My Current Urban Sketching Kit

My daily kit as of March 2021. These are the sketching tools that I carry with me (practically) everywhere whether I am urban sketching at home or traveling the world.

Note: My kit changes constantly, but generally it’s a variation of the items shown in this photo. From time to time I try to minimise my kit (see here) but it normally grows back to something similar to the photo above.

Full Listing

• For the full listing of all the tools in this urban sketching kit please refer to this article.
• A post-lockdown version of this kit in July 2020.

Watercolour Paints

• A mix of Daniel Smith, Winsor and Newton and Schmincke watercolours in a metal  tin. More details here.
• All the colours in my palette – refer to this series of articles.

My two favourite Fountain Pens

• Lamy Joy pen (white) with a gold nib (once was EF but now more like a M in thickness) filled with De Atramentis Document Ink black. Please note the Joy is a calligraphy pen and comes with a stub nib. I replaced that with a normal nib for drawing.
• Green Sailor fountain pen with 55 degree fude nib filled with De Atramentis Document Ink Black and/or Urban Grey
• More about permanent inks for Fountain Pens here.
• In depth series of articles about Fountain Pens

Brushes

• The brush I use 99% of the time is Rosemary & Co Series 772 1/2 ” sable blend dagger. It has a sharpened end so that it fits into a toothbrush container. More about why I like this brush here.
• I also have a Pentel Aquash Waterbrush in large. I don’t like the results from a waterbrush (washes are flat with little granulation) so I rarely paint with it. The main use is as a clean water supply for pre-wetting skies
• Refer to the Brushes Section for more details.

Other

• When I’m out urban sketching I attach my sketchbook, palette and water container to a support board –  more details here.