Packing List for the Urban Sketcher's Symposium
Packing for the Urban Sketcher’s Symposium in Toulouse
This is the first time I’ve packed a sketch kit for an urban Sketcher’s Symposium in Toulouse, and I’m really not sure how much I’ll need. It’s been a real struggle to pair down from “oh this could be handy to take” to “this is what I absolutely need”. I’ve packed and unpacked multiple times, editing, and then adding moving art materials off the subs bench and back into the game.
Sketching Backpack and Crossbody Bag
I’m taking my urban sketching backpack for day-time sketching where I need a larger art kit with me, but I also have a small crossbody bag that is great for an on-the-go sketching kit, when I don’t want to lug a lot of material around.
My Sketching Backpack
I bought this bag at REI in Los Angeles when I started getting serious about urban sketching. I do love bags, Kipling’s are my favourite. I have plenty. But I wanted a special sketching backpack, that I only use for my sketch outings. I’ve been using it for years, but it isn’t really very functional, and I didn’t like how everything just ends up in a pile at the bottom of my bag, and I can’t find anything easily, and I’m continuously searching for my phone.
So last year I sourced a backpack insert that has pockets and sections that make it easy to organise my art kit and everything else I need when sketching. This insert has two round sections – one fits my water bottle, and the other my collapsable sketch seat in its travel bag, and there are enough other pockets of sections that means the inside of my backpack can be organised and efficient. This insert is made of a sturdy felt, which means it’s really lightweight. I also like that it add a bit of structure to my bag.
My Crossbody Bag
I really like how functional this little crossbody bag is. It has three main sections. The back section is big enough for an A6 watercolour sketchbook, the middle section is long enough to hold the tall Tombow water soluable pens I like to use for tonal shading, and the front section fits my small watercolour travel palette. There’s room enough for pens and brushes too.
Sketch Board for my Art Materials and Book
This handmade board is sturdy and lightweight, and I really like using it for urban sketching.
Here’s more in-depth information about my sketch board:
Add Ons Needed for my Art Board
- Two bulldog clips to hold my book on the board
- Three magnetic Clips. One to hold my mixing palette, and two to hold the tins for my pen and brush holders.
- Double water container, and single kitchen roll holder.
Watercolour Books and Paper
I’m taking three Hanhemühle books with me, an A6, and A5, and a 19.5cm Square. I’m also taking a scratchpad I made with my Zutter spiral binder, which I’ll use for workshop notes and sketching thumbnails. I also hand-bound a matchbook sized book, for some colour mix swatches I think will be useful for Toulouse.
I also plan on doing some quick sketches on small bits of watercolour paper, so I used one of my lino cut designs to the back, and will sketch on the other side.
Pens and Pencils
This is where I needed to be strict with myself to make sure I don’t take too much. But the trouble is that I don’t have one definitive sketch style. I mainly sketch with waterproof ink, but I also like sketching with water soluble ink. I also like switching between black, grey, and brown ink. So this is where I had to limit my options, without limiting my options. Just recently, each time I go out sketching, I’ve been leaving different art materials behind to see if I miss them…and I usually do.
- 1 Fountain Pen with Black Octopus Meerkat Grey Ink
- 1 Uni-ball Eye Micro – Black
- Set of 6 Staedtler Fine Liners – Black
- 2 Uni-pin Grey fine liners (0.1 and 0.5)
- 2 water-soluble fine liners 0.4 – varying shades of Brown
- 3 Tombow water-soluble pens – Grey
- 2 Skin tone water-soluble pens – beige and pink
- 3 Gelly Roll Pens (white, gold, and silver)
- 1 Masking Marker
I couldn’t decide what to leave behind, and I didn’t want to do without, so I think this may be where I’m overpacking. Time will tell.
Fountain Pen
I really like my Twisbi pens for the size of their ink reservoir, but they’ve been giving me problems recently, so I’m taking my Noodler’s Ahab Flex Nib pen with me, with some Octopus Meerkat Grey Ink.
Gelly Roll Pens
White is always handy, and I’m taking a Gelly Roll 08 White pen. I’m also taking a duo of metallic Gelly Roll pens – one gold and one silver. These are great for fancy lettering, but also to add a touch of shine to tiny elements within a sketch. They’re not essential while I’m out and about, but I like having them on hand when I get back to base to add some additional elements.
Watercolour Pencils
I have a set of about 20 stubbies I cut down, but I don’t use them a lot, because even though I’ve had these watercolour pencils for years, they haven’t been an integral part of my art kit. But they have been useful on occasions to add extra texture on top of watercolour so I’m going to take them with me – mainly because they’re on the supplies list for one of the workshops I’m taking, otherwise I’d probably leave them behind. As it is, I’ll leave them in the hotel, and just take them when I attend the workshop.
I’m also (reluctantly) taking a bunch of colour Micron pens, which is on the supplies list for a different workshop I’m taking. I was going to go out and buy more pens in the suggested nib width, but decided that I don’t really use these much anymore, so I’m just going to take the colours and nib sizes I have already, and will have to just wing it at the workshop.
Pencils
I’m taking a HB pencil, pencil sharpener, and an eraser. But I’m also taking a 3B pencil because it’s on the supplies list in one of my workshops. I don’t really like softer pencils, so we’ll see if I use it.
Watercolour Brushes
- Small Water brush (good for a crossbody bag outing)
- 3 Aquaelite watercolour brushes (8, 6, and 4) – these come in a set of four, but I won’t use the size 10, and the case they came in is quite bulky, so I’m leaving it behind.
- 1 Rosemary & Co watercolour brush – dagger – good for filling in large areas of wash.
- 1 small spray bottle
Watercolour Palette
This is my standard watercolour palette that I set at the beginning of the year, and I didn’t make any changes for Toulouse. But I did check some colour mixes to make sure I could create the warm colours I need for the classic “pink city” buildings. Burnt Sienna Light and Indian Red both have PR101 pigment in them, which is ideal for Toulouse, and Potter’s Pink added to the mix will add a nice granulation, and warm the tones up making them less orangey.
| Hansa Yellow Light | Hansa Yellow Medium | New Gamboge | Quin Gold | Buff Titanium | Raw Umber | |
| Cobalt Turquoise Light | Cobalt Blue | French Ultramarine | Manganese Blue Hue | Pthalo Blue GS | Lime Green | Neutral Tint |
| Opera Pink | Pyrrol Scarlet | Quin Rose | Potter’s Pink | Indian Red | Burnt Sienna Light | Natural Sienna |
I have two small palettes that I usually use for urban sketching outings which have the same set of 20 colours as this large palette. One palette has 15 of the colours, and the other five are in a small pill box palette, which also includes a couple of bonus colours (because there was space for them, so why not!).
Initially I was planning on taking both sets of 20 colours, because I’m not sure how much paint I’m going to use for this four-day sketch marathon. Usually when I travel, I just take my small palette set, because it’s more than enough to meet my needs. But I’ve never been away on an urban sketching symposium before, so I’m not sure what I’ll need.
I decided I had too many art materials, and I gave my large palette a red card, and planned on leaving it behind to save weight. But here I am, a day away from travelling and my resolve is buckling. What if I run out of paint? So yesterday I packed my clothes, and I packed really light – and ended up with only 4kg of clothes. Well, it’s a sketch outing not a fashion show! Plus the weather in Toulouse is really hot so I don’t need many layers. So just like Balogun in the world cup, this red card has been rescinded, and I’m taking both palettes.
Miscellaneous Items
My stickers for handing out and swapping, which have my website and instagram name on them, and some Hahnemühle masking tape.
I’m going to try and monitor what I use and what I don’t, so I know for next time….
