Equipment For Painting On Location

[Bob Abrahams]

BASIC EQUIPMENT FOR PAINTING ON LOCATION

Here is a suggested check list if your are thinking of painting on location.

The half size French easel with paints and brushes is transported on a sturdy case carrier with two wheels. Everything else fits into a medium size back pack

If you are planning to take long walks over rough terrain, just take take sketch book and camera

Paints (Max 8 colours plus white)
Cad Yellow Light
Raw Sienna
Cad Red
Light Red
Quinacridone Magenta
Burnt Sienna
Ultra M Blue
Phthalo Green
Titanium White Alkyd

Mediums (2)
Walnut/Alkyd Medium
Walnut Oil Medium

Brushes & Knives 16
5cm large flat
(2)2, (2)6, 12, 16 flat
2, 6, 8, round
4, (2)6 Filbert
Signature liner
Palette knife
Painting knife

Other
Brush washer
Twin medium dipper
Rags
Tissue box

Tool Tin
Assorted bits (clips), tape etc

Painting Panels (assorted sizes)
8x10, 8x12, 10x12, 12x12 12x16

Easel
Half size light weight French easel

Other
Wide brimmed hat, water bottle, SB cream, insect repellent, cleaning turps
Camera
Small sketch book and charcoal (for thumbnails)

[Sunday]

Great list Bob :)
The only other thing that I find essential is a viewfinder to help you establish and maintain your composition. Mine is made of heavy cardboard with a sliding panel so I can make my viewing area smaller, larger, square or rectangular, trying out a number of different compositions before I get started - or you can just use your fingers to frame your scene.

[Helm]

Hey Bob, how do you get your wet paintings back? and also, do you have a problem with getting insects and 'bits n' pieces' from the wind stuck in your paintings?

[Bob Abrahams]

Great list Bob :)
The only other thing that I find essential is a viewfinder to help you establish and maintain your composition. Mine is made of heavy cardboard with a sliding panel so I can make my viewing area smaller, larger, square or rectangular, trying out a number of different compositions before I get started - or you can just use your fingers to frame your scene.

Sunday
Yes I have a cardboard viewfider (kept in the tool box) like yours with a sliding panel. It also has five small holes to isolate colours each hole has a surrounding area with tones 1-5 (light to dark).

I also use fingers to frame the composition

[Bob Abrahams]

Hey Bob, how do you get your wet paintings back? and also, do you have a problem with getting insects and 'bits n' pieces' from the wind stuck in your paintings?

Helm
I usually only have one painting to tranport back, unless I am on a trip. I leave the wet painting on the folded easel. Sometimes I have a larger old panel on the easel and clip two wet painting with bulldog clips for transport.

My plein air painting often collect bits and pieces and insects etc. I do not try to remove them until he paintingis dry, then they usual brush off. I have dropped wet paintings face down and they clean up OK

For buyers; to find a bit of debris on their painting is a sure sign that it was completed plein air. Thats not a bad thing

How ever it does not always work. Recently I had a sold plein air painting returned from E-Bay because it had debris on it. My selling policy is to accept E-Bay returns and refund the cost of the painting less postage without any questions

[dave]

Bob, I was always under the impression that walnut oil, goes rancid and yellows. Pehaps in a medium these negative properties are neutralised?

[Bob Abrahams]

Bob, I was always under the impression that walnut oil, goes rancid and yellows. Pehaps in a medium these negative properties are neutralised?

Dave
Thanks for the comment
I have not had any problems with Walnut Oil as a medium. The 17th C masters used both linseed or walnut oil and their paintings are still around
I understand that walnut oil yellows less than linseed and I like the slow drying qualities that can be managed with alkyd

All vegetable oils go rancid including linseed
See here and scroll down (http://www.artpurveyors.com/rancidity.html)

[dave]

Thanks Bob, I learnt a lot from that article.

Have you ordered good from their site?
I was interested in getting a load of small canvases from them...the price seems excellent. If you did what was the shipping charge like?
Many thanks once again for the link.

[Bob Abrahams]

Thanks Bob, I learnt a lot from that article.

Have you ordered good from their site?
I was interested in getting a load of small canvases from them...the price seems excellent. If you did what was the shipping charge like?
Many thanks once again for the link.

Dave
I have not ordered as they are in the US, although living in West Aus I am fairly used to paying higher freight etc

I buy M Graham oils and acrylics from theartshop.com.au in Victoria

I notice that "The Art Shed" now offers a new range of linen (not Belgium) stretchers that might be worth investigating