What supplies do you use ?

[Flowercat]

What supplies do you use when sketching outside?

I mostly use colored pencils, pencil or watercolor.
As a water source i use an old plastic bottle wiht a large opening. It works very well
Sometimes i also use fineliners.
I want to try gouache sometime soon

 

[classic]

Before Covid I used to carry in my backpack some sketch supplies so that I could make some fast sketches.
I used to carry a spiral notebook size A5 (about 15x21cm), white paper 135-140 g/m2. The paper is enough for graphite pencil sketch or drawing, for colored pencils too but not really for detailed layering work. In any case one can't do such layering work out in the field because what counts there is speed. I don't use colored pencils because it wouldn't easy to carry an entire pencil box always.

I use one or two mechanical pencils (lead holders) of 0.7 and/or 0.5 mm soft leads (something like 2B), a Staedtler white eraser, sometimes a 5.6 mm Cretacolor lead holder or a woodless graphite pencil.

I don't use liquid colors on this paper because it is rather thin for watercolor. I bought recently a small Cotman set (14 colors) but I don't find it is so easy to have it every moment with me. Perhaps it is possible to take it in case I go out especially for sketching or painting. However I don't feel really comfortable with that Cotman set as I already wrote to another thread. Perhaps I can't use the Cotman colors in the right manner, or colors are weak and I need to change for another brand like Van Gogh that I van find locally rather easily.

The idea of those black fine markers (or technical pens/markers) is nice too. I like the style of a sketch with these markers that I can paint later by adding watercolor washes. In the past one had to use waterproof Indian ink with a special pen (that's how I learned myself, in the mid 70s... Wow, long ago! ). I keep watercolors for the home work, not outdoors. As I explained, I mostly carry sketching supplies just for sketches when I have some time for this.

 

[Bartc]

My watercolor travel kit started with a Cottman field watercolor pan set and a Bockingford watercolor small pad that I could carry in my bike jersey pocket on the roads in the UK (water already in bottle on the bike). Very handy and did everything. Added a pencil with an eraser.

After that started to add to that kit and now it fits into a fanny pack with 6 media, all used on watercolor paper, so sketching and/or painting is fully supported in either case.

Mine now includes the watercolors, gouache, watercolor pencils, ink brush pens, Inktense pencils and I've added Ceracolors (cold water soluble wax paint). If I wanted, wouldn't hurt to add pastels. Anything else would simply be gilding the lily so to speak. Pack includes a water bottle, palette, tribrush washer, pencil sharpener, cotton swabs, paper towels, kneadable eraser and a small knife. Several brushes (use only one mostly) and water brushes too. 4 watercolor pads in different sizes. Yeah, it got a bit heavy of late, but still can be slung over my shoulder or held by its handles or belted on my waist. I take this everywhere and it's always in my trunk too.

What you carry is up to your prefered media, size and working style. All you need is a pencil and paper for starters. That Cottman kit is a great versatile watercolor linchpin and I would advise small pad of 140lb. watercolor paper. But you could start with 3 primaries in pro watercolor (tube or pan), a plastic palette, and the paper and be fine. I don't bemoan the Cottman colors. They are sufficiently vivid when handled right and when I replace or replenish the pans I use the Windsor & Newton pro paints.

Is this vivid enough for you?

 

[ntl]

Not getting out so much now, but I always have a triple tri folded piece of bond paper and a pen in my pocket for "waiting" times, inside or out. That gives me 18 sections approx 3.5 x 3" to sketch/doodle.

 

[laika]

What supplies do you use when sketching outside?

I try to carry the Pentel Stylo pen when I go out, and I like to carry a bit of stiff brown paper (brown paper bag) if I think that I'll be doodling. And sometimes I carry a waterbrush, since the Stylo's ink is good for washes before it completely dries: