My Watercolor Travel Supplies & Tips to Paint Anywhere ✧

Hi there! Last year I filled up this watercolor sketchbook during my one month trip in Japan, but I brought way too many art supplies and they took too much space. Since I'm going back again next week, this time I want to keep things much simpler, so I'm building a tiny watercolor set I can carry everywhere. Everything has to fit in this one small case. Let's get ready together! Since I'm painting really small, I try to keep everything as compact as possible. First is my tiny watercolor sketchbook. I made it myself in an accordion format. It's almost new, I like to fill a few pages before the trip, it just makes it easier to start. There are still more than 20 empty pages, so quite enough for my three weeks stay. Next is my palette. I'll actually bring two. This one is a slightly bigger metal palette with 14 half pen colors. Since it's a little heavy, I might not use it much during the trip, but I just feel safer having it with me. And this is the one I'll use the most. It's a very tiny palette, a small 3D printed box I customized. It's super compact with space for mixing and really practical for painting outside. There's a magnet on the back, so I can clip it onto my sketchbook when I don't have a table. I can just take it out and use it anywhere. I also added a small magnet inside the case, so it stays in place when I open it. For the brushes, I made a small change to the case. It was originally a pen case. The brushes didn't stay in place very well, so I added an elastic band to hold them securely. Last time, I brought quite a few brushes and didn't really use most of them, so this time I'm only taking these. First is my favorite mop brush in a travel format, and I use it all the time when painting outside. It holds a lot of water while still keeping a I also love this design. It can fold in half to save space, and the bristles are also protected. Then a slightly smaller brush with a sharper point. It's great for more detailed paintings, but still holds a good amount of water. And a detail brush is always necessary. This one was actually a surprise. It came with my palette, and I didn't expect much from it. But it's surprisingly good for fine lines and tiny details. I usually use a calligraphy brush for details, but it's too long to carry around. And look how small this one is. I should have discovered it much earlier. If you want more guidance in watercolor, I also made an online course for beginners. They are full of relaxing and fun projects. Feel free to take a look. I use a tiny metal container for water, about the size of a bottle cap. It's totally enough for my painting size. And a small bottle of water. This one is actually a reused soy sauce bottle. I like using these little everyday things. They're small and very practical. And the last tools to my essentials, a mechanical pencil and a mini ruler. I'm not really a drawing person, but it's nice to have them when I need a bit more support. That's everything for the essentials. And in the second layer, I add a few extra things that I found really helpful. They make painting outside much easier. For example, a tiny bottle of drawing gum, just for small highlights. It's a bit annoying to use, very sticky, so I use a sim card pin to apply it. And it's much easier to clean. I lost quite a few of them last year, so this time I'll add a small string to keep track of it. A small spray bottle, just to reactivate the paint. Sometimes I like to add these clean white borders using masking tape. It makes the paintings look more delicate. And I'm really excited to restock my washi tapes in Japan. I also made this tiny paper viewfinder to help me focus on a simple composition when I'm painting outside. And of course, some ready-to-paint watercolor paper. It's another way I enjoy painting, working on individual pieces instead of a sketchbook, just like this ongoing one. It feels more free, and this setup is super handy and practical when I'm outside. Ah, I almost forgot this one, a vintage color slide, just for decoration. I can't wait to update it with new nano paintings. And that's everything I'm bringing with me. I'm really looking forward to painting in Japan again, and seeing what I can create with this tiny setup. If you have any favorite spots in Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka, I'd love to hear them in the comments. And if you want to learn watercolor in a fun and relaxing way, check out my online course for beginners. I'm Nan, a miniature watercolor addict. See you next time!