How To: Pack Your Painting Supplies for Traveling

Tomorrow I am on route to teach a 9-day Fearless Abstract Painting Retreat in Paris! Here's what I have learned (so far) about packing for an international painting trip:

Thin-profile canvasses take up less room & weigh less than deep-profile canvasses.

Thin-Profile Canvas VS Deep-Profile Canvas

Stretched-Canvas VS Non-Stretched Canvas

Stretched

I chose to take 6 stretched-canvasses in various sizes. I had to make sure these were small enough to pack inside my suitcase. FYI Stretched canvasses contain a wood support. 

Non-Stretched

I chose to take 3 panels of non-stretched canvas in larger sizes (36" X 48") because I like painting on a bigger scale. When you have your canvas panels cut, make sure to add extra inches to the edges to allow for framing when you get home. FYI Non-stretched canvasses do not contain a wood support.

Primed Canvas VS Raw Canvas

Primed canvasses are heavier than unprimed canvasses.
Unprimed canvasses are easier to pack in a suitcase because you can fold them up like clothing.
Once I arrive at my destination, I will prime the raw canvasses using gesso. I chose to purchase the gesso overseas because it's universal (which means I won't have a problem finding it), it's cheap and it saves me the weight.

Other Considerations

• Do not take painting supplies in your carry-on luggage. They may not comply with TSA regulations and with my luck, my roller might be considered a weapon.
  
• Store paints & mediums in Ziploc bags. I double bagged everything just in case.
  
• Choose light molding paste VS regular molding paste to save on weight
  
• Buy a tinted gesso (like the one pictured above) and do 2 things at once: priming & tinting.

How will I ship these large canvasses home? Let's worry about that when the time comes shall we?

You might want to check out this article for more traveling tips