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The 5 watercolor materials I never travel without

  • Writer: Astrid ten Bosch
    Astrid ten Bosch
  • 2 days ago
  • 3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago



I've been carrying a sketchbook through airports, souks, mountain villages and city cafés for over ten years now. Marrakech, Barcelona, Costa Rica, Greece, Norway, the Netherlands. And after all that testing, I've landed on a compact travel kit that fits in a small pouch and does everything I need. This is what's in it.

A note: some of the links below are affiliate links. If you order through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend things I genuinely use myself.

The philosophy first

Before we get to the list, one thing worth saying:

the best travel kit is the one you actually pack & use.

I've tried carrying my full studio setup on trips. It always ends the same way. Way to heavy materials stay at the hotel. The big brushes never come out. I end up carrying around too heavy things for weeks and eventually only carry whatever is small and light enough to fit in my day bag.

So over the years I've flipped it. I now bring only what I know will come out of the bag. Small, tested, and light enough to forget I'm carrying it.


Here's what made the cut:

1. A compact watercolor palette

This is my absolute favorite travel palette. Rich, pigment-dense colors in a compact box. Light enough to carry anywhere, small enough to open on a café table without taking over. The 15-pan version gives you a full working palette without being overwhelming.

I don't travel with tubes anymore. Pans are easier to carry, easier to refill, and won't leak in your bag when the pressure changes on a plane.

2. A sketchbook you'll actually finish

A5 is the sweet spot for travel. Big enough to feel like you're really painting, small enough to fit in most bags without thinking. Portrait format is my favorite because it works for both city scenes and wide landscapes without you having to flip the book sideways.

I go with 200gsm minimum. Anything lighter buckles the moment you use real water on it, and painting on a warped page is genuinely frustrating.

If you want to go one step up on paper, I also love the Etchr B5 100% cotton sketchbook for longer trips where I want the paper to hold more water and take more layers.


3. Foldable travel brushes

These are the one thing on this list I refuse to leave home without. Foldable, incredibly well-made, they hold their point beautifully. I've been using mine everywhere I go and they still perform like new.

The travel design means they collapse into their own handle for protection. No worrying that the tip is crushed at the bottom of your bag.

If Escoda is out of budget, Winsor & Newton Cotman rounds or Da Vinci Nova brushes are reliable, affordable, widely available starting points.



4. A waterproof fineliner or a fountain pen with waterproof ink

I learned this the hard way once. Three hours of watercolor work turned into a grey blur because my fineliner wasn't waterproof. Never again.

Pigma Microns are fully waterproof, they last a long time, and I reach for the 0.3 most often. Fine enough for detail work, still readable once you add watercolor over it.


What I use: Lamy Safari (with seperate converter)with Rohrer & Klingner Sketch Ink

For more expressive line work, I sometimes swap the fineliner for a fountain pen. The Lamy Safari has a refillable converter, so I fill it with waterproof sketch ink and use it for weeks. The lines are thinner when you draw lightly and thicker under pressure. It gives your sketches more personality than a fineliner.

Both work. Fineliners are simpler and more predictable. Fountain pens have more character. I usually bring both.


5. White Posca marker for highlights

For adding bright highlights, small letters, or details on top of dry watercolor. Easier and less messy than gouache on the road, and one tip covers a lot of paintings.

If you prefer paint, I also love Winsor & Newton Designers' Gouache in white (20ml). But for travel, the marker is more practical.



Want to know more about all the materials I use?

I put this whole list with all the info you need to know about watercolor paints, papers, and brushes, plus my favorite materials I bring everywhere I go.



 
 
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