Art Supplies on the Road
When I decided to take my business on the road, I knew I would need to be selective about how much and which art supplies I brought with me. I am living out of one suitcase and one carry-on - that’s it. That leaves very little space for things that can take up quite a bit of room, like paper. So I brought only what I thought I needed. And in some instances it’s worked out perfectly, in others I’ve sorely missed having a Blick Art Supplies Store within driving distance.
Here’s a comprehensive list of what I have on the road with me:
In My Brush Bag:
1/8” Windsor & Newton Cotman Angled Brush
7” Connoisseur Kolinsky Round Pocket Brush
Mechanical Pencils
Kneaded Erasers
3 Pigma Micron 005 Pens
1 Pigma Micron 05 Pen
Pallet Knife (to remove the paper from the block)
1/4” Windsor & Newton Cotman Flat Brush
3/4 Connoisseur Goat Oval Mop Brush
Holbein Collapsable Water Dish
Paper Towels
Plastic Watercolor Paint Tray
Paper:
Moleskin Watercolor Paper Journal
Sketch Journal
Arches Hot Pressed 140lb 9x12 Paper Block
Arches Cold Pressed 140lb 9x12 Paper Block
I already had a collection of watercolor paint tubes and didn’t want to invest in new watercolor paint, so I decided to bring them with me. The tubes are small so they don’t take up too much room and they last a long time so I don’t have to worry about running out.
In My Paint Bag:
Utrecht Alizarin Crimson
Sakura Koi Carmine
Grumbacher Cadmium Orange
Sakura Koi Yellow Ochre
Sakura Koi Lemon Yellow
Grumbacher Sap Green
Utrecht Viridian
Sakura Koi Chrome Light Green
Utrecht Cerulean Blue Pure
Grumbacher Cobalt Blue
Utrecht Phthalo Blue
Grumbacher Thio Violet
Windsor & Newton Raw Sienna
Grumbacher Raw Umber
Sakura Koi Burnt Sienna
Grumbacher Burnt Umber
Van Gogh Ivory Black
Utrecht Paynes Gray
Utrecht Cobalt Teal
Windsor & Newton Permanent Rose
Grumbacher Cadmium Red Light
Sakura Koi Pale Orange
Windsor & Newton Masking Fluid
One of the most important things I’ve come to realize is that it can be very difficult to find supplies outside of the United States, and if you do find what you’re looking for it can be really expensive. I naively thought I would be able to buy more paper and what not with relative ease in Buenos Aires, but what I hadn’t counted on was how difficult it was for businesses to export products into Argentina. This severely limited the brands and quality of the products I did find. So, if you are going to go traveling for an extended period of time, really really think about what you actually need. Be selective but not so much so, that if you left something behind you wouldn’t be able to live without it. Lucky for me I had a couple friends come visit, so I loaded them up with everything I was missing! :D