DOUG'S TRAVELLIN' SET-UP

 

DOUG’S TRAVELLIN' SET-UP

Hi.

Attached are some pics of my set-up. I'm sure that you will have questions but just know that so much is personal. I like to hike, so I TRY to keep it lite. I carry more colors than most- cause I like to push it...and explore various combos..hard. We're so lucky to have had good sound color classes at Art Center College of Design as a springboard for personal expression. TRULY. so here goes.

I use the MBox 9x12: I paint up to 14x14 on it. It's compact and longer to fit in my pack. My 9/12 came in a black plastic waterproof, bullet proof box......i've forgotten the name of the box...Pelican Box! Doesn't matter because it doesn't work in the pack. My pack is made by Eagle Creek but Kelty makes one too. One main pouch for my paints and brush box, paper towels, my uber lite hat with neck protection, bug hat, (weather changes all this), poncho to cover everthing in a flash and thin two panel 11x14 wet box. Although most of the time I carry my wet box with my camera. I DO take a camera but use it for details if the painting wants to become a bigger studio painting. More on that later. Stick to small stuff outside because, otherwise you will be chasing the light, shadows and shifting color. The mid pouch holds the easel that "quick Releases" onto the tripod. The outside pouch holds my sketchbook, pencil, Ziplock of Walgreens powdered latex gloves, ziplock of Gamblin Titanium Zinc, tiny sunscreen, a shot of mace, a mirror, a collapsable tool with tiny pliers for opening stubborn shit in the freezing cold, a red glass lens cover to measure value and a gray scale cropper. YES, I still use all that shit because I get lost all the time. There are two small pockets on each side of the pack. One I use for my turps can (Holbien is best and the China ones break instantly. The irony is that Holbien is probably made in China too! What isn't?? Fuuuuuu. MY one of a kind paintings AREN'T!)) and the other is for the tripod that sit in the bottom and straps at the top. Probably this feature is used for the tent poles.

My Colors for OUTDOORS:

Tit/zinc

ivory blk

ultra blu

cobalt blu

viridian grn

chrome grn

sap grn perm.

cad grn lt.

cad lem yell

yell ochr

cad orng

cad red lt

aliz crmsn perm

burnt sienna

english red

Good morning.

I went to bed late last night and I was thinking....If you decide that this set-up sounds good, you should also get the optional MBox brass brush holder and side tray for potential extra mixing, wet brushes or sketchbook holder. The MBox peops can also set you up with the quick release for the head of the tripod. I LOVE my tripod. I got it online. It's carbon fiber and a lot lighter than Manifroto

 Lastly, You DON'T have to go big! If money is an issue? Spent your cash on paints and brushes. For years, I used a simple Julian 1/2 box French Easel modified into a backpack, with a camera bag for my sundries and turps (Gamsol BTW) and my wet panel box. I finally gave in for the comfort and extra space of a pack with a waist belt, chest belt and D rings for water.

 Paint: SO personal. BUT paint, as the late great Dwight Harmon @ ACCD taught us, is jammed with fillers meaning LESS extenders or....value$$. I believe that You do pay for what you get. I use Old Holland, Williamsburg, Gamblin (because they sell cans too) and W&N Cad. Grn. light. My Pal, GordonSmedt.com uses caulk tubes of paint!! (in the studio)

 Brushes: Also personal. You don't have to get fancy. I have a bunch because I don't want to be washing them every minute. A variety of sizes and a couples of cheap chip brushes for quick simple lay-in of the Graphic shapes ( Recommended by SkipWhitcomb.com, my friend, mentor and hero. Look him up!!)

 Workshops and books: It's all inspiration for DOING. There is NO education better than regularly scheduling to go out a do it. Start small, make sketches, learning all the subtle possibilities of your palette, EXPERIMENT, make mistakes, make a lot of mistakes, re-work, lose the freshness, find the freshness again, re-visit, turn it upside down, ask a friend, meditate, WALK without your paints and look at beauty or "subject matter" as if it were hanging paint. "Pieces of paint held together with beautiful edges." THAT'S my quote!

Remember. If you have any questions? Ask me. Ask someone. Ask yourself.

Love ,

Doug