When I go outside to sketch, I like to keep my art supplies simple, practical, and easy to carry. Travel sketching is not about taking the whole studio with you. It is about choosing the right few tools that help you capture the place, the mood, and the moment. Over time, I found myself coming back to the same materials again and again. Here are my top 5 favorite art supplies that I use frequently in my sketches.
Recently I had a sketch day in LA with my watercolor kit. More about you can find here.
Watercolors
Watercolors are one of my favorite materials for sketches and travel sketches. They are especially great in summer, when the paper dries fast and I can continue working without waiting too long. What I love most is that even a small watercolor kit can give me many color options, because I can mix a lot of shades from just a few colors. This is really important when I sketch on the go, because I want my bag to stay light and comfortable.
Sometimes I like to start my sketch by blocking bigger areas of color first, and only after that I go into the details with a pen. This method helps me capture the general atmosphere quickly before the light or the scene changes.
Colored Pencils
I started to really enjoy colored pencils when I got my Prismacolor set. The pencils were very soft and pigmented, and that helped me make my sketches faster, brighter, and more vibrant. Colored pencils still take more time than watercolor, but they give a different kind of control over the sketch. I can build color slowly, add texture, and create small details without needing water or extra setup. For travel sketching, I think colored pencils can be a very good option, especially when I want something clean and easy to use. They are not always my fastest material, but they are very enjoyable when I have more time to sit and draw.
See my colored pencils set here.
Pentel Brush Pens
Pentel sign brush pens are great for quick and expressive sketches. I especially like using them when it is cold outside and I need to make a sketch fast before my hands freeze. The flexible brush tip allows me to create both thin lines and thick lines, which makes the drawing feel more alive and energetic. With one pen, I can show small details, bold shadows, movement, and character in the same sketch. One important thing to remember is that these pens are not waterproof. A raindrop or a wet brush can make the sketch a bit messy, so I use them carefully when the weather is unpredictable.
Fountain Pen
I use a Lamy fountain pen with a fine tip, and I really enjoy it for quick and expressive sketching. The ink in my cartridges is not waterproof, which can actually be useful when I want to create soft ink washes. I can sketch the lines first, then touch them with water and get beautiful gray tones and loose shadows. This makes the fountain pen a very interesting tool, especially for cold sketching days when I want to work quickly. Sometimes I also combine it with thinner pens to highlight certain areas in my sketch. The fountain pen gives the drawing more personality, and I like how natural the lines feel on paper.
Micron Pens
For lining, Micron pens are one of the best materials I use. They are waterproof, which makes them perfect to combine with watercolor. They also come in many different thicknesses, so you can choose the line weight that works best for your sketch. My favorite sizes are 0.35 mm and 0.45 mm, because they feel balanced and useful for most of my drawings. With the other sizes, I do not always know what to do, but these two work really well for me. When I need thicker lines, I usually add a Lamy fountain pen on top or use a Pentel brush pen to bring more contrast and expression.
These five materials became my regular sketching companions because each one gives me something different. Together, they give me enough freedom to sketch in many situations without carrying too much. For me, the best art supplies are not always the most expensive or complicated ones. They are the tools that make me want to open my sketchbook and keep drawing wherever I go.
