Which easel do you think is the absolute best for plein air painting?

[Lifescapes]

Neeman post #64 HOW do you attach that drawing board to a tripod?

He who eats here must trust to fate,to please his palate and fill his plate! Sometimes there is, sometimes there ain't: I am no cook, I like to PAINT! author unknown

[HankB]

What is best for not blowing over in a gush of wind????And which one for packing up in a hurry when a cloud breaks loose?

I’ve been caught in the rain several times now. I think the speed of packing up is insignificant for me because I’m usually far enough away from my car that even if I could get packed up like a NASCAR pit crew I’m still going to get soaked walking back anyway. Like bug bites and sunburn it’s just been one of those things I’ve learned to laugh at. It’s part of painting outside.

Also set up speed seems silly to me now too. It seemed like a big deal when I was first starting. If I’m going to be standing there painting a scene for 1-2 hours the number of seconds it takes to set up won’t matter. I take longer moving my easel around to find the best spot after it’s set up. I think for me being anxious to start was instilled from using a camera so much to capture reference images for studio work. The video on the Soltek site of him setting it up so fast is funny to me now, but I’d still love to have one of their easels — just not because it sets up quickly.

But if speed is still a concern I think my french easel sets up faster than any of my other setups. And because of it’s weight I think it’s the sturdiest in the wind. My pochades I’ll have to hang my supply bag and camera off the bottom of the tripod when it’s windy and the box will still wobble in gusts unless I use my left hand to steady it.

Hank Buffington
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[Lifescapes]

Hank,
YOu bring up a good point. Rain gets you in the end and I agree taht I spend more time hunting the spot and then the spot withing the spot and then on my composition. Actaully I was aiming more for pack-up speed because I seem to be the last one paitning in a group and people are done and ready to go. Thanks for the pochade tip. Wobbly is not appealing. I kinda see myself forking over the money for the SOltek because my french easels, albeit handy, have warped and broken in so many ways…

He who eats here must trust to fate,to please his palate and fill his plate! Sometimes there is, sometimes there ain't: I am no cook, I like to PAINT! author unknown

[MichaelR]

Hi Hank

Also set up speed seems silly to me now too. It seemed like a big deal when I was first starting. If I’m going to be standing there painting a scene for 1-2 hours the number of seconds it takes to set up won’t matter. I take longer moving my easel around to find the best spot after it’s set up. I think for me being anxious to start was instilled from using a camera so much to capture reference images for studio work. The video on the Soltek site of him setting it up so fast is funny to me now, but I’d still love to have one of their easels — just not because it sets up quickly.

Whilst I would agree with you to some extent it does no harm to be able to set up fast! I have made some comments in my thread

https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=593203

and I have now discarded my Jullian half box in favour of my OBM and manfrotto tripod purely for reasons of speed as once things start to warp and twist it becomes a real wrestle to get a French easel set up especially on a steeply sloping hillside!

Michael Richardson
Constructive and informed criticism is requested. I am here to learn and will not be offended:)
"Oil paint needs only to be thinned by the vigour of its application" Walter Sickert
Michael Richardson's oils and watercolours and Michael's Blog and painting holidays

[HankB]

A sunset would certainly require some speed!

Yes, I can agree a steep hillside would be better with a tripod. And speed may depend entirely on the model of tripod too. I’ve been using a light one with 3 section legs. In the time it takes me to get all the legs extended I could get my half box up. People who use those huge Gloucester easels claim they set up quickly too.

Hank Buffington
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[Jo Castillo, Bastrop, Texas, USA]

I don’t paint plein air that often but this sure looks great. The Coulter Plein Air System.

http://artboxandpanel.com/collections/16679

There is a video showing how easy it works and how lightweight. Tripod and box.

Has anyone used one?

My blog https://jocastilloartblog.blogspot.com/
My website https://jocastilloart.com

[sashntash]

Thanks for the link. That system looks really good !!

However….

As much as I look at and covet a Soltek or one of Ben Haggett’s Alla Prima Pochade boxes, I always look at my Jullian French Easel and decide that it really does all that I want it to do.

It has plenty of room to hold my paint and brushes, it adjusts nicely to the height I want to have for painting, the handle makes it easy to carry (or I can use the strap), it’s sturdy…..

so far I have resisted the temptation to buy another easel…

so far… lol

Susan
in beautiful North Carolina
Retired and loving every minute of it !!!
Time to play......

[HankB]

As a beginner learning my way through this I thought I’d update my input on this thread for other beginners in case they might find it helpful. I’ve gotten so much great advice on here I hope my experience can help others too.

I started with a french half box that I was given as a gift many many years ago but never used. It’s kind of a neat toy but all the big boy plein air painters I was seeing online seemed to prefer pochades and I figure their experience must say something. So instead of buying one I started making some after seeing Fawzan Barrage’s videos in case I didn’t like plein air painting or didn’t like the pochade set up of having the palette right under my painting. At first I didn’t like that all my stuff had to be carried separately because I was used to my french box holding everything except my bottle of water.

So this winter I switched back to my french box and got a companion. I like that the french easel is heavy and very sturdy in the wind. I like the large mixing area of the companion and it makes it easier for me painting with huge mittens on which is a big plus for me. I like that it can hold large canvases even though I haven’t gotten to paint much larger than 11×14″ yet. I like that most of my supplies are contained in it but having to move the companion to get another brush or a tube of paint is a pain. In the cold the wing nuts are a terrible pain too because I have to take off my mittens to work them. I find the canvas/panel holders annoyingly in the way as far as painting to the edges top and bottom. It has a pretty big footprint which I’ve found to be a hindrance a few times when wanting to paint in crowded or tighter areas. And I’m realizing that I have a lot of stuff in the big pockets of my winter coat. In the warmer weather I won’t have those pockets and I’ll have even more stuff with me like bug spray and sunscreen so a second bag or box is unavoidable. So much for the all in one box, at least for me. The low price of french easels is nice though.

I’ve coveted a Soltek too but with so many people complaining of their leg problems I can’t make the leap. That would really bug me especially if I was away from home for several days.

So now I’m drawing up plans for another pochade box. This one will be a new one for my acrylics and I think I’m going to make it with a slide out plexiglass palette that I can drop into a stay wet box in between painting sessions. I’m abandoning the idea of having a wet painting carrier built into it like some of the other pochades since I only paint one painting per outing. I can leave my wet box in the car or backpack.

I hope that helps other beginners.

Hank Buffington
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[sashntash]

Hank – lots of good points…

For me….. no matter what I would use for an easel – a Jullian, a Soltek, a pochade box, whatever – I would always have to bring along another bag.

All of them – Jullian, Soltek, pochade – are designed to carry paints and brushes and misc small items.

However, I also need a roll of paper towels or a box of Kleenex, a trash bag, sunscreen, bug spray, drinking water and other misc items and… because I paint with acrylics… I need a container and water and a sta-wet palette.

So I don’t see how any system would let me eliminate bringing another large bag for the “other” stuff.

I also bring a lightweight folding chair that has a shoulder strap. (I paint standing up, but like to have a place to sit for breaks. Getting old ‘ya know… lol)

So… I carry my French Easel in one hand, put the folding chair over my shoulder and carry a large Lands End canvas tote in the other hand. Works for me….

Susan
in beautiful North Carolina
Retired and loving every minute of it !!!
Time to play......

[Lifescapes]

And what, Sashntash, pray tell, do you carry paper/canvas in?

He who eats here must trust to fate,to please his palate and fill his plate! Sometimes there is, sometimes there ain't: I am no cook, I like to PAINT! author unknown

[artistinmemphis]

I posted this before in a similar discussion, for those of you that are tall and paint standing up, checkout the Mabef M29. Its cheap, lightweight and tall. Even small canvases can be mounted high on the easel because of a sliding block.

Here’s the link to my previous post:
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550978&highlight=mabef

Recent pic below… I’ve mounted some grey disposable palette paper to a wooden palette and mounted it on the easel vertically, so that the light on my canvas and palette are the same.

http://matthewleestudio.com

[HankB]

Susan, I think my assumption that I could get all I need into one convenient package was a rookie mistake and maybe just some wishful thinking.

I have a similar Mabef easel Matthew. I’ve been using it for figure drawing but recently begun playing with it for plein air. So many great options.

Hank Buffington
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[sashntash]

And what, Sashntash, pray tell, do you carry paper/canvas in?

well…:D I paint on 9 x 12 or 11 x 14 panels. I put two dry ones in the large canvas tote. Since acrylics dry quickly, carrying them back to the car is usually not a problem. If the panel is still wet, I can carry it on the French Easel, as is……

Here’s a new easel that a friend of mine found that looks intriguing. It’s new from Cheap Joe’s. I do hate the wing nuts on my French Easel and this appears to be a french easel “type” with 4 tripod type legs. There are 3 pull-out shelves – one on each side and one in the front.

However, with the 3 shelves I’m guessing that there isn’t much storage space for paints and brushes….. I haven’t seen it in person…. but it looks tempting….:lol:

http://www.cheapjoes.com/art-supply/JMFIELD-1_24631_joe-miller-signature-field-easel-cherry.asp

Susan
in beautiful North Carolina
Retired and loving every minute of it !!!
Time to play......

[HarvestMoon]

none of the above- I like Cheap Joe’s watercolor easel and the Anderson swivil easel….

Harvest Moon 🐐

[StrangelyBrown]

I use an Alla Prima Bitterroot on a good Manfrotto tripod. You get what you pay for with it. Quality hand-made, well thought out little box. I have used it for mini 8 by 10’s up to 24 by 16’s! It can also be used as a table top/lap box.

[Author]

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