All the Travel Essentials: Sketching on an Overseas Road Trip
Holidays are often when I do my most valuable drawing and sketching. For that to happen, I often need to push myself at the start of the holidays, to pick up the sketchbook and just get started. Over the holidays I tend to warm up to the challenge, and sketching becomes part of my holiday experience and memories. It’s really great as an alternative to spending time on my phone, and can be more sociable than reading a book!
We’re just recently back from an amazing family trip to New Zealand, and here are the art supplies I took with me:
✏️A small Paperblank sketchbook. I chose this one because it slips nicely into my small handbag, and the paper is sturdy. Unfortunately wet media doesn’t work so well in this book. I quick wash of colour works, but the watercolour paint doesn’t behave as nicely on it as it does on mixed media or watercolour paper. I wanted to travel light, so I was happy with that compromise.
✏️A small travel palette which I filled with gouache paint and a waterbrush (SO handy for painting away from the studio).
✏️A Blackwing drawing pencil.
✏️A red colour pencil (not pictured). My brain just loves to alternate between a colour pencil and a graphite pencil. Sometimes one just works better than the other for me. I also like to use the red pencil to roughly map out a drawing before going over it with graphite pencil.
✏️Some old book pages, a tiny pair of scissors and a glue stick. When I’m really stuck for what to do in my sketchbook, I like to be able to play with collage. Sometimes, sticking scraps of paper onto a blank page makes it easier to start drawing on it. It gives be a bit of a starting point.
I took spare watercolour paper, but found that I wanted to contain all my holiday drawing within my sketchbook, and didn’t end up using it. I also took washi tape and a tube of white gouache. I didn’t use these on this trip, but will keep them in my travel kit.
On this trip, all my art supplies fit into a handy mesh zippered pouch.
If you're wondering what I drew, here's a sneak peek. (Basically, anything and everything - what ever came to mind. On this trip my drawing practice was simply focussed on showing up and doing it!
