Better than a Pochade Box? Building The Most Portable Plein Air Painting Box! 

Thank you Carrie! I always remember the saying, “whether you think you can, or you think that you can’t, you are probably right”. Happy Holidays!

Thank you @KateColors ! I loved making the box and I’ll have more uploads coming soon.

Yes those tension hinges work great! Your box sounds great, if you have a minute, please send a pic to me at kylemartinfineart@gmail.com I’d love to see it!

Thank you for the warm comment, Myles, I have a deep appreciation for painting and I can tell you do as well

Thanks Kathy! We painters have a second calling to create boxes of all sizes and shapes for different functions. I already ordered another box for my next project! Have a great weekend!

So many boxes, so little time! And the best part is the sideways looks that people give when they think you are smoking the cigars lol

It's my pleasure! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

I have a box you can have, just let me know!

Thank you Louise!

Thats so cool I'm glad you found my channel! Where did you grow up? To learn more about my greyscale value palette, look up a video from December 2, 2020. That has a full demo to view where I talk about mixing the colors and comparing them to the value palette. Happy painting!

yep...wondered the same thing...

Hi Carly, thanks for watching! I was just over at the Znidarsich household yesterday, im hoping Tim gets on the art tour😊This is the only palette that I use where I scrape the paint off after every painting. The first time I took the paint off it felt like such a waste, but now i sort of like fresh paint for every little study. Plus it’s little and there is not much pair. For my normal palette, I just leave the paint on. If you use a palette box that is somewhat sealed, you can put a little clove oil on a sponge inside, and the fumes alone will keep the paint from drying for days and weeks. The clove oil is bad for the paint, just a little on a sponge that is glued in place somehow. I work with a split primary palette that includes the secondary color and some earths. I will normally start with this palette and add or take away depending on the day. I hope all is well! If you email me I’ll send you a video about my palette that isn’t public on my RU-vid. Have a great day, kyle

A larger palette is definitely good for starting out outdoors. Painting from life is all about overcoming obstacles. Once a free standing easel has blown over a few hundred times, you might start to think that a thumb box would be good. Try to experiment with that, and you realize that you have one less hand to hold a paper towel. I’m not a gear or easel nerd, and I have at least a dozen laying around. They all have their positives and negatives. I just pre ordered the Soltek 2.0, and that’s going to come in at $700 shipped. Im not sure if I wiped my brushes on my pants, but if I did I will say they are double front carhartt. You are going to need some wheee you are going. By the way, check out my upload from the first week of December 2020 for a good plein air demo. The ability to simplify the landscape into shapes of value/color is the most important skill to understand, and that’s a decent demo for how I do it. It’s the 20 minute video btw. My intent with the channel is to inspire through fun. When you are having fun, everything works well at the easel

@@kylemartinpaintings tried to find Dec 2020 how do I find it? I fairly new at this and not a kid. Do you share how your measuring for your picture plane?

@@constance9789 vimeo.com/164423519 check out this video, for the measures drawing. If you email me, kylemartinfineart@gmail.com I have a document to read on it as well (I think)

@@constance9789 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Fk7abVKiUEo.html this is the link to the December video, let me know if you can see it! Happy painting!!!!

@@kylemartinpaintings yes, and I was almost done with a number of questions and thoughts. Lost them, so I’ll take that lost as a hint to say goodnite and thanks for sharing, I catch more of your work.

I think that's a fun idea, I might put some of these up on my website. I'm going to post a new diy pochade video soon, and maybe I'll announce it then!

Check out my video titled “Better than a thumb box?” From spring 2020. It is the same mounding as I show there. Have you made a pochade box before?

@@kylemartinpaintings Okay first of all THANK YOU for reply and I will check that one out. No I have not made a pochade box and I dont own one yet either. I have a french easel and I love it BUT I do need something smaller so I can have it with me whenever I'm just outside in nature . I keep seeing "scenes" that I want to capture quickly. I've learned that photos can be useful but it's not the same as when you are right there.

@@PrincessAloeVera yes, I have a French easel and love mine as well. It is nice to have different size setups for those fleeting conditions. I am going to make another, like this one but slightly larger, so that I can leave paint on the palette when the lid is closed. I may also experiment with a monopod, which could be used as a hiking stick, and then attached to the bottom of the palette, for painting standing up. I will be sure to update my RU-vid with all my setups as they change. Thanks for being here!

@@kylemartinpaintings Oh I's so glad you mentioned this because I would like to see the slightly larger one as you mentioned. I would like both, most likely. I may try and get a retired carpenter I know to do it for me, but I think he will do it for barter/ trade for a painting. He and his wife bought one of my small paintings last summer. Or I could do it myself and I would enjoy it, but I have very limited space and tools and I would rather paint and trade than get all that stuff together myself. I may change my mind tho because it would be fun to make it too. I have an idea you may want to think about: I was thinking about putting a narrow board "flap" into the slot where you would put the panel (the painting panel) and then using a wing nut "system" to get the painting panel even more secure than just snug in the slot. Make it so the painting panel is wingnutted onto the flap that is glued into the slot, or come up with something that does not involve a slot but something that is screwed or glued onto the palette with that wide but short extension to attach the painting panel and use wingnuts or SOMETHING secure but still easy to add or remove the panel. If I can figure that out I will let you know. But don't hold your breath! lol