Plein Air Packing List (Extras)
June 19th, 2010
So we’ve covered the basics, now we’re going to talk about the frills.
Here’s the list for reference.
Anything that doesn’t have a red dot is helpful, but not absolutely necessary. Though, I like to use anything I can to make my paintings better, I have to consider the fact that I’m probably schlepping all of this stuff on the bus. So not everything from this list goes with me everytime.
We’ll go in order of importance.
Water. If I’m going farther than my front yard, my water bottle is the first “extra” thing I pack. Painting outside is hard enough. If I get a headache from dehydration, it’s nearly impossible. I’d probably add sunscreen to this list too. And a hat is easy to bring along, so it’s pretty high on my priority list.
Easel. I put this on the non-essential list because I painted outside for several years without one. I just wore old jeans and balanced the painting on my lap. It’s not the easiest solution, but you don’t need a lot of equipment to get started. In fact, I just bought my outdoor easel last month. It has a nice box and a bag to hold the essentials, which helps as well. I also keep a clean trash bag in here– I can use it as a poncho if it rains, or to pick up after myself or others. I have this one, in the half size.
Phone. Again, not necessary, but pretty high on the list. If I’m painting alone, I want my phone nearby. The best light for painting is late afternoon, which means I’m often coming home in the dark with a lot of stuff. A phone is a good thing, because I can call and tell the husband to go pick up pizza for dinner.
Palette knife and paint keeper. I hate to waste paint. Hate. it. But I know if I don’t put every color out on my palette, I won’t be as happy with the painting. So I squeeze them out. Once I’m done, I scrape the palette and put all the paint in a little plastic tub. Then I bring it home, mix it up and add it to my other leftover paint. Once I have enough, I fill one of these Aluminum Tubes that I got from Daniel Smith. This paint becomes my neutral– I can mix it with other colors to tone them down, or use it as an under-painting color.
You can see my neutral color on my palette here. It's the brown on the top left.
Viewfinder. The hardest thing about painting outside is choosing what to paint. With so many options, it’s tricky to narrow down a composition. You can use your hands to create a square and view your composition, but then you look like you’re making a film, not a painting. So I use this. It has little marks to show dimensions proportionate to the size panel I’m using. It’s pretty handy and very small, so it stays in my plein air box. Another option is a frame for slide film, with piece of red cellophane inside. Why red cellophane? Because it’s an easy way to determine values. And values deserve a post of their own.
I use this one, but you can just as easily cut one out of cardboard.
Finally– a chair. I’m pretty conflicted over this, because it’s the biggest thing to schlep, and it’s awkward. But if I’m out all day, and painting several paintings, then standing gets tiring. And if I’m tired, I don’t paint as well. And sometimes the angle is better if I’m sitting. And if I’m painting details then I can steady my hand against my knee. But, it’s a hassle to carry. I got this one at REI– it folds up very small, has a shoulder strap and a place for my water bottle. It’s still the last thing on my priority list, and often doesn’t make the cut. Especially if I’m going out on my bike.
I might add a snack and I’ve seriously considered an umbrella that attaches to the easel (especially with the rain we’ve had lately) but that’s another really big thing to carry. And I already look like a bag lady when I board the bus.
Can you think of anything I’m missing?