My Travel Art Supplies and 3 Tips On How To Keep A Travel Watercolor Journal
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Whenever I travel I always bring my sketchbook and paints along with me. I never know when I will see something that will inspire me and I love to keep a little watercolor journal of all of the places that I have visited. On my most recent trip to Florida, I didn’t have a lot of time to sit still and paint. With my two-year-old son being very busy I wanted to keep my eyes on him at all times, but I did manage to paint a little beach scene while he was playing in the sand next to me one day. I was able to capture what I wanted to paint in about five minutes.
Below I am sharing the three tips that I use while painting when traveling.
Tip 1. I don’t use a pencil.
My first tip on keeping a travel watercolor journal and how to paint quickly is to not use a pencil. I don’t even bring a pencil on my trips! I know it is hard especially if you are like me and worry that you will mess up your whole painting, but I promise that this tip will help to you paint faster and build your confidence as a painter.
Tip 2. I don’t overthink my painting.
When you are keeping a travel watercolor journal you are most likely wanting to paint your picture quickly. That means you do not want to spend too much time thinking about all the little details in the scenery that you are wanting to paint. Just put your paint to paper and focus on shapes!
Tip 3. I keep my travel watercolor journal small.
My watercolor journal is about 3”x4” and that is the perfect size for me to carry along and capture what I am wanting to paint quickly without worrying about painting a lot of detail.
Here is a list of my travel watercolor supplies!
I am unable to link my exact watercolor journal because it was given to me as a gift, but this is the next best thing! I love that it has cold-pressed 140lb watercolor paper so your paintings won’t buckle!
This paintbrush holder is the perfect thing to protect your brushes while traveling. I have had mine for years and still love it!
I use this folding paint palette all the time! I just add my paints and it is good to go!
Before traveling I always set up my pallet with my colors and then wait just a few hours for my paints to dry before packing.
I hope these tip are helpful and if you decide to start a travel watercolor journal I would love to see pictures of it!
