Ensure you have all you need for your painting holiday with this guide to travelling with watercolours, acrylics, pastels and oils.

• Five top tips for travelling with watercolour
• Five top tips for travelling with acrylics
• Five top tips for travelling with pastels
• Five top tips for travelling with oils

Five top tips for travelling with watercolours

Tip 1: Paints 

For small sketches, all you will need is some basic colours in pans. Preferably a pan with a lid. 

For painting larger pictures, you can squeeze small tubes of colour into the wells of a closeable watercolour palette. You can do this before you travel or leave for the day. You can then re-energise these by wetting them when you are ready to use them.  

Your own personal style and preference will determine the colours you choose. The type of destination you'll be going to and the subjects you'll be painting will also be relevant. Landscapes, seascapes and buildings will all require a slightly different palette.

Tip 2: Brushes 

Ideally you would want to take the below list of watercolour brushes...

• A large sky wash brush
• A larger square wash brush
• A squirrel mop
• A swordliner
• A large sable
• A rigger
• You might want to add a smaller No.3 or 4 for finer details

Investing in a brush case, holder or roll to keep your brushes in tip top condition would be worthwhile. And of course, you will need re-sealable water containers for painting and cleaning. 

Tip 3: Pens 

If you work in pen and watercolour wash, choose a pen with ink that won’t run when you apply a wash over it. Pens that will bleed when wet can create a wash of different tones and are worth experimenting with. 

Tip 4: Surface 

The watercolour surface offers a few options. For simple sketches you can often get away with using a sketchbook with good quality cartridge paper. The heavier the paper, the less it will be likely to warp.  

For larger pieces you can tape sheets of watercolour paper to a lightweight drawing board. You could also use a watercolour block - these have three sides of the paper gummed to keep the paper taught when wet. When the painting is dry you can release it by running a knife around the edge between the top sheet and the ones below. 

Tip 5: A few other bits and pieces 

• A portable easel that you can tilt back at an angle 
• Small spray bottle 
• Kitchen roll 
• Bull dog clips might come in handy 
• Masking tape 

Five top tips for travelling with acrylics

Tip 1: Travelling 

Ensure all your paints, mediums and any other ‘liquids’ are securely bagged and stored in your hold luggage if you are flying. As added security (and to save everything else in your luggage), tighten and tape the lids of any jars, bottles and tubes of paint.  

All items need to be in their original containers. Make sure you have the relevant MSDS (Material Security Data sheet). These can come in useful if there are any issues at check in/out. Maybe also pop a note in your kit bag... something like ‘water-based art supplies’. 

Tip 2: Paints 

When using acrylics en plein air in a warm climate you will have to adopt delaying tactics. Even a gentle, warm breeze can accelerate the drying times. You can slow the process by adding a gel extender or gel medium to your paint. You can also give it the occasional light spray with water. 

Keep your acrylic paint palette limited. This reduces the bulk and weight but can also add an extra creative challenge to your break. Start with cool primaries and white, then add a couple of extra ‘favourites’. 

Tip 3: Brushes 

You can probably get away with as few as three acrylic brushes. One for large areas, one for smaller areas and one for finer detail. Flats brushes are useful as they can cover large areas as well as using their edge for detail and fine lines. 

Tip 4: Surface 

As with watercolour, there are a few options for acrylic surfaces. A good quality sketchbook will work well. For larger pieces you can use stretched canvas. This can be awkward to transport and consume quite a bit of room. Unstretched canvas or watercolour paper is easier if you have a drawing board or other surface to support it.  

Tip 5: A few other bits and pieces 

• A tear-off paper palette. Discard the sheet when the paint becomes unworkable 
• A portable easel 
• Water spray 
• Kitchen roll or rags 
• Bull dog clips or tape 
• Collapsible water pots 

Five top tips for travelling with pastels

Tip 1: Travelling 

Travel with broken down pastels, as opposed to whole sticks, if you can. This helps to reduce the overall weight. They will also look a lot less like bullets, than whole sticks, when scanned at an airport.

You can often get away with carrying your pastels in your hand luggage rather than them having to go in the hold. It depends how protective of them you are. If you are putting your pastels in the hold make sure you have secured the container. Then secure that container in a sealable bag, maybe two bags – pastel dust gets everywhere! 

Tip 2: Pastels 

The challenge when travelling with pastels is the choice of colours. Think about the subjects you might be studying as well as your own personal preferences/style. You will struggle to take all of your colours, so you will need to make some choices. But... do remember that whatever container your pastels are in – the fuller it is, the less likely they are to break. 

Tip 3: Surface 

You can work on a pastel sketchbook, pastel paper or card. You will need something to support your paper or card. You could use a drawing board or other surface. Foam core can be effective for pastels. 

Tip 4: Transporting 

Your artistic creations can be packed in the same way as your blank surfaces were for the outward journey. However, be aware that you will then need to protect against smudging. Glassine paper is perfect for this; placed between each piece, this will ensure your works arrive home in pristine condition. 

Tip 5: A few other bits and pieces 

• A portable easel 
• Kitchen roll or rags 
• Bull dog clips or tape 
• Wet wipes 
• Your favourite pastel eraser 

Looking for more painting holiday advice? Check out our collection of handy guides with top tips from artist tutors

Five top tips for travelling with oils

Tip 1: Travelling 

You can travel with oils, despite what people say, you just need to take a few extra steps... 

• Take them as check-in luggage 
• Print out any relevant SDS (Safety Data Sheets) and pop these into your paint box. 
• It might also be a good idea to email your airline. Let them know that you are a travelling artist and wish to take your oils with you. Print out the reply and pop this into your paint box along with the SDS information. 

And for transporting your ‘still wet’ paintings home?

Numerous methods are available, it just depends on what suits you best. The main thing is to collate your paintings into same size pairs. I find channelled wood works the best for separating them from each other. Tape around them, seal them in a plastic bag, or wrapping, and pop them in your luggage. 

Tip 2: Paints 

Once you’ve booked your flight and months before your trip, you should immediately open any new tubes of oil paint and start using them. Save your half tubes and ‘bits’ for your trip, particularly those colours that you use least. The other option is to buy a selection of small tubes. A box of pristine new larger tubes of paint weighs a considerable amount, most of which will be coming home with you again. 

Tip 3: Solvents 

Solvents are obviously not allowed on aircraft, so... 

• Research and try non-flammable versions before you travel 
• Pop to your nearest art shop when you arrive 
• Or, a hardware shop – there is usually something that will suffice 
• Where possible go for low-odour – the lingering smell of turpentine, in your luggage, will quite rightly tend to worry airport staff 

Tip 4: Surface 

Either MDF with three coats of gesso primer or commercial oil boards are your best choice for weight. Keep all the boards the same size that will fit in your pochade box; this also makes them easier to transport. 

Tip 5: A few other bits and pieces 

• Paint cloths – pack a couple of old t-shirts and a carrier bag to keep them in. You can then discard these before you come back home 
• An apron or old shirt to paint in 
• Unless you’re destination is a remote wilderness without an art shop, carry a minimum of brushes with you. Discard the old ones as you go along and buy new ones as required

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