Shades and shadows

Today I'm going to share with you my umbrella design. As you know, it is a bad idea to paint in the sun, for both you and your painting.  Unfortunately the umbrellas designed for plein air artists left me wondering how I could have something better and more durable. Many artists after seeing my umbrella outdoors were asking questions how to put it together and finally it is ready for a prime time. But before I tell you about it's design, let me tell you what is wrong with over the counter artist umbrellas you buy online and in stores. The list is actually pretty long.

First, you need an umbrella which is not attached to your easel. With umbrellas that are attached, the easel becomes a high flying machine. Ask any airplane engineer and he will confirm that. One moment everything is nice and quiet outdoors and another the painting is up in the air along with the paints, water or oil going in every which direction. 

Second, the size of the umbrella itself  is either too big or too small.

Third, the fabric of umbrellas are all wrong... all of them! The umbrella needs to be translucent, so the artwork in progress receives enough light and does not feel like you are painting in a dark closet. It also could be white or any non bright color which affects the color mixing process.

Fourth, some will stay on hard surface, and some need to be jacked in to the ground with the blade at the bottom.

And finally Fifth, they are huge, bulky and heavy that only a trailer car can accommodate.

With much excitement, I am flying to China tomorrow for a plein air event. Usually I would leave my umbrella regretfully behind but not this time!

1.    I'm going to use this as an actual plein air umbrella. What the heck, I might even use it to shield me from rain! This really small cute        weightless umbrella claims to withstand winds up to 60 m/h!  It is made out of fiberglass and is going in my backpack with me on the      plane.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M15IBJ6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2.     You will need two adapters connecting your umbrella to a tripod.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CM5SNY0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JJW0SS8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3.    And finally the tripod itself.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/157968-REG/Lowel_UN_33_UN33_Light_Stand_7_75.html

After you put all the parts together, you've got yourself a plein air umbrella kit which weights under 4 lb., highly portable and highly adjustable. Unfortunately, any tripod won't cut it. You will need to use one with legs that are flat against the ground. When there are windy conditions outside, I just stand on one leg which is truly enough or put my heavy backpack on top of it. If that won't help, you probably should head home and forget the painting all together as it is now called a storm. Supposedly your indestructible umbrella broke. (I changed three regular ones in 2017 plein air season) Just go to Home Depot or the local Walmart and buy a new one for 5 bucks. This design is actually a result of my finessing during a few years in the field and should work fine.

As you can see now, it is totally photographic equipment adapted for plein air use with the use of a regular umbrella. The only thing I hope is that I did not disrupt the huge plein air umbrella industry. Because, the best part is that the total comes out to be less than 100 US dollars and that includes the umbrella. But hey, you have the umbrella already somewhere laying around dont you ;) Happy painting!

As a note: I do not financially benefit of any sales or products described in the blog.