Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Plein Air checklist

I enjoy plein air (painting on location) with a couple of artist members from the Lake County Art League. I have struggled to remember all the supplies I would need. So, I made myself a checklist of all the things I may need. Although I may not take everything on this list, it will help me decide quickly, based on location and weather conditions. Here is my list for acrylic or watercolor media.


  1. Hat
  2. Canvas/Paper
  3. Paints - acrylic/watercolor
  4. Brushes in holder
  5. Water container
  6. Bottle of water.
  7. Mist sprayer (to keep acrylic paints wet and for other effects)
  8. Palette (I use a disposable paper palette for acrylic)
  9. Easel (I use a valpod which has tripod with a attachment for board and palette holder)
  10. Sketch book
  11. Pencil
  12. Kneaded eraser
  13. Paper towels
  14. Artist apron
  15. Drop cloth/table cloth
  16. My reading glasses!
  17. Camera - check battery, memory card
  18. Business cards
  19. Insect repellent, SPF
  20. Nuggets of dark chocolate and water bottle.
  21. Artcomber (This is a product I can't do without. It can hold all your supplies in and also doubles as a chair and has good wheels to roll on the entire bag)
  22. Driving directions/GPS to the location.
  23. Wallet with driver's license! (In the frenzy, we might sometimes forget this)

Well this is my list. Let me know what works for you.