My art kit is modified every time I head into the field. I thought I’d share some of the variations I’ve used and experimented with.

14" x 8.5" tackle box art kit that carries all of my goodies
14″ x 8.5″ tackle box art kit that carries all of my goodies

This kit was the one I used around the world. It’s a durable tacklebox that my mother bought me at Fred Meyer, and carries my paint brushes, watercolor palette, water jar, extra ink, and all sorts of goodies. Since traveling around the world, I’ve added velcro tape (a wonderful invention) to anchor my palette and water jar to the box lid. This means when I’m in the field, I can get out what supplies I need, close the box (so nothing blows away), and can keep track of what is out. The velco has been particularly useful for when I’m working on boats and on steep slopes (such as glaciers…) when my supplies could be easily lost.

Altoids art kit made with half-pans for Girls on Ice
Altoids art kit made with half-pans for Girls on Ice

Thinking about weight and portability, I got excited this past winter about art kits made from Altoids tins. They’re small, inexpensive, and well… cute. I made one for my trip to Antarctica using Sculpey clay for the palette, which worked well except that is was dense (check out my Feb 1 post). It was too heavy for backpacking so I explored other ideas. I found half pans for sale at Daniel Smith and began supergluing them into the tins (after I painted the interior for a nice white palette) which is lighter and yeilds a lot of possibilities. Above is a kit I made for the Girls on Ice program and below is a pencil box I’ve modified into an art kit.

Pencil box with shelf
Pencil box with shelf

I cut a yogurt container lid into a shelf and can carry some extra materials.

7" x 2" pencil box watercolor kit
7″ x 2″ pencil box watercolor kit

On the note of half pans, here is another Altoid kit I’ve made using velcro instead of glue so I can change out the colors.

Altoids watercolor kit with half-pans attached with velcro tape
Altoids watercolor kit with half-pans attached with velcro tape

These have all been fun, but are best for around town sketching. I’m still trying out what is best for the mountains. This Sunday I’m heading for a week to the Cariboo Mountains in British Columbia to work with a scientist on a glacier monitoring trip. We’ll have a lot of gear to carry, so I’m considering what the lightest and most efficient art kit will be for me. So far, I have a 9″ x 4.5″ tackle box that fits my paint brushes (the ends of which I’ve cut off), some pens, pencils, erasers, and clips. I can carry a small palette and water container separately. This afternoon I’m driving up to Mazama in the Methow Valley to drop my boyfriend Darin Reid off for an Outward Bound course (in addition to being a wonderful web designer, he’s a kayaker extraordinaire) and will test out my new kit before I head up north.

9" x 4.5" art box
9″ x 4.5″ art box

The box is only half of the puzzle- I’m still working out what paper to bring. This weekend before I go, I’ll try and share the variety of portfolios and paper packets I’ve used in the field.