I was going to write an ink review today, but I realised I'd probably be the only person interested in reading it. And I'd already know what it says, so you know... Also I'm not feeling the freshest today (quiz night got a bit out of hand last night), so I couldn't be arsed to do all the ink swatches. Instead I present to you my travel drawing kit!
There are 5 things that make up my kit.
1. Paper. I like A5 sized things (sketchbook, notepad, paper pad, etc), so that it fits neatly into most bags. At the moment I'm using a drawing pad where you can rip out the pages. I like pages you can rip out because they're easier to scan, but they also have a tendency to fly away when you're outdoors. The pad is a lot thinner now than it was at the time I took these pictures and I think I'll switch to a proper sketchbook when I finish it.
2. Watercolours. I got this little Winsor & Newton set as a graduation present from me to me. I bought it here. The quality of the paint is really good and I'd say 12 colours is plenty to mix any shade you might need. This particular set came without a black (mad, right?), I bought a black half pan separately and got rid of one of the greens. I know there are different sets out there, so I'd say the only criteria would be that it's small enough and that it has enough space to mix your colours.
3. Brush pens. Oh I love these. It's quite a new discovery (also a graduation gift from me to me), but one that has secured a solid spot in my travel set. They're really handy as they eliminate the need of carrying a cup for water and rinsing the brushes. The actual brushes are quite thick, but the tips are really fine and work well even for doing fine detail. I got them here as a set of three, but one would probably be enough.
4. Pencil-case. Paul got me this bad boy for Christmas. It smells like goats, but I love it. Essentially I could pack a pencil, a fine liner and, if I was feeling fancy, a felt tip pen, and that would be more than enough; however, I always overpack it. There's usually a bunch of small brushes I end up not using, at least 4 or 5 fine liners, and lots of other crap. A new addition is a couple of coloured pencils I use to add details after I've finished painting. It also contains a tiny, sad-looking rubber. I've had it for ages and I keep thinking I've lost it because it's so small, but for some reason I'm having trouble letting it go.
5. Kitchen roll. It's really handy to keep a piece of it around when painting the traditional way, but it becomes an essential when you're using brush pens. Since you don't wash them in a cup, you clean them by rubbing it on the kitchen roll.
I never really end up doing any inking on the go because it's a fiddly process, which requires a flat and steady surface, which can be hard to find.
I thought I'd leave you with a little photo, which for me pretty much sums up the advantages of drawing outdoors.
You may wonder what this lovely place is. If you want to know... Tune in for the post coming next Sunday to find out! Okay just joking, it's Loch Achilty. But there is a post coming up about this camping trip, so I hope to see you here again a week from now.
Okay bye!
