Thursday, March 14, 2019

Hey! I'm Still Painting!

Hi! Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm still painting, but have been too lazy to do a real blog post, and usually just post on Instagram now. Please follow me there if you want to see what I've been up to. https://www.instagram.com/nancylvance/

But first, here's a post for you plein air artists out there who may need a new painting box. These are my personal opinions - take it or leave it. :


A DISCUSSION ON PAINTING BOXES

One of my good friends, who I travel and paint with, is in the market for a new painting box before one of our upcoming trips that involved airplanes. I’ve been a plein air gear hoarder for a while and thought I would put together a list of good and bad models that I had some experience with.

She was thinking of just repairing her current model, but it was still a large box to put into a suitcase. I suggested that she think about whether to buy a new regular box, or just something small for traveling. Could she adjust to painting on a box with a smaller mixing area by cleaning the palette more often?

I also suggested to put out a message to our local painting group that she was looking for a used box for sale. I have a running search on eBay for painting boxes and gear, which alerts me to new items. Occasionally some nice ones (new and used) show up.

Below I write about wet panel carriers, painting boxes, and tripods. All but one painting box below requires a tripod. I prefer the “clam shell” style where the mixing pallet is directly below the painting. Other styles have the mixing pallet hanging off the tripod legs, lower down – near the hips of the painter. The painting is held at eye level on a device on the top of the tripod. I always recommend buying a quality tripod, which can last a long time. Good name brand tripods will also have repair parts available, if needed.

WET PANEL CARRIERS

Raymar. Great travel wet panel carriers in many sizes:  https://www.raymarart.com/Wet-Painting-Carriers-Wet-Panel-Carriers-s/21.htm

PanelPak. These work very nicely if you are only going to carry two panels home. http://www.panelpak.com/

NOTE:  The only brand that has a good attached wet panel holder are the EasyLs at Artwork Essentials (see below).  

PAINTING BOXES

U-Go boxes by New Wave Art. Two of my local friends have these. Nice! Available also on Amazon, ebay, etc. I’d buy one if I needed a new one 😉

Strada Easels. Great customer service. I own the Micro and Mini, both with side trays. I also own the Tripod tray but have not used it in the field. I owned the original (largest) Strada, but thought it was too heavy for me. Bullet proof, simple, efficient design. Love them.

EasyL at Artwork Essentials. Great customer service. I own the 11x14 Pro and the Pro-chade (no longer made, but one of my favorites). I bought a Classic Mini on ebay that I never used it and sold it.

Judsons Art Outfitters. Great company. I owned three: the Cigar Box, the 9x12 Guerilla Box, and the 5x7 Thumb Box. I sold all but the tiny one. Nicely made, fairly lightweight, but are made to haul all the tubes inside, so bulky boxes. They have a few new styles that copy the type that hangs on tripod legs.

Joshua Been, Prolific Painter. Two of my local friends have or had the Daytripper Model. Both had some complaints and one sold hers. I had the Fly on the Wall and sold it. Didn’t like it, cheaply made, but costly. Terrible customer service. These are the pallet style that hangs on the tripod legs and the panel holder is up higher. I always felt like I had my belly right into the wet pallet.

En Plein Air Pro. Another friend had one of these, but it seems like he didn’t use it for long. Very lightweight setup, but lots of plastic. Tripod is very cheaply made. Another style where the pallet hangs on the tripod legs and the panel holder is up higher.

James Coulter, Art Box and Panel. Been around a long time and has been copied by many. Looks heavy. Again, this is the style that hangs on the tripod legs and the panel holder is up higher:  https://artboxandpanel.com/

Sienna Boxes. These are very reasonably priced. A couple people in my group had these. Nicely made, but lots of wood and heavy. Available on Amazon and ebay or direct.

Ben Haggett's Alla Prima Pochade. Beautifully made, but lots of wood and heavy. Custom ordered.

Edge Pro Gear. Some of the “pros” use these. Look just like a laptop case. Two sizes.

Open Box M. One of the original designs for clam shell style painting boxes. Very lightweight but expensive. Lots of fiddly wingnuts. I had one but sold it.

Soltek. This is an all-in-one painting box, like the French easel, but all aluminum. Very expensive. I bought a used model but felt it was really heavy and sold it. The legs are pretty finicky and are hard to close. http://www.soltekarts.com/

See this video review by Stefan Baumann of the Open Box M, Strada and EasyL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgqtAQ1g4l8

TRIPODS
For tripods, buy a quality brand and it will last for years. Look for a complete tripod with a ball head and quick release plate. You don’t need the type that are used with video cameras with the arm used for panning the camera. Think about how small it folds up to fit inside a suitcase or backpack. I always recommend going to a local photo supply shop and see what they have in person. But there are many places online to buy. Once I narrow down the model I like, I google and can usually find a pretty good deal. Expect to pay between $120- 190 (you are worth it!! 😉 ).  I prefer Manfrotto or Benro brands. I bought an off-name brand, which was carbon fiber (lighter weight). But I found that because it was a smaller travel size, the weight was not that much different than a standard aluminum version.

Below is a good model that I recommend, which that folds to about 16”.



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