Whether you travel by train, plane or automobile, or you just want the flexibility of moving your art space from bedroom to living room, with a little planning you can take your art on the go.
While innumerable travel art kits exist for children, these 3 tips are for art on the go at any age.
Tip 1: Know Your Dexterity
Dexterity means skill at performing tasks, particularly with the hands. The opposite is probably clumsiness.
There are some of us who will probably spill our coffee on a white blouse, will undoubtedly get some food on our cheek (or nose) at a luncheon and will likely drop an open marker on the couch.
This isn’t an insult, just an observation.
When my children were younger, at least people could assume they were the reason I had food on my clothes. Now, I have no one else to blame…
Some children also are neat freaks, but others will accidentally (or on purpose) color on walls and automotive seats.
So, choose the best art medium for your dexterity level. Markers for the cautious, gel pens for the mostly dexterous and colored pencils for the clumsy.
No need to damage your car.
Tip 2: Find Your Ideal Surface
For small spaces or when you’re packing light, a clipboard with some paper or a spiral-bound notebook might be enough of a surface for art on the go.
For road trips to grandparents, or coloring on the couch during your latest binge, we prefer a lap desk.
Lap desks come in many sizes. A couple of favorite features include:
● Clipboard on top: works well for securing coloring pages on road trips.
● Storage inside: works well for at home self-contained art projects.
● Light attached: works well for long-distance road trips, when the driver might not want an overhead light on, or for the super-detailed coloring preferred by many adults.
Tip 3: Consider Containment
Everything is better in a cute container...manufacturers and Pinterest fans alike understand this.
So when it comes to your art on the go, opt for a cute containment option. A basket in your car or an adorable tote are great options. If you chose the lapdesk with storage, you already have a self-contained art kit.
But here are some other things to consider for art containment:
● Think twice before you sticker - Children love stickers, but they may end up everywhere.
● Pencil shavings need to go somewhere - A pencil sharpener that contains its own shavings is a necessity.
● Make it simple - If you are the type to put markers back in their original packaging, in order, bully for you! Everyone else might consider a zipped or rolling pencil case (hard plastic can get stepped on and crack).
With your art projects grab-and-go, you can make any long car ride or repeat showing of your kids’ favorite movie, that much more enjoyable.
Bonus: The Best Pencil Sharpener
When it comes to coloring on the go, sharp colored pencils and contained shavings are a must. But OfficeGoods pencil sharpener delivers so much more--you can even charge it on the go!
The charging cord that comes with the OfficeGoods V-7 pencil sharpener has a USB end. While it isn’t designed to be plugged into a laptop, it can plug directly into most cars through the USB port.
You’ll get precision points and never run out of battery!
OfficeGoods
OfficeGoods brings you the best in quality art products, from smooth, beautiful gel pens, to desk accessories and much more, we only carry products we use and can confidently recommend.
Check out our online store to see our products--and enjoy art wherever you go!