Sunday 26 April 2015

En Plein Air Checklist for Painting in the Great Outdoors!

The blank canvas had been sitting in my studio for several weeks waiting for inspiration.  On a beautiful sunny April morning I grabbed the canvas and walked with anticipation down to the beach. I used an impasto technique to create this expressive interpretation of the cliffs of Lake beach... 


Lake Cliffs in Sunshine - Copyright Lee Papworth 2015

The most enjoyable and challenging painting activity for me is painting outside which is called en plein air painting.  

In a few weeks time I will give some tips on the practicalities of en plein air painting. 

The most important thing to remember is to be prepared.  

Therefore to get you started here is a list of materials and equipment that is essential to a successful day of en plein air painting!







Basic Art Equipment
Oil Paints, Griffin Alkyd (quick drying oils) or Acrylic
Brushes or painting knives (including a palette knife)
Paint palette
Turpentine or white spirit
Mediums
Canvas or canvas board
Blue colour pencil
Easel
Tonal value stick
L shapes or a viewfinder

Other Useful Art Supplies
Rags or kitchen towel
Glass jar with lid or paint containers
Masking tape
A6/A5 or A4 Sketchbook
Sketching pencils
Small pair of pliers
Camera
Carry box/case (to transport finished painting without damage)

Other Equipment & Supplies
Folding stool/chair
Water/flask of tea and food
Money
Phone
Rubbish bag
Wet wipes
If Raining:-
Waterproof jacket or poncho
If Sunny
Hat/visor
Long sleeve shirt
Sun block
If Windy
Plastic bag with a weight in it (use sand, gravel, stones/pebbles, large twigs etc.)
If Snowing
Plastic bags to cover feet
Gloves (preferably cherry pickers)


The list is endless…so be prepared! Watch out for my next blog post about en plein air tips in a few weeks time.

Best wishes

Lee

Detail of Lake Cliffs in Sunshine showing impasto technique
Detail showing expressiveness of the impasto technique


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