Painting Indoors

For my palette, I use an old porcelain table I’ve had for more than 30 years.  

A large mirror is very helpful.

Painting Outdoors

My French easel has served me sensationally since I was 16.

Here is a photo of my new easel and palette that we will hopefully have available to our community within a month or two.

Something I have found incredibly convenient and that I have talked about it on almost all my Plein Air Trainings is the PanelPak carriers (nope, not an affiliate, just a fan).

A good hat. 

Speaking of packs, I now have the Kelty Redcloud 90 – it holds every bit of my equipment, some sustaining snacks and still has room to spare and it is the most comfortable pack I’ve found. If you just have a small pochade box, the Redwing 50 is a popular option.

I’ve seen some artists carry chairs with them – I rarely sit to paint – but it might be something for you to think about. Painting indoors or out is both physically and mentally demanding.

Necessities for in studio or on location

Brushes

For brushes I use a couple companies, although I am getting more and more brushes from Rosemary.

I would start with just a brush or two from each suggestion to see if you like them. It’s good to experiment to see what works best for you.

Utrecht:

Series 103 size 6  – an x-long filbert bristle

Series 209 sizes 8 & 12 (budget) add sizes 4, 6, and 10 when you can

If you want to shop with just one company, I would go with Rosemary. Wind River Arts is a great place to buy Rosemary brushes, especially when buying a few at a time, because you save on shipping from England.

Rosemary & Co:

Series 279. Masters Choice Long Flats. I use sizes 4 and 6 the most, but I have a variety up to size 12.

Series 272. Masters Choice Round. I use sizes 2 – 6 mostly.

Ivory Long Flats – a lot of artists love these. They don’t work as well for me because I tend to push and pull the brush which splays out the bristles. They would be a good experiment brush for you though.

Ultimate Long Flats. This is their best hog bristle – great brush! I use sizes 4- 12, but like the Utrecht series 207, you can start with sizes 8 and 12.

Paints

Here is a pic of my palette colors:

My Palette

• Gamblin150 ml tubes or Utrecht 150 ml tubes
  • Quinacridone Red
  • Alizarin Crimson Permanent
  • Manganese Blue Hue
  • Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)
  • Ultramarine Blue
  • Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)
  • Cadmium Lemon
  • Cadmium Yellow Medium
  • Cadmium Red Medium
  • Cadmium Red Light
  • Cadmium Orange (optional)
  • Transparent Earth (or oxide) Yellow
  • Transparent Earth Red
  • Transparent Earth Orange
  • Titanium White

I have been using Utrecht and Gamblin for 30 years because I like the big 150 ml tubes, but most people buy the smaller tubes. I decided to try out some of the Michael Harding paints that many top artists rave about. I didn’t actually expect them to be much of a change from what I already use – I was wrong – they are excellent!

I use Turpenoid Naturals to clean my brushes – wonderful stuff – my brushes stay incredibly sharp and clean without ever using soap.

I use walnut oil for my initial painting washes and medium – although I mostly use straight paint – walnut oil is reserved primarily for the beginning stages of the painting.

Most artist like to use mineral spirits for the preliminary paint washes – I did for most of my career. The best one to use is Gamsol.

A good palette knife is very helpful.

For my painting panels I use MDF ¼ inch boards.

I now prime them with Ecos Passivating primer.

Acrylic gesso is still a valid option – professional grade acrylic gesso like Utrecht, but acrylic gesso never completely seals the panel from moisture – it turns out it’s porous, even with several coats.

Viva paper towels have been the standard for cleaning brushes and wiping initial washes of color off panels for both my indoor and outdoor painting for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I use old sheets or t-shirts, but they’re just not as convenient.

– Right click to save images to your computer –

(Paint Brushes)

(Studio Palette)

(Virginia Plein Air Palette)

(Indiana Plein Air Palette)

(New York Plein Air Palette)

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