TIPS FOR PAINTING ON VACATION by TOM BROWN

CLICK HERE for this painting

Two common problems that stop people from painting on vacation are no space for painting gear in their luggage and no time to paint.

The answer is to paint postcard-size and use a compact paint box. My small plein air pochade is my favorite but if you don’t have that, the “micro-kit” like the one shown below works great. And you can make one for yourself in just a few minutes.

This little painting kit can be the difference between no painting fun at all and bringing home wonderful memories.

The paint box shown here is just a small cardboard box with palette paper inside the bottom. A spring clip holds the postcard on the inside of the lid while I paint. A brush or knife and some tissues complete the kit.

Small paintings take very little time but they capture big memories.

Whenever you have a few minutes to yourself just grab this kit and go paint something. I’ve used it many times when I had precious little time to paint while traveling.  I carry small tubes of my basic hues and squeeze out my paints on the palette before going out to paint.  I clip my postcard to the lid and I’m good to go.

To store and carry wet paintings I hand-made another small box. I put wax paper slipsheets between wet paintings and stack them on top of each other until later. When it’s convenient I remove the slipsheets and allow the paintings to air dry.

The whole kit will easily fit into a small bag or purse. And it packs safely inside luggage. It’s everything you need to bring back those precious vacation memories. Give it a try this summer.

Questions? Email me here:   tombrownstudio@cox.net