Take a little time to plan your travel art needs

In spite of the recent hail today, and the never-ending drip of moisture, be it snow or rain, it is Spring, and I know you have travel plans for the warm weather. As our member Susi Olson has demonstrated, having some art supplies along is a great way to really "be" in the place you are visiting, and you end up with a lot of very personal mementos of your travels, painted en place.

So, here are some travel kit tips.

Watercolor:

Go to Sakura Travel Kit to find information about the neat set that was used to create this nice sketch:

Or, try Comparisons for a nice review of a number of kits available online and in stores, from Craft Test Dummies. Love the name, love the service!

Go to A Great Plein Aire Kit to follow one artist's journey to the perfect kit. Might give you some insights about choosing materials and packs that are just right for you too.

 

Your kit needs to be perfect for you method. At a minimum, you'll need a water container, water (a small light weight plastic bottle is perfect), a palette (again, plastic is light weight), a selection of colors (a double primary gives you great options and doesn't take a lot of space) in pan or tube form, depending on your preferences. A mounting board or easel is a must. A 2B and 2H pencil with a sharpener allow you to make some good sketches, and if you carry a kneaded eraser, you can lift out graphite lines easily. A view finder is a great idea for landscape painting, and works just as well for establishing composition limits on an individual specimen. Use a slide mount, or one like this -

- which is available at Daniel Smith. A blade or scissors are good to have in the field, WC paper en block, sunscreen and a hat or umbrella are also musts.

 

If you have developed a travel or field kit you find perfect, why not share your thoughts about how you chose the perfect bits for you. Send your thoughts to rmsbartists@gmail.com, and we'd love to have some pictures too!