The Traveling Artist’s Checklist
Section 1: Essential Truths
Before we dive into the checklist, we have to acknowledge that there are some universal essential truths.
Essential Truth #1: Amazon is your friend.
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t love Amazon. However, most of us can agree that it does have its role: to deliver a wide range of unrelated, salable goods to our front doorsteps in a timely and (mostly) affordable fashion.
So, Amazon is your friend. Many of the items on the following checklist manifest from The Convenient World of Amazon. You can either beat ‘em or join ‘em.
Essential Truth #2: Say it with me: “I am a professional.”
Yes, you are a professional.
That means, investing in the proper equipment for the task at hand. To be honest, and to share something truly personal that I keep close to the vest, is that at the ripe age of 34, I still worry about showing up to class too prepared, and looking like a big nerd. It has been hard for me to check this insecurity at the door, but I’ve done my best to do it for this trip. I am spending quite a lot of time, energy, and resources to go on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and I am going to get the supplies that make me feel happy and professional. As actress Katharine Hepburn famously said, “If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.”
Essential Truth #3: It’s never too soon to start preparing.
It is not my intention to instill some sort of Doomsday feeling in anyone by saying this, but it is never too early to start preparing for your trip. The earlier you prepare, the more likely you are to spend less in last minute scheduling expenses and purchases (and let’s face it, there is really no part of traveling abroad that is truly “affordable” or “on a shoestring” as the travel blogs like to say). So, being as prepared as possible helps you to have the opportunity to allot your resources the best way possible.
The airline ticket purchase is a heavy hitter here, as I was surprised to see just how drastically international airline prices rose between 6-8 months out and 2-3 months out. If you are able to and can manage it, booking 6-8 months out is not too soon and can save hundreds of dollars.
Also, breaking your “to-do” list down into manageable tasks and scheduling them out in advance of your trip can reduce stress and worry and help you feel productive in the face of the big task of traveling internationally. Starting 6 weeks out, I broke tasks down into my calendar, including things as simple as “order electrical adapter” every couple of days - about 1-2 tasks per week, depending on size - in order to feel successful and reduce stress.
Section 2: The Traveling Artist’s Checklist
Checklist Item #1: The right shipping container for the job.
Plano Airliner Telescoping Fishing Rod Case from Cabela’s
When painting internationally, it is a little unrealistic to think that you will bring a whole canvas - stretcher bars and all - back home. This is because shipping properly boxed or crated stretched canvases can be exorbitantly expensive, especially if shipped internationally.
I opted to go for a plan that would allow me to remove the painted canvases from their stretcher bars (the wood frame of the canvas); roll the paintings; and place them in a transport tube for my return home.
My initial thought was to purchase a mailing tube in order to ship the canvases back. When I discovered that I couldn’t find a mailing tube quite the right size for the canvases I wanted to purchase, which I could reasonably check in my luggage or carry with me, my partner, an avid fisher-woman, suggested the Plano Airliner Telescoping Rod Case. The rod case is a large, extendable tube made for traveling with fishing rods, designed for fisher-persons who travel to fish. What’s more, it has “airline” right in the product name, meaning it is made out of tough, plastic material and can be checked with any airline. I opted for this because of its ease of use, simplicity, and though a proper investment, I was able to get mine on sale and the cost of purchase + checked luggage was comparable to mailing shipping tubes across the ocean.
Living in Montana and surrounding yourself with outdoorsy types certainly has its perks.
Checklist Item #2: Stretched and primed canvases (purchased and shipped locally, if possible).
Winsor and Newton Deep Edge Cotton Canvas from Amazon.es
Having outfitted myself with a proper travel tube for my finished paintings, I now could look at purchasing quality canvases in the size that fit my needs.
I was fortunate enough to have the option to purchase my canvases locally (in Spain) by using Amazon.es, Amazon’s warehouse and shipping website for Spain. When traveling internationally, if you have the option to purchase, ship, and deliver big items locally - do it. It makes a world of difference and at minimum saves you the hassle of getting items there, with only a need to solve the return method.
The canvases I chose were Windsor and Newton cotton deep-edge canvases, primarily sized 30x40 inches. The painting workshop instructor for my trip to Spain, Elly Smallwood, is known for painting large and recommended canvases up to this size for her workshop. I wanted to make sure I took full advantage of the opportunity to paint large, so I purchased a few of this size to challenge myself and disrupt my comfort zone, since I normally paint small. The challenge seemed fun! I also purchases a couple of smaller canvases in order to give myself some alternative options if I had moments where a large painting felt too daunting.
Because I would not be able to see the quality of the canvases prior to my arrival in Spain, and I don’t primarily work on canvas (I work on panel) I made sure to do thorough research and go in person to view several canvas options before ordering and shipping them on Amazon.es. I visited Art’s Paper and Paint, a local art store in Billings, and ultimately chose the Winsor and Newton canvases.
Winsor and Newton is a very reputable brand, and the deep edge provided some extra space between the front of the canvas and the support bars in the back. I frequently find that manufactured canvases tend to have a lot of give or sag, and so if you purchase a thinner one, your brush touches the stretcher bars through the canvas and creates lines on the finished painting. It’s similar to drawing with crayon on a sheet of paper on a bumpy surface - you will see the marks come through in your drawing. Because I will have very little time to make adjustments upon arriving in Spain, I made sure to purchase the canvases that I felt would best meet my needs and have out-of-the-box quality.
Checklist Item #3: The Masters Brush Cleaner Studio Cake
The Masters Brush Cleaner Studio Cake from Blick Art Materials
Think of The Masters Brush Cleaner Cake as as shampoo and conditioner bar for brushes. This studio cake is a solid, concentrated soap and is excellent in comparison to liquid brush cleaners on the market. I typically use the 2.5 ounce cake in my studio and it lasts for years.
It just so happens that I already use this product in lieu of liquid cleaners, and so it made choosing a liquid-free cleaner to bring to Spain quite simple. The company also makes a travel-sized mini cake, but I ordered a fresh 2.5 ounce replacement for my trip since my current studio model is well used and nearly gone. The cake comes in a round, flat plastic case with a screw-top lid, which is 2.5 inches wide and so it works nicely for cleaning the 2- and 3- inch brushes I will need to use on this trip for painting on a large scale.
The cake makes brush cleaning easy because you simply lather a wet brush in the cake and rinse! It’s concentrated nature will also reduce the space in my suitcase because I don’t need to bring a large bottle of liquid cleaner - which is less concentrated - and reduces the potential mess ovrall of traveling with liquid bottles within a suitcase. You can learn more about my painting materials and watch a video tutorial about how I use them on my Patreon site here: Video + Materials List! 2nd Edition: Acrylic Painting.
Checklist Item #4: Golden Acrylic Paints
Golden Brand Acrylic Paint in Blue from Blick Art Materials
In addition to a brush cleaning cake, it was important to me to bring good quality paint in large 150 ml tubes. This brand and size was specified by artist and instructor Elly Smallwood for the workshop I will attend in Spain because we will paint large throughout the week and will use a lot of paint. Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylic Paints are the best brand of acrylic paint on the market and feature lovely, high-saturated pigments. Though I already own a few tubes of these, I purchased extra from Blick Art Materials for the trip to make sure I have enough and I will carry these in my checked luggage in a plastic storage container. This is one place where I really have no choice but to pack liquids.
The colors I am bringing are just the primary colors of Primary Yellow, Cadmium Red, Phthalo Blue, and Titanium White. These are the only colors that Elly uses as every other color can be made from these. You can learn more about my painting materials and watch a video tutorial about how I use them on my Patreon site here: Video + Materials List! 2nd Edition: Acrylic Painting.
Checklist Item #5: Disposable Paint Palette
Artsmith Palette Paper Pad with Disposable Sheets from JoAnn Fabric and Crafts
There are many palettes out there that are cumbersome in size or require frequent cleaning during and after use. To avoid having to travel with a palette that I would have to clean everyday, I opted for a pad of disposable painting palette sheets. I currently use these in my home studio and the palette pad I use is the Pallete Paper Pad by Artsmith.
Palette pads are similar in size to a regular note pad and require no cleaning after each use, as you can simply discard used sheets after each painting session. Though I already use this pad in my home studio, I purchased a new pad for the trip to ensure I have plenty of sheets for the 8-day workshop. The palette is lightweight, flat, and easy to carry in a suitcase pocket.
Checklist Item #6: Art Supplies
For this Checklist Item, I feel that it is best to simply say to trust your instincts and use the supplies you already have on hand. Though given some instruction on what to bring - such as charcoal pencils, paintbrushes, and sketchbooks - I have opted to bring my favorite version of everything I already have. I plan to use things I already have on hand, such as pencil cases, plastic carrying cases, canvas bags, and paper envelopes (to separate messy things like charcoal sticks), in order to be creative in packing my supplies within my carry on luggage .
Throughout my life as an artist and an art educator, I have found that less in more. For example, I teach a drawing class for Billings Public Schools, and each semester the only tools I require are pencils, a pencil sharpener, a blending stump, an eraser, and a sketchbook. These simple items last weeks and you can make many interesting drawings in that time frame over and over again from the very same materials.
Here is what I will bring to Spain:
Pencils - My favorite pencils are Mirado Black Warrior school pencils by Paper Mate, in addition to Pentel mechanical pencils, and I plan to bring a selection of each. For something traditional, I will bring my standard Faber-Castell Creative Studio Graphite Sketch 6-Pencil Set . During a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art this winter, I picked up a LACMA paintbrush pencil as a souvenir, which I really love using to draw and plan to bring along, as well.
Erasers - The two types of erasers that I use are General's Kneaded Eraser and Paper Mate Pink Pearl Eraser.
Pencil Sharpener - I love my Target Up and Up Pencil Sharpener and my Stanley Utility Knife for whittling pencils down to the perfect point.
Blending Stumps - Also called Tortillons.
Sketchpads - I plan to bring two small sketchpads, both favorites of mine for different reasons. The first one is a square Hand Book Artist Journal of 5.5x5.5 inches that I bought while visiting Canada last summer. I love this journal because it is small and easy to carry, so it naturally fits well with traveling abroad, and will be the perfect size to carry easily in a backpack or purse for sketching excursions. This is not a completely empty sketchbook, which I like. I have already started this one with my personal notes on color, so I will be able to reference them as I am painting. The other sketchpad I will bring is a Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Pad sized 6x8 inches, though they can be purchased in various sizes. Similar to the Hand Book Artists Journal, the Strathmore drawing pad is small in size and easy to carry for travel. This is a sketchbook that I already have and have started using, so I know I like it and its size, and there are plenty of pages left to use for this trip. It has a spiral-bound top so that I can easily remove its pages, and I look forward to including any successful drawings in the next quarter’s art mailing for Art Collector Levels on Patreon!
Charcoal Pencils - My favorite are General’s Charcoal Pencils and I plan to bring a selection from the ones I already have on hand in my studio.
Willow Charcoal Sticks - Willow charcoal sticks, also called vine charcoal, are made from smoldering the vines of weeping willow trees into lightweight charcoal pieces. This type of charcoal is so lightweight that it easily crumbles and dusts away, and is frequently used for sketching. It is different than compressed charcoal, which leaves a much heavier mark. Painters prefer to use vine charcoal when sketching on canvas because it leaves much less residue on the canvas when it’s time to paint, leaving the paint less “muddy",” or dirty looking, because the paint and vine charcoal don’t mix as much as they would with a heavier charcoal. To be completely honest, I am not sure what brand of willow charcoal sticks that I have, but I have had the box for years and it is well-loved with a worn-off label. All brands are fairly comparable, however, and Blick Art Materials offers a very affordable option.
Paint Brushes - I plan to pack a range of sizes from my personal collection, though I did pick up an Artsmith 3 Piece Brush Set for less than $5. I happened serendipitously upon this set at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts, and decided to buy it for my trip to Spain because it comes with a handy travel pouch; the brushes were the right size for the class; and it didn’t break the bank. Elly highly encouraged those in our class to bring a few brushes in a range of 2-3 inches, as the class will focus on making large paintings, and this is a brush size range I do not have because I usually work smaller. Rather than spend a fortune on “professional” grade brushes, which can be quite pricey, I bought these. Click the video and painting materials link below and watch the video to learn more about my painting practice and why I don’t spring for expensive brushes!
Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylic Paints in Primary Yellow, Cadmium Red, Phthalo Blue, and Titanium White.
Apron - Years ago I purchased a Project 62 cotton denim cooking apron from Target. The apron is no longer available unless you find it second-hand, and I love the one I have.
Pliers and Flathead Screwdriver - I don’t have any particular kind I love and plan to pull these from my toolbox. I will take these with me to remove my paintings from their stretcher bars once finished in order to roll them up and bring them home.
You can learn more about the drawing and painting materials I uses day to day, and watch video tutorials on how I use them, in the following posts on my Patreon:
Section 3: Travel Hacks for the Everyperson (AND the Artist)
Now that I have shared travel hacks for the artist, here are travel hacks for the everyperson (AND the artist) that I have found along the way.
Everyperson’s Travel Hack #1: Travel Insurance
Don’t leave home without it. The most commonly used company I found through my research is Allianz. They cover a range of travel insurance including dental, medical, loss or theft, and evacuation. They also cover domestic trips, not just international, and are very professional and helpful.
Everyperson’s Travel Hack #2: Electrical Adapters
You will need these, especially in Europe and Asia. The popular brand I found is called Tessan and you can order these on Amazon. Since I will travel through the Netherlands and France on the way to Spain, I made sure to get electrical adapters that worked for all three European countries, which was a Type E/F and a Type C.
Everyperson’s Travel Hack #3: Shampoo and Conditioner Bars
For these, I was fortunate enough to be able to shop locally and find a great pair at Frae Everyday Goods here in Billings, made locally by Rock Creek Soaps. The conditioner and soap bars each came in a convenient travel tin, a few inches wide and an inch tall, and I also purchased a lightweight Mother Earth Natural Wood Slat Soap Dish to extend the life of the soaps while traveling. The shampoo and conditioner bars, similar to The Masters Brush Cleaner Cake mentioned above, are much more concentrated than liquid shampoo and conditioner and will last for months; take up very little room in a suitcase; prevent the need to bring extra liquids; and are much more sustainable for a healthy environment overall. It’s a win-win…win-win-win.
Everyperson’s Travel Hack #4: A Laundry Plan
In Spain, and much of Europe, it is not very common to find clothing dryers, though there are some available, even if one finds a washer. Washers can also be somewhat inconsistent to locate, though not as much so as dryers. In the warm climate of southern Spain, where I will be, many people still rely on drying their clothes on a clothesline. I am not sure what to expect, thought through my research, I found that it is ideal to have a plan for washing and drying your own clothes. One thing that always makes me feel at home are fresh clothes. I love fashion, doing laundry, folding, and the look and smell of freshly-washed clothes on a line. So when I heard that dryers are not so popular in Spain, I was actually quite thrilled. In addition, having a plan for laundry, overall, reduces the amount of clothes you need to pack, as you can wear clothes multiple times through cleaning. I looked into some fun ways to be able to do my laundry on the go:
Earthbreeze Laundry Detergent Sheets: These eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets looks just like dryer sheets, except they are made from dry laundry detergent. They are actually not made for travel, but you can bring just a few sheets and they pack very small, while eliminating the need for additional messy liquids. One whole sheet does a load of laundry, but you can cut them into smaller pieces depending on the size of load you think you will wash, which is what I plan to do. Many travel blogs recommend setting yourself up with the ability to do laundry in a bathtub or sink, so I plan to cut my detergent sheets into “sink size” squares so that I can wash just a few things at a time, as needed.
Tide Sink Packets: For laundry that may end up more soiled than the rest, I wanted to bring a tiny bit of liquid soap so that I could do a bit of scrubbing or spot control when needed. I found a pack of Tide sink packets in the travel section of a local grocery store for just $0.98, and they come in sets of three packets for that price! They are priced much higher on Amazon, so I was thrilled that I could find them in stock locally. When I first researched and located these, I thought they were packets of powdered detergent. Eventually, I realized they were tiny ketchup-packet sized packets of liquid, which was much more pleasing to me, as I found the liquid packets to be more versatile for my needs.
Sea to Summit Camping and Travel Clothesline: While searching the local REI store for potential travel hacks, I came across a travel clothesline in the camping section, and was able to find the same one for a good price on Amazon. This particular clothesline comes in a travel pouch that is only about 2.5 inches tall and a couple inches wide. It also has a beaded double-string cord so that you don’t have to pack clothespins. Altogether, it unravels up to 11.5 feet and adjusts to shorter lengths. I plan to stretch this across the rooms in my various places of stay so that I can hang my laundry to dry once it has been hand-washed.
Everyperson’s Travel Hack #5: Good Earplugs
I actually was not sure whether to include this item in art supplies or travel hacks, because I actually use earplugs in the studio daily, as I am a Highly Sensitive Person with high noise sensitivity, so I need earplugs to stay calm and focused and to keep my anxiety low. My favorite earplugs are Loop earplugs. They are high quality, reusable, and low-waste. I found that I can use mine for about 6 months before they need to be replaced, though some people recommend replacing earplugs like these around every 2-3 months. Either way, these earplugs are a great alternative to the “throw away” earplugs you can buy at grocery and hardware stores, and they are much more environmentally conscious. They also come in very cool, contemporary colors and look very trendy. I usually get the Quiet in Calm Pink. Each pair comes with its own matching keychain travel case. I look forward to using my Loops while traveling to Spain on the airplane; while sleeping in hotels and new environments; and of course while painting in the Spanish painting studio with Elly.
