My lightest sketching kit yet – graphite + ink edition (2024)

I’m currently exploring sketching more in graphite and ink, so I’ve also revisited my sketching kit and tried out ways to make it lighter.

It’s not that I’m completely obsessed with minimalism, but the thought of carrying a minimal amount of weight when I go sketching sounded very appealing. I’m actually changing my sketching tools a lot of times, adapting my kit whenever I have a back condition, or when I don’t have much space to bring anything bigger, or when I just want to be super flexible.
So I’ve thrown out a few of my heavier art supplies, and I’ve even taken apart my sketchbook!
Let’s see how that went.

What’s in my light sketching kit?

I only have tools for monochrome sketches in my kit right now, this is a bit different from what I usually do, but not completely. After my last post about exploring graphite and ink tools but still having watercolor as a backup, I’ve reduced even more and at least in the field I’m taking a break from the watercolors. These are the tools in my sketching kit:

• mechanical pencil HB 0.7mm
• Kaweco Sport with black De Atramentis document ink
• Faber Castell Graphite Aquarelle pencil 2B
• Waterbrush with clear water
• white Posca acrylic liner
• plastic eraser

This is actually a great minimal setup for anyone who’s currently learning how to sketch – you don’t need much more for this when you’re taking your first steps. It could be even more minimalistic, maybe I could get rid of the white Posca pen and the eraser? We’ll see.

I’ve also thought about the practical and weight aspect of my sketchbook. I love my sketchbooks. I make them myself. I love their look and how they handle. But they’re also heavy, because I prefer a slightly larger format (A5 and above) and really thick cotton paper – which is, I realize, almost overkill for this style of sketching.

So…my spontaneous solution was that I’ve ripped out some pages! I’ve taken one stack of 4 pages grouped together during binding and I guess that will do for my next few drawing sessions. Yes I’ve taken my sketchbook apart so that I can save some weight.

I have no idea if and how I will reassemble it later, but for now, it feels good. I have put thin drawing paper around the pages for protection, and since I need a stable drawing surface I also use two very light PP boards to carry and protect the paper in.

What art tools have I thrown out (for now)?

I’ve removed my entire watercolors from my sketching setup right now: palette, brushes, water container. And of course the sketchbook itself. This reduced a lot of weight. Also, some random stuff like additional pencils and brushes I rarely used.

My sketching kit including paper and a small pencil case now weighs 200g. That’s considerably less than what I used to carry around before (ca. 980g).

Of course, this is not all that I bring, it’s just the sketching tools. I also usually have my wallet, key, phone, a water bottle, a small mat to sit on and some small items with me. I try to fit these into a fanny pack around my waist, or a very light backpack, or whatever bag I have with me.

Let me start this by saying that all of this is a temporary step, something I’m experimenting with. I don’t intend to give up on watercolors, I never could (in fact I often add a bit of it back home, or I add some colored inks), and I will use big sketchbooks again. For me, this is a late summer experiment, and so far I’m enjoying it, it keeps my sketching practice fresh. And I like making marks with ink, it’s a flow activity for me.

It reminds me of the other really small kit I used to bring everywhere a few years ago when I practiced sketching small landscapes in black and white and color. It features the same fanny pack. In some ways, this is similar, but my sketching style has changed a lot and I think it reflects in my choice of tools, and lines.

What’s in your sketching kit right now? Have you ever removed something for weight reasons?