You can fit a whole watercolour sketching kit in your jacket pocket. All you need is a small paintbox, a small paper block and a brush that converts from pocket-size to full-size. This is great for painting from life in the city or countryside whether you are making a complete finished painting or you are making a sketch for a painting later in the studio, in oil or watercolour.
Travel Brushes for Painting Outdoors
Jackson’s: Red Sable Retractable Brush, Size 4
Watercolour painting is especially well suited for painting outdoors because the kit is small and portable and the work dries before you need to pack it up to take it home. A collapsible brush usually converts from a short pocket size to a longer brush ready-to-use by reversing the cover that is over the hairs to attach as the handle. Not only does this save space but it protects the fine hairs of the brush. A few brushes are ‘retractable’, that is the end pulls back inside the handle rather than moving the cover to become the handle, but ‘retractable’ is an accepted term for all types of travel brushes that convert from short to full size.
Most brush manufacturers have a retractable brush in their range. We do pocket brushes by some of the very best brush makers including DaVinci, Escoda, Jackson’s, Isabey, Winsor & Newton and Pro Arte. If your brush has a good point and a full belly you can often use one size brush for a variety of marks and washes so a size 6, 8 or 10 can do double duty as both a wash and fine line brush. There are even handy brushes that store a small amount of water in the hollow handle, so you’ve no need of a bottle of water – Water Brushes.
Da Vinci: Maestro Watercolour Brushes
Jackson’s: Artica: White Toray: Retractable Synthetic Brush: Series 112
Escoda: Watercolour Travel Brush Set
This high quality travel watercolour brush is ideal for plein air painting or for artists who prefer the convenience of a portable brush. It fits in your pocket- the protective lid comes off and attaches to become the handle. Jackson’s Artica brushes are made with the finest quality Toray white synthetic fibres, and have a round pointed shape. Each brush is cured to improve the spring and resilience of the hair so it keeps its shape well for a soft, yet controlled application.
Whether you call the brush a retractable, pocket, collapsible, travel, portable, compact, convertible or folding – they are very handy and easy to transport! Travel Brushes for Painting Outdoors.
Small pads or blocks of watercolour paper are the natural choice for watercolour sketching en plein air and a portable compact watercolour box will complete your easy to carry kit. With a small watercolour set-up you can be ready to paint anywhere at any time! Watercolour Postcard packs are a great for sending home sketches of your travels.
May is Plein Air Month on the Jackson’s Blog!
Read these other posts about outdoor painting and sketching.
Click on the underlined link to go to the current offers on Travel Brushes on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Visit the website to see all the useful supplies for working outside in the Jackson’s Art Plein Air Painting Department.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39.
Claude Monet Painting in His Garden at Argenteuil, 1873, by Renoir
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