My New Super Portable Sketching & Painting Kit
The other day I wrote about trying out the Angoo Strawberry Pencil Case to carry all that I think I need for on-the-go sketching and watercolor painting. I would normally also take a sketchbook such as the Moleskine Watercolour Sketchbook (5” x 8 1/4”) with me but since the Angoo case will hold a 4” x 6” watercolor paper block I don’t really have to.
Contents stored in main compartment! (Tap to enlarge!)
So, just what am I carrying in this small 4.3” x 7.9” (11x20cm) bag? The two pockets in the top entry main compartment hold my two Expeditionary Art Pocket Palettes. One palette contains 14 Daniel Smith paints (the Jane Blundell “Ultimate Mixing Palette”) and the other has assorted mixing pans. The 4x6 block stands up against those pockets and the wide (3”) bag bottom holds a 3 3/4” collapsible silicone water cup, a large #10 DaVinci travel brush, a water brush, a water refill syringe, kneaded eraser in plastic container, two binder clips, an extra 05 Micron pen, a Flair pen (water-soluble ink), a 6” ruler, a plastic case of .05 HB lead, some Q-Tips, scratch strips to test paint colors, and a folded paper towel. Whew! And there’s still room left!
Pocket Palettes in main compartment pockets.
When you open the zippered side of the Angoo, it reveals another opening to the main cavity. There is half-height “wall” of material to keep items in main compartment in place but still give you access to them. The drop down side has retaining straps to hold six pens, pencils, or brushes. Here I have a mechanical pencil, an 01 and an 05 Micron fine tip pen, a Uni-ball white gel pen, and a #6 and a #2 DaVinci Travel Brush.
I’ve started using this bag fully loaded to see if it is easy to use on-the-go. So far, though, it appears to meet all the requirements I set as I looked for a practical and small carrying case for my art supplies. I’ll post after a few weeks of actual use to report on how it’s working.
