Pencils are lightweight, easy to carry and by far the most versatile tool to take on the road. But – always a caveat, right? – pencils get blunt and need sharpening and somehow the marks seem unfinished. I like to do a more permanent drawing. Then I will often use a pencil to rough out a basic placement of things on the page but will continue work with a fine tipped archival ink marker, like the Pigma Micron pen. They don’t take up any space either. I also take along a water pen, like this one :

They come with different sizes of brush, from very fine to a wide one like this – and I fill one with it a mix of drawing ink and water. I often do a quick loose sketch in the brown ink and then add detail with the marker. It is easy, portable and not too messy.

I can use the water pen with clear water to work with watercolour pencils or with watercolour paints.

The most important consideration, however, if you decide to use wet media, is the paper you are using. It must be substantial enough to not buckle when you apply water based substances like watercolours or ink washes. Most sketchbooks have pages that are great for pencil or ink markers but are not strong enough to withstand wet media. Look for a quality mixed media sketchbook that is labelled good for wet media, or, my favourite choice, a watercolour sketchbook that will have 140 pound or even 300 lb paper.

I like this one.

The pages are 140 lb cold pressed and the sketchbook opens flat which I like. It is a good ‘workhorse’ sketchbook. This one is a Moleskine ( https://www.moleskine.com/en-ca/shop/notebooks/art-collection/watercolor-art/watercolour-notebook-black-8058647626741.html but there are several brands that make excellent sketch books. This size works well for travel.

You should also be aware, as I mentioned in a previous post, Travel Sketching: Part Two: Making Marks , that museums in general prohibit any paints, wet media or markers to be used inside the galleries unless you have made a special arrangement.

Best to stick to pencil inside museum venues.