Below is a list of the art materials I use for field sketching outdoors. If well cared for, these supplies can last for many years and can help you make the best paintings possible.

Watercolor Sketchbooks

There are many options for the watercolorist who wants to sketch outdoors. These range from hardbound books to spiral-bound pads. You can also find a wide variety of paper textures from smooth hot-press to rough cold-press.

If you want to focus mostly on watercolor with a lot of washes, you may want to try a thicker cold-pressed paper with more texture. Once again Strathmore makes sketch journals with 400 Series paper that open flat and come in both landscape and portrait formats (see Blick Art Materials)

Another option is using a watercolor block. This is a pad of watercolor paper that is glued on all four sides of the paper. The nice thing about this is having all four sides glued helps keep the paper from buckling, which allows you to do repeated washes. I have to note that the paper will still buckle if enough water is applied, but the buckling is still less than a regular sketchpad. Arches makes great watercolor blocks (See Blick Art Materials)

Watercolor Paints for Sketching Outdoors

Watercolor paint come in two basic types, pan and tube pigments. Pan paint consists of dried pigment in a little square that is activated when water is applied. Tube paint is wet paint in a tube that you squeeze onto a palette. Tube paints eventually dry and becomes pan pigment which can be reused by activating with water.

I prefer to use tube paint. It more you have to lug along, but I like the options of being able to use thicker paint if need be. I prefer are Da Vinci watercolors (See Blick Art Materials), but also use M. Graham (See Blick Art Materials). If you intend to focus on more transparent washes and would like to significantly reduce your carrying load, pan colors would be a better option.

Sakura Koi makes a very convenient watercolor pan set that includes a palette and a brush that allows you to fill the handle with water (see Blick Art Materials for current price). It comes in sets from 12 up to 72 colors and you can buy refill pans for just a few bucks. Be aware that the paint is student grade, but for personal sketches, this has never been an issue for me.

Watercolor Palettes for Field Sketching

Folding watercolor palettes work great for field sketching. They have color wells and mixing areas and will close up to protect the pigments and the other items in your backpack.

I've used the Masters International Folding Watercolor Palette for years now and really like it. It's 4x8 inches, has 20 color wells, five mixing areas, three brush holes, and a thumbhole. You may want to wrap a rubber band around it to make sure it stays shut in your backpack (A good idea for any folding palette). You can usually pick this up for around $5 (see Blick Art Materials for current price).

Watercolor Brushes for Field Sketching

For watercolor brushes, I've used a combination of synthetic and natural sable in both flats and rounds. I primarily use Blick Masterstroke Finest Red Sable Brushes. I've found them to be a quality brush for a reasonable price (see Blick Art Materials for current price), especially for natural sable. I've had mine for years and they are still working well (the ones in the photo above are at least 15 years old).

Brush Box

To carry my watercolor brushes into the field, I use a Brush Box made by ArtBin. It's large enough for long-handled brushes and has a foam insert to hold the brushes in place. This is important for protecting the delicate hairs on a watercolor brush. See Blick Art Materials.

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Jason Tako is a nationally known fine artist who specializes in western, wildlife, plein air, and Historical Native American subject matter. He spent his learning years sketching the wetlands and wooded areas of rural Minnesota. He has been featured in Plein Air Magazine and Western Art Collector Magazine and he was the Featured Artist for the 2020 Southeastern Wildlife Expo. See his work at www.JasonTako.com and his demonstrations on his YouTube Channel.