Starting a Watercolor Travel Journal

Have you always wanted to start a watercolor travel journal but are not sure where to begin? Let's explore this topic together in this article. You will see that with very little, you can create pages full of charm and memories. You don't need to be an expert to get started; the main thing is to just start.

Prepare your sketchbook and watercolors, and let's dive in!

A travel journal: for whom, for what?

In an era where we photograph everything, often to capture the perfect image, a travel journal offers a more intimate and personal alternative. Whereas a photo captures a moment, a journal conveys a mood, an emotion, an atmosphere. You don't have to be a skilled artist: whether you're a beginner or not, everyone can make use of this tool in their own way. Whether you are curious, a dreamer, or passionate about drawing, the journal allows you to capture your adventures.

It is a space where sketches, notes, collages, and personal impressions are mixed. It captures not only what we see, but also what we feel: the light of a morning, an amusing detail in an alley, a lively market scene, etc. This visual logbook becomes a true extension of the journey, a living and unique object, into which you can dive back long after returning home.

Choosing which materials to use

Let's look at the necessary materials. The first thing to remember is that you're going to take your sketchbook everywhere with you: so you need to travel light. Forget the huge notebooks and the XXL palettes, and instead opt for compact formats.

Choose an A5 size book: it will allow you to take it everywhere while providing enough space for you to express yourself. For watercolors, opt for a palette with a maximum of ten colors. The main thing is to have the primary shades, you can always mix more later.

I recommend having a few brushes (two or three) to vary the thicknesses and add details if you want to create a more advanced watercolor painting. But ultimately, a waterbrush will be your best ally. Finally, don't hesitate to also bring along a pencil, an eraser, and a black pen to jot down your memories or make quick sketches.

The choice of equipment is primarily personal, and that’s why I won’t go into more detail here. However, if you would like to learn more, then please check out these articles:

Choosing Watercolor Paper 
Choosing Your Watercolors

Travel journal: through the pages

The first question we normally ask ourselves is: what should I put in my travel journal? The answer is simple: everything you deem necessary and enjoyable. A travel journal is a free space where anything can find its place:

- Quick sketches to capture a scene, a face, an object, an atmosphere. It's not about creating perfect drawings, but about capturing the moment.

- Written notes, whether they are anecdotes, thoughts, names of places, addresses of restaurants, or even your feelings about what you see.

- Collages: tickets, leaves, flowers, postcards, or any small souvenir found along the way.

- Colors, applied with watercolor, pencils, or markers, to capture the atmosphere, lights, and emotions.

- Typographic games with titles, different writings, arrows, and frames to organize the information and make reading enjoyable.

How should I organize the pages of my travel journal?

Then you might wonder, but how do I organize my pages? This is often what holds us back from starting; we fear spoiling our beautiful sketchbook, and we feel that the layout will never meet our expectations. And yet, a successful sketchbook is also one that tells all of this; it’s precisely what makes it come alive.

Although there is no absolute rule, here are some tips for keeping a coherent and enjoyable journal:

- Alternate sketches, notes, and colors to avoid monotony. A page full of text can be balanced with a double page featuring a drawing or a dominant color.

- Play with the layout: you can draw a sketch at the top of the page, write below, frame a small text in a bubble, or place a collage in the corner.

- Remember to leave some blank spaces: this lets your sketchbook breathe, and can be used to add notes later, or simply make the page easier to understand.

- Indulge with titles: write the name of the place, the date, or a keyword that evokes the moment. This creates a narrative entry and facilitates reading.

- Use visual markers: a color code for pages (for example, blue for the sea, green for nature, ochre for the city) or quick icons (small sun, arrow, heart) to enhance the visual narrative.

What should you paint with watercolors?

Then comes another question: what can I put in my sketchbook, what is worthwhile, or what is uninteresting? Sometimes, it may feel like you're not capturing the right moment, or that there will always be a missing moment because each and every moment is ultimately worth telling, but don't feel obligated to describe or draw everything!

Your journey should primarily be about action, not just about recounting it. Here are some tips for selecting what's essential:

- What touches you personally: a light that struck you, a smile, an architectural detail that amazed you.

- Emotional moments: joy, surprise, tiredness, contemplation... Note what you feel, not just what you see.

- Contrasts: a peaceful landscape followed by a bustling street, a sunset after a gray day. This creates rhythm in your narrative.

- Little stories: an exchange with a local, an unexpected discovery, a struggle that is part of the adventure.

- Physical sensations: the cold that stings the skin, the warmth of the sun, the sound of the waves or the scent of a spice.

The idea is to bring your journal to life, not to create a cold inventory.

Choosing which colors to use

Let's now talk about a more technical aspect: colors. This is precisely the point of using watercolor, as they are a powerful tool for conveying an atmosphere, a mood, a feeling; in short, they are as expressive as the drawing itself.

Here are some tips:

- Choose a coherent palette: a few dominant colors that reflect the place or mood. This will make your notebook coherent.

- Use color to underline an emotion: cool blue for freshness and red or orange for warmth or energy.

- Choose colorful atmospheres that resemble you: do you like simplicity? Opt for a few main shades that will enhance your drawings. On the contrary, if you are like me and love color, then have fun with it!

- Create colored sketches: do you like a place with sublime colors, but don't have time? Make a pencil sketch of this place and a very quick colored sketch; you can then take more time later to come and paint using the colored sketch.

Some additional advice

Before you start, here are some additional tips: 

- Don't be afraid of imperfection. The charm of the journal often comes from its imperfections: quick lines, stains, erasures, slanted writing, etc.

- Draw regularly, even if it's just for a few minutes. Consistency is key.

- Always take your sketchbook with you, even for a simple walk. The best ideas often come when you least expect them.

- Look around you with curiosity. Notice the details that make a place unique.

- Experiment with different techniques: watercolor, ink, collage, pencils, etc. Vary your methods to find what you like the most.

- Feel free to go back to your pages to complete them, color, or annotate them later.

Further development

In this article, we have laid down the essential foundations of the travel journal. But the real journey begins now: learning to capture a landscape in watercolor live, bringing street scenes to life, drawing living beings accurately, etc. To develop further and master all the techniques essential to creating your watercolor travel journal, I encourage you to explore our training course: Travel Journal with Camille Raveau.

From initial sketches to color play, through detailed work, this comprehensive course guides you step by step with clear explanations and numerous practical exercises.

And for those who want support accessible everywhere, our e-book, directly inspired by the video training course, is an ideal resource.

These two tools complement each other perfectly and are suitable for both beginners and more experienced artists to assist you in creating a rich, personal, and charming travel journal.

Let yourself be guided and turn your adventures into vivid memories!

Writer and illustrator: Chloé Pouteau