Robert Dutton recommends the Unison Pastel Moorland Set.

'The immediacy of soft pastel is unparalleled in terms of an en plein air media. Colours are premixed and ready to use as a simple pick up and go media. No real colour mixing necessary - instead discover blending, layering, scumbling and other exciting techniques.

'World class Unison Colour soft pastels are for me, the very best. The range, the versatility, the high quality of pigments in ratio to binder create the perfect handling - no crumbling, dust or unwanted breaking during the working process, amongst other benefits. 

'As a brand I trust, I created the ‘Moorland Set’ with Unison Colour - 36 colours that are wonderful in combination for a whole host of outdoor subjects. Despite the name, studio artists use the set for still life and portraiture too with great success. With light to dark, earth colours and carefully selected brighter tones from the Unison Colour range this is indeed a great set.'

• Price: £138 from Jackson's Art Supplies

ORDER YOUR SET HERE AND DISCOVER THE MOORLAND COLOURS FROM UNISON

Alan Bickley recommends the New Wave U.Go Anywhere Pochade Box.

'The New Wave U.Go Anywhere Pochade Box has a number of unique features to enhance the painting experience when outdoors, including its lightweight construction.

'Each Pochade box is handcrafted and made with beautiful hand-sanded Baltic Birch, and then finished with a proprietary wood finish for maximum durability. It has stainless steel and aluminum accents, all of which are non-corrosive.

'Compatible with universal 1/4in tripod mounts, it comes with a high density plastic palette.

'Perfect for both oils and watercolour painting.'

Prices:

• A 6x8" box - £143 from Jackson's Art Supplies
• A 8.4x11.25" box - £190 from Jackson's Art Supplies
• A 11x14.5" box - £224 from Jackson's Art Supplies

DISCOVER THE NEW WAVE U.GO ANYWHERE POCHADE BOXES HERE

Discover what artist Richard Allen carries in his rucksack when sketching in the field.

'I used to carry around a whole array of material when out sketching in the field. My rucksack would be filled with pastels, coloured pencils, inks, various pads and loose paper etc, none of which ever got used. I now have whittled it down to the bare minimum and my rucksack is a lot lighter, and there is more room for the sandwiches and cake!

'A Seawhite of Brighton A4 hardback sketchbook is rugged enough for the field, the paper takes a soft pencil nicely and is sturdy enough for watercolour. Ideal for sketching en plein air.'

Prices:

• A6 Euro Spiral Sketchbook - £3.99 from Art Supplies at Painters Online
• A5 Euro Spiral Sketchbook - £6.25 from Art Supplies at Painters Online
• A4 Euro Spiral Sketchbook - £9.90 from Art Supplies at Painters Online
• A3 Euro Spiral Sketchbook - £17.40 from Art Supplies at Painters Online

Add a variety of 2B, 3B & 4B pencils, a white china plate as a palette and a plastic water pot.

ORDER YOUR SKETCHBOOK HERE

Alan Bickley recommends a Jackson's Half Sized French Box Easel.

'This half-sized french-style beechwood box easel is excellent quality and comes with a folding palette which measures 29x40cm. 

'It will easily hold all of your essential paints and brushes and folds up so that it’s easy to carry and store. There’s enough space inside so that you can fit a good selection of your paints and miscellaneous items inside. Weight of these half-size easels is around 4 kilos, so they can easily be carried by most able-bodied artists.

'Much easier and lighter to carry around than the full-size French easel, and makes a good alternative to the pochade box and tripod, yet still very sturdy to work on.'

• Price: £109 from Jackson's Art Supplies

DISCOVER THE JACKSON'S BOX EASEL HERE

Jenny Aitken recommends Michael Harding oil paints.

'Getting my set-up right took a while but it made painting plein air so much easier! You need it to be just right for you – so you don’t need to think about it at all once you’re painting. And think light as possible.

'Weight is important to me. I take a limited palette of oil paints, which I alter based on the weather and what my subject is likely to be.

'I tried putting them in little plastic containers, but this just got very messy and wasteful in the end. I find the small tubes are best.

'I make sure I have plenty of titanium white, alongside small tubes of lemon yellow, cad red, purple, ultramarine, sap green, pthalo green and burnt umber. Sometimes crimson, cad orange and cobalt teal sneak in there too. I thoroughly recommend Michael Harding paints.'

• Prices: start from £7.10 (depending on colour) for a 40ml tube from Jackson's Art Supplies

ORDER YOUR OIL PAINTS HERE

Richard Allen recommends a selection of Winsor & Newton watercolour tubes in French ultramarine, Indian red, yellow ochre, Prussian blue, burnt siena, burnt umber and sap green.

• Available in 5ml and 14ml tubes.
• Prices start from £6.60 (depending on colour) for a 5ml tube from Art Supplies at Painters Online

ORDER YOUR W&N WATERCOLOURS HERE

David Bellamy recommends Saunders Waterford blocks.

'I strongly recommend the superb watercolour blocks of Saunders Waterford paper which I use for my outdoor painting demonstrations: they don't need stretching, if you start off badly you can tear off the sheet and begin straight away on a second attempt, and they don't flap about in the wind as with a sketchbook or loose paper.

'The NOT version probably suits most tastes, but the rough one is great for achieving the textures of rough ground or mountainsides, while the hot-pressed blocks are without parallel for wash and line work.

'The corresponding Bockingford blocks are also excellent. The 16x12" block is a good size to work with outside.'

• Manufacturer: St Cuthberts Mill
• Prices: Start from £17.08 for a 7x10" block at Jackson's Art Supplies

DISCOVER SAUNDERS WATERFORD BLOCKS

Richard Allen recommends the Bockingford A4 Rough 300g spiral bound watercolour pad which he again finds 'robust enough for the field with thick enough paper to take wet washes'.

• Manufacturer: St Cuthberts Mill
• Price: £10.80 from Jackson's Art Supplies

ORDER YOUR A4 PAD HERE

Jenny Aitken recommends a Strada Mid Easel.

'Ok – It’s pricey to import one of these easels, but they are light and sturdy when used on my Esddi 64” tripod.

'There are not many available in the UK, though Jacksons Art Supplies has a good alternative in the New Wave U.Go (see Alan Bickley's recommendation, above).

'I like being able to pop my easel, paints and tripod into my back pack – this easel makes that possible.'

• The Strada Mid easel can be ordered from Strada for $335

DISCOVER MORE HERE

In Richard Allen's rucksack are Jackson’s Studio Synthetic Watercolour Brushes round in sizes 12, 10, 6 and 2.

ORDER YOUR BRUSHES HERE

Jenny Aitken recommends this exclusive metal brush washer from The Art Shop, Skipton.

'I couldn't manage without this handy stainless steel pot with clip-on lid - it transports all the solvent I need for the day.'

• Price: £7.52 from Art Supplies with Painters Online

ORDER TODAY!

Paul Talbot-Greaves recommends the Richeson Sienna Pochade Box.

'This pochade box is really well thought out and has a balanced fit on a tripod mount (or it can be used at a table without a tripod).

'The easel-style panel/canvas holder makes the box more versatile than a standard pochade and means you can paint bigger than the box lid if necessary.

'It also has an easily removable and cleanable glass palette plus a brush holder tray that is extracted from the lid and hooked on the side.

'For me this makes plein air painting really comfortable as everything is within easy reach.'

Prices:

• Medium - £224 from Jackson's Art Supplies
• Large - £246 from Jackson's Art Supplies
• All In One - £324 from Jackson's Art Supplies

SEE THE FULL RANGE HERE

Tim Fisher recommends the Schmincke Horadam watercolour compact metal box.

'This metal box contains eight high quality watercolours, a built-in water flask and detachable water cup. The unit is light and compact and is easy to carry.

'It would be the perfect gift for those with the highest standards who like to work outside or on the move.'

• Price: £71.25 from Jackson's Art Supplies

ORDER YOUR BOX SET HERE

Jenny Aitken recommends a basic tripod stool from Hobbycraft.

'Standing over my easel inevitably strains my back – I find it essential to also have the seated option and this tripod stool is perfect!

'It fits, along with all my other equipment, into a basic 35 litre rucksack, which I don't mind getting dirty.'

• Price: £6 from Hobbycraft

ORDER A STOOL HERE

Tim Fisher recommends the Stillman and Birn Alpha series sketchbooks.

'These sketchbooks come in a variety of sizes. The white 150gsm natural vellum paper has a distinctive tooth and will accept multiple watercolour washes. The ideal companion for taking out into the field to paint.'

Prices start from £8.60 from Jackson's art Supplies

DISCOVER STILLMAN AND BIRN HERE

David Bellamy recommends the Jakar Sketching Easel.

'If I'm not hiking across mountains in lightweight mode, I use a Jakar sketching easel which is sturdy, yet not too heavy and isn't too vulnerable in gusts of wind, though it can be anchored down with cord and tent-pegs if necessary. It comes in a useful carrying case which you can sling over your shoulder.'

• Price: £44.95 from Cass Art

DISCOVER MORE HERE

Robert Dutton recommends the Derwent Tinted Charcoal Paint Pan Set.

'Since the launch of the Derwent Tinted Charcoal Paint Pan Set, I have used this handy compact pocket set of 12 watersoluble innovative charcoal colours to create all sorts of wonderful paintings with them.

'Handy for en plein air and studio work on a large scale, this set really is a 'go-anywhere do-anything' range. Really, there are no limits to what you can do with them. The subtle charcoal colours create soft gentle tints in paintings and studies, or major expressive statements if used more saturated and layered.

'I was delighted to create the expressive and dramatic seascape painting for Derwent used on the Tinted Charcoal Paint Pan Set packaging - the painting was created on a full imperial sheet of 640gsm NOT watercolour paper too. A versatile handy box of fabulous colours that packs a real punch!’

• Manufacturer: Derwent
• Price: £21 from Jackson's Art Supplies

ORDER HERE

Alan Bickley recommends a Natural Bamboo Brush Roll from Rosemary & Co.

'This natural bamboo brush roll with fabric brush pockets allows you to store and protect your brushes. The roll is made up of eight pockets which can carry plenty of brushes both wet or dry.

'These brush rolls are so useful and essential for keeping your brushes in pristine condition when out and about painting.

'Most long handles and all standard handles will fit in this roll - bamboo brush rolls are a great way of transporting your brushes, allowing the brushes to breathe and protects the ends from getting damaged, which from my experience always happens in a conventional box.'

• Price: £6.25 from Rosemary & Co.

PROTECT YOUR BRUSHES

Tim Fisher recommends the Stablo l’Original Nomadic Easel.

'Handcrafted in France, this easel is the answer to all outdoor watercolourist’s prayers when looking for a suitable platform to hold watercolour tins, containers and brushes when working outdoors.

'The lightweight and compact wooden support is cleverly designed to slip over the spine of any sized sketchbook and the hidden magnets will hold your watercolour box in position.'

• Price: €80 from stablo.fr.

GO NOMADIC WITH STABLO HERE

Alan Bickley recommends a BeFree Carbon Fibre Travel Tripod.

'This quality Manfrotto tripod is the ideal companion for your pochade box!

'Lightweight and strong thanks to its 100% carbon fibre legs, with a special folding mechanism which fits the legs perfectly with the tripod head.

'This tripod will fit comfortably in your carry hold-all or carry it over your shoulder using the padded shoulder bag which is included. Weighing in at just 1.1 kilos, this is 20% lighter than the aluminium version - an important consideration when you’re out and about plein air painting.'

• Price: £199.99 from The Camera Centre UK

GO CARBON FIBRE

Valérie Pirlot recommends the Watersoluble Artisan oil painting range from Winsor & Newton.

'I couldn't recommend these watersoluble oils for painting en plein air enough (they're great in the studio too).

'From the outset I decided not to use any mediums when painting outdoors, so all I need with me is some water to make the first thin washes of colours and then I use just pure paint. The first wash dries very quickly and it's easy to apply thicker layers over it. 

'Not needing any solvent, medium or turps also makes it easier to travel abroad to paint, as those are usually not allowed in hold luggage or travel bags.

'Watersoluble oils are also convenient when painting in public places or crowds as they don't smell. I've painted in cafés, indoor markets, circus arenas and wedding receptions, which might not have been possible if there were toxic fumes involved.

'Last but not least, your brushes are really easy to clean with just soap and water - just what you need after a long day painting outside!'

• Prices start from £6.17 for a 37ml tube from Art Supplies with Painters Online

DISCOVER ARTISAN HERE

Alan Bickley recommends the Richeson plein air backpack.

'This quality backpack is an excellent addition to your plein air setup and has all the space you need for your equipment and materials.

'If you’re walking any distance, it’s so important that you have all your essential supplies and materials stored safely - this lightweight backpack is the answer!

'It has numerous pockets, including three large interior compartments and six smaller compartments for your paints, mediums, brushes and tripod etc.

'It has adequate space to fit a large pochade box, wet panel box and a tripod etc. The bag has mounted tripod carrier straps and is extremely sturdy, with padded straps and back support for extra comfort - it’s got everything you need for your plein air journey!'

• Price: £160 from Jackson's Art Supplies

ORDER YOUR BACKPACK HERE