What’s Inside Mrs Blackwell's Travel Art Kit

Millie Blackwell

I don’t get many requests for insight into my life, but one that has come up several times this year is a level of curiosity about what’s inside my travel art kit. Perhaps some reassurance that it is all as easy as I keep saying!

It’s a very simple set-up and barely warrants a “tour”, but as Adam and I are currently preparing for a trip to Oregon, and our friends at Art Toolkit have recently added three fantastic new colours to the range, this seemed like two good reasons to take you through my little set-up!

For me, I usually just want the basics. If we’re heading somewhere specifically to draw or paint, I’ll take a few extra things (a bigger water bottle, a collapsible cup, coloured pencils), but for a kit that’s always ready to grab and go, this is all I use.

The Art Toolkit Zip Case

I have an Art Toolkit in the small, regular size – mine is a recently retired colourway called Duotone Desert. I have embellished it quite liberally over time with patches collected on our travels. Most are just ironed on, and the glue seems to adhere quite well to the Art Toolkit fabric if left overnight to cure.

Watercolour Paper

Inside, I have a pocket watercolour book. My current one is not my favourite I’ve ever had, but I don’t want to be wasteful, so I’ll use it up and then return to my preferred pocket sketchbook, which is this Moleskine one. I also really like this Hahnemühle beige paper, which gives all your work an immediate vintage look.

Watercolour Palette

I’ve gotten a lot of general inspiration from Art Toolkit founder Maria Coryell-Martin over the years. She’s an expedition artist, and the palettes she developed came out of her own experience making art while travelling and working in the field.

One of the things I particularly love about the Art Toolkit palettes is how slim and lightweight they are. The mixing surface on the lid is also ceramic rather than plastic, which means it doesn’t stain as quickly or as easily. Small detail, but one I really appreciate when I’m using it regularly.

My specific palette is the ‘Explore’ size and it came pre filled with paint like this one. Mine was a gold one that was released in collaboration with Traveler’s Company many years ago. This fits neatly inside one of the small pockets of the Art Toolkit Zip Case, although all of the palettes fit inside the case, including the largest Folio size. 


Art Tookit Zip Case in Aqua (new in 2026)

I’ve filled mine with a range of extra colours, and as you can see, I carry a reference card because it can be quite art to see what is what once they are in a dry state. I find the lid of the palette is plenty of space for me to do my mixing, and I can just clean it as I go if I need more space, but other people do prefer to add the extra mixing pans and take less colours.

A quick answer to a question we get quite often in the shop: the paint pans are filled with watercolour paint straight from tubes. You let the paint dry in the pans and then simply bring it back to life with a little water when you’re ready to paint.

Art Toolkit Zip Case in Umber (new in 2026)

Travel Brushes

My favourite brush is a Beam Paints brush that as a gift from my business coach and I also really love my Rosemary & Co brush, which is lighter and more comfortable for a longer session.

I also take with me:

  • Pocket Mister 

  • A Blackwing 602 and a back-up mechanical pencil 

  • An eraser

  • Bulldog Clips for holding the pages of my notebook down or clipping the palette to my page

  • Waterproof liners – I like, at minimum, an 0.1 and an 0.5 in black, but I will add 0.3 if there is room, as well as a grey and brown liner too.

  • A rag - I have a fabric cloth that was a bit disgraceful to photograph here, but a paper towel works just as well, for drying brushes or cleaning the palette

  • Vintage collapsible water cup – I only take this when I know I'll have access to water. I got mine from an antique store, a relic from WWII, I’m told. I’m almost certain you could find something similar in an army surplus store, and I have seen a makeup artist with a plastic version that she used for her makeup brushes.

Like I said, it's all very simple. Adam has one too and between us we can usually head out for a day without giving our kit much thought. If we’re hiking, we’ll often just fill the mister from a stream or bathroom tap when we need more water.

I hope this gives you a useful starting point if you’re putting together your own travel art kit.

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