July 31, 2024

AdVANture Art!

From finding your core colors to picking secret hiding spots for supplies, Lisa Spangler shares her tips for bringing art on the road, full-time or for a trip!

By Lisa Spangler

A white camper van parked in a lush green forest surrounded by tall pine trees. A person wearing a hat sits on the ground near the van, enjoying the outdoors. Sunlight filters through the trees, illuminating the serene scene.

Hello hello, and welcome to my traveling art studio! Let me give you a tour of my setup, and take you on an adventure — no, make that an advanture!

But first, a little backstory: in May of 2024, my husband and I sold our house to travel full-time in a converted camper van we’ve named Walter. We designed the van ourselves, so I was able to add a shelf under the bed to store full sheets of watercolor paper that I can tear to whatever size I need. I have art supplies stashed here and there throughout the van, so there’s no barrier to making time for art — and you can apply these same principles whether you live in a van, a boat, or in a house!

Before I show you all my secret hiding places for art supplies, I thought I’d share my biggest supply tip: find your core colors.

Find Your Core Colors

It took me a while to find my core colors, but once I did, it made things so much simpler. One easy way to find your core colors is to look at your palette and see which ones you have to refill most often. Another is to take some time to play with triads and find mixes that work for you.

I do mostly botanical paintings, nature sketches, and landscapes, so my colors may not work for you, but it’s always fun to see what other artists use, right?

Colorful paint swatches and color mixing charts are displayed in an open sketchbook, resting on a log. The left page is labeled "Core Colors" with various paint samples, while the right page features "Bonus" swatches with a paintbrush placed nearby.
Finding the set of core colors that works for you and what you like to paint will really simplify your life!

Here are the colors (Daniel Smith unless otherwise noted) I just can’t live without—I have them on every palette:

  • Azo Yellow (PY151) - A beautiful transparent yellow.

  • Quinacridone Coral (PR209) - This is my warm red. I love it for sunsets and florals.

  • Quinacridone Lilac (PR122) or Quinacridone Rose (PV19) - I also use Winsor and Newton's Quinacridone Magenta (PR122), which has the same pigment number and is pretty much the same as the Daniel Smith Quinacridone Lilac. Also, I’ve had some issues with Quinacridone Rose acting up in hot temperatures, so I’ve been replacing it with lilac or magenta on all of my palettes as a work-around.

  • Cobalt Teal Blue (PG50) - I love this granulating color so much. It makes beautiful skies mixed with Ultramarine, bright greens, and opaque purples.

  • Ultramarine Blue (PB29) - My workhorse blue. It mixes more olive greens and the best purples with magenta.

  • Transparent Red Oxide (PR101) - I love this granulating color mixed with Ultramarine Blue or Indigo to make deep dark browns and greys.

  • Indigo (PB60 + PBk6) or Neutral Tint (PBk6, PV19, PB15) — Maria always says to make your darks DARK, and you can’t go wrong with either of these!

Then, if I have more room, I add some bonus colors. If it’s a mixing palette, I like to add Chinese White (PW4), Phthalo Green (blue shade) (PG7), Hansa Yellow Deep, and Phthalo Blue (green shade) (PB15). If it’s a palette for convenience, then I’ll add Yellow Ochre (PY43), Chromium Green Oxide (PG17), Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet (PR206), and Cerulean Blue (PB35).

I keep tubes of paint to refill my palettes under the kitchen sink — I’ve found this to be a great zone that doesn’t have too many temperature swings. My husband laughs that I have art supplies hidden everywhere. I even have bottles of ink hidden in the drawer where we keep our bowls and plates!

An open orange art kit displaying a set of watercolors, a blank sketch pad, and various art tools laid on a wooden surface with a blurred natural background.

Have Your Supplies Handy

This is the golden rule for getting some painting time in, and it can apply no matter where you live! I have four secret hiding places for art supplies in the van.

My Secret Hiding Places for Art Supplies

#1 My Fanny Pack

A blue notebook lies on a textured wooden surface, accompanied by a small watercolor paint set, a turquoise zippered pouch with pens and markers, and a red rubber band.
Everything I fit in my fanny pack.
A black bag with a blue strap sits on a textured surface alongside a blue cloth, a compact black case secured with a red elastic band, a silver pen, and a clear water brush.
A bonus mini kit that jumps between bags!

Now that we’re traveling full-time, I’ve started using a fanny pack instead of a purse, and I’m really loving it! I use it for town days and also take it on little hikes. I have a tiny art kit in there, of course!

A person holds an open sketchbook displaying a watercolor painting of green trees, surrounded by art supplies including pencils, a palette, water brush, and scissors on a textured wooden surface.
Practicing sketching trees in my sketchbook.

#2 Under the Passenger Seat

I keep a Pocket Art Toolkit under the passenger seat so I can sketch on long driving days. I kept things super simple in this one and usually just do pen and ink sketches. Note: don’t sketch and drive y’all!

An open sketchbook with a drawing sketched on the left, alongside a watercolor palette and a bottle of brush cleaner, all resting on a gray and blue zippered pouch. The background features a soft-focus natural landscape.
Sketching from the passenger seat.

I love having this one handy to grab when we head to visitor centers at National Parks so I can get my sketchbook stamped as a keepsake!

A sketchbook with a tree drawing is on the left, while a portable watercolor palette and a water brush are on the right, inside a zippered case. Sunlight creates highlights on the materials.
Open sketchbook displaying a hand-drawn tree on one page, with a handwritten note dated 7-9-22, mentioning "Love Elk Camp, MN." The background shows a natural outdoor setting with greenery.

#3 My Daypack

A yellow backpack rests on a log in a natural setting, accompanied by a red pouch, a colorful square notepad, and a guidebook titled "See Your Thing: Rio Grande." A pinecone is nearby, suggesting an outdoor adventure theme.
May daypack fits a lot of supplies!
A white camper van parked in a forest clearing, with the side door open. A yellow backpack and a red bag are placed on the ground near a log, surrounded by trees and greenery.
Ready for a hike.

My daypack has a little sketch kit in a shoulder strap pouch so that I always have supplies with me — it’s super handy to stop and do a sketch or a nature spot when I’m hiking down the trail—blog post here for inspiration! I move this kit over to my backpack for backpacking trips.

A green backpack rests on a fallen log, surrounded by autumn leaves. Next to the backpack, a watercolor paint set with vibrant colors is visible. Various notebooks and pens are partially shown inside the backpack.
Everything in my fanny pack can fit in my shoulder pouch, too!
A watercolor palette with several colorful paints resting on a textured wooden surface. A watercolor brush with a water reservoir sits nearby, alongside a swatch sheet showcasing vibrant circles in various colors: orange, yellow, teal, and green.
Nature spots on a Mini ZigZag Book with a Demi Palette.

Sometimes, I throw my fanny pack setup in my daypack, or if we’re doing an easy hike to a sketch destination, I’ll bring along a waterproof pouch filled with a Pocket Palette and a bigger sketchbook or loose sheets of Arches watercolor paper and a Coroplast support board.

#4 Cozy Camp Setup

A watercolor painting of green trees on a sketchbook, surrounded by art supplies, including a palette of paints, brushes, and pencils, set against a grassy background with pinecones.
My cozy camp setup includes an Duotone Desert A5 Art Toolkit with a Folio Palette.

I like to use this one when we’re in camp. If it’s a rainy day or there’s no shade, I take over the kitchenette! If it’s nice out, I sketch outside at a camp/picnic table.

#5 Bonus Supplies for Fun!

I have a Royal Blue A5 Art Toolkit filled with bonus supplies that are just for fun!

A log lies on the forest floor in a wooded area, with a blue folder and art supplies placed beside it. In the background, a camper van is parked among the trees.
A blue watercolor travel kit arranged on a bed of pine needles, featuring a palette of vibrant watercolors, a sketch of a color wheel, and various art supplies including brushes and pens.

  • This is where I keep the Triad Palette and Triad Template, a collaboration project that I did with Art Toolkit and paintmaker Letter Sparrow, released in June, 2024! I like to dream up new triads that reflect the “palette of place” where we’re camped.

  • I also have my Cactus Palette collab with Letter Sparrow from last summer in this Art Toolkit and love to use it when we’re in the desert!

Hope this inspired you and gave you some ideas for keeping your art supplies handy to take on adventures. Just let me know if you have any questions or want to nerd out over colors!

— Lisa

A white camper van parked among tall trees in a forested area. The surroundings are lush with greenery and there is an open space near the vehicle.

Follow along with Lisa’s adventures by subscribing to her Substack here.

Visit her website and Instagram page to keep up with her latest work!

All photos courtesy of Lisa Spangler.
An artist sites on a rock, dipping a paintbrush in a Pocket Palette.

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