The wanderlust painter - Art materials for painting outdoors

Wanderlust, simply defined, is a strong desire to travel. This love for experiencing new places, however, is not only limited to globetrotters and road trip junkies; it is also expressed by the artist who loves to paint outdoors or on the go; capturing the world around them in colourful pencil sketches or visual paint mediums. From a day spent outside to a weekend away, the wanderlust painter’s backpack or travel bag is carefully curated with art materials that fit the plein air brief and allow any artist to paint al fresco - anywhere and anytime. 

Painting in-studio vs painting outdoors require two very different artist mindsets. All it takes is a variety of outdoor-friendly art materials that allow you to easily stop and paint whenever or wherever inspiration may strike. 

“Painting outside has helped me with seeing shades. Before Plein air, I was a hyper-realistic painter and used pure black and white. -Serbian artist, Velko Geurgevich

So step out of your indoor painting comfort zone, stock up on appropriate art supplies, pack your bag and get painting outdoors. Here’s  a basic checklist:

#1 A portable easel

Any artist will tell you how important it is to have a good easel. And when it comes to art materials and supplies, it is a worthwhile investment. But, unless you have a designated studio, a portable table easel or a field tripod easel (ideal for uneven ground) are your convenient and lightweight travel BFFs. 

Then there are portable adjustable easel sets that do double-duty and come with (almost) everything your artist heart could desire - from erasers, rulers and pencil sharpeners to paintbrushes, sketch pencils, oils pastels and acrylic paint tubes - all neatly organized in a storage draw. 

#2 A portable watercolour pan set

Painting on location just got easier with a range of watercolour pan sets - convenience in a tin. Thanks to the vibrant array of pigments, plus a built-in palette for mixing colours, creativity can be sparked anywhere. As far as quintessential art materials go, this is a cost-effective solution for painting outdoors. 

“If you can’t find anything that inspires you, zoom in and paint a detail of the scene. It’s usually easier, and it gets you going with painting. As for editing, ask yourself: If I put this object in, will it improve the painting in any way? When in doubt, leave it out.” –Watercolour artist, Frank Eber

#3 A portable sketch pad or canvas

Size matters when painting plein air and so a travel-sized sketch pad or a small to medium-sized stretched canvas or canvas board are the obvious go-to options for on the go oil, acrylic, watercolour or sketch artists. Just add your favourite paint brushes and paint and you’re ready to go.

Speaking of sketch artists, when the outdoors call, you will not want to leave home without Artistik’s 47-piece artist-grade drawing/sketching coloured pencils organized in a nifty travel wrap.

Get ‘Artistik’ - online and outdoors

Painting plein air is all about connecting with nature and being creative outdoors. Artistik is your online art supply store to connect you to the art materials you need for everyday inspiration and creativity - indoors or outdoors.  

Every artist knows the value of investing in quality art materials and our Artistik mission and passion are all about helping artists - from beginners to professionals - with a curated range of artist quality supplies and tools. 

Step into our online space and then outdoors by shopping for all the art supplies you need and we will deliver them to your door.