like to take my large pan set because even a complete set is compact enough for me, but there are any smaller options that are GREAT too!
If you're looking for something a bit more affordable, Winsor & Newton hast a student line (Cotman) that I highly recommend. They also have a large variety of shapes, sizes and styles.
They even have this cool Field Box Set that comes with a brush, expandable palette and mini water jug. How fun is this?
A little something extra... if you're like me, you probably have a couple of favorites that you to mix in with your pan sets. For me it's Dr. Ph Martin's mahogany and juniper green. These paints are awesome because they are extremely concentrated and come is small glass bottles that are under 3 oz, so you can even carry them in your backpack and go through security without them being confiscating :) I like to put them in ziplock bags to avoid any accidents.
You can purchase individual concentrated Dr Ph Martin's here.
If you're still curious about different watercolor paints, I have a super extended Skillshare class where I demonstrate every single type and brand of paints I use!
Water Container + Cloth
When painting with watercolors we need WATER! In workshops I will usually provide plastic cups, but it's always nice when someone brings their own cup. You can also carry around any old cup to fill with water... but recently a student of mine gave me a gift and I absolutely love this!
This is the one my student gave me, so practical and easy to travel with.
In workshops I also always have paper towels available, but it's also nice to have your personal piece of cloth to wipe off excess paint.
Brushes and Pencil Case
When it comes to brushes, I like round brushes with synthetic hair. A great option are these W&N Designer's Round series. Again, they won't break the bank and they are round but have a pointy tip so they work for detailing as well.
If you're an artist (YOU ARE!) you probably have a variety of brushes you've collected. I recommended these W&N ones but I also have a bunch of different types of brushes in my studio, not to mention pencils, erases, pens, etc. When traveling it's best to have some sort of a Pencil case or Brush case to gather all these supplies.
I found this handmade one on ETSY, thinking of getting one like this!
I made these pencil cases a while ago. They're sold out now BUT I wanted to show you how I travel with supplies. I like cases like this where I can fit everything in. There are tons of pouches out there! Try etsy and support an independent maker :)
I hope these tips were useful, feel free to share your travel favorites in the comment section. Again, these are just my personal favorites, there are thousands of great supplies out there!
I'm so looking forward to painting with you this year. Teaching in person watercolor sessions are so special for me. Learning from each other and sharing ideas is pure magic. In case your are not signed up yet, here are 2018 dates for Creative Retreats:
June 9-16 WATERCOLORS OF SICILY with Travellur (only 2 spots left)
August 9-13 MAGIC JUNGLE INSPIRATION in Tulum (Early Bird ends March 23rd)
October 23-28 MAGIC JUNGLE EXPERIENCE in Tulum (Early Bird ends July 23rd)
