10 Things you NEED when pleinair painting in the Mountains!
You can also check out the video version here where you will see all the items of my list ;)
If you like going painting outdoors to the unvisited path to find the best locations for your pleinair landscape paintings, then this list could help you pack the essentials to your next adventure!
BACKPACK
A good backpack for painting is important, that’s where you carry all your gear! I am totally into military/tactical/army gear, specially backpacks! They have hundreds of pockets and the molle system is totally a thing, you can always adapt this kind of backpack to your needs just by attaching more things! This one is the same model I use.
TRIPOD
I use a tripod to mount my pochade box or painting easel, instead of using a classical painting easel. A tripod gotta be sturdy, it gotta be reliable, but it also gotta be lightweight! Specially on a long hike, you cannot be carrying around an extra bag to carry the tripod. Find one that goes as high as you need to go to be able to paint standing or sitting. This is the one I use.
FOLDING CHAIR
Talking about sitting, after an hour of pleinair you might want to sit the next one, literally. When you paint standing is all about the movement, the speed and the capturing of the light, when you sit down, you can do all those things, but also rest your legs and put more entasis in little details, take a break for some snacking, and keep on painting, no-pressure! we do this because we love it. Here is the chair I use , but it’s small, so here are more sizes in another brand. Remember you can paint while standing, which is ideal as you can take a few steps away from your painting, but also paint seated.
PAINTING EASEL
A painting easel is a must, you want it to hold your painting surface, it will free your hand and mind. I made the one I carry with me everywhere, inspired in the amazing James Gurney, he is an inspiration, and if you don’t know him, you should!
PAINT (CONTAINER)
It’s great to have a variety of tubes at home, but to carry those on your back while hiking is just torture and asking for a call to your physiotherapist the next day. You can go minimalist or Zorn and use 4 tubes (3 colors plus white), or you can just pour a bit of some colors in a paint container. When I go ultra minimalist I use this one, when I feel I need to carry all my options I use this bigger container. They are SO CUTE. This is when I paint using Gouache. But now I use oil paints, the tiny tubes of 20ml weight nothing, so that’s what I carry.
MEDIUM
The medium you need to paint with gouache and watercolour: water, for oils: mineral spirits or oils or any other medium (or a mix of them like a bit of damar varnish, with turpentine, with linseed oil), you can also use an alkyd to make your painting dry faster. You could go hardcore with saliva on the watercolours, but I would not recommend it.
CLEANING CLOTH OR PAPER
Painting can get messy, so a piece of cloth (made from old t-shirts) or some kitchen paper will save you some trouble. Cloth is great for gouache painting, and eco friendly. The paper or the cloth would absorb the excess water. Towel paper or even tissue paper will be wonderful to clean the brush when switching colors when working with oils.
WATERSPRAY
Don’t forget this one for gouache painting outdoors! The sun will dry your paints in a blink!, just spray them from time to time and it will be all good. I use this small size, which I can refill with my water bottle if needed it.
PAINTING SURFACE
You will need somewhere to put your amazing art on, call it paper, call it canvas, panel, hardboard, illustration board, linen, or even rocks. Also, artists, we do not litter, and we like to take this piece of art as a captured moment from life. ;)
BRUSHES
I love painting brushes and I am obsessed with them, despite this, I only carry one or two brushes when I go pleinair, thus avoiding damaging more, and of course, I avoid the weight. I mostly use a synthetic #16 in EU or 1/4” US flat brush, and a small round one for details or to sign/date; with the flat brush you can achieve different shapes, and cover a lot in little time. I like to use long handle brushes, I will make another post about brushes, because there are so many types and they have many different uses. I take with me the synthetic on my hikes because they are cheaper, although they wear off faster and they need to be replaced, the natural hair ones are more expensive and would hurt me to loose them. If I have to eat pasta for a week to buy a new brush I will. You can also help me buy new ones here!
That would be the MUST have! and you will be ready for your next mountain landscape adventure! There are a few more things I would add, but they are not necessary really, like an umbrella (good for light rain or over killing sun) or a panel carrier, which I made here, which only works for oils, since gouache and watercolours dry hyper fast!
If you need inspiration and wonder of the other materials I use, here is my Amazon shopping list. If you buy from the link I get a small commission free from cost for you :) thank you!
This is my usual pleinairpainting materials to paint with gouache/watercolors which I carry. Including the white umbrella as a light diffuser and a viewfinder to study compositions :). The #5, paint container is just for gouache, in case of oil paintings I carry 4 tiny 20ml tubes.
This post contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. However, this does not impact my reviews and comparisons. I only suggest products I’ve reviewed, and in many instances also use, in order to help you make the best choices.
