P, the greater the incline of the paper, the greater the impact of gravity on the painting. For gestural work, that’s a big plus. For photographic realism, that’s likely a big negative. IOW, it’s about control or the willingness to give up some control for expression.

For those who paint vertically, it often means a richer mixture and some thought as to where to make a stroke or paint passage. On the other hand, spontaneous strokes, runs and watercolor behaving in a watery fashion may be exactly what’s desired–and not achievable in other media!

Go for it!
Sling verticality!
Virgil

I used to paint flat, but started using an upright easel a few years ago when I enrolled in a community college watercolor class in which the instructor wanted us to paint upright. Now I have trouble painting flat!

I enjoy the pull of gravity- the paint only goes in one direction. I admit to liking drips sometimes though.

When painting from live models and still life setups, I find an upright position gives me better accuracy when painting.

Finally, painting upright seems easier on my body, which has kept me painting on days my back and neck would rather me not paint.

Mary Whyte is a fantastic painter, one of my favorites. If you like her work, you might also check out Jean Pederson- she also paints upright, and paints very wet with amazing control. I have her Wet Glazing video and find it very informative http://www.jeanpederson.com/

Give it a try- you might be a convert as well!

Barbara
https://barrighiart.wordpress.com/

All depends on the amount of water you use and the fuzing effect you want.
I do both depending on the picture I am doing.

Sometimes^painting vertically or nearly I need to turn the wood and picture to control the gravity.
Painting flat is quite the same I take the wood from a side or the other and lift it to guide evacuate the flow.

I paint at a minimum 45 degree angle and more recently very often on a vertical studio easel. I agree with Amy that painting vertically helps with perspective and allows you to move your hands and arms more freely. It also improves the accuracy of your drawing, as you don’t have to look down from your subject to draw or paint, and lets you compare visually. Another advantage of painting vertically is less buckling of the paper.

I do not agree that painting vertically means less control, actually the opposite is true, because gravity dictates the direction the paint will flow, you can exercise greater control over your paint application, you can apply rich pigment that will stay in place, you can soften areas without the risk of backruns, etc. And I do not agree that painting vertically is related to looseness at all. Many watercolorists who paint in a very detailed and realistic style paint vertically: Mary Whyte, as you mentioned, is one of them, but also Paul McCormack, Ali Cavanaugh, among others.

I don’t advocate one method over the other, they are totally preferential and you can even combine approaches: Draw vertically to take advantage of perspective and comparison, but paint at a lower angle to be more comfortable with how the paint moves. All is good.

I tend to paint mostly flat because I can use a lot of water initially…and…my paintings are not very large so it helps me to work more closely with details. I tend to work more upright on scapes cause…as was said…there can be a nice gravitational flow going on with skies and water…etc. but when it comes to ‘detailing’ I work flat again. That, plus my eyesight has become poorer as I age so…
I’m always hoping that it doesn’t make things look to ‘tight’ in my work. But I guess any ‘painting’ is better than not doing it at all. ‘Procrastination’ can be such an art ‘slayer’! But…I suppose that is a talk for another post…
Great subject!
dan

P, some things to consider in easels, as mentioned throughout the thread:

[*]Portability: Will you be moving the easel (room to room/outdoor painting/trips, etc)? If so portability and weight may be important considerations, along with stability. Wood is often heaviest and most stable; steel may be lighter; aluminum is lightest of all, but some inexpensive aluminum easels may not be very steady.
[*]Camera Tripods: Some of the most versatile easels use camera tripods (sturdy, lightweight, collapsable) with a variety of attachments to hold the backing board and watercolor paper.
[*]Adjustments: Do you want to be able to paint at inclinations from horizontal to vertical? Do you want to be able to paint standing and/or sitting? Be sure your selected easel will accomodate the needed adjustments.
[*]Accessories: Unless you have a permanent location for your easel next to a counter or table top, painting using an easel may also mean decisions about palette size/type, brush holders, water containers, etc., ie, where you put them and how you use them.

You know…the knee bone is connected to the thight bone is connected to the hip bone, etc!

Let us know what you decide!
Sling paint!
Virgil