Well, I really thought I packed light…

Hi friends! I have a theory that the more you bring with you to an art retreat the less you will get done because you will have more choices and therefore, more decisions to make. Here are the supplies I brought with me to the Focus Retreat Center for the Inktober Retreat and I will tell you what I used and didn’t in today’s video.

What I brought:

• huge pack of Art Beek brush markers (cheap and plentiful so I can share)

• Sketchbar marker sketchbook 7″x7″ or so (no longer available)

• Ohuhu fineliners (black and color-waterproof and alcohol marker proof)

In my Grumbacher backpack with stool built in. Sadly this backpack is no longer made but this is similar

• Viviva folio A5 set

• Derwent Chromaflow pencils, 24 set

• Portable painter filled with watercolors

• Hahnemuhle accordion sketchbook

• Bug spray & Sunscreen (hahahaha!)

• Stillman & Birn Beta series mixed media sketchbooks in 3.5″x5.5″ and 5.5″x8.5″ (finished both!)

• 4″x4″ handmade arches paper sketchbook by Artsirosi on ETSY (finished that too!)

• Cheap Joe pseudo sable travel brushes

• Flat Compass

• White gel pen

• White paint pen

• Basic watercolor extras like wax, credit card scraper, old toothbrush, rag, clips, tape, eraser, pencil, a few other brushes and stuff like that.

In my fanny pack:

• This fanny pack is waterproof and looks to be a similar size

• Tiny clip-on palette with my watercolors *this looks better than the one I bought and is cheaper LOL!

• Derwent set of 4 water brushes

• Compressed towels (actually, these are in all my kits and I rinse them out after using them, let them dry, and keep using them. *I had these in my camping stuff, I did not buy them for art but they are super absorbent and last longer than paper towels.

• 3.5″x8.25″ handbook sketchbook

• Other: clips, tape, pencil, eraser, cut-up credit card, etc.

I used almost everything, yay! I didn’t use bug spray, sunscreen, or an accordion sketchbook! I think that is a pretty good result! I think the best advice I can give for travel art is to pull together an easy-to-carry kit, use it a few times, and amend it along the way until you come up with the set-up that is best for you. Don’t get discouraged if your kit is awkward or cumbersome at first, you will either get used to it or make substitutions. You will find the best rig for the way you work and there are tons of options out there. Have fun exploring and til next time happy crafting!