One for the car and one for the park.
Lately, I've been watching a lot of "what's in my bag" or "travel art kit" videos online. I thought I'd share the things I take with me when I paint in my car or at a park. Consider this the 'amateur artist edition.'
In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:
Kit for the Car
I keep a few art supplies for quick car watercolor paintings. Sometimes I have a few minutes to spare and practice improving my sketching and painting skills.
Below are the items I always keep in my car door pocket:
Small watercolor travel set with round water brush
Shop towels (or paper towels)
Pencil with eraser
Archival ink pen
Water bottle
I prefer shop towels over regular paper towels. Shop towels are stronger and hold water better. They're less likely to tear or disintegrate when heavily saturated. I keep a roll of shop towels in my trunk since they're great for other uses, too.
A pencil and archival ink pen are nonessential. The small watercolor travel set, water brush, small DIY watercolor paper pad water bottle, and towel are the essentials I need to complete a watercolor painting.
I prefer to pre-sketch a design to determine how I want my subject laid out on the paper. I sometimes erase when I feel my sketch isn't quite right or good enough. It makes it a little easier for me to visualize how something should look and where I should apply colors.
I consider myself an amateur. I'm very critical of my own artwork. If I'm unsatisfied with a painting, I tend to outline it for a more cartoon-y look. It's my go-to hack for now.
Sometimes I just want to sketch or do some ink work. It doesn't happen often, but it's an option when I want to focus on practice sketching or drawing.
With time and practice I'll get to the point where I can paint freely without sketching first or ending with an outline, but I'm just not there yet.
Kit for the Park
Sometimes I want to spend extra time at the park with my dogs. When I have the time to spare, I use it as an opportunity to try new art techniques, follow-along with online art tutorials, or attempt to create my own original artwork.
Because of this, I tend to take additional items in a tote bag with handles I can drape over my shoulder. Sometimes I need both hands free to handle two dogs.
Below are the items I take with me to a park:
Water bottle(s)
Dog supplies
Pencil case of small items
Small plastic cup
Cut sheets of watercolor paper (larger than my DIY watercolor paper pad)
Clipboard
I never go to or hang out at a park without my dogs. If we're spending hours away from home, there are some things I consider essential for my dogs' day out at a park:
Blanket
Water bowl
Wipes
Baggies
Treats or packed meals
My small dog gets chilly during the colder seasons and early morning hours. I'd wrap him in a blanket on my lap, so he doesn't feel uncomfortable outdoors for a few hours.
Sometimes I take a snack or meal to eat at the park. It only seems fair for my dogs and I to eat together at the same time no matter where we are. This is essential for my small dog who never eats alone.
After I make sure my dogs are settled and comfortable, I'd set out my art supplies. A good pencil case is a secure way to store smaller art supplies and a few personal items I don't want to dig for in the tote bag:
Hand sanitizer
Flat (and sometimes round) water brushes
Pencil
Kneaded eraser
Archival ink pen
Toothbrush
White marker or pen
Shop towels (or paper towels)
Binder clips
Earbuds
Chapstick
The pencil case I use is large enough to store my small watercolor travel set and small DIY watercolor paper pad. Sometimes I'd take the pencil case with the two 'car' items and a water bottle to a coffee shop with me and the dogs.
I've yet to use the binder clips. I learned from watching "what's in my bag" or "travel art kit" videos online that it keeps watercolor paper from flapping in the wind. One day I may use the binder clips to secure my watercolor paper outdoors, but I haven't had a need for them yet.
Instead, I've used a clipboard to hold my watercolor in place. Yes, it'll still flap in the wind, but it won't escape me thanks to the tight grip of the clipboard.
My large watercolor travel set includes a mixing palette and a tube of awful white gouache paint. The gouache paint is too thin and doesn't do anything differently from the white watercolor paint in the set.
I always place a few traditional paintbrushes in the bottom well that originally housed a couple water brushes included with the set. There's less control with the flow of water from water brushes making mistakes more likely to occur. Recently, I've been more likely to use a traditional paintbrush over a water brush when painting.
My Thoughts
Since I consider myself an amateur artist "wannabe," I don't know if I pack too much or too little for the car or park. However, I've yet to go through a painting wishing I had an item I didn't take with me. I guess too much, if I have room to pack it, is better than not enough.
The contents of both daily travel art kits will change as my sketching and painting skills improve and progress. It's already changed a little since I wrote about Killing Time While Waiting in the Car last year and the items I'd have to do a "Quick Sketch and Paint."
A couple days ago, I splurged on a few new art supplies in celebration of my upcoming milestone birthday. The contents of at least one of the travel art kits will definitely undergo a change within the next two weeks.
What's Next?
Eventually, I'll share a few of the new art supplies and my opinionated review from an amateur artist's point-of-view. I'm not sure when that'll be, but it's coming.
What's in your daily travel art kit? Comment below to share your must have items for your travel art kit.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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