DIY Palette Box and Wet Panel Carrier

As I am getting ready for the 3 day painting retreat at The Parker Ranch in Clayton, I thought I would share this earlier post on how to build a palette box. If you are handy, it's nice to make your own! - Dawn

In a recent Plein air workshop, one of the students asked me to share how I made my palette box and wet panel carrier. Of course I've had that on my to do list for months, but that was the motivation I needed to get my to sit down and work on it.

A portable palette box and wet panel carrier for plein air

I typical paint 12 x 16 when working plein air, so I made the bottom of the box large enough to hold that size once I put the sides on. 13x 17 plus the handles.  Once I had the back cut out, I cut out the space that will go around my tripod. I used the jigsaw and drill with a spade bit to make this cut.

Now I have base of the palette box, I made the sides. I used  1/2 inch oak for this and cut them to size using the miter saw. Next I cut a block to bring the handle up to the same height as the sides. Now I put an adjustable bracket on the handle that will hold it on to the tripod.

This is a close up of the handle.  I mitered the top piece so that it can easily slide on to the tripod and the tension will hold the box in place. Also, it can be adjusted if I ever change tripods. 

Time for the folding shelves. I made two sides for the shelves first to make sure I had the measurements right, then cut the panels to make the tops. Glueing and nailing them to the frames

Okay ready for the hinges. I ran four small hinges down each side. 

Here's the completed box. I put blocks on the back as well with enough open space for me to guide the panels in. I have clips on the sides that will hold the panels in place.  It will hold 2 panels facing each other with plenty of space between them to keep them from touching. 

I also stapled elastic to the sides, that holds my palette knives, brushes and small tubes of paint. Then put mirror hangers on the sides and attach a shoulder strap and voila!!

Okay, there you have it. I hope it's helpful  

Thanks Megan for motivating me to actually do this. Let me know if you have any question!

 

 

Making Successful Grays by Michael Chesley Johnson

I follow Michael Chesley Johnson's blog and saw this the other day. I thought he had some good ideas about mixing grays and wanted to share them.  I hope you find this as interesting as I did. 

You can check out his work at http://www.michaelchesleyjohnson.com

"Morning at Raccoon Beach" 5x7, oil 

"Morning at Raccoon Beach" 5x7, oil 

Greys are both easy and difficult to conjure up.  Easy, because there's nothing like a dirty brush to work its black magic in creating rather ugly greys.  Difficult, because a pretty grey takes a certain amount of apprenticeship in mixing color.

First, let's make sure we've got reasonably clean brushes.  That will keep you from summoning grey without meaning to.  Now, let's think about how greys are made.

They say you can make a grey by mixing a color with its complement.  This is true, but it can be a very muddy grey.  A prettier grey can be made by mixing a color with its near-complement instead.  This is because the grey is closer in character to the color being greyed.  Try it.  Use a color wheel to help you identify the near-complement.    If you want to grey down a green, don't use red - instead, use red-violet or red-orange.

Let's take this a step farther.  Look at the color you want to grey and decide if it is a cool or warm version of its base color.  To grey it, add the same temperature of its complement.  If it's a cool red, use a cool green.  If you use a warm green with a cool red, this will make mud.  Using a cool with a cool will make a more beautiful grey.  As an example, I paint a lot of fog, and many times I'll start off with a light pink - that's cadmium red light with lots of white, and very cool - and then scumble on a light cool green, such as viridian with lots of white.  This combination gives me a mudless fog.

In the little 5x7 sketch above, I use this approach, but for a sunny scene.  The scene had a lot of grey in it.  I painted all the major shapes with the complement of the correct value and correct color temperature, and then overlaid them with the local color.

(First posted June 15, 2011)

--- Michael Chesley Johnson, AIS PSA MPAC PSNM www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com


Paint on my friends,
Dawn

 

 

Kick off for the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational

Join me Wed, April 22, for plein air demonstrations at Callanwolde. Callanwolde has partnered with the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational and will be hosting plein air artist for their first home school festival. I'll be out there painting from 10 - 2 on Wed, and you can find me at the Olmsted Parks the rest of the week. This is going to be a great event! 30 professional artist from across the US and over seas will be out at the Olmsted Parks for the painting competition. If you'd like to try your hand at plein air, there is an event on Sunday for all artists. It's the Paint Quick Event. It's 20.00 to enter and there will be awards and an opportunity to sell you painting as well.

Hope to see you out there.

Dawn 

Annual Spring Home School Festival!
This brand new event at Callanwolde promises to be a wonderful start to a tradition for families with Home Schooled children.  Come celebrate the power of learning outside of a classroom setting with our expert faculty in the beautiful setting of the Callanwolde estate. Spring is also a time to celebrate the wonders of nature, so Think Green! All activities will enrich the lives of children by teaching them about the environment and nature.