All in One Watercolor Travel Set
We’ve all had times where we wanted to take our art on the road, but it’s not always easy to do. But if you’re looking to paint on location the Koi watercolor travel set makes it super easy. Everything is included in an easy to carry case, and there’s nothing that was left out.
Watercolors are such an amazing medium with a wide range of possibilities in technique and style. Getting outdoors and painting some amazing landscapes should be on every artists list of things to do. Let’s see how the Koi watercolor travel set holds up during this journey.
In this watercolor travel set review I’m going to take inside this wonderful watercolor kit and show you what it has. And what it is missing (which isn’t much).
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Koi Watercolor Travel Set
The set that I purchased contains 24 colors. Also included are a couple of sponges for cleaning the brush, a refillable brush, and a palette for mixing colors. It all fits into a nice little box for easy travel.
At first glance, it appears they have thought of everything. But if you’ve ever taken your art on the go, then you know that even when you think you’ve brought everything there’s usually something that got overlooked.
Watercolor Swatches
Before taking my watercolors on location, I wanted to make a page of watercolor swatches so I could see how they look on paper. I wanted to be able to use this page to reference the colors. After giving it some thought, I should have cut down some paper to fit inside the container for the swatches instead of using my sketchbook.
These colors are very vibrant and there is a good range included in this set.
Functionality of Sponges
I have to be honest, I was a little apprehensive about only using the sponges to clean off my brush. It was difficult to not use a separate container of water to clean it between colors. But I needed to try it out and was pleasantly surprised by how clean the sponge got the brush.
There are two sponges included in the set, but I only used one while creating my color swatches. This wasn’t an issue at all. The sponge left the brush very clean and there was no transfer of color when going to the next pan.
Brush
I’ve used refillable brushes in the past and find them to be extremely convenient. This is the first time I have traveled with watercolors though, and having the refillable brush was really a necessity. It holds enough water to do several paintings before running out, and cleans off nicely with the sponges provided in the field kit.
The paintings I did with the set were relatively small, and the size of the brush was perfect. However, if you were trying to a large painting, the size of the brush could be a problem.
Koi Watercolor Paint
The Koi watercolor paints are extremely vibrant. I love how bold the colors are. My first painting using the Koi field kit was of a vintage camper, painted on an artist trading card. I didn’t mix any of the colors. Instead they were used as is, straight from the pans.
Everything was painted in one session, without letting anything dry. So this entire painting was done on just one layer. As you can see, some nice dark areas of paint were achieved without layering the paint.
If you want to learn more about making ATCs, check out my earlier article on How to Make Artist Trading Cards (ATCs).
Built-In Palette
The second painting that I did using the Koi watercolor travel set was of The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. We visited this historical building while on vacation to see my son graduate from boot camp. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out the field set… in the field.
My biggest struggle with this painting was being rushed and not really having time to relax and focus on my painting. So this ended up being a quick 10 minute painting. But I was able to use the palette a bit and mix some colors together and experiment a little.
The palette that’s included in the travel set works really well. It has 4 pins on it that keeps it in place for storage. But you can also move the palette over and lock it in place off to the side. This is a really nice added touch to the set.
Before leaving for vacation, I cut down some paper from my mixed media sketchbook and placed it inside the lid of the watercolor kit. It fit inside there quite nicely, but there is only enough room for a couple of pieces, especially if the paper is thicker.
The palette also helps protect your paintings if you’re storing them in the lid after they’re finished.
Watercolor Travel Set for Painting on the Go
My overall opinion of the product is two thumbs up. I like everything about this watercolor travel set. The colors are wonderful, and the kit includes everything you need to complete a painting while on the go. And it all stores in a nice little package that makes it easy to travel with.
I’ve been trying to think of something negative to say about the set but there’s nothing. It serves the purpose of being able to paint on location and is extremely functional. The only things you need to take with you besides the watercolor travel set is a pen or pencil and some paper. Everything else you would need is included.
Get yourself a Koi Watercolor Travel Set and do some on location painting.
Watercolor Art Tutorials
- How to Paint Watercolor Sunsets
- One Color Watercolor Painting Tutorial
- Birch Trees Step by Step
- Watercolor Galaxy Paintings
- Easy Christmas Painting
