My Travel Kit

This time around I'm going to describe my watercolor travel kit. This works well for me anytime I want to paint outside or away from home. The description below is for the basic setup which I carry on day hikes or picnics and when I travel. I also toss it into my briefcase for lunchtime sketching at work. When backpacking, where every ounce counts, I cut back to a minimalist kit, as you'll see.

The whole kit is contained in a zippered pouch called the Diplomat Pocket Organizer (among other names). Despite the name, it's too big for a pocket. I included the pencil, paper clip and AA battery for scale, and you can see that it's still quite compact. (you can click on the picture for a larger size in a popup window)

Tucked into the front mesh pocket are some folded paper towels and a small mint tin. The small red one is the one I take when weight is at a premium. Otherwise I take the larger green one, which rides alongside. Also, you can't see it well because of the angle, but the top doesn't zip completely closed because my palette and the waterbrush caps are just a tad too long and stick out.

Here are my two paint boxes. Made from two different sizes of mint tins, I used FIMO clay to create the compartments, then baked them according to the directions to harden the clay and make it permanent. On the larger box I rolled the clay out just like a pastry crust and cut to shape, on the smaller one I just pressed the clay into place, then used a dowel to make indentations and a loop of wire (partially unbent paper clip) to remove excess clay. After it was hard, I carefully carved more excess away. Once done, I fill the compartments with tube paints and let them dry. All in all, I'm very happy with these. Oh yeah, the small one has a small snippet of styrene plastic in the lid to serve as a tiny mixing area if needed, I haven't yet cut one to fit the larger box. If you'd like to make your own, you can find instructions on variations of these boxes by Googling "mint tin paint box". They're easy enough to make that you can have several containing different combinations of pigments depending on what you were planning to paint.

This next photo shows the kit opened up.

On the left side is a mechanical pencil and a fine-tipped permanent marker. Next to that are popsicle sticks with the ends sanded into chisel shapes. These are for applying masking fluid. In the pocket behind are four waterbrushes (the three Aquaflow and a Niji flat), a piece of sponge, a tiny bottle of masking fluid and a small keychain-sized flashlight. When going minimalist, I only take the pencil and pen, one round and the flat waterbrush, the sponge and the light. I also carry the smaller of the two paint boxes shown above.

The right side shows my palette on top of the sketchpad. Since the palette costs less than a dollar, I'm going to get a second one and cut it in half to save space and weight when that's a consideration.

Here's everything spread out.

You can see the sketchpad now. It's 3.5"x5" and isn't watercolor paper, but it works well enough for simple washes and sketches. Again, to save ounces I might remove half the paper before packing up. I also had the idea of getting watercolor paper in full sheets and cutting it down to size, then carrying a supply bound together by a simple binder ring or clip. That way, I could carry several sheets of hot press, cold press and rough, plus some plain sketch paper. I often carry a spiral bound 5.5"x8.5" pad of watercolor paper along too.

Also, you can see my small bottle of masking fluid on the left. The bottle is glass with a black cap, and I get them when I order samples of fountain pen ink to try. Definitely liquid tight and so far I've had no problems with the cap getting stuck from drying mask. To transfer the mask from the big bottle to the small one, I dipped a straw into the mask, put my finger over the end, then put the straw into the small bottle before releasing my finger. Worked like a champ.

This final picture shows how I combine the palette and paint box for use. The rubber band holds the box in place, leaving enough palette free to be useful. This way, I can hold this with one hand, my brush in the other, with the paper in front of me. In a pinch I have managed to hold (sort of) the palette/box and the sketchbook in one hand while using the brush in the other. Awkward, but doable.

So that's it. For outings where I'm going just to paint I might carry a couple of small plastic cups for water, a small spray bottle, and other nice-to-have items like pencils, erasers, a sharpener, etc. Most of the time though, what I've shown you is all I have, and it's enough.

Hopefully this inspires you to put together your own kit so you can get outside and paint something. I'm pondering ideas for a slightly larger kit that will allow me to carry regular brushes, and I'd love to hear your thoughts too.

Have fun.