Painting Equipment
A friend was asking today about my equipment for painting outdoors, so I thought I would show my set-up here.
I use a lightweight watercolour box, into which I squeeze tube colours. I have a selection of brushes for different sizes of paintings. I usually only use one or two. I like to paint standing up, so I use a lightweight easel. This is made up from a camera tripod and a board, with a special plate for attaching it to the tripod. I often have my paper taped onto a thin piece of MDF or card, so that it is easier to handle in the wind. I then clip this watercolour board to the board on my easel.
If I am walking a long way I usually leave the easel behind to save weight. In that case I sit on the ground to paint. I might even fill my paintbox before I go out and leave the tubes behind.
Plate for attaching to tripod
I use a lightweight watercolour box, into which I squeeze tube colours. I have a selection of brushes for different sizes of paintings. I usually only use one or two. I like to paint standing up, so I use a lightweight easel. This is made up from a camera tripod and a board, with a special plate for attaching it to the tripod. I often have my paper taped onto a thin piece of MDF or card, so that it is easier to handle in the wind. I then clip this watercolour board to the board on my easel.
If I am walking a long way I usually leave the easel behind to save weight. In that case I sit on the ground to paint. I might even fill my paintbox before I go out and leave the tubes behind.
Plate for attaching to tripod
That is a very smart easel, Keith.
ReplyDeleteYes, and the best thing about is that I found the tripod in a charity shop. It was a good quality one and practically unused!
ReplyDeleteOh that fascinating!
ReplyDeleteI don't walk that far but I did think the other day its kind of daft to fill the car or camper with a tripod and an easel, that there should be a way for the one to do the work of both :-)
Can I ask, how do you manage your paper / pad not getting bashed on the corners, bent, etc when shoving in bags?
At the moment, Nicki, I am using a folder to carry my paper. It's made up from two pieces of foam board taped together, with space between for half a dozen sheets of paper, and I keep it closed with a couple of bulldog clips. It makes a very lightweight way of carrying the paper. If I want to keep things to the minimum, I can leave the tripod behind and use the folder as a drawing board.
ReplyDeleteThe fitting on the board for attaching it to the tripod came from Ken Bromley's - http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-camera-tripod-mounting-bracket.htm. They're quite expensive but quick and easy to fit. Otherwise a good old hardware shop might have something called a T-nut that can be screwed into the board.
Keith, thank you so much for the ideas and advice. I am definitely going to create a folder using your method - sounds ideal! :-)
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