Plein Air Essentials for Watercolor Painters!

I paint en plein air often and teach classes and workshops, and my new students often ask me what gear they need to come join me on these excursions. I first started painting outdoors back in the early eighties, when I worked as a State Game Warden in the Florida Everglades. Back then, I kept a small box with my painting supplies in the back of my truck so I could sketch and paint the landscape around me.

Later, when I lived in California I organized some artist friends to join me on weekends to paint the breathtaking scenery of the valleys and coastlines. Back then, we called it painting outside or paint outs -- "plein air" was not used as a noun until recent years.

The supplies I carry with me haven't changed much over the decades. Paint, brushes, and water are the essentials. I prefer pan watercolors and I keep a penknife, pencil, eraser, sandpaper, salt, and travel brushes with the folding palette. The travel brushes have self-storing handles that protect the brush when not in use. I like to use a watercolor easel such as this one, but when I was younger I would just sit on the ground and hold my painting on my lap as I worked.

I show a selection of water containers in this photo, and they all have one thing in common -- they collapse. The dog bowl holds enough water to paint a larger painting, or the smaller camping cup can can be tucked in a bag with a sketchbook to be handy for impromptu sessions. The red rectangle in this photo is a value finder. Looking through it helps artists to see values, and both in their subject and in their painting.

The right paper is a major component of painting. I like a small sketchbook such as this spiral bound one from Hahnemuehle for sketching on the go and small studies. For full size plein air paintings, I use 140 paper mounted in block form, such as this 12x16 block of Cezanne paper from Hahnemuehle.

Annie Strack teaching plein air painting in Spain

Yay! Value Finders are Here!

For many years I've been telling my students about the benefits of using a Value Finder while painting. Unfortunately, these things are extremely hard to find! I finally found a great wholesale source, and now I'm offering them to my students and other artists.

4x6 Value Finders, $5 + S&H

4x6 Value Finder (red acrylic)
$5 plus $4 shipping and handling




You can save on the Shipping and Handling charges by buying direct from me at my demos and workshops, although I only bring a limited number of them with me to events so there is always the possibility that I may sell out early and there may not be enough to go around.

When you look at your painting through the Value Finder, the deep red color works as a filter to cancel out colors and show you the true values of your painting. It works equally well when you hold it up to look at your subject through it -- it will filter out the confusion of colors and allow you to easily see only the value transitions of what ever you are painting. These are ideal for plein air painters and studio painters alike, and work for every medium.