Travel Paint Kit

[Rob Dean]

I have reached the point in my life where I am a bit tired of work travel. While it's nice to be away from the office, travel is disruptive to my personal life. In an effort to make some lemonade from the lemons, last year I started to assemble a kit that I could squeeze into my carry-on bag, so that I could get some hobby work done even when I wasn't home.

 

I just got back from a trip last night, and had been posting some progress pictures to another forum. Since people over there were interested in the mechanics of the kit, I thought that I'd share it here too.

 

So, here is where we start. There is a small stuff sack, my TSA-compliant one quart bag, and a small box for the work.

 

 

The one quart bag has a little bit of space left in it, even after adding toothpaste and shampoo, but I currently have seventeen paint bottles. These are all dedicated to this purpose and are just left in the bag between trips. If I had to scrounge around for them, I'd be less likely to take the kit. The limited color selection does mean that I pick the work with that limitation in mind.

 

 

In the stuff sack are the tools. My most recent addition is a mini Ottlite. Its zone of illumination is a bit small, but I liked the compact bar format for packing, and it is rechargeable, so can be plugged in or moved around away from an outlet as needed. Hotel room electrical outlets are often inconveniently placed. There is also a pair of extra closeup glasses left over from photography needs in lieue of an Optivisor which I use at home. I haven't worked out the travel wet palette yet, so there are a couple of container lids, my standard palette tool for the past 25 years. I have two sets of Games and Gears travel brushes, which store the bristles in the handle. Because they are somewhat pricey, I have brush soap to attempt to keep them in good shape.

 

 

Here's a closer look at the brushes. One set has a 000, 00, 0, 1, and 2, and the other is a set of "technical" brushes acquired this past summer at Gencon, of which the heavy duty dedicated dry brushes have been seeing the most use.

 

 

Whatever miniatures I'm going to work on are in the box, loosely wrapped in tissue.

 

 

Here's what I had with me this week, mostly vintage figures, except for the Stonehaven gnome who didn't actually get any more paint. I don't usually brush on varnish at home, but I have a bottle with the travel kit to protect completed paint jobs in transit. As you can see, I finished three of the nine figures i had with me this week, which isn't lightning progress, but IS progress.

 

 

I expect to be able to scrounge disposable cups for water and wash water, and some newspaper to protect the furniture.

 

In action, it ends up looking something like this:

 

 

[knarthex]

Nice!

[Glitterwolf]

Cool!

[Gadgetman!]

He Masters Brush Soap is also avilavle as a 1/4oz 'travel size'.

Oathsworn not only make nice minis, but they also pack them in nice business card-sized plastoc boxes, which might be used to hold rinse water...

[John Fiala]

Neat!

 

I had no idea they did travel brushes like that.  I don't need them, but now I kind of want one.

 

I've got a question about your paint selection - I notice you've got two blues - what's the reason for that?

[RouterMike]

That's an awesome kit. How do you like the Games N Gears brush sets? I got in on the kickstarter for their double ended brushes, and unfortunately, they were not very good pretty bad.
 
This is what I rigged up for travel. I can keep my brushes in a narrow diameter pvc pipe with a wine cork in each end to keep the brushes safe. This may have been a little bigger and bulkier than necessary, but it works a charm. I did need to keep the plastic bristle protectors for these brushes though, and a small piece of cloth inside keeps them from shifting around.
 
For a wet palette, I have a very small lunch/sandwich case. I have a cut down shamwow sponge and pre-cut parchment paper sheets in it. This can also hold a small handful of minis. The lid even has a small section meant to hold a tiny spoon and fork, with a sliding cover to hold them in. Perfect for an x-acto knife, sanding sticks, toothpicks and a poker pin.
 
Just add the obligatory baggie of paints. I also have a pair of clip on magnifiers in a hard case, and an LED headlamp that I'd have for work anyway. Sure I look like a dork painting, but whatever. This all went in the checked bag though I suppose it could go in the carry-on if I leave out the x-acto, and wedge the brush tube next to the laptop.

 

I do have the L2PK in the pistol case, but it takes up a lot of space in my checked bag, so that's not always an option.

 

 

[Rob Dean]

Neat!

 

I had no idea they did travel brushes like that.  I don't need them, but now I kind of want one.

 

I've got a question about your paint selection - I notice you've got two blues - what's the reason for that?

If you look at the paint, you'll notice that everything is Reaper except the Royal Blue. I ordered the whole color selection at once so as to have the dedicated set, but found that the blue was pretty light, and mixing it to something like the royal blue color I wanted on the fly was not straightforward. (Note to self: practice color mixing with this set at home...) So I went to the FLGS and got a deeper blue, and didn't bother to pull the other one out because there was still room in the bag. If I get pressed, I map swap one for a 4th shade of brown.

[Rob Dean]

That's an awesome kit. How do you like the Games N Gears brush sets? I got in on the kickstarter for their double ended brushes, and unfortunately, they were not very good pretty bad.

 

This is what I rigged up for travel. I can keep my brushes in a narrow diameter pvc pipe with a wine cork in each end to keep the brushes safe. This may have been a little bigger and bulkier than necessary, but it works a charm. I did need to keep the plastic bristle protectors for these brushes though, and a small piece of cloth inside keeps them from shifting around.

 

For a wet palette, I have a very small lunch/sandwich case. I have a cut down shamwow sponge and pre-cut parchment paper sheets in it. This can also hold a small handful of minis. The lid even has a small section meant to hold a tiny spoon and fork, with a sliding cover to hold them in. Perfect for an x-acto knife, sanding sticks, toothpicks and a poker pin.

 ... I also have a pair of clip on magnifiers in a hard case...

Well, I'm a little suspicious of the G&G brushes. I'm trying the wash them properly to extend their life, since, historically, I'm hard on cheap brushes. The 1 and the 000 have been the most used so far, with the 000 holding up well and the 1 having some pointing issues. I'll update the review after a few more trips. What they do win on is compactness. I like your brush baton and may give that a try sometime.

 

The wet palette idea is one I'll copy as soon as I can get it organized. Regular baking parchment?

[Chaoswolf]

Good stuff here, guys; keep it coming!

 

I have a 'sort of' travel kit, but it's geared towards driving, not flying, so it could use a bit of tuning.

[RouterMike]

 

Well, I'm a little suspicious of the G&G brushes. I'm trying the wash them properly to extend their life, since, historically, I'm hard on cheap brushes. The 1 and the 000 have been the most used so far, with the 000 holding up well and the 1 having some pointing issues. I'll update the review after a few more trips. What they do win on is compactness. I like your brush baton and may give that a try sometime.

 

The wet palette idea is one I'll copy as soon as I can get it organized. Regular baking parchment?

 

 

The pipe is 1" external diameter pvc pipe. One side has the cork jammed in there almost all the way, so it will not come out. On the opening end, I've filed down the inside edge a little bit to make that cork fit easier. I have a small strip of thin cloth about 1/2" wide and 4 inches long that I put in just before I put the cork in. This keeps the brushes from rattling around. I can leave a corner of the cloth hanging out the tube when I put in the cork so it is easy to remove.

 

Wet palette: Yes, straight up baker's parchment. It's not re-usable like the Masterson's stuff is supposed to be, but it's a damned sight cheaper so you don't feel bad cutting it to size for whatever you put it in.

 

For the travel brushes, I'm eyeing the Rosemary and Co reversible brushes. Their Kolinsky Sable R33- series looks perfect, but the smallest they show on their web site is a size 4. Now, R&Co brushes tend to run much smaller than others by number. My size 3 R&Co Series 33 is the same size as my Raphael 8404 Size 1, and those two are only a tiny bit larger than a size 1 in W&N Series 7 or the Reaper Kolinksy. If the size 4 is the smallest they have for the travel brush, I'll still throw one in my next order. If they can make smaller, my next order may just be travel brushes only. At $10 US, they're a great price for a Kolinsky brush and I love my R&Co Series 33 brushes, so I'm pretty sure the brush heads on the reversible 33s should be the same quality. I sent an email off this weekend, let's see how they answer Monday.

[Sylverthorne]

Many of the high-quality brushes come with protective .. well, tubes that go over the bristle end to protect it. The tube catches on the thick end of the ferrule and keeps the bristles from getting smushed or bent. If you save that, you can probably carry your brushes in just about anything.

I had a look at my last W&NS7 purchase, and not only does it have the protective 'cap', but the brush came in a tube that I might be able to fit more than one brush in! Hm!

 

I like these kits; might have to build one of my own. ^^;

[pcktlnt]

Many of the high-quality brushes come with protective .. well, tubes that go over the bristle end to protect it. The tube catches on the thick end of the ferrule and keeps the bristles from getting smushed or bent. If you save that, you can probably carry your brushes in just about anything.

I had a look at my last W&NS7 purchase, and not only does it have the protective 'cap', but the brush came in a tube that I might be able to fit more than one brush in! Hm!

 

I like these kits; might have to build one of my own. ^^;

The plastic tubes are too small to fit two brushes without squishing or damaging the tube. Once inside, you'll need a long skinny handle that fits into the tube to push both of the brushes out. I normally have a cap pen on me, so that's no problem.

[Sylverthorne]

 

Many of the high-quality brushes come with protective .. well, tubes that go over the bristle end to protect it. The tube catches on the thick end of the ferrule and keeps the bristles from getting smushed or bent. If you save that, you can probably carry your brushes in just about anything.

I had a look at my last W&NS7 purchase, and not only does it have the protective 'cap', but the brush came in a tube that I might be able to fit more than one brush in! Hm!

 

I like these kits; might have to build one of my own. ^^;

The plastic tubes are too small to fit two brushes without squishing or damaging the tube. Once inside, you'll need a long skinny handle that fits into the tube to push both of the brushes out. I normally have a cap pen on me, so that's no problem.

 

Tested this, because I like to see for myself; two will /just/ fit. Getting them out if they get wedged would probably be, as you say, tricky. Appreciate the headsup; I probably wouldn't have thought to check it. ^^

[DixonGrfx]

When I painted canvases and went to classes or workshops I had a segment of PVC pipe that had caps over the ends. Inside the pipe I had a dowel that was the length of the tube. I would use a couple of rubber bands to hold the paintbrushes tight against the dowel. that way the brushes didn't move around or smash into the end of the lube. It worked really well.

[Thes Hunter]

I use poster tack and a pencil case. I embed the kolinsky brush in the poster tact. It doesn't move. And the pencil case protects it from all other harm.