Jan 5

Jan 5 Trying to Find a Good Bag for My Art Gear

Some months ago before I really started getting into watercolor painting I purchased the Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Super Mega Pencil Case. I had looked at the Etchr Field Case but decided I wanted something more like the Dr. Ion bag. I never really found a use for it until recently. It has two zippered compartments. You open one from one side and the other from the opposite side of the bag. One compartment is an open cavity and opposite that is a pencil/pen holder with four slips. This holder attaches to the side of the bag with hook and loop straps under this is a zippered mesh pocket.

The other side of this bag when unzipped also has narrower storage area that contains three slip pockets for pens and pencils, a small mesh pocket that can be flipped up to reveal another pocket. On the other side of this compartment is an open pocket with a hook and loop strap. This bag works well as a small but adequate art materials bag. I originally hoped to use the Art Toolkit bag I got from Expeditionary Art, but it doesn’t fit in a larger carry-on bag I want to use to carry some camera gear along with my art gear when traveling. I am able to get all I need for a day out sketching in the Dr. Ion bag except a sketchbook. I do have a 4x6 watercolor block in one of its pockets though. Plus the Dr. Ion bag fits nicely in my various camera bags.

It would seem, then, that I’ve solved my mobile art storage problem, right? Wrong! After using the Dr. Ion bag for a few weeks, I find I’m irritated that I have to flip the bag over to get to other tools. A small thing, I know, but irritating nonetheless. So I began looking for alternatives. The dopp kit (“Wash Pouch”) from Peak Design was one but a bit pricey. Several school pencil cases also looked promising. I ordered one of the latter since it was only about $16 and transferred my art gear to it.

The bag is made by Angoo and called the Strawberry Pencil-Pen Case. Like the Dr. Ion, it won’t hold a full sketchbook as it’s only 4.3” x 7.9” (11x20cm), but it does sit on a table with full access to all compartments. The top opens to the main bag compartment which holds the larger items I want to have with me including a 4x6 watercolor paper block. The main compartment has two open pockets in which my two Expeditionary Art Pocket Palettes fit perfectly. The one side pocket cover has holders for six pens/pencils/travel brushes and folds down to give access to the main compartment. I got everything I had in the much larger Dr. Ion bag in this little bag! I think this bag is getting closer to what I want for very portable sketching and watercolor painting!