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Portable Studio
July 13th, 2014

For my birthday, I bought myself an M-51 engineers field bag. At first, I was both overwhelm and undecided about what to put in it. After a few days, I discovered that I was adding more art supplies than anything else. So, I decided to turn it into an artist’s go bag for long trips where I typically wouldn’t be able to do much art.

For simplicity, I focused mainly on both drawing/sketching and watercolor painting. Simplicity. Yeah, right!

I started with the basic materials. Then, I started anticipating different scenarios; the bag got heavy. I had to do an audit to get the weight down and to make room for the essentials. Then, I could start adding in fluff. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

  • 9 x 12 Canson Drawing Pad
  • 9 x 12 Tracing Paper
    • I use tracing paper as a light-weight, protective cover sheet for artwork that smears or rubs off easily.
  • 6 x 9 Strathmore Watercolor Paper
    • I originally had a 9 x 12 pad, but it added a lot of weight and bulk to the bag. The smaller size is perfect for quick, on-the-go paintings.
  • Synthetic Leather Roll-Up Pencil Case
    • For fun, the case looks like a pirate map.
  • Palomino Blackwing 602 Pencils
  • Palomino Pearl Pencils
  • Palomino Blackwing Pencils
  • Palomino Long-Point Pencil Sharpener
    • My new favorite sharpener! It gets drawing pencils extra long and extra sharp.
  • Windex (in tiny spray bottle)
    • There will be times when I include electronics, which will need to have clean screens. Plus, Windex can clean a great deal of different surfaces.
  • Microfiber Clothes
    • Again, for the electronics.
  • “The Masters” Travel-Size Brush Cleaner
    • The best for cleaning, conditioning, and keeping brushes in shape.
  • “The Masters” Travel-Size Artist’s Hand Soap
    • Removes paint, ink, dyes, and grease from hands.
  • Kiss-Off Stain Remover
    • Helps remove various stains.
  • First-Aid Kit
    • Paper cuts are bad. Watercolor paper cuts are worse. X-Acto knife cuts can be serious! Plus, you never know what life will through at you on the go.
  • Black Sharpie Ultra-Fine Permanent Marker
  • Black Gel Pen
  • Red Ball-Point Pen
  • Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils
    • Travel-size watercolors with less mess.
  • Derwent Water Brushes
    • Watercolor brushes with built-in water reservoirs.
  • Dish Sponge
    • Replaces paper towels or rags for absorbing excess water from brushes.
  • Water Bottle
  • X-Acto Knife
  • X-Acto Knife Blades
  • Large Rubberbands
    • These come in handy! They can bind items, keep paper attached to a clipboard on breezy days, and keep drawing pads closed.
  • Small Binder Clips
  • Flashlight
  • 12-inch Ruler
  • 5-inch Diameter Collapsible Silicone Bowl
    • This was sold as a dog dish! Perfect for holding water.
  • Resealable Plastic Bags (assorted sizes)
    • These have been so useful.
  • Empty Spray Bottle
    • For spraying water or chemicals for painting effects.
  • Scissors
  • Standard No. 2 Pencils
    • For writing or letting kids draw. Kids tend to be rough on pencils.
  • Kneaded Eraser
  • Gum Eraser
  • Prismacolor Premier Pencil Sharpener
    • For sharpening watercolor pencils. The large shaving storage means less mess and emptying.
  • Elmer’s White Glue
    • It comes in handy more often than not.
  • Clipboard
  • White Printer Paper
    • For letting kids draw. They go through paper like it was water!
  • Painting Stencils
    • Self-made stencils for drawing a quick border to paint/draw in along with a half-inch border. Sizes are 5 x 7 and 4 x 6.
  • Clip-On OttLite LED Mini Flip Light
    • For drawing in low-light situations. OttLites show true colors while reducing eye strain.

Now I just need to test it in the field.

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