Uses of a travelling paintbox for novelists, poets, memoir writers, travel writers, researchers

 I attended a course on researching and writing historical novels. The lecturer told us that he used a sketchbook to draw houses from the medieval period which he saw in historical villages. 

Even if his sketches were not worthy as pictures, the very act of sketching made him look carefully at what he was drawing. 

As a result, he was better able to memorize and recall the buildings, even the smells. This made his written descriptions more accurate and lively.

He used a small paintbox by Derwent. The paintbox contains a small brush.