Summer holiday with travel sketch tips!

what drawing materials to bring while you are traveling

Hello Everyone! Summer is coming , I know that this is the holiday season for everyone, me included. I am head up to Japan for a short trip, very excited and will definitely share my journey afterwards. As an artist, travel is the perfect time for sketching, your hand drawn sketch with the memories and thoughts is ten times better than a random photo taking by your phone, and never look back again. so in this post, while I am packing, I would like to share some of my tools, tips about sketching while traveling

What to bring

monocolor :

first of all, if you can only bring one thing to sketch, I will recommended just a ballpen , or a pencil or a ink pen brush. They are simple and easy to carry, yet they can create such strong and powerful sketch with just black and white.

I used PEntel color brush, when you put the brush down using the side rather than top of the brush to draw, (especially when there aren’t many ink left) you can create very interesting texture.

colorset :

if you have extra room in your backpack, you can always bring a travelling watercolor kit with you.

I am using the sakura watercolor set, I have to admit those watercolor brush is a genius invention! I used to bring water bottle, now the water is inside the brush. all you have to do is squeeze the brush! so much convinient.

water color is especially good for those smokish, moist environment.

Drawing practice

drawing is actually a way of observing.

I love drawing those magnificent landscape, I feel totally emerged while drawing it. it seems to have a deeper connection with the nature.

but of course, drawing people is also a lot fun.

After the trip :

Each trip to me is a valuable memory that worth recording. I have my own travel journal to organize my trip. I will tape my sketches, tickets , or small maps that I collected/ created during the trip

and of course, I write small paragraph of stories that happened during the trip. I also selected photos from my phone and printed. I find that those photos are just digital data lying on your phone, but once you choose to print them, write stories , your thoughts when taking this photo, they become much more valuable.

Please share your travel story with me, how you pack your art stuff? I know many of my friends bring ipad to sketch, I have never do that. if you are one of those ipad/ digital recorded people, can you share your experience with me ?

hope everyone enjoys the beautiful summer holiday and stay tuned, I will have more to share after my japan trip

X Dream