How I Made a Pochade Box - DIY pochade box for plein air painting

Thanks for tuning in to watch my urban sketching, ink and watercolour tutorial! Don't forget to check out my channel where I have hundreds of different urban sketch tutorials, as well as other watercolour and ink sketching guides for everyone from beginners to more advanced!

When I reach my goal I'll upgrade my sketching tutorials with a new camera and use my old camera to give an extra view point in my videos! Perhaps my face, perhaps my watercolour palette, or some close ups of my process!

Last year I made a pochade box, a self contained DIY plein air painting box. It's brilliant for painting outside - all I need to carry is that box, and a lightweight tripod.

I found watching how others had done this on YouTube useful for both inspiration and motivation, and so I've put together this video to pass on that favour.

In this video I'll explain what a pochade box is, why I made one and what features I think are important for a good pochade box.

My pochade box fits 8 inch and 10 inch canvas panels, which are 3-4mm thick. But I can also paint on other size panels if I have another way of transporting them.

See below for links to the various bits and bobs required for my build - very approximate plans are in my video, and if you watch you'll be able to screenshot them or ask me for more details.

Don't hesitate to ask me questions about the build if you're interested!

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Here is a list of the 'specialist' parts required:
- T Nut, to attach to a tripod
- D rings, to attach your straps
- Neodynium magnets, to magnetise things
- Torque hinges - the best ones I've found are on my amazon list, see below!

HERE is an amazon affiliate list - I get a small commission if you choose to buy anything from here!

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:27 - What is a pochade?
00:58 - Why I made my pochade!
01:15 - Key features of my pochade
02:18 - Inside the pochade
06:00 - How I made the box
Made with WonderShare Filmora

[heyihan]

Finally getting around to making a box and I'll be using your design as the inspiration. Thanks for the guidance. :)

[lewisdimmick]

PSA: Get a cheap wooden Windsor newton painting gift box with a pre fitted pallette and swap hinges for torque hinges and use velcro on your panel to keep it in place on the lid, quick release for tripod optional.

Love the video, we had a lot of the same ideas making our pochades! Loved seeing your sparks of genius Ilm going to add to mine.

[andywesselsphotographyart]

Pretty cool !! I love how you use the lid for panel storage !!

[cathyp]

Now I understand what I inherited from my brother-in-law who was a talented watercolor artist! He handmade a pochade box. It’s rickety but your video helped me understand how it works. Thank you.

[elephantshelf]

Very good stuff. I’ve gone crazy just trying to find a podache box that’s not so expensive. I’ve seen a few videos online about making one and this video has explained it the best. Thanks! I’ll be giving it a go tomorrow.

[ZoltanMuladi]

Hi, I just watched your video and it was very informative. Thank you for sharing your idea and suggestions. I made a small pochade using 3mm ply and 10mm square dowel to assemble the main part and 6mm dowel for the secondary parts. Its very light and strong. I made a separate platform to take the tripod mount, so it was not necessary to make the base of the pochade thick enough to take the nut. The whole thing was assembled using Bostik (yes really) and it is STRONG. Needs jigs or a few steel blocks to ensure pressure and register while assembling. The pochade weighs 600gms and is 30cm x 26cm x4.5cm and carries paint tubes, brushes and a pallete with spacers to prevent wet paint touching the lid of the pochade if you wish to pack up without cleaning the pallete.

[carol]

so much thought went into this its wonderful i wish I could have had this when I was younger thank you

[awatercolourist]

Great pochade! I did not know that you painted in oils.

[timbledum]

Looks great, planning on building! Could you please confirm the width of the strip wood you used? The drawing says 10cm and you say 8cm, but they don’t look quite that wide?

[screwy.artist]

Very impressive box. I'm converting an old box into a pochade, but so far I can't find a Tee Nut that will take my tripod plate. M6 looks like the right size but the thread doesn't fit. Any tips!?

[a_lex]

pochade is a french word that sounds like poche (pocket), but it actually means either a quick painting done in very few strokes, a bit like a sketch, or a literary ... like a script, i guess, when you jot down a few ideas for a writing you are going to further develop. (i checked in a french dictionary, larousse, because i was wondering if it was some old word for pocket, or something)
EDIT : the paintings in question were of a small format, indeed.

[sharonsamuels-fp]

Do you have a list with plans for the box

[howardfriedland]

Lifted the design from Alla Prima Pochade. Give credit!