An Arty Road-Trip Packing List!
Lightweight packing ideas for outdoor painting!
It’s been a few weeks since I wrapped up my graphic novel, and I’ve been taking some little breaks here and there. Overall, I'm feeling better! Still, I do have my good days and my not-so-great days. With another book project coming up and a deadline looming, I can’t take as much time off as I'd like. So, when my brain feels a bit sluggish, I’ll carve out a few hours or even a whole day to recharge and get my focus back.
I've been having a blast taking mini painting day trips with Piglet! We love discovering new places and revisiting some of our favorite scenic spots. Just a couple of weekends ago, we headed to one of our local favorites, Rancho Camulos.
The Rancho Camulos Museum is a really cool historic spot along Freeway 126 in Heritage Valley. It shares some fascinating stories about Southern California's past, starting with the Native American communities and moving to the early Hispanic settlers. For over 150 years, this place has been a big part of the area's diverse farming history. It's surrounded by miles of orange groves, and it looks especially beautiful in the spring. Plus, spring has the best weather for painting out outside before the temperatures hit the triple digits in the summer!
Since I’ve been talking a lot about outdoor painting lately, I figured it’d be fun to share what I pack for a day trip of painting. I usually try to keep it light, but if I’m driving and don’t have to do a ton of walking or hiking, I’ll throw in a few extra things. Here’s what I take with me on a laid-back road trip!
A few travel brushes ranging from size 4 to 12
One or two water brushes for quick painting without full gear.
A mechanical pencil
2 - 3 regular pens
A regular eraser and a kneaded eraser
A small roll of masking tape
1 - 2 Non watercolor soluble black ink brush pen
A 24-color travel watercolor palette
A mini 12-color watercolor palette
A small bottle of water
A mini water jar on a clip
2 - 3 magnetic clips (great for holding the water and palette on my clipboard)
An A4 size clipboard to use as an "easel"
A range of watercolor boards
A mini ruler for removing completed paintings from the watercolor board
A super light foldable chair
Two pieces of cloth to wipe my brushes
A few metal paper clips (great for holding paper or a sketchbook in place, especially when it gets windy)
I pack the 24-color palette, travel brushes, pencil, magnetic clips, and erasers in a bigger pencil case. The mini palette, a black ink brush pen and water brushes go in a small bag. I keep any extra supplies in another pencil case. This setup makes it easy to refilled or switch things out depending on the situation or if I decide to go on a long hike and need to leave some stuff in the car.
I highly recommend putting together a couple of travel-size palettes! There are so many great reasons to create your own:
While store-bought travel palettes can be nice, they often include some colors that you might not use very often. With a DIY palette, you get to hand-pick the shades you love and need the most, which saves both space and weight in your bag!
Another bonus is that store-bought palettes come in fixed sizes, but with a custom palette, you can make it any size you want! This is especially handy for creating compact or mini travel palettes. For instance, carrying a bulky 24-color store-bought palette can be a hassle. My DIY palettes are so much lighter. Nobody wants to lug around extra weight for too long! So, if you love to outdoor painting, making your own palettes can really make a difference!
If you want to know how I made my color palettes, check out my previous post:
If you want to check out the art supplies I use, swing by my Amazon Art Store! I share all my latest and favorite art supplies there, and I’m always updating it. Since I paint a lot for work and for fun, I love to find super affordable, high-quality art supplies. My Amazon Art Store is my go-to spot for restocking what I need.
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Happy painting! Let me know what you create with them! 🎨
🎨 If you liked this post and want to read more like it, be sure to check out my
I’ve got some exciting news! My art prints are now available at Tansy in Burbank! If you haven't checked it out yet, it's the cutest little women-owned shop full of awesome, unique, and multicultural plants and home goods. I totally fell in love with the place the first time I walked in a few weeks ago!
Tansy is all about supporting local communities and creative folks, plus they offer some fun arts and gardening workshops. This summer, I’ll be doing a watercolor workshop with them! I’ll keep you in the loop with more details as it gets closer.
Meanwhile, if you’re on the lookout for cute plants to liven up your home and garden this spring, or if you want some pretty decorations, definitely swing by Tansy! You’re going to love it! 🌿💖
If you’re not from SoCal, no worries! You can check out their online store instead. You’ll also be able to find my prints online!
Oh yes this list is great! That super light folding chair is definitely something I need to add to my travel list.
Lovely pieces! And amazing set up!