choosing a compact art kit

art kit

Size really does matter when living in a small campervan. Just about everything gets pared down to absolute essentials or smallest options. After 7 months making art on the road I have reconfigured my art kit to items that are essential, small and effective.

paint, primer & medium
Gouache is a concentrated opaque watercolour paint. You get a lot of pigment in a small tube and when the paint dries it can be rewetted and used. Gouache likes to grip onto a surface, so I use a gritty primer to key the surface and help the gouache 'stick'. I chose a transparent primer so I can use any colour by adding pigment to the primer. As I most often start with a black or white surface, I have two tubes of inexpensive black and white acrylic paint to add to the primer, but I could also use gouache to tint the primer. Gum Arabic is new to me. I'm just trying it out. When mixed with gouache it allows transparency, flow and sheen. I have 3 stackable plastic pallets. My brushes are a mix of very cheep and a few better quality favorites.

surface
It is easy to find card along my travels. Sometimes a framer may sell the inside of mount board, or I can buy an inexpensive sheet of card and cut into small rectangles. I also have some pads of coloured card and a couple of small sketch books.

dry colour
I like to work over paintings to add a variety of marks which energise the art piece. My favourite colour pencils are Progresso wood-less pencils. Again you get a lot of colour form a set of these pencils and you may never need to buy coloured pencils again.

pens & pencils
A variety of pens have to come with me. From thick to fine, water soluble to permenant, black to white, I keep my pens for detail. Pencils are much the same, I have my favorites, thick greasy Chinagraph, heavy 8B graphite, fine 2B, black, grey, white, a broad selection.

When packed up my art kit is condensed, easily stored and simple to access.