SunEden Plein Air Heavy-Duty Painter's Package

[Robin H]

Hello All,

I'm new and excited to be part of this forum. And I will be very appreciative of your input.

I am trying to determine what plein air tripod system to purchase, and hopefully my selection will be a good one. Does anyone have experience with this new package in particular and SunEden in general? Your input will be greatly valued.

Thank you,

Robin H
Western NC

[*Deirdre*]

Welcome to the Pastel Forum!:D

I don't I'm afraid...but I did a search and this (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=601268&highlight=plein+tripod)came up..


.searches are easy...just put your keywords in....
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/20-Mar-2010/33616-Search-pastels.gif
Hope it helps!

[Paula Ford]

Welcome to the Pastel Forum (neighbor) Robin!!

I have a Soltek, so I don't use a tripod. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

[DAK723]

Here are some threads from our Materials library that discuss plein air easels and tripods:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=513878

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=365952

The second link has some discussion on Sun-Eden, starting on page 3, where it is highly recommended!

Don

[Studio-1-F]

Hello Robin H --- Few suggestions:

=Take a look at these two threads that cover plein air for pastels:

-- "Pastel plein air? help tips hints and ideas how to paint outdoors?" (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=513878)
-- "Plein Air - Best Practices for Setup?" (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=422309)

=Check out McKinley's plein air set-up here (http://pastelpointersblog.artistsnetwork.com/2009/12/07/ThePerfectPastelPleinAirSetupTheSearchContinues.aspx). I saw this set-up when he was here doing a demo for us. It is very sturdy and very portable. And uses a SunEden tray.
=Look at the Heilman Boxes (http://www.heilmandesigns.com/pastel-boxes/). These are excellent and they all have tripod bolt holes in the bottom.

I hope these suggestions help you decide.

Jan

[saramathewson]

I'm pretty sure Maggie Price uses the sun Eden tripod and easel and uses the shelf to hold her heilman box. Dakota has a nice compact box for pastels too, and has good reviews and is cheaper than the heilman. It uses velcro to hold the part that goes over each side with the foam on it and some are worried that that doesn't hold as well as the way the heilman is made. but I know of artists that are very happy with it. Right now I have a guerilla pochade and haven't actually used it yet but know some people love it some hate it. i got it for a great price and am willing to give it a good go. i have a french easel that is just too heavy/cumbersome for me for plein air. It works great as a second easel in the studio and would work for workshops as well. It is wise of you to research this before diving in and buying.

Sara

[Robin H]

Thank you everyone! Your help is greatly appreciated. I ordered the SunEden Heavy-Duty Painter's Package today and will let you know what I think after I've had it for awhile.

Best wishes,

Robin H

[Maggie P]

I do use the Sun-Eden tripod and easel set up. I have used it for about 7 years and am still very happy with it. I like the light weight and portability, and I like it that I can set it up with the shelf on the side instead of the front, so I don't have to lean over the pastel box or drip dust into it. I put my small Heilman box on the shelf and bungee-cord it on. I also drop a bungee cord across the center tripod and suspend a weight from it (usually my carry bag, adding rocks if needed). Even with an umbrella attached, it has never yet gone over. I've painted in high winds in Scotland and other places, and it's always been stable. I hope you will like it as much as I do.

[Sueb]

Robin, I was wondering if you have had a chance to use your Heavy Duty package and what you thought about it? Have you formed an opinion yet? Happy with your choice? Sue