Traveling with Watercolors

Chances are you will be traveling this summer or fall. You probably envision yourself sketching and painting on location. Or maybe just want something to do in the hotel room. So this past week we had a conversation about some possible ways to make that a reality. 

THE SKETCHBOOK

Sylvia had a great compact carry-all for all her supplies. She does a lot of pen and ink and watercolor in a sketchbook form. I wish I'd photographed some of her supplies, but you are stuck with mine.

 Below is one of my favorites, because of its size, the type of paper, and the spiral binding. This is Kilimanjaro watercolor Paintbook from Cheap Joe. (It is only sold from Cheap Joe's) The paper is 100% cotton, 140 pound OR 300 lb.  It comes in 9 x 12 or the 10 x 5.5. Between each sheet of watercolor paper is a sheet of drawing paper. You can do sketches on the drawing paper or just use it as a protector. Both back and front can be painted on. The 9 x 12 also comes portrait or landscape. It's very durable and can be used for both quick studies or for finished product.

To me, it's only down side is that it is heavy. If you are looking for something small and light to carry into the field, then look at some other choices. The other downside is that it is only at Cheap Joe, so you need a good size order for free shipping.

(Sylvia did find an alternative for a long narrow paint book--it's by Arches. I'd never seen it before, but I believe she got it locally)

   

Below are some favorites on a smaller scale.

Left: Hand book by Global Art Materials(about 5 x 8); Right: Winsor & Newton water colour (about 5 x 7);Stillman and Birn (beta series) about 7 x 10.

The Hand Book is stitched, so that when you open it you can use 2 pages to make a longer painting. NOT 100% cotton, so the color blends are not as smooth, but great for ink, pencil, or pen and wash, or watercolor pencil. 

The Winsor & Newton is water colour aquarelle paper and blends watercolor nicely. It has a cold press texture and 140 pounds. The spiral binding makes it easy to use. The pages are perforated so they can be easily removed. 

The Stillman and Birn is not 100% watercolor paper, but is still a favorite of many artists who travel. The paper is a nice weight, with a smoother texture for pen and ink. You can still get pretty good blends with your watercolors. It is about 7 by 10 inches, giving a bit more room to sketch, and is spiral bound.

The photo on the right shows the Stillman and Birn on top, then Winsor Newton, and Handbook on the bottom.

  

These last two are also fun, tho not 100% cotton. The square one I ordered from Temu for under $6. Stitched and pages are about 5 x 5. The other is Strathmore I found in Walmart. It doesn't have the traditional Strathmore weave that I hate, and it's fun to paint in a long format.

    

OR CUSTOM MAKE YOUR OWN

I've made my own to suit myself. This first one is a small 3 ring binder that I have attached a zipper pouch to carry my pencil, pens, and brushes & misc. items. I've cut larger sheets of paper to 6 x 9 sheets (or you can order them that way through Bee paper). This way I can use any type of paper I like: cold press, hot press, yupo, sketch paper, etc. and have a variety of choices in the same paint book.

I've also done it with a regular size 3 ring binder, putting in a variety of papers, protecting them with sleeve protectors so I don't have holes in the papers. I can also keep challenge lists and reference photos in there. I keep a larger zipper pouch for miscellaneous items and brushes. The hard cover is a good surface to tape or clip my paper to. 

I'm most likely to take this one on short trips to visits kids and grandkids, who might like to paint or sketch along with me. I have paper to share.

How about no sketchbook? Here is just a clipboard with paper clipped to it. 

Here is a sketchbook I made out of one large sheet of 22 x 30 watercolor paper. You can choose whatever paper and weight you like. Named a "meander" book, it opens similarly to accordian style, and lets you make paintings as wide as you like.

I probably use this one the most when traveling light. You do have to bring a clip or band to hold the pages together when you work, as it tends to come unfolded unless you do.

You end up with 32 7.5 by 5 inch pages to paint on (16 pieces back and front)--30 if you glue a cover onto it. There is a you tube on how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO1yppftymQ

WHAT TO PAINT WITH

I like this compact paint travel kit, The Portable Painter. It has wells for mixing, a small brush, and 12 empty half pans that you fill with your own choices of paint. The case attaches to the palette for holding water and brushes. It fits right over the top of your leg, so you can paint without balancing a palette.

Notice that I made a swatch card of the paints I put in the palette. 

Handy water cups and fits over your leg.

Extra paints can be stored in empty half pans. You can put them in an Altoids box for safe traveling.

If you really want to travel light, use a mechanical pencil. There are all kinds out there and all kinds of leads. The one below is a 2mm lead, quite thick, and doesn't break easily at all. I'm using a 2B or 4B lead in it so I can easily shade my drawings. I also have an inexpensive one with .7 lead for light drawings that I don't want to show through the paint. With a mechanical pencil, you don't need to bring a pencil sharpener. (Altho this one comes with a razor thin one).

When it comes to brushes, I usually don't like the travel brushes that come with small palettes. And I'm usually not going to do any large washes that require a big brush. So I bring a 6 or 8 round with a nice tip, and maybe a flat brush.

A nice option is the water brushes shown below. You fill them with water and they are ready to go. To clean the brush, squeeze gently to get a small bead of water on the brush, then wipe with paper towel or rag until no paint comes off.  It takes a little practice to use one, but they are great for airplanes and to use with water color pencils. 

TIP: Water brushes screw on and off in REVERSE to what you are used to. 

At the top of this picture is shown a retractable exacto knife. Handy to use for a pencil sharpener, to scratch out highlights, or anything else you might want a blade for. On the bottom is shown my watercolor pencils. These I would take if I am flying and want to paint or sketch on the plane or in the airport.

Here are a few items you might find useful: a small spray bottle; a pad to sit on (this is a puppy training pad, waterproof on one side); tissues; washi tape; a collapsible water bottle; small sponge; clips; and two brushes. Not pictured, but useful, are a small plastic ruler/straight edge (mine is also an angle finder, great if I am doing buildings or perspective), and an eraser. Also a small rag or a few paper towels to wipe your brush on. I also like to slip a few baby wipes into a zip loc bag. Amazing for removing paint from hands.

Also, if you want something more substantial to sit on, Jackie found these collapsible tri-pod seats on Amazon called the slacker chair:   https://www.amazon.com/TravelChair-1389VBK-Slacker-Chair-Black/dp/B000FXVAYW/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=B4R1V&content-id=amzn1.sym.fd890e16-d287-4109-9166-cf98a9958c4e&pf_rd_p=fd890e16-d287-4109-9166-cf98a9958c4e&pf_rd_r=4X85FF7TJSH9ZFPSDR42&pd_rd_wg=fNYa4&pd_rd_r=525499c7-6be0-4da5-a860-fdd472155f59&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m&th=1

And  there is a light weight telescoping stool for about $19:

https://www.amazon.com/Foldable-Telescoping-Portable-Retractable-Collapsible/dp/B09H73C55S/ref=sxin_17_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.749943ff-94bd-4679-8f03-3b5488f65fae%3Aamzn1.sym.749943ff-94bd-4679-8f03-3b5488f65fae&crid=2YHN3UVZHO48K&cv_ct_cx=collapsible+seat+portable+2+pack&keywords=collapsible+seat+portable+2+pack&pd_rd_i=B09H73C55S&pd_rd_r=c8483b7c-e044-4d5b-be1f-2c8038299f57&pd_rd_w=n6yLZ&pd_rd_wg=7Ehmd&pf_rd_p=749943ff-94bd-4679-8f03-3b5488f65fae&pf_rd_r=X74M4D1WJRZ18ZM4QS3S&qid=1687303371&sprefix=collapsible+portable+seat%2Caps%2C301&sr=1-2-2b34d040-5c83-4b7f-ba01-15975dfb8828-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1

Find a backpack or camera case or similar case (some just like a fabric bag) to pack your gear in a way that makes everything compact and easy to get to. Something you are comfortable carrying.

So go out and practice painting outdoors. Pack what you think you will need, and go out on your porch or back yard and paint something. Don't let yourself go back to get something for 15-20 minutes.It won't take long before you'll discover a few things you wished you'd have brought. Is it windy? Do you wish you had clips or rubber band to hold down the paper?   Did you bring something portable for your water (to drink) and water to paint with? Is your equipment too heavy or uncomfortable to carry? 

Some things to remember about painting outdoors:

1. Your paper will dry faster if the air is dry and there is wind; slower if you are by the ocean and it is humid.

2. You will be tempted to put more in the picture than you can on the small page or in the small amount of time you have. A tip for drawing is to divide your paper in fourths lightly with a pencil. Put your center of interest in one of the interest points. Then work on the rest. This assures that you have room to put the most important things  

3. Some people like to put narrow washi tape around the border of the page to prevent paint from dripping onto other pages of the book.