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In plein air
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Message
Posted
For those that like to go outside I wonder what you use...
Easel,
Painters box,
Umbrella
Chair
etc
I saw a nice old painters box on Ebay, complete with oil paints for not very much money and I thought it might be a good idea but I can see then I would probably need something to sit on as well and a case can be made for an umbrella to keep the sun off the page. This is a can of worms I am not going to open yet but if I do go out I am not looking to stand there trying to juggle paints, a surface, water, brushes and pencil.
Long and short of it, for those who go outside what's your approach/advice?
This is my 'art bag' it holds everything I need, if the ground is damp I wear waterproofs. Over my shoulder and away to go.
Posted
I use a small pochade box taking three 10" x 12" canvases on board - http://www.abbeyseasels.co.uk/products/01.html
The paints I use are W & N artists oils - two yellow(warm and cool), two blues, two reds, plus yellow ochre and burnt sienna. I use Griffin alkyd titanium white to speed up the drying. You can reduce costs by using only alkyds for all the colours. I use Rosemary brushes.
I put the box in an old Nike sports bag, with a small camera, painting cloths and a sketch book. I sit on a lightweight folding aluminium chair with a back. These are hard to find, try shops specialising in camping gear.
You can't avoid getting paint on your clothes, so either keep some old clothes just for painting or buy bib and brace overalls. Not sure if it's worth taking a brolly - it's not easy to find a heavy object to fix them to. If I can, I paint so that direct sunlight doesn't shine on the canvas.
If you wish to take an easel, then I would leave the chair at home
After about two hours of painting outside, the sun will have moved enough for the shadows to change. So its better to paint quickly. In a good session of a few hours I might paint two or even three canvases. Ken Howard does some superb pochade paintings, see this link
https://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2017/01/Kenneth-Howard.html
Edited
by keora
Posted
A couple of good tips there. Keora has summed it up nicely and I can't really add much to it, apart from I use different colours and brands, Rosemary & Co brushes definitely!
A Pochard box can range in price from less than £50 to more than £300 for the best (Open box M), only available online from the USA and is the choice of professionals. You will also need a good quality sturdy but lightweight tripod to stand the box on - Manfrotto is one of the best but is expensive, but you can't skimp on this.
French, or box easels as they are also known, are sturdy, but when filled with all your paints and stuff these can be heavy to carry any distance. There is a 'half French' easel available, obviously the name gives it away - I've never tried this but would welcome any feedback if anyone has!
Finally, Carol's tip of a 'handy pub' along the way is essential planning when painting en-plein-air.
Posted
Don't forget the kitchen roll - that was the advice given by the sadly late Ken Bushe, a fine Scottish painter of landscape in oils. And have a means of anchoring it, so you don't have to chase it down the hill.
David, if you ever visit YouTube there's a channel by an oil painter whose name I forget (my fault, not his: he's good) called either Thoughts About Painting or Thinking About Painting - he paints en plein, and one of his films deals with his basic set-up. No good for me, because I can't carry stuff about and don't drive, but ideal for someone younger and fitter. He could do with the support on his channel, too - doesn't seem to have posted much lately, and deserves more attention.
Posted
Hat - probably not a white one, which would reflect on the canvas; nor one which would get blown away and distract you at the wrong moment: one of those wide-brimmed Australian hats, with a strap to go under the chin, I suggest. All of my hats are either black, or dark blue - fedoras, a ushanka (faux furry Russian thing), and a trilby. Recommendation would be the one mentioned, perhaps a Tilly hat, which it is said can pass through the digestive system of an elephant and still be recoverable (although Lord alone knows why you'd want to try), a snug-fitting flat cap, or for really foul weather, into which I would not venture though you lot may be hardier, a set of waterproofs with built-in hood.
On the whole, and it IS going to be a wrench, I'd do without the lippy: but not the thermos and sandwiches.