www.LillianKennedy.com
Lillian@Rockfire.com
To be able to paint and draw on multi-purpose trips, you need to be able to put together a small and light weight kit. Even on a designated painting trip, there are times when you will want to grab only the baggie when you go out.
Central Park South, Lillian Kennedy, watercolor and brush marker 5"x7". Drawn while sitting for a minute while on a walk to the museum. Click to enlarge.
- Plein air travel kit in a baggie, Lillian Kennedy
- Cotman watercolor kit
- small tube of white gouache How to Set Up Your Cotman Kit with Gouache for Plein Air Painting
- tiny water spritzer
- retractable pencil
- pen
- small water container
- tissue
- paper towel or piece of sports towel
- kneaded eraser
- drawing pad for drawing and taking notes – heavy enough to use with watercolor and cheap enough to not mind tearing out pages.
- garbage bag
- 4 ply Bristol paper cut up
Longwood Gardens entrance, Lillian Kennedy 5"x7" watercolor and gouache. Painted while sitting on the ground waiting for my ride.
The kit that I’m showing today fits in a gallon baggie, but I can go out with a quart baggie and also be content.
There is thought behind each item, and the items change depending on the trip. Why, for example, a garbage bag? I like to sit low to the ground. I will put the bag on the dirt and then put my things on it. sometimes the ground is wet or “creepy”. I will use it on benches or as a rain coat. Once, in the rain, I found cover for most of me and put my legs in the bag. I could keep working and stay dry and focused.
With a kit like this, even on a vacation with family you can get “work” time. If you’re not the driver, you can create something while stuck in traffic – a few weeks ago I did an I70 series as we crept along. Opportunities abound if you can stay really light and portable. So… What’s in your Baggie? Share though the comment section for this post.
Lily, you amaze me! You are getting to be more and more spontaneous and productive, creating on the spot. Your new name, should you care to embrace it, is Lily Ariel de plein air, our favorite sprite. Wish I could join your NYC workshop.
Love this post!
I have never been able to find refills for the kit though, and started using tube watercolors to refill them. If you know how where to get the refills, I’d love to hear! The thing about refilling with tubes is that I can use a palette that suits me, changing color over the years. I never use white so I love the idea of gouache! Great post, thanks!
It is cheaper to use tube paints to fill up the “spent” pans of watercolor. The cotman w.c. field box comes with “student grade” paint (which means they’ve added more filler, less true pigment!). So you’re always better off purchasing artist grade paints for refilling.
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Ok thanks Nyla. So now I will finally stop searching! Yay!
Very nice blog, quality articles. Thank you for your work.
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