Sketching Tip: How few materials can you bring?

Sketching any time, any where, gets easier with practice. But planning for sketching helps, too.

Let’s take those ideas a step further, and figure out what, exactly, to bring along.

Having materials ready means I can grab the appropriate (and/or most convenient) set-up and be ready to go at a moment’s notice. And, having sketching materials along means I’m way more likely to sketch!

Along with some sort of sketchbook, I always have one of the following kits in my pocket, purse, or backpack when I leave the house:

Micro kit: small container with eraser, pencil sharpener, half-pencil, half-watercolor pencils in primary colors, mini waterbrush, and scrap of fabric for a blotting cloth (a corner of an old washcloth works well). This kit is 4 1/4″ x 1 1/4″ x 3/4″, smaller than the palm of my hand. (See top photo.)

Mini kit: Instead of a small metal container, I use a travel toothbrush case. This can hold full-length pen, pencil, a small eraser, half-watercolor pencils, and a mini waterbrush. If I really pack it tight, I can squeeze in a small blotting cloth or a sharpener.

Medium kit: I use a Derwent watercolor tin that has a removable metal tray. This enables me to fill the bottom layer with a combo of full-size and half-size pencils, pens, full-size or mini waterbrush, eraser, sharpener, blotting cloth, and odds and ends. Sometimes that’s all I bring. But, I can also include the removable tray, and layer in a lightweight plastic watercolor palette, enabling me to bring quite a lot of materials in a fairly compact container. The tin I use, when filled and closed, measures 7″ x 4″ x 1 1/2″. (See image below.)

Looking for handy sketching materials of your own?