Painting Supplies

Julian plein air easel - full box size, very stable

drawing board - a sheet of masonite approximately 2' x 3'

I carry a lot of other things with me when I paint. I carry them all in a kid's book bag which one of my daughters never used. I like it because it has several pockets to hold all the stuff I carry. Some of the items I use are listed below.

my pastel case full of pastels

A visor - I don't like hats, but need a way to shade my eyes in the sunlight. This old visor, which is a dark color keeps the light from shining in my eyes, keeping the light constant.

Sunscreen - SPF 50. I stand in full sun pretty regularly and burn very easily. Even in the winter, the sun is still able to give a sunburn, especially if it is reflected off of snow. I also know that the sun reflecting off a body of water will give me a sunburn. I use Chapstick to protect my lips, as they have gotten sunburned too. I wear flip-flops a lot in the summer, so I have to remember to put sunscreen on the tops of my feet.

Insect repellent - for mosquitoes especially around dusk and biting flies.

Swiss Army knife - I need to tighten up the screws on my easel pretty regularly.

cheap house painting brushes - 2" for brushing away bad paintings, smaller old brushes to use with water or alcohol for liquifying pastel sketches into a "wash".

pencils - for sketching out a design before I put down pastel.

small box -I use an old Tupperware container to hold the pastels I am using. I find that as I paint, I go back to the same colors which I have used earlier in the painting. It saves me a lot of time and trouble when I have to find a color again.

masking tape - for taping a piece of paper onto my drawing board.

baby wipes - great for cleaning up after a session.

Umbrella - this green and gray umbrella clamps onto my easel. I use it to shade my drawing board and pastels when I am getting uneven shadow areas on the painting surface as I work.

Miscellaneous things for my comfort - I don't like to be distracted while I am painting and so I come prepared to have what ever I need on hand.
food: Because if I'm hungry, I can't concentrate.
a bottle of water: Being outside makes me thirsty.
small first aide kit: a ziplock bag with Bandaids, ibuprofen, something for an upset stomach...