Traveling with Watercolors

Boy oh boy, am I excited for summer! This is my favorite time of year, the warm weather, the sun shining at its best, the endless days at the beach breathing the salty air, with your toes in the sand, the eternal road-trips and traveling to new places, I just can't get enough of it. This is also a great time to travel with your supplies and explore with your art. 

When traveling I always pack as light as possible, and I do the same when I’m traveling with my watercolors, sometimes we have so many supplies that it can get overwhelming when trying to decide which ones to pack. That’s why I just pack minimal supplies to help me be more creative on the road. ​

WHAT’S IN MY ART TRAVEL BAG

1. A travel or small watercolor palette, my current favorite is the Van Gogh pocket box, it has all the colors I need and I can mix my very own. What I love most about this palette is that it has two trays that are great for mixing your own colors.

2. A convertible or pocket brush in size 6, I feel comfortable using that size because if I don’t apply pressure to it, the tip is fine enough to do details and if I apply pressure to it, its wide enough to fill bigger areas. That way I only limit myself to using just one brush.

3. A small watercolor block in size 4 x 6 inches, that size is perfect to create gorgeous paintings anywhere you are. I prefer blocks because if you’re like me and love making art at the beach, the wind will not a problem when painting, the pages will not move on you.

4. A mechanical pencil, to sketch my drawing and write any ideas that may come to mind.

5. A micron pen size 03, that size is not too thin and not too thick which makes it perfect to write or ink my drawing if you feel like it.

6. A cute pencil or travel bag to have it all as organized as possible.

7. Depending where I’m going, I either carry a water brush filled with water, a bottle of water and or a disposable cup, read below for more details.

BUT WAIT, WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THE WATER?

That’s a good question my Creative friend, here are some alternative solutions when it comes to traveling with water to paint with your watercolors…

GOING TO THE BEACH

1. Carry a water brush like the Pentel Aquash and fill it with water.

2. Carry a bottle of water and a disposable or collapsable cup to fill it when you need it.

3. Adventurous Tip: Carry a disposable or collapsable cup and fill it with sea water.

GOING ON A ROADTRIP

1. Solutions 1 & 2 from the beach travel category

2. Adventurous Tip: Carry a disposable or collapsable cup and fill it with water at your first stop.

TRAVELING ON AN AIRPLANE

1. Since in airplanes you cannot carry a bottle filled with water, unless you’re traveling with a baby, I recommend traveling with a water brush.

2. Adventurous Tip: Ask the flight attendant for a disposable cup and fill it with water from the airplane.

SIGHT SEEING

1. Solutions 1 & 2 from the beach travel category.

2. Adventurous Tip: Carry a disposable or collapsable cup and fill it with water from the place you’re at.

GOING ON A CRUISE

1. Solution 1 from the beach travel category.

2. Carry a disposable or collapsable cup and fill it with water from the cruise.

3. Adventurous Tip: Carry a disposable or collapsable cup and fill it with sea, river or lake water from the place you’re at.

I hope this tips on how to travel with watercolors are useful to all of you this summer and all year long.

Happy Creating!