Here’s some of the things I packed to go on my last painting trip to France….
My trusty Manfrotto tripod. I’ve painted in 45 mile (72km) per hour winds and this beauty doesn’t even wobble! I’ve seen some terrible disasters with broken pastels all over the ground, but this tripod gives me great confidence to go and set up even in the worst conditions.
My Upright Panel Holder from Joshua Been’s prolificpainter.com. Love this, primarily because other easels stop me from sweeping the strokes off the edge of the board. Not this one!
What can I say about the amazing Heilman pastel box. My husband dropped it and not a single precious pastel was damaged. And it’s travelled everywhere with me, keeping all my pastels safe and sound.
Easel Butler. Great support for my Heilman box. Importantly, it lets me put the pastels to my side, instead of having to reach over the box. I get a sore shoulder, so this sideways arrangement works much better for me.
Ampersand Pastelbords. These are so easy to use and have a surface I love, that really grabs the pastel. I started using them because some papers don’t do well with my underpainting water washes, buckling or not drying quickly enough. Also I haven’t found a paper that stands up to the rigours of camping in damp/humid climates without buckling. The Ampersand Pastelbords never have a problem.
And my lovely, lovely pastels. Soft and buttery Terry Ludwig pastels – I use them for the entire painting, from the underpainting all the way through to the final finishing mark. Just look at them! Oh, they make me so happy! I don’t really have enough though….look at those gaps, they need filling!
Here I am at the airport. Overloaded! I’m going to have to pack a LOT less for my next trip and there’s an EXTRA SPECIAL REASON WHY – I’ll tell you soon!!!
Wow Ma’am.. what a Great lively person you are 🙂
Glad to come across through Canada pastel fb group.
Glad to fins your blog.
Nice Paintings..!
Thank You,
Nagarjun
India