I have been drawing since I could remember. My kit has always consisted of a pen and a piece of paper. Sometimes a pencil. Recently, I have incorporated a few other materials to make sketching as enjoyable as possible. The easiest and most portable materials are what I prefer to travel with, but I do use bigger palettes, larger sheets of paper or heavy easels in my studio/office space. I have compiled the most portable sketching materials into this bag, so here is my list based on the image below.

This is the sketching kit I take with me everywhere. The bag is probably the only item I can’t link to because it is the little bag Delta Airlines gives you for first-class international flights. It usually has a pen, ear plugs, toothpaste, a wooden toothbrush, and other small toiletries. Any pencil case or makeup bag in a small size should be good enough.

A quick look at everything inside my sketching kit.

At the top left is a portable metal water container with two pots and lids, this clips to your sketchbook or board. Link: https://amzn.to/41usIw7

Next, is my palette. This is the Micro Portable Painter palette which can be modified to fit several colors and mixing wells. Here is the link to this awesome and tiny watercolor palette: https://amzn.to/3IyW4S1

Below these two items is my sketchbook, I can fit the A6 Etchr Sketchbook in this small bag, but you should choose whatever size sketchbook you like. I prefer this specific one because it is made with 100% cotton paper which is great for watercolor and this particular one is made with thick hotpressed paper which is perfect for fountain pens and even gouache. Here is the link to this tiny well-made sketchbook: https://amzn.to/3olZT6Y

Next to the sketchbook is my pencil, this one is Faber Castel Perfect Pencil which has a cap to protect the point, but what is even better is that the cap has a sharpener. Here is the link to this awesome pencil: https://amzn.to/3A4jv1W

I also carry washi tape, this one was purchased in Office Depot, some tiny clips from a craft store, and some portable watercolor brushes. These are Rafael brand, but any brand will do, synthetic or not, is also fine. You could try water brushes like these: https://amzn.to/3MOKk1F You won’t need a water container because these brushes have a water reservoir built-in. Here is a link to some great brush sets: Beginner-friendly artist travel brushes (Round Synthetic Sable Pocket Travel Brushes sizes: #4, #8, #12) https://amzn.to/3Z4WQ08

Not pictured, but I use Fountain Pens filled with waterproof ink for sketching sometimes after I paint, and most times before I start laying down the watercolor. Here’s one of my favorite pens to use: TWSBI fountain pen: https://amzn.to/3KVzCDU & ink: https://amzn.to/3UU1KMr This is black waterproof ink formulated for fountain pens.

All you need to get started is a sketchbook and a pencil, but if you’re using watercolor, make sure to buy a watercolor sketchbook and some good paint. Oh, and clips help a lot when it’s windy outside.

These are the paints I selected for this travel palette. Since I’ll most likely use this palette on a plane, on location, and everywhere, I need versatile colors that are great for mixing.

My palette consists of a basic triad and three mixing colors. My primaries are Quinacridone Magenta, Ultramarine Blue, and Vanadium Yellow. These single-pigment paints are great for mixing, usually the scenes that I paint require some kind of opacity in my washes and since I paint mostly urban city scenes, brick colors, and dirty walls are my jam, so mixing a warm blue and a cool red is fine by me. But only in the case of Urban Sketching. I wouldn’t use these colors together for a piece. And then, I have three great mixing colors: Quinacridone Gold, Potters Pink, and Lamp Black. They all have great properties and look great together. All the hues and tones that I could create with these 6 paints will look homogenous throughout the whole page and even the entire sketchbook. Win-win!

Here’s a quick exercise I do on the first few pages of my sketchbooks, just to swatch and test my palette and also so that the sketchbook doesn’t seem so precious. It can be daunting to start a new sketchbook, that first blank page can be intimidating. So, sketch your materials, test your colors on that specific paper, and then try out some mixes with your palette. I can create hundreds of mixes with just these six colors and I might switch them out for my next new sketchbook!

If you have any questions, feel free to write me a comment or an email. Look me up on Instagram and I hope you try out a more portable sketching solution that will get you inspired to draw outside!