The Brief

Identify your kit.  Have a root around your existing materials box and decide what you’re going to use as your travel kit.  Test out the portability of your kit.  Think about your social toolkit, how you are going to start drawing in the real world, and what you might do if people approach you.

Spider diagram

I have two travel kits.  One is a small grab-and-go tool kit equipped with the basic materials I need to work in my sketchbook.  This is ideal when travelling on an aeroplane, going to a doctor’s appointment or going to the beach.  It is not too big and can fit into my handbag or beach bag.  When I am going out to sketch I add the larger add-on tool kit. Together they give me more options with textures, colours and painting.

Basic toolkit

The small basic toolkit is 10cm x 22cm and 4cm thick.  It changes all the time as I explore new materials, but the essential tools I always have in this kit are:

• Water brush: I use this together with the water-soluble graphite to create mid-tones and cover larger areas quickly.  This is helpful when I need to draw quickly for time-limited drawings. The water brush is also great when I am using watercolours.  I clean the brush on a paper towel.
• Graphite pencil.
• Black brush pen.
• Water spray bottle: I use this to wet my paper, spray onto the watercolour pans or water-soluble graphite or spray into a lid if I need extra water over and above my water brush.
• Kneaded eraser: I keep this in a tiny zip-lock bag.
• Sharpener: This sharpener has a cover to collect the sharpener shavings.  I also keep this in a small zip-lock bag to avoid a mess.

My small toolkit is mainly for pencil, graphite and ink drawings, as seen in Figure 3.

Add-on toolkit

The add-on toolkit is 12cm x 22cm and is 9cm thick.  It has a mesh compartment inside and a flap that can store pens.

When you open the flab you have a deep compartment.  I keep acrylic pens, watercolour dye pens, coloured pencils, washi tape, smudge cloth, and a sheet of paper towel in there.  Below in Figure 5 is an example of a drawing using my large toolkit.

Observations from this research task

It can be obvious when someone is drawing in public, even though you are trying to hide it by using a small sketchbook and toolkit.  Some artists perfected the craft.  I think people are mainly worried that you might be drawing them.  It makes them feel self-conscious, which I can understand. 

When people approach me I usually say, “I am doing a study on drawing hands” or “I am doing a study on drawing tables and chairs.”  I try not to stare, but rather give a quick glance now and then and make sure to look in other directions as well.  I will fill in the rest from my imagination.  I have made peace with the fact that I might offend someone while drawing in a coffee shop or doctor’s room. 

If someone tells me, I can’t draw in a particular environment.  I will apologise and pack my things away.  However, I think it’s similar to shooshing someone who sings.  Drawing is not taking photographs and is often just an interpretation of what the artist sees, but it is not worth arguing this point.

“Where words leave off, music begins” ~Heinrich Heine.  The same can be said about drawing.  It is an expression that can go where words can’t go.  I trust people will embrace a person sitting in the corner discreetly sketching away.  I am happy to show my work to whoever wants to see it.