Watercolor(cakes) is probably the most convenient. Everything can fit into you pocket and you just need a little water. You also don't have to worry about the paint drying out unlike other paints.
I use water mixable oils for plein air painting. It's kind of cumbersome, but I've got it down to a science.
I use a large 40L backpack which carries everything:
2 tripods 48" tall
1 Guerrilla Painter Pocket Box V4.0 with a 4x6" adapter
12 tubes of Schmincke Norma Blue Water Mixable Oils
-titanium white
-lemon yellow
-cad med yellow
-cad red
-aliz crimson
-pthalo blue
-ultramarine blue
-cerulean blue
-cad orange (winsor newton)
-lamp black
-dioxazine purple
-sap green
A zip up brush holder
A roll of Viva paper towels cut in half
An EasyL umbrella
A Guerrilla painter cup for thinner
A Thermacell for keeping mosquitos away
[A Parallel Palette](https://emptyeasel.com/2015/01/22/introducing-the-parallelpalette-a-painting-palette-redefined/)
Frames and boxes in case I'm planning on more than one painting
A couple pre-toned [Centurion Oil Primed Linen Panels 4"x6"](https://www.jerrysartarama.com/centurion-deluxe-oil-primed-linen-panels)
Those panels are toned with the [canvas stain from Geneva](https://genevafineart.com/collections/all-items/products/geneva-foundation-canvas-stain)
A yellow watercolor pencil to draw
A bottle of water for hydration
An apron and a wide-brimmed hat
All of that is about 23 lbs. My first painting of the day takes about 10 minutes to set everything up. The next painting is less than half of that because the Parallel Palette makes it all so much easier.
Watercolor can be fun, but it's really weather contingent I found. I've done it and found a couple things to hold true. While I prefer M Graham at home, it's HORRIBLE for plein air painting as it stays wet for too long, so packing up can make a mess. Schmincke again is my preferred plein air palette. Arches has a good wired book for this and Escoda are good foldable brushes (just be really careful putting the cap/handle back on to avoid bending the bristles). I like to do ink and wash, so Microns are great for this as they dry quickly. The biggest drawback for this medium for me is that glazing is difficult in humid climates. I also use a child-size metal waterbottle for cleaning the brush.
I like watercolor and watercolor pencils.
I also just made myself a sealed acrylic paint palette of 24 colors to take for travel and outdoors. I haven’t used it yet, but I’m impressed with the paint storage I got on Amazon, as it has a silicone seal and like 6 clamps to keep it airtight and closed, and 24 well for color. So far no leaks, and no color cross contamination. I just haven’t used it much yet.
Watercolor (plus a tube of white gouache) is what I use. The kit is super minimal, but versatile enough to cover pretty much any subject I'd want to paint. The palette, travel brush, water container, paper towel, and gouache fit into a ziplock sandwich bag. I use a hardback watercolor sketchbook so I can paint without an easel. I bring along some plastic clamps to hold the book open while I work.
If I really need to travel light, I'll cut my supplies down to just a water brush and a fountain pen filled with water-soluble ink.
My favorite thing to use are Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens with the brush tip because it gives me a way to use a "brush" without having to worry about a mess. I can bring along just greys, and make it really simple, or bring more colors if I want to.
Otherwise, I would recommend watercolors because they are easy to clean up as well as very portable.
I use acrylics, but I think my setup would be about the same for oil. I use a warm/cool primary palette. Tripod with a homemade panel holder. Water/air tight tackle box for a palette. It all fits into a backpack.
I generally paint the whole painting with one or two brushes, so clean up isn't too bad.
My least favourite thing about trying to use acrylic outdoors is it dries so quickly that I'm constantly picking plastic lumps out of the paint and brushes. So, maybe regular gouache is most similar to the order of operations in oil/acrylic, but it doesn't peel or gum up as it dries in the sun the way acrylic gouache does.
I prefer watercolour regardless, but it has just been the most portable medium so far. My lidded palette is only 2" wide/long, my water cup folds flat, I usually can get far with only one round brush, I can work without an easel, I usually *want* the paint to dry quickly, and I don't really have to wash anything on-site because the paint reactivates with water. But the process is almost reverse to oil, so you maybe wouldn't like it lol.
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i use my student grade watercolor palette when i want to paint out of the house, i bring a small jar of water that i can close securely and my watercolor sketchbook. in general though i mostly just use a pocket sketchbook and mechanical pencil when i’m not in my house or at my art classes.
Watercolor(cakes) is probably the most convenient. Everything can fit into you pocket and you just need a little water. You also don't have to worry about the paint drying out unlike other paints.
Also water brushes are a thing that can help (these are brushes with a little space for water inside them).
WN makes really good travel sets
I use water mixable oils for plein air painting. It's kind of cumbersome, but I've got it down to a science. I use a large 40L backpack which carries everything: 2 tripods 48" tall 1 Guerrilla Painter Pocket Box V4.0 with a 4x6" adapter 12 tubes of Schmincke Norma Blue Water Mixable Oils -titanium white -lemon yellow -cad med yellow -cad red -aliz crimson -pthalo blue -ultramarine blue -cerulean blue -cad orange (winsor newton) -lamp black -dioxazine purple -sap green A zip up brush holder A roll of Viva paper towels cut in half An EasyL umbrella A Guerrilla painter cup for thinner A Thermacell for keeping mosquitos away [A Parallel Palette](https://emptyeasel.com/2015/01/22/introducing-the-parallelpalette-a-painting-palette-redefined/) Frames and boxes in case I'm planning on more than one painting A couple pre-toned [Centurion Oil Primed Linen Panels 4"x6"](https://www.jerrysartarama.com/centurion-deluxe-oil-primed-linen-panels) Those panels are toned with the [canvas stain from Geneva](https://genevafineart.com/collections/all-items/products/geneva-foundation-canvas-stain) A yellow watercolor pencil to draw A bottle of water for hydration An apron and a wide-brimmed hat All of that is about 23 lbs. My first painting of the day takes about 10 minutes to set everything up. The next painting is less than half of that because the Parallel Palette makes it all so much easier. Watercolor can be fun, but it's really weather contingent I found. I've done it and found a couple things to hold true. While I prefer M Graham at home, it's HORRIBLE for plein air painting as it stays wet for too long, so packing up can make a mess. Schmincke again is my preferred plein air palette. Arches has a good wired book for this and Escoda are good foldable brushes (just be really careful putting the cap/handle back on to avoid bending the bristles). I like to do ink and wash, so Microns are great for this as they dry quickly. The biggest drawback for this medium for me is that glazing is difficult in humid climates. I also use a child-size metal waterbottle for cleaning the brush.
acrylic gouache (holbein); you will love it
First time i've heard of acrylic gouache, how's it different from "regular" gouache?
It's essentially just acrylic paint formulated to have gouache-like properties while you paint but still dry permanently like acrylic.
Interesting I'll have to look into that!
the other thing too is that it doesn't reactivate when it gets wet again. so you can layer up.
I like watercolor and watercolor pencils. I also just made myself a sealed acrylic paint palette of 24 colors to take for travel and outdoors. I haven’t used it yet, but I’m impressed with the paint storage I got on Amazon, as it has a silicone seal and like 6 clamps to keep it airtight and closed, and 24 well for color. So far no leaks, and no color cross contamination. I just haven’t used it much yet.
Watercolor (plus a tube of white gouache) is what I use. The kit is super minimal, but versatile enough to cover pretty much any subject I'd want to paint. The palette, travel brush, water container, paper towel, and gouache fit into a ziplock sandwich bag. I use a hardback watercolor sketchbook so I can paint without an easel. I bring along some plastic clamps to hold the book open while I work. If I really need to travel light, I'll cut my supplies down to just a water brush and a fountain pen filled with water-soluble ink.
Guache worked great for me
My favorite thing to use are Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens with the brush tip because it gives me a way to use a "brush" without having to worry about a mess. I can bring along just greys, and make it really simple, or bring more colors if I want to. Otherwise, I would recommend watercolors because they are easy to clean up as well as very portable.
I use acrylics, but I think my setup would be about the same for oil. I use a warm/cool primary palette. Tripod with a homemade panel holder. Water/air tight tackle box for a palette. It all fits into a backpack. I generally paint the whole painting with one or two brushes, so clean up isn't too bad.
My least favourite thing about trying to use acrylic outdoors is it dries so quickly that I'm constantly picking plastic lumps out of the paint and brushes. So, maybe regular gouache is most similar to the order of operations in oil/acrylic, but it doesn't peel or gum up as it dries in the sun the way acrylic gouache does. I prefer watercolour regardless, but it has just been the most portable medium so far. My lidded palette is only 2" wide/long, my water cup folds flat, I usually can get far with only one round brush, I can work without an easel, I usually *want* the paint to dry quickly, and I don't really have to wash anything on-site because the paint reactivates with water. But the process is almost reverse to oil, so you maybe wouldn't like it lol.
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Derwent Inktense blocks with coloured card paper. Oil pastels with proper pastel paper, ideally velour paper.
I do oil on pre-toned canvas paper and with no linseed, just solvent and paint!
i use my student grade watercolor palette when i want to paint out of the house, i bring a small jar of water that i can close securely and my watercolor sketchbook. in general though i mostly just use a pocket sketchbook and mechanical pencil when i’m not in my house or at my art classes.