Easy Velcro Hack/ My DIY Watercolor Tripod Easel for Outdoor Painting / Plein Air / Urban Sketching

[@SarahSophie3000]

This is the Best diy tripod for watercolor I've seen ❤❤❤

[@AbnormalArtsDOTcom]

I just had to say this again... VERY smart idea. You have not only an artist's brain, but an engineer's brain as well. You just gave me so many ideas. I think this is the best DIY I've seen in a while.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you so very much! This is the best compliment I ever got on a video! I love to thinker and and my my own things. I think it’s fun being creative. So happy for your feedback! Best wishes with your projects!

[@AbnormalArtsDOTcom]

I'm so glad that you liked my compliment. It was well-deserved. I'm a DIYer myself, and we have to inspire each other. I see that sometimes people are in competition with each other instead of inspiring each other by sharing. I vote for sharing! Have a great day!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

@@AbnormalArtsDOTcom Yes! I vote for sharing too! We can learn and grow together! I'm subscribing to your channel!

[@AbnormalArtsDOTcom]

@@kimberlyhyltonart Awww. Thank you Kimberly. How sweet you are. I appreciate that.

[@KjKlehm-ex2yo]

Very clever tray design and the easel mounting. I like simple, economical and easy! Coolio

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

@Kj Klehm Thank you so much! ❤

[@offthewalla4717]

Such great ideas! Just goes to show that you don't have to spend a fortune for a plein air setup. Girl you rock!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you saying that!

[@MH-iu7vg]

Lots of great ideas here. Especially the elastic brush holder.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you! I love this set up! It’s very functional!

[@maxichazmaxi]

elasticated band such a great idea! thank you!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you! 🙂

[@moonchaserstudio]

Girl…you are the queen of diy’s! Love it!😂

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

@moonchaserstudio That’s an awesome compliment! Thank you so much!

[@inconspicuous-nobody]

This is so inspiring and very doable! I love the tray idea. Thanks so much for sharing it!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

You’re welcome! I’m so happy this video inspired you to make one of your own! The tray is really handy!

[@TheRealGrandadNo1]

Great video! Not everyone out there has tools and the ability to use them (I have fortunately) and this is a brilliant way to solve that. Innovative, easy to make, pretty lightweight, good ideas with the velcro and tape. Well done, clearly explained and thank you for taking the time and trouble to post to inspire others. Much respect from an old artist!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

I'm so happy to hear you found this video helpful! This was my first plain air set up that I made for myself. I took up watercolors at the start of the pandemic when the stores were closed. So I had to figure out a way to make my own. It did the job and was very functional. Since then I have invested in a few other store bought plain air kits, but I the one I made was one of my favorites. I ended up gifting it to my young artist neighbor and she is making good use of it. I would like to make another shelf for my lighter weight tripod as I really liked how sturdy it was.

[@ollekoos2071]

I like the idea witj attaching an elastic especially! Everything else i did myself!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you! I like the elastic band too! It helps you hold lots of extra stuff! 🙂

[@deborahszabo4955]

That's brilliant! This inspired me to do this with my camera tripod instead of buying an expensive setup. Thank you!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you so much! I’m happy to help out! Before I made this setup I was looking at buying one, but the affordable ones looked kind of flimsy. I’m so happy I decided to DIY my own set up. It works great and suits my needs. I use it inside and outside.

[@durgasarvepalli2355]

Hi Kimberly, Thanks for sharing....what a great idea with canvas and board...Awesome..thank you again

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Hi Durga! Thank you! I'm happy you find this tip helpful! I hot glued the foam core board to a 11x14 wood canvas frame then I painted the whole piece. I added staples to make it more secure. I've used this for almost two years and it's been very sturdy.

[@koolkutz7]

Great set-up Kimberly. I love the elasticated band for holding brushes etc. Those cotton candy skies look nice that you painted too! I want to do some en plein air painting this year so I bought a bracket off e-bay for about $10 with a tripod screw which I then glued to the bottom of my wooden easel and it sits on my tripod really well. I might try the canvas frame idea for a tray.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you! The elastic band is handy. Having a tripod and tray makes plein air painting so much easier! Good luck with your art journey! I love painting outside whenever the weather allows.

[@jadetobin]

This is super cool Kimberly!! I definitely love that....gosh I've completely blanked on what to call it🙄😳 brain fog, boy it'll get ya😳 .... the frame you basically turned into a table to hook on you tripod! Awesome idea!! Especially cuz you can a lot of times find nice wood ones like that with a random painting on it at a thrift store for next to nothing and its even cheaper. Awesome idea!! :) Your sky's look beautiful so far!! I finally did my practice rover rock stacks :) it was fun, was having a decent day physically a bit ago and did all 3 at the same time since I was trying different stuff on each. Some I liked, some not as much....but, since I knew it was just for practice, it was really fun to just play and do what I wanted instead of what I normally do which is only do it for gifts or thank you cards where I'm trying to make it very personal to them..so, it was fun :) I look forward to seeing you painting out there, looks beautiful!! We're about to get hit pretty decent by this massive storm coming across the states top to bottom, so no outside painting for me :) I hope where you are it stays beautiful and your all safe n sound :) Thanks again for sharing your fun ideas :)

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you Jade! Yes you can get old canvas frames for cheap! You just have to remove the canvas from the wood. I used one that I was already painted on. It was a painting that I didn't turn out how I wanted it to so I didn't mind ripping it off. I used pliers and a flat screwdriver to help remove the stapes. I always keep my old canvas paintings that I don't like, because you can save money buy painting over them. If it is done in acrylic all you have to do is paint over it with white gesso. It may take a few layers, but you will have a clean white surface to work on. I'm glad you got to enjoy your practice painting! It's so fun to let go and just paint for the fun of it! I find that I enjoy my practice painting's more than when I sit down to try to paint a more formal painting where I am trying to get all the details to be just right. I feel more free to experiment when I am just practicing. And I always learn from it. Even if it goes wrong. That's why it's a good idea to practice in a sketchbook or small scale before you actually go to paint on a bigger more expensive surface. It helps you work out the painting in advance!

[@jadetobin]

@@kimberlyhyltonart I do the same, keeping old paintings and painting over...definitely a money saver for sure!!! Yup, I agree, when I'm not trying to do something very specific its fun and I learn a lot, like you said:) Hope you're doing well :)

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

@@jadetobin thanks Jade! I’m doing good today. I hope you are doing well! It’s always nice to paint when it’s just for fun! In art school there was always so much pressure that it almost turned me away from painting. But one day we were making chalk drawings outside of class and I had the most fun. I made the comment to my teacher that it was nice not having to paint for an assignment. She was surprised that I said that. But, I’m so glad that I didn’t give up on painting. I love it so much. It is great for keeping your mind off of things that cause stress and anxiety. Painting gives me peace.

[@jadetobin]

@@kimberlyhyltonart I completely agree!! Painting...art in general...is a necessity for my good mental health. Well, when I'm not putting myself under to much critical pressure ;) I'm working on that :) Gosh, yea i can't imagine the pressure of having assignments due on time and in front of people 😳🥺 I couldn't do that. When I get in over my head by offering to help by making hand painted cards or decide for myself to make a bunch for a certain thing and get in over my head or a time-line that is too short, not good ;) I also seem to shut down under that sort of pressure, like my brain stops working and its as if I forget how to paint or what to paint completely! But, again, my fault and something I'm working on. Taking time to just draw or paint, purely for the joy of it without pressure to show someone or give it to someone or a due date, is so important to keep your joy, like you were saying :) reminds us of what we fell in love with :) Glad you're doing well!!! Have a great weekend!!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

@@jadetobin thank you! Making time for practice is important. It’s good to keep a sketchbook so you can have lots of pages to play and experiment on without the pressure to show it to anyone. You will feel free to try new things. You will gain more skills that way. And you will be able to see how much you grow as an artist when you look back on the ones you fill up! I hope you have a great weekend and I hope you have time to paint something fun!

[@garymcguire8529]

Great idea, thanks. I have a spare tripod and now I have a use for it. Gary in the UK.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

You’re welcome! Good luck with your new setup! There is something special when you make it yourself.

[@eileenvalachovic9435]

I love how creative you have been with your supplies. Thank you for sharing.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

You are so welcome! I'm happy to share tips that people might find useful. Thank you so much!

[@carol9204]

so help full love the try idea thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ukpaul9221]

Greetings, Kimberly - so glad that I discovered your channel. $4?!!!! - that's a pretty good bargain, isn't it? I've been agonising over easels for some time as all seem to be too 'upright' for my watercolour style. I've got a couple of painting easels from my distant past but they do not lend themselves to slanting or near-horizontal applications. I then got the message over tripods and found my camera tripod was ideal. It even had a quick-release mechanism which I fixed to the underside of my board. It also fits into a special sleeve in my backpack! I was over the moon. I can also lower it so that I can take a folding stool to work with it. Old bones! I am impressed with your mixture of invention, improvisation and thoughtful investment. I am currently working up steam to create a 'utility shelf' similar to your own. I'm taking my time so a to get it right for what I need - we are all so similar but all so different and that's the beauty of it. Returning to my art has given me a boost of morale after 2yrs of imposed Covid 'semi-house-arrest'! Hope that this Covid curse is getting better over the pond. Now for 'something completely different'. I would love to share some stuff with you. I'm a septuagenarian UK clergy pensioner - I'm not a stalker, deviant or 'troll' and my wife knows I'm pretty harmless. I would love you to get back to me on my email address so that I can send you some some ideas I've got for my three kits - minimalist, intermediate and full outdoor set-ups to compare and for your input. No offence if you turn the idea down. I'm [e-mail] I'll remove this address and paragraph after 7 days to avoid nutters. I don't do social media but I do do illustrated emails. Thanks again for your inspirational vids. Every good wish to you and yours for a Happy New Year. Paul in the UK Midlands

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Hi Martyn! Thank you for the tips! This Covid situation is pretty bad in my area. Many family members and friends currently have it. I hope it goes away soon. I will send you my email address so you can send me your ideas to look at. Thank you for your interest! Here is my email, [e-mail] . I don’t really want to leave this email posted here. So let me know when you see this so I can delete it. Thanks

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Best wishes to you and yours!

[@billcorwin3316]

Great job on your set up! Functional, inexpensive and creative, and it will do all you need it to do ! FANTASTIC

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you so much Bill! I really do like this setup, it is functional and it feels good to know I made it myself!

[@johnilko2964]

That's ingenious. You are so creative. I have 2 tripods from my photography. Thanks for the idea.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

You are so welcome! I'm happy you found this idea helpful! Thanks for the feedback!

[@gsdls]

Another great design.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you!🙂

[@barbaralouisebenjamin5918]

Very clever. Thankyou for sharing your ideas.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you! I’m happy you found this idea helpful!

[@paulahaynes6131]

I made one of the canvas frames for my tripod and it works great. Thanks

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

That’s great! I’m so happy it worked for you! 🙂

[@AbnormalArtsDOTcom]

Very smart idea! Thanks for sharing

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

You are so welcome!

[@elisabethseeger5837]

Great! Thanks for sharing!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you!🙂

[@Anywaysdesign]

Brilliant!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you!

[@InnerMagpie]

You are so inventive!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you very much for your kind comment!

[@leslie-annepepin8927]

You have the best ideas! So creative! Thank you so much for sharing.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@atul.jagtap]

Best idea

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you so much!🙂

[@ramkumarsunuwar8408]

good Idea unique.

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you very much!🙂

[@carolynderricks3226]

Thanks for the video!

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

You’re welcome!🙂

[@Richard-s4u6j]

Genius

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

@Richard Thank you so much! This is still my favorite setup.

[@jaclee6]

Very nice setup, love how you made the tray, what size canvas did you use to make the tray?

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you! I used the frame of an old 11x14 inch canvas as the support for the board. I removed the fabric and kept the wood frame. I glued and stapled the board to the wood. Check the description to see more details. Good luck!

[@maralabas]

👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏😃😃😃😃

[@kimberlyhyltonart]

Thank you! 🙂