Over the last few years I have made and re-made a number of easels and boxes for painting en plein air. And I’ve always tried to move away from the concept of the pochade box, where the easel is also the carrier for your paints, brushes and painting panels. This adds extra weight to the easel and makes the whole thing a bit more cumbersome. I’ve always preferred to carry the easel and palette separately from the rest of the kit. My feeling was that this makes everything easier to pack and also the easel itself is lighter on the tripod.

All this is true. However many people still use a traditional pochade box, so I thought I really should revisit this concept and try and make my own lightweight version, that would:

• hold my palette and paints and brushes
• carry two wet painted panels (that’s enough for one day’s painting)
• have a holder for the brushes when in use
• be quick to set up
• easy to carry
• have a removable palette for easy cleaning
• allow me to paint right up to the edges of my panels without obstruction
• hold up to three different sizes of panels

Not much to ask!

(I just need to clarify why I am having to design my own pochade box from scratch instead of buying a ready made one. It’s simply because there is nothing on the market that meets all these requirements. At least nothing I have yet come across or could afford! Maybe I’m just being a bit too fussy…).

Anyway, that’s what I did.

So here it is…

It takes panels that are 8″ X 8″, 8″ X 10″ and 8″ X 12″, and these slot in between two sets of small screws that don’t cover any of the panel and allow for painting right up to the edge. Two 1/8th inch (3mm) painting panels fit neatly back to back between these sets of screws.

The lid stays open by resting against a backstop ( a piece of wooden dowel).

I modified the slide out palette with a few holes to hold brushes, and a wooden dowel rim at the back edge to stop paint going into the slider grooves.

Everything was varnished in an oak colour to make it look antique and expensive! Actually it only cost me a few euros as I had bits and pieces of wood lying around from other projects as well as hinges, clasps etc..

How did it perform?

Very well, even though I say so myself. Even on a day which was a bit windy, it stood up well, and did everything I wanted it to 🙂

The advantage I now have is that I can go out painting and carry home two wet panels without hassle. And everything is contained within one lightweight box, carried by a shoulder strap. I could yet be a convert to the good-old-fashioned pochade box!

The materials I used were 3mm (1/8″) MDF board for the top, base and palette, various pieces of pine dowel for the sides (5cm, 3cm, 2cm by 1cm, and some 5mm X 5mm), as well as brass hinges, some clasps and the varnish. I spray painted the palette in mid-grey car enamel paint.

I am sure I will continue to use my other easels as well, because each one serves a different purpose (some are more lightweight and fit into a suitcase or backpack, some hold larger boards for painting, etc..). But this pochade is a handy addition to the set. You can never have too many!

Do you have a favourite easel or pochade box? Let us know here…