I was lucky to have been on holiday during August, at the start of my studies for this module. I wanted to sketch while on holiday, so had to prepare a travel kit. So the selection that I have made for this exercise has been tried-and-tested, and refined, since the holiday.
I have veered towards using ink more, but I do still have some pencils. I use a mechanical pencil which includes an integrated eraser, and three water-soluble graphite pencils. These pencils allow me to do quick sketches but also lay down washes of varying intensity. I also normally carry a magic pencil or red-blue pencil which I enjoy for the varied colourful lines.
My staple drawing implements are a Lamy Safari fountain pen filled with Carbon Ink from Platinum. Currently, I am using a cartridge but I also have a refillable adapter for my inkwell. The ink is waterproof once dry which allows me to lay down washes on top without fear of activating the ink. I also have a Pentel ink brush pen which is useful for areas of coverage, dry-brushing for texture and using water to create ink washes.
Speaking of which, I usually have one or two water brushes which means I can play with ink and watercolour paint without having to carry around extra water. For paints, I have a set of Winsor and Newton half-pan watercolours, which I have tweaked with a few extra colours. These are in a handy field kit which includes a small water bottle, mixing palettes, water cup and even a small brush. It has a thumb ring underneath which is really handy when out-and-about. I also have a small rectangle of greaseproof paper which I place on top of the paints - I found that when hot, some pans can become sticky so this avoids the paints sticking to the lid.
To add to the paints, I use a set of three travel brushes, which range from small to mop, which is really useful for large washes in my sketchbook. To hold all of these I have two main containers. The first is a plastic yellow pencil case which I use if I need just a few bits, I normally include a gum eraser if I am packing pencils.
The other container is a carry-tile twice the height of the pencil case. This allows me to carry a lot or a little, as it can fold right over, or just close the top. I can fit pretty much everything into this tile. It's secure and waterproof which makes it really robust. I'll usually pack some grips for my sketchbook and a cloth for wiping and cleaning.
It's a good little versatile kit, and it serves me well.
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