US2728157A

US2728157A - Artist's kit

Info

Publication number: US2728157A
Application number: US476392A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edgar K Guthrie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-12-20
Filing date: 1954-12-20
Publication date: 1955-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1972-12-27

Description

Dec. 27, 1955 E. K. GUTHRIE ARTIST'S KIT Filed Dec. 20, 1954 INVENTOR. EDGAR K. GUTHRIE ATTORNEY nited States This invention relates to the production of likenesses of objects, both animate and inanimate, including portraits, landscapes, architecture, and the like, and more particularly to the equipment employed by artists in producing oil paintings of such likenesses.

Artists ordinarily use a palette with brushes and oil paints in painting or producing a picture on a canvas or other background. Oil paints of this character are normally dispensed in individual collapsible tubes with removable screw caps and are relatively expensive. These paints dry or set up upon exposure to air and not only must the tubes be kept closed and all paint removed from the palette when painting is discontinued but when the screw caps are in place after a period of time it is necessary to apply heat in order to soften the paint sufficiently to permit the caps to be unscrewed and removed.

It has been customary to discard tubes from which only a small amount of paint had been removed and to scrape the palette clean of paint or to discard the palette. Also it has been customary to clean the paint brushes after each use, notwithstanding the fact that at such time it is less convenient because of fatigue, shortness of time, and for other reasons.

When painting is resumed after a lapse of time it is desirable to continue with certain color combinations. This has presented a great problem because the palette had been cleaned or discarded, or else the paint was hard or had a skin. Also, existing equipment of this character is complicated, expensive, cumbersome, heavy, unwieldy and does not include a palette immediately available for use with or without paint thereon, or that can be folded for compactness or contained in a compact package for storage or transportation. Likewise they are devoid of any means to prevent rapid drying or setting up of the paint.

Equipment available at the present time includes a kit containing among other things a raw Wood palette which requires substantial treatment in order to place it in satisfactory condition for use. It also includes tubes of paint, containers of oil and turpentine, brushes, palette knives, and the like, some of which are not needed or desired, and, consequently, are of no use, but which must be purchased in order to obtain the desired articles. There does not appear on the market a carrying case with a palette which is instantly available for use, or which can be stored within the container along with certain articles.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the difiiculties above enumerated and to provide a relatively simple, inexpensive, light-weight kit which can be readily assembled in compact form and used at a moments notice and with which a substance is employed which does not cause injury to the container and articles with which it comes in contact but which will maintain the paint, whether on the palette and brushes or in the tubes, in soft condition so that the caps of the tubes may be easily removed and the paint may readily be applied.

Another object of the invention is to provide an artists kit, including a container or envelope, a foldable palette,

tubes of paints, paint brushes, a palette knife, an antiskinning agent, and which envelope and the surfaces of the palette are impervious to the passage of vapor, with the anti-skinning agent in the form of a small spray receptacle containing a liquid which can be sprayed into the interior of the envelope and then the receptacle placed in the envelope to maintain the proper condition therein or alternately a substance may be provided which can be saturated to maintain the proper condition therein, the envelope or carrying case being closed by a relatively tight closure such as a plastic zipper.

Another object of the invention is to provide a palette of two halves which can be folded together for carrying or when not in use, and which can be held in extended position by such holding means which serve also as mixing cups.

Another object of the invention is to provide a palette of the character indicated having differently colored surfaces, for example, brown on one side and white on the other, in order that those who prefer may mix paints on either the white or the brown surfaces, as well as a palette with surfaces of plastic, which plastic coatings also form a hinge connecting the sections of the palette.

Another object of the invention is to provide an artists kit including a case and an anti-skinning agent in fluid form, such as, for example, tripentaerythritol and polyhydric alcohols.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a foldable palette and a clip with mixing cups holding the parts of the palette in extended position;

Fig. 2, a front elevation of the palette and mixing cups, with the palette folded;

Fig. 3, a rear elevation thereof;

Fig. 4, an end view thereof;

Fig. 5, a fragmentary transverse section of the palette hinge with plastic covering the sections and forming connecting hinges;

Fig. 6, a perspective showing the manner of placing the palette in the carrying case;

Fig. 7, end elevation of the kit showing the manner of using the anti-skinning fluid; and

Fig. 8, a side elevation illustrating the manner in which the device may be carried.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises an artists kit including a carrying case, preferably of flexible material and in the form of an envelope having an opening along its upper portion closed by a zipper, such carrying case being of a durable substance and having on its interior a surface or lining impervious to the chemical substances of paints and an anti-skinning agent adapted to be contained therein, within the case along the lower'portion of one side wall is located a partition which provides pockets for holding tubes of paint and a container for an anti-skinning agent, and along the lower portion of the other side wall is a second partition which provides a pocket for brushes and a palette knife, and with the space between the pocket forming partitions of a size to accommodate the palette in folded or collapsed condition, such palette being formed of a pair of half sections with a plastic covering over both and forming a hinge connecting them. A combination holder is provided which includes mixing cup and clip structure by means of which the holder is fastened over the palette and serves to mount the device on the palette and to hold the latter in flat extended position and also to maintain the sections of the palette sufficiently spaced that the paint on one of the sections will not come in contact with that on the other when the palette is in folded position. A spraytype container of anti-skinning fluid is provided so that the fluid can be sprayed into the carrying case while the zipper is substantially closed and thereafter the zipper may be completely closed, so that the substance will be retained Within the carrying case, thus keeping paints on the palette, in the brushes, and within the screw caps soft so that the caps may be removed and the articles instantly available for use. After a lapse of time, it may be desirable to spray the anti-skinning agent into the container again, in order to maintain the contents thereof in usable condition.

With continued reference to the drawing, the palette of the present invention comprises half sections iii and 11 with the former having an opening 712 for the thumb and an end 13 of a contour to accommodate the fingers of the user.

The palette is provided with spaced coatings M and 15 of plastic (Fig. which form a flexible hinge 16 permitting the sections of the palette to be folded in substantially parallel relation as shown in Fig. 2, or in extended position as shown in Fig. 1. sistant to paint and chemical substances employed in painting, but is preferably of a plastic sufficiently durable to withstand the treatment to which it is subjected, one .side of the palette preferably being white and one side brown to permit those who prefer to mix paints on white or brown backgrounds to use the side of their preference.

The mixing cups 17 have a substantially U-shaped clip 18 which fits over the edge of the palette, such clip 18 being of sufficient width to overlie a substantial amount of each half-section of the palette when applied over the joint as illustrated in Fig. 1. However, when the palette is folded the mixing cups :are placed over the central portion of the longitudinal edge of the section 11 of the palette, in order that the two halves of the palette and 11 may be prevented from coming in contact with each other and causing undesirable blending of the paints.

A carrying case is provided in the form of an envelope 19 having a zipper-closed opening 23 with an operating member 21, such envelope preferably being composed of a resistant flexible fabric with a plastic lining capable of withstanding the chemical action of anti-skinning agent and paints employed and placed therein, such envelope having a partition 22 along the lower portion of one of its sides attached at a series of locations along its length to provide pockets for tubes of paint 23, and a container for an anti-skinning agent or the like, such tubes of paint 23 having screw-threaded caps 24 and the container for the anti-skinning agent being of any desired character, for example, in the form of a plastic flask 25 with a spray head 26, the anti-skinning agent being tripentaerythritol and polyhydric alcohols, so that the proper conditions of vapor may be maintained within the case, eliminating the necessity for supplying heat for removing the screw caps of the tubes of paint. A partition 27 is provided along the lower portion of the opposite side of the case providing an upwardly open pocket for brushes, palette knives and the like, articles 23. The construction described provides an area 29 between the pockets along the sides of the case for holding the palette, paint 30 thereon and the mixing cups, so that they will be maintained readily available for use.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the present invention provides a carrying case, a palette, a combination mixing cup and clip structure which performs the multiple functions of mixing, of maintaining the palette in extended operative position, and of maintaining the sections of the palette sufiiciently spaced that the paint on one of the sections will not come in contact with that on the other when the palette is in folded position. Further, the invention provides for the accommodation of tubes of paint, brushes, palette knife and antiskinning agent and a container therefor so that such agentrmay be expelled as a vapor into the carrying case to maintain the palette and the paint instantly available for .use, the carrying case providing a tight closure with This plastic is rean adjustable closure member so that the anti-skinning agent can be injected and then the closure tightly sealed to retain the vapor within the case and the contents maintained in proper condition for a substantial period of time.

It will also be understood that at least two methods can be used in applying and maintaining the vapor of the anti-skinning agent within the envelope. One method would include the use of a light spray from a spray-type container and subsequent storage of this container within the envelope, it'being understood of course that the container should be equipped with a head or cap with or without a valve but of a character to prevent accidental or excessive discharge of the contents of the container while it is within the carrying case other than what is necessary for maintaining the proper vapor content which is desired to be maintained at least until the contents of the spraytype container are expended.

Another, less expensive, method would be to use an ordinary small jar for the anti-skinning agent and a mouth-type atomizer such as artists use for spraying fixative, and spraying a light mist coat over the interior of the case, thereafter placing the atomizer and the jar or container in the envelope with perhaps a small cloth or sponge saturated with the anti-skinning agent in order to maintm'n sufficient vapor within the envelope for an extended period, after which time the method could be repeated.

In either case the amount of spray will be determined by the condition of the paint. it is understood, of course, that the anti-skinning agent is not to be mixed directly with the paint, since this would tend to cause the paint to run on the palette as well as retard the drying of the paint when applied to canvas.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An artists kit including a flexible carrying case for articles used in oil painting, said case having an opening affording access to the interior of said case and closure means for said opening, said case having a vaporimpervious lining forming a barrier for the passage of vapor between the interior and exterior of the case when the latter is closed, said opening and closure means therefor being constructed to provide an opening of variable size so that articles may be placed therein and the opening made relatively small, an anti-skinning agent adapted to be introduced through said opening in the form of a spray and thereafter the opening closed to retain such agent within the case and to keep paint exposed within the case in readily usable condition, said case having a partition along the lower portion of one side for holding tubes of paint and having a partition along the lower portion of the opposite side for holding brushes and a palette knife, and with space between such partitions for the accommodation ofa palette'in folded condition and a palette forming a part of said kit, said pallette comprising a pair of sections with a moisture-impervious covering over exterior surface thereof and forming a flexible hinge between said palette halves, and mixing cup structure constructed to clip onto said palette and to be located over the joint between the sections thereof and hold such sections in extended position and also :to maintain the sections of the palette sutl'iciently spaced that the paint on one of the sections will not come in contact with that on the other when-the-palette is in folded position.

2. An artists kit including a flexible carrying case for articles used in oil painting, said case having an opening affording access to the interior of said case and closure means for said opening, said case having a vapor-impervious lining forming a barrier for the passage of vapor between the interior and exterior of the case when the latter is closed, said opening and closure means therefor being constructed to provide an opening at variable size so that articles may be placed therein and the opening made relatively small, an anti-skinning agent adapted to be introduced through said opening in the form of a spray and thereafter the opening closed to retain such agent within the case and to keep paint exposed within the case in readily usable condition, said case having a partition along the lower portion of one side for holding tubes of paint and having a partition along the lower portion of the opposite side for holding brushes and a palette knife, and with space between such partitions for the accommodation of a palette in folded condition and a palette forming a part to said kit, said palette comprising a pair of sections and a moisture-impen'ious covering over exterior surface thereof and forming a flexible hinge between said palette halves.

3. An artists kit comprising a flexible carrying case for articles used in oil painting, said carrying case having an opening affording access to its interior and closure means for closing said opening constructed to provide an opening of variable size, said carrying case being substantially moisture-proof whereby vapor may not pass between the interior and the ex erior, an anti-skinning a ent for use within said carrying case to maintain the contents relatively soft and usable, oil painting equipment including a palette for location within said carrying case,

said palette being foldable, and mixing cup and clip structure for attachment to said palette and constructed to overlie the joint between. sections of the palette for maintaining such sections in extended operative relation and also to maintain the sections of the palette suificiently spaced that the paint on one of the sections will not come in contact with that on the other when the palette is in folded position.

4. An artists kit including a carrying case for articles used in oil painting, said case having an opening affording access to the interior of said case and closure means for said opening, said case being substantially vapor impervious when closed thereby substantially barring the passage of vapor between the interior and the exterior thereof and containing oil painting equipment including articles having paint remains thereon, an anti-skinning agent adapted to be introduced into said case, said anti-skinning agent remaining in the closed case as a vapor for maintaining exposed paint soft and usable during periods of non-use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 424,603 Favor Apr. 1, 1890 FOREIGN PATENTS 310,276 Germany Jan. 6, 1919