My watercolor setup was created to be portable and modular. Over the past two years I’ve been testing supplies and approaches with the end goal of bringing the studio with me when we travel full time.
Paints
Initially I was somewhat paralyzed, believing there might be a “right” and “wrong” answer about which brand of artist-grade watercolors to buy. And I’m not even talking about which colors…just which brand. Despite the very good reviews, I didn’t think I could use M Graham because the honey seemed to sometimes make the paints move around and I knew my setup needed to be highly portable.
I settled on Daniel Smith, and have been very happy with the results. I have a few paints from Windsor & Newton or Schmincke Horadam, but 90% are Daniel Smith.
See my other post about color selections for my palette.
Palette
I tried several setups, looking for something that was portable enough but also not too restrictive and I found my perfect match with the variety of palettes from Art Toolkit.
The “Folio” size, their largest, is my go-to. It holds everything I need and has plenty of room for mixing. I use their original Pocket Palette in my travel setup for when I’m out & about on a hike or heading to town. I’ve pictured the smallest (“Demi”) size, but they haven’t been as useful for me.
The outer shell is magnetic and they sell several different size tins for individual paints or mixing areas. This approach is incredibly flexible and modular.
I paint a few coats of a white matte epoxy spray paint inside the individual paint tins because I prefer seeing the paint against white versus the silver that comes standard. Their larger mixing pans already have a white background, so no need to paint those.
I swipe some White Out on the back of the paint tins so I can write the paint color, manufacturer and pigment on the back. I have some poured tins that aren’t in my typical setup and if I want to swap out some other colors, having them labeled is very helpful.
Use the best art supplies you can from the start. They’ll perform more consistently and it’ll make a difference in the results you’re seeing right away.
Brushes
I started with Princeton Aqua Elite synthetic brushes from Blick and found them to work very well. Early on I also tried a DaVinci traveling brush and I definitely did not like the hard/square edge where the pieces screw together. Because they were so highly recommended and they didn’t work for me, for a long time I gave up on traveling brushes and spent a good bit of time working through systems to enable safe transport of normal brushes.
Eventually I came upon Rosemary traveling brushes and decided to give them a try. I’m so glad I did because the R12 dagger is my workhorse. I also purchased several sizes of these round travel brushes on Etsy from the JuliaKArtStudio because I liked the wood accent and they’ve been great. I only use travel brushes now, with the exception of two very small, flat, short-handle brushes that I break out when I want to lay down an initial wash. I have two because one is in my “studio” setup and one stays in my travel kit.
Truthfully, there haven’t been many brushes I’ve tried that I didn’t like. I’m not sure if that’s because I started out with good brands or if it is because I’m not all that picky.
Paper & Sketchbooks
I’ve used Arches paper consistently and been happy with the quality. I tend to use small sizes, so even though the 140lb paper buckles somewhat, it hasn’t been an issue for me. If I were creating larger or more special works, I would likely upgrade to the 300lb weight.
At the beginning, before traveling, I experimented with different sketchbooks because I felt that a sketchbook format would be the best way to paint while on the road. It would keep a sequential record and when completed could be labeled with a date. Ideally, it wouldn’t take up too much space in the RV, although over time it remains to be seen how many I keep and how they are stored. I also wanted a sketchbook with a hard cover because I thought it would help structurally on the occasions when I want to sketch & paint while on a hike or in town. The problem was that I couldn’t find one that was exactly the size & format I wanted with the paper I wanted. So like a lot of my “kit” generally, I found a solution to make my own.
After reading about hand sewing coptic bindings, using rings or other methods, I stumbled upon the Zutter binding punch. It has been perfect for me – compact but strong enough to punch through the kraft brown cardstock I purchased for my notebook covers. Now I purchase Arches paper in 22″ x 30″ sheets, which is the a more cost-effective way to purchase this paper than in pads or blocks. I can cut it into any dimension that fits my needs, cut 2 covers & away I go!
Admittedly, I’m still working through figuring out which size suits me best.
I like to work small, but at a certain point…it is TOO small!
Pencils, Pens & Ink
Despite being left-handed, I’ve always had an affinity for fountain pens, dating back to high school when I first discovered them. I’ve used the same red Lamy Safari for at least the last 15 years of my career, replacing parts when needed. As much as I love that pen, I wanted a different set of pens for art in order to signify a separation from my working life.
The pens I’m using currently are below:
Sailor Fude Fountain Pen
Muji Fine Fountain Pen
Copic Multi – liner 0.5
Pentel Brush Pen
Marvy 2.0 Calligraphy Pen
Gelly Roll White Gel Pen
I am still searching for the best fountain pen ink. Right now I have Noodler’s Lexington Gray in my drawing pens because I saw online it was noted as being 100% bulletproof when dry and I don’t like my ink to bleed during subsequent painting. Plus I wanted to see the effects of a slightly more subtle line. But I’m missing the dark lines I got from Platinum Carbon Black, and I will likely go back to it.
I like the Pentel GraphGear 1000 mechanical pencil with a 0.5 lead and I also keep both a gray and a sepia watercolor pencil in my kit. I tend to use the watercolor pencils fairly often because I like how the lines wash away and disappear in the final painting.
Other Items
There are a variety of other items that play a big role in my watercolor practice.
- Bag –
Hess Mini Backpack from Yukon Bags. Fjällräven Keb Hike 20 - Support board – Coroplast, with embedded magnets. Inspired by Marc Taro Holmes and Liz Steel
- Travel Chair – Helinox Chair Zero – very comfortable and reasonable portability
I also keep 2 different organizers for miscellaneous items. One stays in my “studio” setup if I’m staying at the RV and the other is in my travel kit. I use the Folio Palette in my studio setup and the original Pocket Palette in my travel setup. The studio set has a larger array of pens, pencils and brushes.
Studio/In the RV
- 2 collapsible water cups
- Small scissors
- Eraser
- Pencil sharpener
- Tiny spray bottle
- Infant washcloth
- Small ruler
- 4 Binder clips
- Blending stick
- Washi tape
Travel
- 1 collapsible water cup
- Eraser
- Tiny spray bottle
- Infant washcloth
- 2 Binder clips
- Washi tape
- also in the bag – a collapsible bottle, my camping chair & sketchboard