Road Trip Essentials - Artist Edition
Ready to take your art on the road? We've got you covered with the art essentials to bring with you on your next journey.
Let's talk about paper to travel with!
A journal may come to mind first when thinking about paper that is travel-ready, and for good reason! They're made for just that - throwing in your bag & make great travel companions. We have a huge variety of papers available in hard & softcover journals, as well as spiral-bound books. Check out all of our journal offerings here. We think they're all perfect to take along with you.
Another product that's perfectly portable is a watercolor block - like our 400 Series version! These pads are glued on all four sides, which not only helps to keep your painting from buckling and eliminates the need for stretching the paper before use, but it also keeps your sheet secure - perfect for working outside! Just be sure to carry an Exacto knife (in your checked luggage if you're flying!) to remove the top sheet if you're planning on completing more than one painting.
Speaking of portable watercolor paper, did you know that Strathmore has a whole line of watercolor papers that were designed with travel in mind? Our Travel Series pads and journals were made to meet the needs of on-location and on-the-move artwork. All of these products feature 100% cotton paper that can stand up to scrubbing, scraping, and other rough techniques.
Finally, we can't talk about travel without talking about postcards! Our Mixed Media and Watercolor postcards come in tape-bound pads of 15 that are ready to tear out and drop in the post as soon as they're dry! The backs of the cards are even printed with the traditional markings of a postcard. Just don't forget your stamps!
Time to talk about what you're going to put on the paper that you've packed. Depending on the type of art you intend on doing on the road, you may not need to pack all of this, but we'll give you plenty of options.
For taking watercolor on the road, we love taking a small set that is compact. Something like the Aquafine 12 Half Pan Travel Set (pictured above, top left) from our friends at Daler-Rowney is perfect and includes two water wells and mixing space on the lid, as well as a brush. If you need a couple more brush options, we love a travel set like the ones from Princeton Brush (the Aqua Elite set is pictured above, bottom left). These brushes twist apart so you can store the brush end inside the handle for extra space-saving and protection.
Talking of saving space, how about a two-in-one marker? A dual-tipped marker like the Lyra Aqua Brush Duo (pictured above, center) is great for maximizing your options while also keeping your bag light. These markers feature a brush head on one end and a fine tip on the other, giving you a lot to work with.
We also love to take pencils and sketching supplies with us on the road. A small colored pencil set like the Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor tin (pictured above, top center) is perfect to toss in your bag and takes up minimal space. A sketching set like the Lyra Rembrandt Sketch Roll (pictured above, top left) is perfect. It rolls up and contains a variety of graphite, pastel pencils, oil pencils, and carbon pencils and has space for extra accessories in the roll. Another great option is to get a set that includes a smaller selection of pencils but also contains an eraser and sharpener, like the Lyra Rembrandt Sketching set (pictured above, left center).
Talking of accessories, make sure to bring the following extras that are often forgotten:
- Eraser
- Clear ruler
- Hand wipes
- Sharpener
- Paper blender
- Artist tape
- Board
- Clips to secure the paper to your board
- Sketching pens
Most importantly, have fun getting out into the world and creating art whenever and wherever you're inspired. And don't forget to use #strathmoreart when you post your art to Instagram so we can see what you've created on the road!
