Home Forums Explore Subjects Plein Air French Easel Or Guerrilla Painter …

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  • #457809

    I’m curious as to which one you would keep… Round one…. Ding!

    #644877
    marksmomagain
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        My French easel is used if I’m painting from the truck or atv, as it’s so heavy.
        My Guerilla French Resistance pochade I’m using when horse- riding or hiking in to a site.

        I don’t have a favorite between them as I use them both about the same.

        #644871
        Bartc
        Default

            Never liked the original French easel designs because they are wobbly. So I use a Guerilla Painter with a tripod and that works great (as long as you have a strong enough tripod.) But there are other tripod based designs worth considering.

            I don’t own a Soltek, but I note that my friends who do swear by its solidity, even in high wind, and so far it appears they are right. Of course this is a very high end expensive version of the French easel format, so not for everyone.

            #644864

            I don’t own a Soltek, but I note that my friends who do swear by its solidity, even in high wind, and so far it appears they are right. Of course this is a very high end expensive version of the French easel format, so not for everyone.

            Soltek was my favorite, but for $500 it arrived in poor condition from the manufacturer and lasted about two years before giving up the ghost.

            There are millions of easels. I have a French Easel and a Guerrilla Painter Box, both of which are troopers, and cannot deside which one is better.

            I would like to read real life tales on those two only, if possible, otherwise, this thread will just turn into another “plein air equipment” thread.

            :)

            #644872
            Bartc
            Default

                OK, so here’s my real life tale.

                Investigated French easels and rejected that approach as the legs felt too flimsy on any unit EXCEPT the expensive Solteks, which I couldn’t afford.

                Started with cheap wooden easel/box and added threaded bottom and bought an inexpensive tripod. Had to also rig up an extra strut to keep it from flopping on the tripod.

                Then went for a 9×12 GP box on an inexpensive tripod. I overload the box and put a lot of pressure against the “easel” backing, so found that the tripod head wasn’t all that solid. Swapped out the head for heavier duty and it all works like a charm.

                Have since DIYed a smaller pochade that also fits on that same tripod and it too works like a charm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLfFelGgvdk

                I sit to paint, don’t stand, so cannot vouch for how well it might work on that same tripod. But I”m sure there would be a reasonably priced higher stance unit if I wanted that.

                My sister has a Sienna Plein Air on a tripod. She sits and stands and it seems to work fine. Problem is that it’s more a mixing table format and doesn’t have a box for supplies built into it like Guerrilla. However, they also have that format to attach to the legs of a tripod to go with the table form.

                #644880
                contumacious
                Default

                    My response is [x] Other.

                    I prefer a panel holding mast on the top of a camera tripod with a palette tray hanging on the two front tripod legs.

                    #644873
                    Bartc
                    Default

                        I prefer a panel holding mast on the top of a camera tripod with a palette tray hanging on the two front tripod legs.

                        That’s the other format that most people miss. If I were standing up and/or working on much larger canvases, this would be the one I would choose.

                        Decades ago I started with a light aluminum watercolor easel with a panel mast setup. For my paints, etc., I had an old wooden painting box to which I had added the legs from a folding seat. So I had very versatile tripod and a commodious box on stable footing for my gear. Unfortunately, the box setup was unnecessarily heavy. Extra legs and weight for no painting value.

                        So your setup would be much preferable.

                        #644865

                        I give up fishing for stories and opinions, and going to keep them all, and make the best of them. I really like writing articles on my French Easel.

                        And the Guerrilla Painter is a fantastic watercolor station.

                        Cheers. :wave:

                        #644874
                        Bartc
                        Default

                            Nice box, but I’m really unclear what you were expecting from your post originally.

                            #644866

                            Nice box, but I’m really unclear what you were expecting from your post originally.

                            Eh. I was looking to have a discussion specifically about the French Easel and the Guerrilla Painter, seemingly the two most popular box easels.

                            Hope you are having a happy Saturday! :)

                            #644875
                            Bartc
                            Default

                                So as I go back to your original question, the tripod setup, in which my premier pochade is the GP 9×12. As it happens, I now have 4 boxes, 3 of which are at least partially DIY, all fitting on the same tripod. So clearly, I know which format has won the match, at least in my ring. Whatever floats your boat will end up being your own champion.

                                The GP is my sturdiest. That’s for my acrylics.

                                My original was a cheap Art something or other table top box easel to which I added the tripod attachment. That was OK, but not great. Was for my oils, which I don’t use anymore anyway.

                                Then I made the one out of cigar boxes that I showed in the video. Works great. That’s for my smaller, though versatile, Ceracolor kit.

                                Last was a simple “drawing box” that I tricked out to be a full pastel pochade. It mostly works, though is a bit tender.

                                I carry all but the oil box in my car with the camera tripod and use whichever I want, swap out when changing media.

                                End of my story.

                                #644867

                                So as I go back to your original question, the tripod setup, in which my premier pochade is the GP 9×12. As it happens, I now have 4 boxes, 3 of which are at least partially DIY, all fitting on the same tripod. So clearly, I know which format has won the match, at least in my ring. Whatever floats your boat will end up being your own champion.

                                The GP is my sturdiest. That’s for my acrylics.

                                My original was a cheap Art something or other table top box easel to which I added the tripod attachment. That was OK, but not great. Was for my oils, which I don’t use anymore anyway.

                                Then I made the one out of cigar boxes that I showed in the video. Works great. That’s for my smaller, though versatile, Ceracolor kit.

                                Last was a simple “drawing box” that I tricked out to be a full pastel pochade. It mostly works, though is a bit tender.

                                I carry all but the oil box in my car with the camera tripod and use whichever I want, swap out when changing media.

                                End of my story.

                                I love your story. :) thank you!

                                #644859

                                I had to look up Guerrilla Painter to see what it was :rolleyes: … so I can’t compare the two types as I only have two French Easels, and a half size french. In one French I keep all my portrait painting paints, and the others the Landscape paints, and depending what I’m going to do it’s easy just to grab one and know that everything is there.

                                The half French I bought online with the idea that it could just sit in the back of the car on the ready at any time, a good idea but the quality (or lack of it) resulted in many repairs… I still use it as a back up with the large Easel.

                                Mac

                                #644868

                                I had to look up Guerrilla Painter to see what it was :rolleyes: … so I can’t compare the two types as I only have two French Easels, and a half size french. In one French I keep all my portrait painting paints, and the others the Landscape paints, and depending what I’m going to do it’s easy just to grab one and know that everything is there.

                                The half French I bought online with the idea that it could just sit in the back of the car on the ready at any time, a good idea but the quality (or lack of it) resulted in many repairs… I still use it as a back up with the large Easel.

                                Mac

                                Unfortunately these days French Easels are not made in France anymore. There is a great quality one called Mabef, which is made in Italy. If my French easel ever breaks, I’m totally going to get that one. But even a good quality easel requires a wood glue squeeze bottle to ride in the back with the paint tubes. Hahaha.

                                I hadn’t had a huge problem with the Guerrilla Painter, except the fact that it DINGS, DENTS and chips like a sugar cookie! I took it to the park twice in its life and it looks worse than my French Easel! The FE has been to the mountains, beaches, long road trips, countless art shows, rain, sleet, hail, even to a techno music show, and is barely scratched!

                                BUT, the GP is fun, cute, and can hold a bunch of supplies in a smaller package. I originally bought it because it can fit into the back of my bicycle, which is key to going to tight urban places and short trips.

                                Furthermore, the GP with just a little bit of imagination and some canvas holders, can hold paintings up to 24 by 36 inches! No kidding, it is FANTASTIC! Hahaha

                                I both hate and love both systems! Hahaha :lol:

                                #644860

                                Unfortunately these days French Easels are not made in France anymore. There is a great quality one called Mabef, which is made in Italy.

                                Yes I discovered that when I ordered my ‘French’ half easel online from the Art chain that owns this forum… even with the freight charges it was much less than what was available here… but within weeks it was falling to pieces :eek:

                                I have given away two locally made (Chinese?) easels that had constant problems, to artists that had never had an easel, after buying very cheaply a second-hand but genuine ‘Made in France’ one, and then making the decision to splash out last year for an ‘On Sale’ Mabef (30% or 40% off ?)… good decision :smug:

                                Mac

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