5 Travel Tools to Spark Creativity
5 Travel Tools to Spark Creativity
Tools for illustrators and artists to help explore their creativity while on the go this holiday season.
by Rob Sayegh Jr
The holiday season is upon us, and like many others, I will be traveling a lot. Traveling has always been an amazing source of inspiration for me Whether it’s unexpectedly finding a color combination, or just quickly doodling while getting coffee in a small cafe, traveling always provides me with a boost of creative energy. Be ready to scoop up a creative moment for yourself anywhere you go this winter. You will not only become a better artist, but you will be able to use your new experiences in your art, causing you to evolve and grow.
Here are some of my favorite travel-ready art tools that fit in your pocket and allow you to be creative absolutely anywhere.
This is truly my favorite non-drawing app EVER. I think it is the least well known of any of the tools on my list. Adobe Capture is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite and is absolutely free (if you already have an Adobe subscription.) Adobe Capture allows you to create patterns, brushes, and other assets to use in your favorite Creative Cloud application on the go. It is extremely intuitive and very fun. You can play creatively without creating a single drawing.My favorite tool within it is the Colors and Looks function. Through your phone’s camera, Capture will create a palette of what is in the viewfinder through utilizing “eyedropper” tools. So if you see a color palette you are in love with or just want to capture the feel of a landscape you are visiting, Capture will pick the dominant colors within that scene as a reference. You can also save them to your Adobe Libraries, which will automatically update next time you open your CC application of choice or export them as a JPEG. You can import a photo from your camera roll to make it easy to create several color palettes at once to try out when you have some downtime.
On a separate note, I also use this tool to make sure my colors stay consistent within my portfolio. I just upload my work and the app does the rest.
Lightroom Mobile is the newest on-the-go tool in my arsenal. A companion tool to the desktop photo editing software, Adobe Lightroom, the mobile version allows users to take photos and edit them with an extensive set of professional options. My main use and need for this tool is to photograph textures that I find throughout my environment. I later use the textures in my illustration work. Before I found this app, I wasn’t able to use my photos at times, because they would upload as a JPEG file format at a lower quality that would not work for my larger pieces. Lightroom saves the day by allowing me to shoot a RAW (.DNG) file, which helps me to get the most of my photos on the go. It also allows me to capture many more details of the texture through it’s editing tools at a slightly bigger file.
Bellroy Notebook Cover Mini and Notetaker Pen Bundle (A5 Notebook)
I carry my wallet with me everywhere. A few years ago, I was also carrying a sketchbook everywhere and it was getting to be a lot in my pockets, especially in the warmer months. I began to search for a way to combine the two into one which led me to the Bellroy Notebook Cover Mini and Notetaker Pen Bundle. I LOVE THIS WALLET. I love how easy it is to quickly draw wherever I am, whether I am stuck in traffic or waiting at baggage claim.
There is incredible people-watching on public transportation - this wallet lets me capture the faces I see without finding my larger sketchbook.
The wallet holds a 3.5 x 5.5 sketchbook and features a secure magnetic closure t. It holds about 6 cards and some cash and is slightly bigger than a traditional wallet. It even has space for a small pen. The wallet is very stylish and is made from environmentally-certified leather and comes in a few colors to fit your own style. Bellroy is a B-Corp, which means they hold themselves to a higher set of standards and social responsibility.
I also have a Bellroy backpack and am generally obsessed with their travel accessories. You can check out more of their products here.
I also use Moleskine Cahier Journal, Soft Cover, Pocket (3.5" x 5.5") Plain Journals that come in packs of three. These are great little sketchbooks for quick drawings and are very flexible - they are a great addition to the Bellroy Notebook cover.
I use a pen when sketching because it is a great tool for learning how to work through mistakes without erasing. I usually hate fountain pens because I draw very heavy-handed, and typically break through the paper. But, I finally found a pen that worked for me while in Berlin The Perkeo Pen from Kaweco is mess-free and very inexpensive compared to other fountain pens. It is easy to maintain on the go with refill cartridges and makes my line more interesting than a traditional ballpoint pen. My only wish is that it had a clip or holder to fit in my pocket better but otherwise this is a great economical option for a fountain pen.
I use procreate for my art daily. Procreate Pocket is the perfect tool to sustain my projects while I am on the go It really is the most powerful drawing app on a mobile phone. I can create thumbnails, composition roughs and other less detailed artwork right on my phone using my finger as a stylus. I love Procreate on my iPad Pro but I can’t have it with me all the time, especially if I am out without a backpack. Procreate Pocket is a great little solution and resource I can access almost anytime and anywhere.