Melanie Rivers Art

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5 Tips for Creating Art While Traveling

Bringing art on the road can be a great way to ground, relax and enjoy while you are away. What is hard, is deciding what to bring!! Do you ever bring art supplies on a trip? Unsure what to bring? Do you want to bring them all?? Are you expectations high on what you will create and how often you will create while you are away? I hear you. I struggle every time.

When I traveled recently, I brought the smallest travel set I've packed yet. I wanted to keep it simple and light.

Supplies I Brought:

  • black micron pen

  • white gel pen

  • white and black charcoal pencils (soft)

  • 4B pencil, blender, and eraser

  • 4B Lyra water-soluble pencil

  • stabillo all in black

  • small brush

  • notebook

What did I end up using? I used the black micron pen and my notebook!! It reminded me that creativity doesn't need to be fancy. In fact, limitations foster creativity. I usually use acrylic paints, so using only the felt pen helped me learn some new ways to shade. I also kept my expectation low by starting my sketch with my non-dominant hand.

Here are my tips for making art while traveling:

  • keep your travel set small

  • don't expect to create every day, maybe just once is enough

  • don't expect to create a masterpiece

  • remind yourself why you are brining your supplies-- what are your intentions-- to relax, to practice, to get grounded, to learn...

  • be kind to yourself about what you create and how much you create


Below is my poem I wrote to go with the sketch:


In Flight

He holds her dreams up,
Pointing the way, softly reminding,
Wings spread, open to the flight,
They move together,
Through foggy skies that obscure the mountain tops,
Gliding along sunbeams, following their light,
New territories, new journeys await,
Hope, joy, discovery,
Delightful dreams are held in the dance of the flight.


What is it like for you when you travel with art supplies? What struggles do you have? What works for you? What is the smallest travel set you have ever brought? Please share your comments below.


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