Sunday, March 22, 2015

Using a Sketchbook Easel Vertically


The lightweight sketch easel works well vertically, too. I used it a few days ago on a painting trip into the winter forest for a study of an old dead pine tree.



The easel attaches to a quick release plate on the tripod. I clipped the watercolor sketchbook to the plywood backboard and painted across the gutter. The palette panel could be set up on either side.

The air was just above freezing, so I was able to use casein colors. Most of this is painted with a half-inch flat travel brush. I did this field study as reference for a studio painting, which I've been documenting for an upcoming instructional video.

Previously:
Lightweight sketch easel
Water media materials

Suggested parts:
Tee Nut
Southco adjustable friction hinge
Nalgene 2-Ounce Jar
1/4 x 1/16 inch Neodymium Magnets
Tung oil
Tripods: Vista Explorer 60-Inch or Velbon Sherpa 200 Tripod
at

9 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 22, 2015 at 7:19 PM

    Hi James, I am sorry if the question is maybe a bit off topic, but I was wondering. Have you ever tried water soluble oil paints?
    If yes what do you think about them? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. James GurneyMarch 22, 2015 at 7:28 PM

    Maancheno, no I haven't. Right now I'm focusing on oil, casein, gouache, acryla gouache, watercolor. and watercolor pencils. With a complete set of each of those to keep track of, that uses up most of my brain at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ravi GuptaMarch 23, 2015 at 12:06 AM

    lovely sketch. Information on your blog is always a help, thanks a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HNKMarch 23, 2015 at 7:13 AM

    Excuse me, Mr. Gurney, but could you tell the dimensions of these two wooden parts and the one little wooden thing on the right? Could i do a pochade box similar to yours? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. James GurneyMarch 23, 2015 at 7:17 AM

    HNK, if you follow the link to "lightweight sketch easel," you can find build information. Yes, you can build your own, and the community on this blog is sharing ideas in an open source way, so let us know how it works out for you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Judy P.March 23, 2015 at 10:39 AM

    My homemade plein air easel and set-up, was built primarily because I wanted a vertical palette. It was super-cheap, and if I could build it, anyone can:

    http://judypalermo.blogspot.com/2014/09/my-homemade-plein-air-gear.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. HNKMarch 23, 2015 at 11:13 AM

    But in the other post (Watercolor Materials) the easel that was mentioned has longer wooden part and that camera holder. Sorry if I annoy you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. James GurneyMarch 23, 2015 at 1:06 PM

    HNK, yes, the bigger black easel wouldn't work quite as well vertically. I'm using the smaller oak panel one.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownMarch 27, 2015 at 12:36 AM

    Thank you for this post, James. I had been wondering what set-up you've been using and this answers it!

    ReplyDelete

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