TRAVELING WITH ART SUPPLIES

I’m no expert on traveling with art supplies, particularly when flying, but I travel by car with them frequently and occasionally by plane.

Here’s how I like traveling with art supplies:

I mainly paint with acrylics, which makes it easy because I don’t have to worry about flammable materials when flying with art supplies. I still enclose the following Golden Paints material safety data sheet in case TSA needs to open my suitcase and there is any question about the safety of the products inside. Paints are expensive, and I don’t want to leave them with TSA! It can be stressful flying with art supplies because there is the worry that a TSA agent won’t understand that they are not flammable. I bring Charvin Paints material safety data sheet too. I’m sure other brands have their statements as well. You can’t bring any solvents, brush cleaners, or aerosol spray varnish, so leave those at home.

I like to check a separate bag when traveling with art supplies. A hard-sided suitcase works best if you have a small one. I use bubble wrap to carefully wrap my paint tubes and bottles and then double bag paints in plastic gallon bags. I then put them in a plastic box if I have room in my suitcase. I’m pretty bad about not getting lids on tight, so I always double-check before I travel.

I recommend labeling the plastic bags with ‘Water Soluble Artist Pigments’ using a big Sharpie and enclosing the material safety data sheet.

Brushes can also be expensive, so if you have any special ones, put them in your carry-on when traveling by plane. I tend to use inexpensive brushes, so I don’t worry about them too much when traveling. I use palette knives for both mixing and painting, so I pack them with my brushes in a rolled canvas carrier. Of course, they have to go in checked luggage. At least, I assume they probably should.

Keep everything in their original packaging when flying with art supplies. Sometimes when I paint at home, I mix up paints and put them in jars or plastic containers. But when I travel, I bring the original tubes and bottles with the packaging intact.

Traveling with Art Supplies by Car

I also have a travel kit of acrylic paints I can grab and take when I travel by car. I use 2 oz Golden Fluids and Liquitex bottles in their fabulous new squirt jars. Included in it are small bottles of Liquitex Gesso and Liquitex Gloss Medium. I have a collection of small short-handled brushes I bring with me too. At home, I prefer long-handled brushes for oversized canvases and looser paintings.


I bring a bag of my art supplies, including mark-making materials, charcoal, oil pastels, artist crayons, and Conte crayons. I include a small empty spray bottle, baby wipes, paper towels, an old shirt for a smock, and a stack of reference photos.

For ease of traveling, instead of painting on canvas, I often paint on 11 x 14 300 lb watercolor paint with two good coats of gesso.

Also, consider painting with watercolor or gouache while traveling. I don’t use watercolor much, but I have emptied tubes of gouache in this little kit and a pad of watercolor paper, and I’m all set.

What do you do with your completed work?

If attending a workshop, I usually find a UPS or FedEx store and ship home any finished paintings. I often used rolled canvas for large-scale work, which makes it easy to roll up when completed and ship in a tube. Of course, this is more difficult if you paint in oils since you want to avoid rolling up a canvas that’s not completely dry. I’ve also shipped a lot of finished paintings on stretched canvas via Fed Ex. It’s not cheap, but they pack them carefully, and I’ve never had an issue with them not arriving in perfect condition.

Some people like to paint on smaller canvas panels and then bring them home in a box like this one. I’ve also used pizza boxes to carry home artwork via car. You can buy them in bulk online.

Traveling with art supplies is not simple, but I love to travel, so it’s important for me to bring them along. I hope this makes the process simpler. I’d love to know if you have any tips for traveling with art supplies!

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Want to read about my trip to the Santa Fe Artist Getaway? Or see my ‘Italy’ collection inspired by my travels?