sketching abroad with Quarto

I've been asked quite a few times recently what my go to art supplies and travel art supplies are. With my upcoming trip, a lovely recent purchase, and the fact I just finished binding my next sketchbook, I wanted to share what tools will be accompanying me to Italy this summer! Along with a peek inside Quarto!!!

Oh this is a beast, far more beastly than Terzo. Quarto is covered with some wine colored faux leather, inside she's lined with linen fabric. I wanted to have the cover be a little more interesting so a blanket stitch goes around all the edges. The name "quarto" is embroidered on the cover as well. Quarto means "fourth" in Italian, since this is my fourth sketchbook I've brought to Italy. 

Inside of Quarto there are 8 signatures with 5 folios of paper each, including butcher paper, two types of graph paper, drawing paper, some other assorted scraps I had lying around and a ton of watercolor paper. In total, Quarto has 80 pages front and back (a lot more compared to Terzo's 56)! She's a big, beautiful beast and I can't wait to fill her! I've been carrying her around with me ever since I finished binding her. 

Besides this big beast, I'll be bringing my favorite drawing and watercolor materials along as well...

From left to right across the middle: 1. My Bird Trouble pouch from the talented Alexz   2. My vintage fountain pen I got from the Antique Fair in Arezzo  3. A Kuretake water brush one of my friends brought me back from Japan  4. My newest supply, a  Cocoiro Letter Pen with a calligraphy brush insert  5. My favorite Kaweco Sport fountain pen  6. A Fine point Kaweco Sport fountain pen  7. Lots of Fountain pen refills in black, blue black, sepia and eggplant. 

Also pictured: generic eraser, an archival grade glue stick, and mechanical pencil. 

I get most of my supplies from Jet Pens, it's such a fun and dangerous site since I want to try and buy everything! For my most recent order, I went on there intending just to buy ink refills then ended up with the Cocoiro pen and refills to get to $25 for free shipping...evil!

These are my well used and loved travel watercolor sets, both of which are Windsor Newton. The top one if the first watercolor set I had for my first trip to Italy back in 2009. I never clean either set, since I usually use the same color combinations for shadows a lot. 

I have a few other assorted pens I'll bring along but this is pretty much my basic travel art kit! Do you have any art supplies that you have to have when traveling?