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Sketching on the move comes with its perks and satisfactions. The way your hand slows down just enough to notice the curve of a doorway in Lisbon or the way the sky deepens just before a storm in Kyoto – these are the simple joys of creating art while travelling.
Millions of people are part of the global art tourism market, which is expected to reach a $54.44 billion value by 2030.
Whether you’re travelling for inspiration or just refusing to leave your sketchbook behind wherever you go, it helps to know exactly what to pack to get the best out of your arty experiences.
Here’s how to bring your art practice along without overstuffing your luggage or losing your favourite pen somewhere over the Atlantic.
Table of Contents
Pack Compact Tools for a Big Impact
Quality and versatility are undoubtedly important when travelling, so you must choose your art tools carefully.
Pocket-Sized Sketchbooks
Opt for a travel-friendly sketchbook no larger than A5. Moleskine’s Art Plus or Stillman & Birn’s softcover series are light, durable, and handle ink and light washes well. Some even fit into a jacket pocket.
Watercolour Travel Sets
A compact watercolour palette, like the Winsor & Newton Cotman Pocket Box or the Kuretake Gansai Tambi travel set, offers a full range of colours in a case that fits in your palm. Most come with mixing wells built into the lid.
Water Brushes
No need to carry jars of water. A few refillable water brushes (Pentel, Derwent, or Caran d’Ache) let you paint anywhere, on planes, in parks, or on busy train platforms, without the mess.
Mechanical Pencils & Fineliners
Mechanical pencils save you from carrying sharpeners. Add a few waterproof fineliners (like Microns or Uni Pins) for crisp outlines and ink sketches.
A Multi-Use Tool Kit
A small zip pouch with tape, clips, an eraser, and a compact ruler keeps everything organised. Some artists carry a few binder clips to hold sketchbooks open outdoors. Others swear by washi tape for both masking and decorating.
Protecting Your Art Supplies in Transit
In a perfect world, luggage isn’t thrown, squashed, and stacked. But in reality, you can expect your luggage to go through a tougher trip than you do. You’ll need to think of keeping your materials safe while still travelling light. Here’s how to do that:
- Use a hard case pencil wrap instead of a soft roll to protect delicate tips.
- Keep liquids in zip-locks, especially inks or brush pens, as altitude changes can cause leaks.
- Store your sketchbook in your carry-on, not checked baggage, to avoid warping or damage.
- Tuck paper towel pieces or cotton pads into your palette case to absorb any moisture and prevent smudging.
- Opt for TSA-friendly sizes, especially scissors, glue, or paint tubes. Check country-specific rules ahead of time.
Pack Once, Create Anywhere
You don’t need to pack your entire studio, but you need enough to get what’s in your head onto paper. Many travellers find that limitation breeds creativity, and sometimes a single brush pen and sketchpad produce more magic than a full kit.
If you’re moving across countries or going remote, digitising your work on the go can also be helpful. Apps like Procreate (if you’re an iPad user) or even Snapseed for quick photo edits let you share or log your work instantly.
Snap Inspiring Pics
You’ll see a lot while travelling and unfortunately, you won’t have time to sketch everything. Creating a social profile (perhaps Instagram) to capture all the moments that touched you along the way is a great step towards future art inspiration. Investing in an international eSIM will ensure you don’t have to track down local SIM cards while travelling and can upload pics to your socials seamlessly.
Final Thought: Art as a Travel Diary
While art tourism will enable you to immerse yourself in the history, culture, and local art scene of an area, you’ll want to have your own supplies with you for those moments of inspiration. Sketchbooks aren’t simply sketchbooks when you’re far from home, and neither are the art supplies that you’d use in them. They can become a type of home, a place to remember the moments in life that have impacted you. Your trip can become a visual journal with the uneven lines of a rooftop to the steam rising from a ramen bowl or the eeriness of a quiet morning simply waiting for a countryside train.
The right art supplies make it easier to capture those moments before they pass. With smart packing, you can make sure your creativity travels just as freely as you do.
