Resources |
This is what I have learned about equipment I use after years of trial and error with different paintings systems. Also here are resources that over the years I have found to be useful. I put them here to save my website visitors hours of frustration in testing these things out for yourself.
For a review of pochade boxes and lightweight easels see A Review of Pochade Boxes and Lightweight Easel Systems
| Panels |
Where weight is not so much of an issue I make my own inexpensive panels using hardboard or masonite and three coats of acrylic gesso, with one coat on the reverse side to prevent moisture entering the panel. For travelling I make my own panels using linen
glued to gatorfoam. This is the lightest possible panel. For a better quality support, I also use linen mounted on birch plywood from SourceTek. SourceTek |
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| Drying boxes: car travel |
Artwork Essentials, Inc. has a wooden wet
panel carrier that is good if you want to economize on space in your
vehicle or when traveling by air. The best thing about this box is that
you can carry multiple sizes in one box in a number of combinations such
as 12"X16" and 9"X12" or 8"X10" and
6"X8" at the same time. I like to have a variety of small sizes
with me when I'm painting so this is ideal since I do not have to carry
multiple boxes. There are a couple of minor things that could be improved,
such as the carrying strap attachment, and with a small design addition it
could be even more flexible in the combination of panels it will hold.
Hopefully their next version will be even better. If you want a flexible
box that holds a variety of sizes, it is not worth the trouble to try and
make an equivalent of the Artwork Essentials box yourself, given their
reasonable pricing. Open Box M also make a range of drying boxes with superb craftsmanship, but last time I checked the Artwork Essentials box offers more flexibility and storage space for less money. The Open Box M boxes are such a beautifully crafted product that I was almost afraid to get it dirty! If you are going on a long
extended trip in a vehicle and want cheap storage space for a large number
of panels, say 40 to100 panels, you can make wooden drying boxes yourself
very cheaply using an off-the-shelf grooved molding that is just the right
size to hold 1/4" and 1/8" panels and luan plywood for the
sides. |
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| Drying boxes: hiking |
If you have to hike a long distance from your
vehicle or up and down cliffs (like I have to some times), all of these
wooden boxes are too heavy. A plastic box is a much better option. There
are two options I've discovered so far:
RayMar produce a lightweight drying box for traveling. Unfortunately
they only have one size 12"X16", which can also hold
9"X12" panels. Because of the design however I hesitate to put
more than two wet paintings in the box at the same time, even though they
claim it will hold 6. (You could carry 6 panels okay if you paint very
thinly on boards that are absolutely flat, neither of which holds true for
me!). Until Raymar fixes the design of their
boxes, I prefer my homemade boxes which I (for "I" read "my
lovely wife") make using just gatorboard and duct tape. You could
also use even cheaper corrugated plastic instead of gatorboard. They are
better designed than the Raymar boxes and just as light. So far they have
held up well with rough treatment. If they get a bit banged up in a
suitcase or on a cliff face it is easy to fix them with a bit more duct
tape (I love that stuff!). The nice thing about these homemade boxes is they do not
cost very much and you only need a craft knife to cut the pieces needed to
make them. You can save a lot of money here. I've included detailed plans to help you make
these yourself in my course unit Organization Unit 3 - (Oil/Acrylic): Getting Organized Outdoors). |
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| Paints |
I use 140ml oil paint tubes from Classic Artist Oils. These are
inexpensive and good when you want to use a lot of paint when painting
impasto style.
I use several palettes, depending on how much paint I want to carry with me. My current large chromatic palette consists of the following colors.
The eight colors marked with an * are a flexible subset for traveling or use in a pochade box. The five colors marked with a + are a minimal set for quick sketching. I keep these colors in a 17 compartment plastic crafts tray that you
can buy for about a dollar, and submerge it under water each night in a
Rubbermaid freezer box. The oil and the water don't mix and this keeps the
paint fresh for weeks. |
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| Easel and palette: Soltek system | This is my main everyday setup.
painting supports:
Canvases or panels
8"X10" to 20"X24".
Although I have had some problems with the easel (sticking legs and a
couple of breakages), the manufacturers are extremely responsive when it
comes to fixing the problems and it is still the lightest large easel
around (although still not much different in weight from a half french
easel). One thing I like about it the most is that it is wonderfully quick
to setup, even faster than setting up my pochade. It also supports my
large palette, which a half french easel would not be able to support. The
easel is expensive but if you're using it every day the convenience pays
back in the end. My only reservation would be taking it on an extensive
overseas trip, you can always fix wood if it breaks but you can't fix this
easel yourself if you have any problems with it. I've drilled holes in the lexan palette to hold my brushes, and put wooden strips around the outside to stiffen it. This structure is not perfect though since the wood has since come unglued from the lexan (I need some more experimentation here!). Lexan is available from a home building supply store like Orchard Supply Hardware, or probably anywhere they sell plexiglass.
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| Easel and palette: Sun-Eden system | This is my preferred lightweight travel system.
painting supports:
Canvases or
panels from 6"X8" to 24" high.
If you are six feet tall or
over, an alternative to the Sun Eden tripod is a Stanrite 300 easel. It is
a little heavier but raises your painting to eye level. It has the further
advantage of being able to tilt your canvas down so it is shaded from the
sun. If you are under six feet tall, you may find the Stanrite 250 a
little lighter. |
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| Easel and palette: Open Box pochade | This is an alternative somewhat light weight system painting supports:
Canvases or
panels 4"X5" to 16"X20".
The only problem with this setup is that this size pochade is only 2lb lighter than my Soltek setup above, and you have to contend with a much smaller palette. Also, my personal preference is to have my palette much lower than my painting rather than at the same height - a problem with all pochade setups. On the other hand it is convenient to be able to close the box with wet paint still on the palette. Open Box's customer service is superb by the way and
Coletta Maier is a delight to work with. |
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| Easel and palette: tripod system |
This is another alternative somewhat light weight system with a bigger palette and more comfortable palette height. painting supports:
Canvases or
panels 4"X5" to 16"X20".
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| French maiden | This is an alternative to a custom palette for my easel, but
it is much heavier. Its advantage however is that it includes a lid so you
don't get paint over everything in your car. It will only work on a French
or Russian easel. The Soltek easel will not support the weight of this
French Maiden.
16X20" EaselPal |
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| Brushes |
Creative
Mark Pro Stroke from Jerrys Artarama
Filbert sizes 4, 6, 8,
10, 12 These are natural white hog bristle with deep tips that hold a lot of paint. Jerrys Artarama contact information |
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| Other equipment |
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| Brush cleaning supplies |
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| Photo and printer equipment | Canon i860 A good mid-range inkjet printer for printing photographs or prints of your artwork. |
I have a library of about 100 how to books on art. Here are the ones that I have found the most useful. Some of the books I have chosen just for one or two key concepts they cover well, rather than for the book as a whole.
Area of skill & knowledge |
Why is it Important? | Virtual Art Academy® Courses on this Topic, written by Barry |
Recommended Books by Other Authors |
Organization |
All successful professionals have well organized equipment, both in their studio and outdoors. This explains those systems. | ||
| Process | Inefficient processes and working habits take up unnecessary time and get in the way of your art. All successful professionals use efficient painting processes. This explains clearly those processes. | Process Unit 1 - My Plein Air Alla Prima Approach Watercolor: Step-by-Step
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Other
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Design & Composition |
Why did this painting win first place? The answer lies a lot in the harmonious arrangement of black and white (the notan) in the painting. This is such a powerful contributing factor to the success of your painting that it warrants a complete course of study on its own. You cannot do powerful work without mastering this process. | Notan |
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| It does not matter how well you can draw or render, without a powerful underlying abstract design concept, your painting will be nothing more than an illustration. A solid understanding of the principles in this area is essential to the visual music of your work. | Design & Composition |
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| Design & Composition (very advanced) |
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Drawing & Shape |
You can only paint as well as you can draw. Painting loose is not the same as painting sloppily - in fact the looser you want to paint, the better you need to be able to draw shapes accurately. Here are the approaches I've found most useful. |
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| Drawing & Shape (very advanced) |
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Color |
Color is what excites me about painting, and color harmony is what makes a painting beautiful. However, color is a complex topic and takes years to master. This course of study is the first part of that journey. |
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| Color (very advanced) | Poly-Isochromes & Spectrum Palettes
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Observation |
When trying to make things look real, a lot of artists think the problem is that they don't have enough skills in painting and mixing the right color. That is not the problem - it is most likely that you are not seeing things clearly. This course of study shows you how to focus on seeing, not on painting, and to bring more realism into your painting. |
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Form |
For true realism, you need to be able to give objects the illusion of three dimensions, even though you are using two-dimensional media. If your paintings do not have this quality, you need to work on form. If you are doing portrait, figure, or still life work, form is critical. In landscape work you can get away with less form, but it is still important. |
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Concept |
This is the least concrete topic in this program, yet it is arguably the most important of all. The concept of a painting is the one factor that differentiates the true masters from the 'competent' or even well known artists. If you want your art to stand out from the crowd, then your painting must have a strong concept and combine both visual music and visual poetry. Take this topic to heart! it may be the most useful area you study. |
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| Brushwork | Brushwork (and how you apply dry media such as pastel or graphite) enhances the visual music of your work by giving it a second level of abstraction. If you zoom in on any part of the painting, it becomes an abstract painting in itself. Another skill that differentiates the master artist. | Brushwork |
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| Figure | A lifelong study of the figure is a must for every serious artist, not necessarily because you want to produce art involving the figure, but because of the discipline involved in refining your knowledge of shape, form, composition, brushwork, and color. |
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| Figure (very advanced) |
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Portrait |
The ultimate challenge in art bringing together all your skills. Here are the lessons I have learned directly from some of the greatest contemporary portrait artists alive today. There are hundreds of books on portrait and figure work, but his will help you sort out what is important and what is not. |
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California Impressionism, by William H. Gerdts and Will South
The Paintings of Franz A. Bischoff, by Jean Stern
Plein Air Painters of California - The Southland, by Ruth Lilly Westphal
Plein Air Painters of California - The North, by Ruth Lilly Westphal
Guy Rose American Impressionist, by Will South
Monet and the Mediterranean, by Joachim Pissarro
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