Home › Forums › Explore Subjects › Plein Air › Do you really need a View Catcher?
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February 24, 2015 at 6:45 am #992740
Hi
I was trying to make a list of thinks I might need for my first time plein air painting experience. This view catcher caught my attention and I was wondering if you guys have used it and how useful it is?I am in the UK, so if there are any plein air artists from the UK, I would love to hear what is the must have list of things you have for your outdoor painting?
Any tips and tricks to help me get set right for outdoor painting, as you know sunny days here are such a rare thing and I don’t want to miss the opportunity and have regrets later on.
Thank you.
February 24, 2015 at 7:59 am #1220552If you have trouble isolating a composition from the whole range of the view you see, you might like a view catcher. If you don’t know if you need it or not, just go out a few times. You’ll soon get an idea if the view catcher is a tool you personally want to have.
You can also use an empty slide mount or a rectangle cut out of a piece of cardboard to do pretty much the same thing.
--Robyn
instagram:https://www.instagram.com/robynjorde/February 24, 2015 at 9:34 am #1220534I them very useful for exploring different compositional ideas in a scene. I like that particular view catcher because it can adjust for any proportion of length:width, and it fits easily in my pochade boxes. I do wish there were a larger version of it available. I should probably just make a larger one out of matboard or something. It wouldn’t be hard to make, but I haven’t gotten around to it!
Hudson Valley Painter[/url]
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One year from now, you'll wish you had started today.February 24, 2015 at 9:52 am #1220537I made my own out of a piece of matt board. I was able to get a larger size that opening that I find more useful.
Thick skinned and sometimes thick headed, C&C always welcome - Mike
Additional work can be viewed at Mike's site
February 24, 2015 at 3:59 pm #1220547thanks Cedarita, I will try that.
Mike, so larger version is better, what is the optimum size?
Mike, is it possible to have a look at the one you made, maybe I get an idea how to make one for myself.February 24, 2015 at 6:30 pm #1220538It’s two pieces of matt board 5″ x 7″ hinged together with a piece of framing tape.
I work primarily in 9″ x 12″ or 12″ x 18″. The opening i cut into the from piece, centered, is 3″ by 4″. This cooresponds to a 9″ x 12″ format. Lined up behind it on the second pierce. The opening is 3″ X 4 1/2″. This cooresponds to a 12″ X 18″ format.
If I’m working on the smaller piece, I just view through the opening, as is folded. If I want 12″ x 18″, I just open it up to view through the larger opening. I find this size view finder easier to work with than the smaller one pictured.
Thick skinned and sometimes thick headed, C&C always welcome - Mike
Additional work can be viewed at Mike's site
February 25, 2015 at 2:48 am #1220536You can use your two hands to form a viewfinder. Use your two index fingers and thumbs to to form a square or rectangle. It’s very useful to have a sketch book with you and do quick small thumbnail sketches to work out composition and tonal arrangements. The less equipment you take with you the better, the paraphernalia will distract from the reason you are painting outside.
Dave.
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting, please don’t press the like button.February 25, 2015 at 9:01 am #1220545A viewfinder can be useful. The smaller ones with sliding openings are conveniently easier to carry. Hold a smaller one closer to the eye and it is the same as a larger one at arms distance. I use a small one that has proportions and golden sections indicated.
Comments always welcome.
See my WebLog and Gallery:
http://ronaldleeoliver.comFebruary 25, 2015 at 9:04 am #1220551I have a small card viewfinder and value scale that I recieved as a freebie, to be honest I seldom use it.
I am more likely to use my hands to block out part of the view to help me focus on what I want to see and paint.
More important to me are paints, brushes, a snack, and a bottle of drinking water. These last two are important than you might think. It is hard to paint well if you are distracted by hunger and thirst. Plein air painting often puts me in the field through meal time and I want to be able to carry on painting.
It is very easy to find yourself trying to lug along the entire studio and then some. Simplify to the absolute minimum you need to paint with. If you find you have left something you really wish you had, make a note and bring it next time. I have forgotten paints, brushes, palette, water for watercolors, even parts of my easel. This despite having a painting backpack that I was certain was fully stocked.
When I forget my paints I am frustrated but try to enjoy the time outdoors.
"Let the paint be paint" --John Marin
February 25, 2015 at 9:56 am #1220533There’s a another aspect of the ViewCatcher that folks here are missing: The fact that it is a mid-value, neutral grey and has a viewing hole in the center. I use this all the time to help me isolate patches of the landscape and to compare warm/cool, light/dark, rich/dull color characteristics of different patches. I actually use this feature more than the viewinder part!
Michael Chesley Johnson AIS MPAC PSA
www.MChesleyJohnson.comFebruary 26, 2015 at 12:02 am #1220535I’ve seen people using them but never have myself. The UK artists I’ve seen out seem to have as simple an outfit as possible although I don’t think they make a point of it. Why not get one and see if it works for you?
>>>There are a number of UK plein-air painters on Wetcanvas and you should be able to connect with them.
Have fun, DaveFebruary 26, 2015 at 5:50 am #1220548Thank you guys, hopefully I am going to get my pochade box next week, I’m going to try to paint something in my garden first and see how things will progress from there. Maybe I wouldn’t be needing one.
February 26, 2015 at 7:00 am #1220543I’m in the UK and I’ve never used one of those. The clouds/light tend to change so quickly that you have a different view every few seconds anyway!
The most useful things I’ve found are: something to drink (especially something hot on cool days, which is most days I suppose) and many extra layers of clothing – scarf, hat, gloves etc. (it’s surprising how cold you get without realising). If you will be sitting then an inflatable mat prevents the dreaded numb bum! In summer (those fleeting months) suncream and midge repellent are pretty essential.
Have fun!
All important things in art have always originated from the deepest feeling about the mystery of Being.
website/painting blog: www.helencolledge.co.uk
March 1, 2015 at 7:38 am #1220549Thank you Helen
That’s so true, you’ve just described my last camping experience down in Beddgelert camp site.
By the way, I’ve checked your website and you have such amazing paintings in there, full of joy colours and peacefulness. :thumbsup:March 1, 2015 at 11:07 am #1220544Thanks tadjray.
I think if you can plan for and survive a camping expedition in Wales you will cope with plein air painting quite easily!
All important things in art have always originated from the deepest feeling about the mystery of Being.
website/painting blog: www.helencolledge.co.uk
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