Originally published as a YouTube video, this honest review covers my real-world experience with a portable watercolour travel kit – no perfect conditions, just authentic daily sketching.
When Grand Plans Meet Real Life
I had such ambitious plans for testing this travel sketching kit. Epic camping adventures, dramatic coastal sketches, proper field testing while exploring the Quantocks with my family. The kind of content that looks amazing on social media and makes for compelling YouTube videos.
But you know what? Life happened.
Between managing children on beach trips, keeping everyone safe while they learned to surf, and the general chaos that comes with family adventures, filming detailed art videos wasn’t exactly practical. In fact, it’s hard enough to squeeze in a quick sketch, let alone document the entire process.
What actually occurred turned out to be far more valuable than any staged demonstration could have been. Over the past four weeks, I’ve been using this portable watercolour palette setup in real life – stolen moments between chores, quick captures on the beach while the children played, and yes, a few genuine plein air sessions on a camping trip when the stars aligned.
This is my honest reality check: not the polished travel sketching kit review I planned, but something much more useful for anyone considering whether a minimal travel sketching setup actually works for outdoor adventures.
The Sketches That Tell the Real Story
Rather than grand landscape paintings, my sketchbook filled with something far more authentic: life as it actually happens during travel and outdoor sketching adventures.
Beach Sketches
Some of my favorite pieces came from a family trips to local beaches. While the children played, I managed quick pen and watercolor captures of the coastline. The combination of cerulean blue and raw sienna proved perfect for capturing both sea and sand – raw sienna has become my go-to for everything from hair color to stone buildings.
I found myself reaching for just four colors: cerulean blue for the water, undersea green for foliage, raw sienna for the sandy coastline, and shadow violet for overcast sky washes. The limited palette actually unified the whole scene beautifully.
Camping Adventures in North Devon
Our camping trip to North Devon, where the kids were learning to surf at Putsborough Beach, provided some unexpected sketching opportunities. The view from our tent across the field to the rolling devon hills made for wonderful plein air practice.
I sketched the scene multiple times, experimenting with lemon yellow and undersea green for the distant fields, adding touches of carmine and shadow violet for the cars parked across the camping field. These weren’t portfolio pieces, but they captured genuine travel memories in a way photographs couldn’t.
Children’s Swimming Adventures
One series I’m particularly fond of shows my children preparing for an open water swim around St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall. Working from photos, I used the palette’s mixing capabilities to create oranges from the yellow and carmine, greys from the shadow violet, and kept the island itself beautifully simple with minimal colour.
The Power of Pen and Ink
Interestingly, some of my favourite sketches from this period used no watercolour at all. Sometimes the most practical approach was grabbing a pen and capturing a quick line drawing – no setup time, no cleanup, no worry about dealing with children’s sudden needs.
This discovery was liberating. The best travel sketching kit isn’t necessarily about having every tool available; it’s about removing barriers to actually making marks during outdoor adventures.
Complete Travel Sketching Kit Breakdown
For anyone new to this series, let me break down what we’re working with in this portable watercolour setup:
The Core Components
- Art Toolkit pocket-sized case (fits A6 sketchbooks perfectly)
- Art Toolkit Demi palette with 8 watercolours and mixing pan
- Clip to attach the palette directly to your sketchbook
- TWSBI Eco fountain pen with DeAtrementis Sepia brown document ink (my daily driver)
- Tom’s Studio mini Lumos with interchangeable tips
- Uni-ball Fine as backup in case fountain pen runs out
- Small 2mm mechanical pencil
- Water brush for convenience
- Oil-based pencil for softer lines
- Small Swedish dishcloth for cleaning waterbrush (not pictured, but stowed away in right hand pocket)
- Collapsible water cup (rarely used but good to have)
My Colour Selection
After testing various combinations, I settled on: lemon yellow, carmine, cerulean blue, shadow violet, undersea green, ultramarine blue, transparent red oxide, and raw sienna. These eight colours have handled everything I’ve thrown at them during outdoor sketching sessions.
The beauty of this setup is that everything lives in the case. No decisions about what to pack, no forgetting essential items, no excuses not to sketch.
Portable Watercolour Palette Performance
After four weeks of real-world testing, here’s how this travel sketching kit actually performs in various outdoor conditions:
Color Mixing and Pigment Quality
The limited palette forced me to become better at colour mixing. Rather than reaching for a specific tube color, I learned to create exactly what I needed from these eight carefully chosen pigments. The quality proved excellent – rich, vibrant colors that work beautifully for plein air sketching. I also found the colours to work brilliantly for most applications, straight out of the pan with no mixing!
Durability and Travel Performance
Through beach sand, camping moisture, and general travel wear, the kit has held up really well. The secure closure on the palette means no paint leakage in bags, and the rugged case itself should last for years to come.
The Honest Verdict: Would I Buy This Travel Sketching Kit Again?
Absolutely yes, but probably not for the reasons I expected.
I purchased this travel sketching kit imagining epic travel adventures and Instagram-worthy plein air sessions. What I got was something far more practical: a sketching setup that eliminated every excuse I’d ever made for not drawing regularly during travels and outdoor adventures.
What I Love About This Portable Watercolour Palette
- True portability: Lives in my bag without thought
- Setup speed: From bag to sketching in under 30 seconds
- Decision elimination: No choice paralysis about tools or colors
- Unexpected home use: Works as well at the kitchen table as on location
- Color harmony: Limited palette creates natural unity across sketches
- Travel durability: Survives real adventure conditions
Practical Reality for Travel Sketching
This kit has become my default sketching setup, even at home. Despite having access to larger palettes and more supplies, I find myself reaching for this simple travel sketching kit repeatedly. The constraints feel liberating rather than limiting for outdoor work.
The minimal approach breaks down barriers to actually sketching during travels. Instead of spending time choosing the perfect tool for each situation, I just grab what’s there and start working. This has dramatically increased my actual sketching time versus preparation time during trips and outdoor adventures.
Who This Travel Sketching Kit Works For
- Anyone who thinks they’d sketch more “if only” they had the right portable setup
- Travellers wanting genuine sketching capability without luggage bulk
- Artists seeking to simplify their practice and focus on observation over equipment
- Outdoor enthusiasts looking for reliable plein air sketching tools
- Those who want to capture travel memories through authentic sketching
Who Might Want Something Else
- Artists requiring specific color ranges for their subjects
- Those who prefer extensive tool choices for different techniques
- Anyone expecting this to replace a full studio setup
- Artists sketching in larger sketchbooks may find the limited mixing space too small
The Real Lesson About Travel Sketching
The most valuable insight from this month wasn’t about paint quality or brush performance. It was about removing friction from the creative process during travels and outdoor adventures.
The best travel sketching kit is the one you actually use, not the theoretically perfect one gathering dust at home. Having everything pre-selected and permanently packed means sketching becomes an option in moments that would otherwise pass by unrecorded during travels.
Whether you’re grabbing five minutes while dinner cooks, capturing a family moment during a day trip, or finding a peaceful interlude during chaotic camping adventures, this travel sketching kit delivers on its core promise: making outdoor sketching accessible in real life, not just ideal circumstances.
Ready to Start Your Own Sketching Journey?
If these simple, authentic travel sketches and travel sktetching kit appeal to you, I’ve just launched a comprehensive guide called “Your First Sketchbook: A Complete Getting Started Guide.” Whether you’re ready for a travel sketching kit like this or need to build basic confidence first, I want to help you move from thinking about sketching to actually making art during your adventures.
The guide covers everything from choosing your first supplies to developing a sustainable daily practice, with the same honest, practical approach you’ve seen here.
If you prefer video content, watch the original YouTube review here
What’s your experience with minimal art kits for travel? Do you find limitations liberating or frustrating? Share your thoughts in the comments – I’d love to hear how you approach portable creativity.
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