Was looking around the bedroom the other day (no bed – just a lot of stored stuff – need the room) and found a good sturdy tripod that I used to use for photo work (my new camera is smaller than a pack of cigarettes) and an empty cigar box – so – I designed a smaller paint box to use for plein air.
Here’s the look of it:
The lid will be used as the easel so I added this strong bracket to one side for support – also the bottom has been modified to fit the top of the tripod.
I had to cut and sand down the brushes so they’d fit. The mixing palette is a piece of Plexiglas.
Emptying the box – the wooden “C” shaped pieces insert through holes in the sides to create side boards (I borrowed that detail from one my dad used on his paint-box).
The box on the tripod with the side boards clipped on – all of it attached to the tripod.
The box fully set up and ready – the rolled up bamboo placemat becomes one of the side boards – the mixing palette the other. The paints are stored in a small plastic divided box that fake fingernails come in - the top closes firmly and when not in use I store the box in the refrigerator.
and . . . so there it is.
3 comments:
Very clever! Looks like a very nice set up. Thanks for sharing. We always like new ideas. :)
Very nice. I'm bookmarking this one, in case I finally decide to use another kind of easel. I've only used a french easel for plein air painting and know no one at all besides myself who paints outside, so I don't know what kind of easel is really best. I've looked at potache boxes online, but really haven't got a clue if they are generally better than a standard french easel.
Curt - i used to suffer from the same problem - what's the best equipment? i've been the coordinator of a small plein air painting group on the big island of hawaii for about 6 years or so - we paint every friday morning and i've been through and seen lots of equipment and it's all according to how you like to work and how big you want. i have two french julian 13 pounds empty pieces of furniture that i don't use - too heavy - too cumbersome to set up and i keep losing all of those cute little brass fittings in the sand. i next went to the Anderson Swivel Easel that was a vast improvement with only 8 pounds to lug around and easy and fast set up and breakdown, but there was too much storage, i just didn't need, so i built that cigar box pochade and i love it.i've set it up in a small carry bag that i grab everytime i go out the door (hawaii is a many splendoured place to paint)and sometimes stop and produce a skoil or two (sketch in oils = skoil) between errands. try painting with a minimal kit - it's less work and you can spend more time painting, and that's what it's all about.
Hope this helped.
aloha nui loa
richard
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