14 Amazing Drawing Tools: My Drawing EDC

This post is a little rundown of essential drawing tools I like to bring with me when I travel. I got the idea from all the Everyday Carry (EDC) photos out there (mostly here and here) and from a few bloggers I have seen over the years (my buddy Adam over at 180Lunches recently did a post on his travel EDC). But it’s really fun to look at all the stuff people call essential and the wide range of cool curated bits and bobs that people lug around with them.

One of the nice parts of drawing as a hobby or pastime is that it’s relatively cheap compared to other hobbies. I like to think of golf as an example of a way more expensive hobby when I need to rationalize “splurging” on a new $10 pack of brush pens. One could easily spend $100 on a single golf outing not to mention the cost of clubs, balls, better balls, lost balls, better clubs, shoes, driving range, shoes etc. Aside: Im not knocking golf, golf is great! it’s just expensive.

EDC

One thing I love about the EDC pics I see online is the idea of having a minimal set of key items that are essential for everyday use and are tried-and-true. I think a lot of those pics being snapped and posted are bullshit – do people really carry two pocket knives, multiple Zippo lighters or a matching set of three mini pliers everywhere they go? Probably not. There’s a lot of trend following in the EDC world and just “cool stuff” collecting going on there but whatever, it is cool stuff! And honestly, the photos are pretty, fun to look at and more importantly, the idea of building a set of essential tools and sharing it is a good one.

My Drawing EDC

So here is my drawing EDC (travel kit):

This is a zippered folio from Galen leather – This was a christmas gift from my wife from a few years back and it’s great

Top Row

Staedtler Pocket Template – Rulers are nice to have when I need one. This one fits in my case behind my pens.
Westcott Eraser Shield – This was a tool I didn’t know I needed (or even existed) until I did. I was talking to a neighbor and he asked me, “Hey Mike, you like drawing, do you want these?” He then handed me a little box of about 20 of these little metal cards. I had no idea what they were. He said his dad used to do technical drawing and he thought they were for “erasing or something”. I said, “sure.” After some research the “eraser shield” has become a staple in my everyday kit. They are great for erasing and redrawing little details (especially eyes!) without touching other parts of the drawing.
Windsor & Newton Watercolor Travel set – My go-to set for color washes here in the shed or on the road.

Inside the Kit

Presto Jumbo Correction Pen -White out for correcting mistakes in black ink.
Pentel Fude Brush Pen FL2F (Extra Fine) – Fun to sketch and draw with. I generally only use them for filling in large areas of black.
Faber Castell Pitt XS – It’s waterproof and great for sketching though not as much for finished work. Like all brush pens the lines don’t hold up to erasing very well.
Tombow Fudenosuke – Another brush pen. Also waterproof. This one allows more line variation than the Pitt pen but not as fine of a line. I mostly use this to add line weight or depth in spots.
Kuretake Zig Water pen – I use this for watercolor washes. The body of the pen holds water so you just squeeze it and the water flows out of the brush. Mine is pretty old but still great.
Uni Kuru Toga Roulette Mechanical Pencil – Nice heavy metal pencil. Automatically rotates the lead so it won’t develop that annoying wedge shape while drawing. This one takes a 0.5 lead.
Pilot Namiki Falcon (soft EF nib) – Fountain pen. Has been my go-to for finishing drawings in ink for 4 or 5 years now. Its my favorite pen by a long shot and the nib is still great after a lot of use. I generally use Platinum Carbon Ink or Sailor Ultra Black with it. Both inks are deep black, hold up great uder intense erasing and are waterproof.
Staedlter Mars Plastic Eraser – my favorite erasers.
Pilot Neox Graphite Lead (0.5 HB) – Just started using this lead in my mechanical pencil but so far very smooth. No issues.
Sketchbook – The one pictured is the one I made last month.