Grab-and-Go Sketching Rig

My grab-and-go sketching kit for live portrait sessions and come-what-may art trips is heavily inspired by the YouTube videos of Davy Lim and my 2Q and online mentors.

I purchased the organizer box from Facebook Marketplace for less than Php 400.00. Ain’t easy to find a box of this size and for the price it’s quite a steal.

I lined some of the sections with EVA foam to reduce impact damage on the pastel pencils and prevent core breakage. I however could not add foam to the cover, thus making it the weak spot. I also added a small bag of silica gel to absorb moisture.

I store my pastel pencils in three separate sections: warm, cool, and skintone. This makes it easy for me to find a specific color while working. I use six brands: Conté a Paris, Stabilo CarbOthello, Koh-i-Noor Gioconda, Derwent, Faber Castell, and Caran d’Ache.

One section contains sketching pencils – sepia, sanguine, black, and white lead pencils; charcoal; and graphite from Conté a Paris and Koh-i-Noor Gioconda. A separate section holds the stick version of the pencils.

Several sections contain soft pastel sticks from Jack Richeson, Royal Talens Rembrandt, Holbein, Koh-i-Noor, and Caran d’Ache.

The kit also has a numbrer of accessories like rubber and kneadable erasers, a Kum Magnesium and Stabilo sharperners, binder clips, paper stumps, a cutter and craft knife, a mini caliper, pencil extensions, a measuring tape, and a sandpaper block.

I use this kit with a 24-color set of Conte a Paris Carre crayons, hard pastels for blocking in sections of color faster.

I’ve been using this kit for quite some time now and has proven itself handy even in tight spots and venues where tables are unavailable.