Top 16 Unexpected Plein Air Art Supplies

Add some of these unexpected plein air art supplies to your stash to make painting outdoors more convenient, more fun, and perhaps, even more interesting.

By Suzie Baker

I have joked that the best way to make a lot of money as an artist is to sell art supplies! We are suckers for art materials and gadgets, aren’t we? Sometimes, however, the best tools aren’t sold in art supply stores. By the way, I don’t get free swag from any of the products mentioned here — but I’d sure love to (hint, hint, Honda, Elta, and Wondershade).

Here is my list of must-have tools of the trade, plus some from my fellow art buddies. (Note: Don’t miss the last one!)

1. Travel Stickers

A fun way to decorate my easel and give me street cred while out standing in the field! (Note my clever wordplay to make you think I’m out-standing in the field.)

2. Retractable Back Scratcher, aka Moll Stick

This cost me less than four bucks at my local pharmacy. It’s curved, scratching end, rests on top of the canvas to steady my hand for detail painting, and fits neatly in my brush folio. Plus, I can use it to get oil paint onto those hard-to-reach places on the back of my clothing!

3. Wondershade

This umbrella is clearly not marketed to artists because it’s only in the $60 range on Amazon. Please don’t tell them that we artists are accustomed to paying much more for our fancy umbrellas. It was my favorite art purchase two years ago.

It is large and hasn’t replaced my easel umbrella, but I find it so useful that I sometimes ship it to myself when I fly. I find it utterly indispensable during hot shows (I’m thinking of you here, Easton Plein Air).

Its tripod base with hanging hooks to hold my backpack make it plenty sturdy. Its silver lining keeps it from casting a colored light onto my easel and canvas while also protecting my skin from UV rays.

4. Sunscreen

Specifically, Elta MD Sunscreen, recommended by my dermatologist! Painting outside a lot has made me a little paranoid about protecting my sensitive skin.

I apply this stuff every morning and love it! I’ve only ever used the tinted one, but it comes in untinted varieties, too. Elta — combined with a sensible “mom hat” and long sleeves — keeps my skin protected.

5. Minivan

My beloved 2005 Toyota Sienna just got replaced with a 2018 Honda Odyssey, and I love them both. They are roomy, comfortable on long drives, fuel efficient, and, best of all, your teenagers won’t want to drive them!

Once I surrendered to the practicality of a minivan I didn’t look back. Shout-out to fellow minivan drivers Jim Wodark, Jason Sacran, and John Lasater! Go ahead, admire us for our super-coolness!

Fellow artists Debra Latham, Krystal Brown, and I fit ourselves, our gear and all the loot we purchased at the 2018 Plein Air Convention in my Honda. Later that year, I took out the second-row seats to fit in a cot for a trip to plein air events in the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. Just the thing for a few nights camping in the National Parks before checking into my host accommodations.

I also quizzed some of my buddies to see what non-art art supplies they find indispensable:

Bruce Gomez includes a sponge brush in his kit for dusting, blending, and softening the edges of his pastel paintings.

Charlie Hunter’s top art supplies that aren’t include:

1. Cotton Swabs. “Although an inexpressive mark making tool, cotton swabs are invaluable for lifting paint when one is counting on one’s surface to be the lightest light,” he says.

2. Ettore 6-inch Brass Window Washer’s Squee-Gee. “The go-to mark making tool when you need a hard man-made edge in a painting. Careful, though — it is easy to become over-reliant on it, thus reducing one’s work to repetitive shtick.”

3. Stim-U-Dents. “Not only do they fight gingivitis, they are unparalleled for scraping into wet paint with their unique triangular shape.”

4. Stretched Canvas Wedges. “You’ve got bags of these, right? Finally, a use for them! Use them for scraping into wet paint when a Stim-U-Dent is just too damn small.”

Jim Wodark doesn’t leave home without a cordless, bluetooth speaker in his plein air kit.

Lyn Boyer is not without her portable, backup, battery charger for her cell phone when she is out painting all day.

Bill Cramer leaves room for his “water bottle.”

Amery Bohling shows off her roll of Viva paper towels, a staple in so many of our indoor and outdoor studios!

John D. Cogan keeps his acrylic paint fresh and instantly accessible in this plastic sorting container.

Hai-Ou Hou; Well, I’m going to let this one speak for itself.

So, what are your favorite art supplies that aren’t? Use the comments section below to tell us about them!

ABOUT THE ARTIST
In recent years, Suzie Baker has gained national acclaim, earning a stellar reputation for her versatility as both a plein air landscape artist as well as a studio painter of still lifes, figurative works, and portraits.

In the Art Renewal Center’s 13th International Salon, she was recognized in both the Plein Air and Figurative Categories. Among the many other awards she’s received recently are Best in Show and Artists Choice Awards at the Outdoor Painters Society’s Plein Air Southwest (2018), Best in Show at Shadows on the Teche (2018), the Irvine Museum Award and Montage Award at the 2018 Maui Plein Air Invitational, an Award of Excellence from American Women Artists’ Tucson Desert Art Museum Exhibition (2017), and the Artists’ Choice Award at the 2017 Telluride Plein Air Festival.

Her award-winning paintings have been featured in such publications as Plein Air Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, and Southwest Art. Also known as a generous and uplifting teacher, Suzie has just produced her first art instruction video with Streamline Publishing titled “Color Magic for Stronger Paintings.”

Website: http://www.suziebaker.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suziebakerartist/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suziebakerart

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