Great Outdoors Test Run

Steve finished working on my test plein air setup today by making a wooden shelf for my pastel box and converting a cheapie tabletop easel to fit on the tripod. Today was quite overcast, so not perfect for plein air painting, but we decided to head out for a test run this afternoon anyway. The little easel actually did okay despite being very lightweight and simplistic, and the tripod seemed quite stable using my backpack as a weighted support on the center post. We still need to arrange a small shelf to hang on the side of the box for all the little extras, like pencils, shapers, erasers, blenders and such, but for the test run today, the bare-bones were fine, and I just grabbed accessories from the backpack as I needed them. Having a shelf will definitely help with comfort and convenience, though, making those items more readily accessible without the constant bending and rummaging.

DIY Plein Air Pastel Setup

Fry enjoyed the views from the river rocks while I got started on the preliminary sketch.

Fry and Me

And he came over to supervise while the painting was being blocked in.

Fry Supervising the Painting Block-In

We still need a few more tweaks to get things exactly like I want them, but so far, I have to say I'm pretty impressed with Steve's handiwork making me a DIY plein air setup!

DIY Plein Air Setup in Action