My Outdoor Sketching Supplies & Etchr Slate Art Bag Review

Hi friends! Since it is summer and world Watercolor Month I thought it would be fun to share what I bring for sketching and painting outside:

I also received this travel art bag to review so I took it out sketching a couple of times and I will share what I think of it in today’s video.

The Etchr Slate Satchel is a stylish, well made waterproof bag for plein air painting and urban sketching. This is a high quality waterproof bag with tabs and cords for holding your supplies like pens, pencils and sketchbooks (or tablets.) There is a front pocket that will allow me to carry a flask of water, small sketchbook, rag and watercolor palette as well as a secure zipper pocket on the front flap that will accommodate my phone and wallet so I don’t need to carry an extra bag for that. The bag is sleek enough to take around with you on a bus, plane restaurants or the office without looking out-of-place. This bag sells for $119 USD and they ship worldwide from Australia. Etchr provided me with this bag for review purposes.

Pros: The bag looks great and is well made, the zippers move smoothly and the straps are easy to adjust. The velcro tabs and loops are very strong. There is even a mount if you want to put this bag on a tripod for easel sketching. This bag is also free on animal products.

Cons: The bag is really slim meaning you won’t be able to keep all kinds of supplies in there, I think drawing or watercolor is probably it. This is definitely not for oil or acrylic painters or if you need to carry bulky materials. I use a flask for my water as a water bottle would not fit well in the large pocket. Also it is a bit awkward to get used to wearing the bag but it does get more natural the more you do it.

I think this would be idea for an urban sketcher where you have limited space to work (like on a bus, train or busy street) and you need to look chic because you are sketching on your lunch hour. It feels a bit fancy for me as I traipse through the woods though LOL!

Bottom Line: It’s a well made bag that is as stylish as it is functional.

My favorite sketching supplies:

• Portable painter palette

• Water flask

• Watercolor paint: Qor or Daniel Smith

• Sketchbooks: Stillman & Birn Mixed Media Beta Series and the small one too

• #12 Joe Miller Pseudo Sable Watercolor round travel brush

• Black india ink pen

• White gel or posca pen

• Other: Credit card scraper, rag, pencil

• I also brought #8 and #12 triangle brushes, 1/2″ flat and 1″ flat but they are not essential.

You can find out more about Etchr here. I hope you get outside to paint this summer, til next time happy crafting!