When plein air isn't plain sailing: 8 tips for painting outdoors

Plein air painting is rewarding. Fresh air, fresh inspiration. Painting outdoors is a soulful way to make the most of the sunshine. But every now and then, something goes awry. Here's some anecdotes and tips I've learnt along the way.

1. Personal space: my first experience of painting in situ was on the shores of Lake Geneva. Passersby seemed to treat my like one of the lakeside sculptures and had no hesitancy about peering over my shoulder and invading my personal space. Engage people in conversation before they get too close for comfort. 
2. Snail trail: one of my biggest creations was painted outdoors back in the days when I rented a teeny tiny boxroom. I'd left the painting outside as it was too large and wet to carry indoors. The waltzing trails all over the canvas in the morning suggested the snails had treated it as their personal ballroom.
3. Splat: yes, a seagull pooped on my sketchbook, while I was drawing on West Wittering beach. It clearly thought my in-progress sketch of its mate needed some finishing touches. Not sure how to avoid this one. But always pack some wipes or tissues in with your art materials.
4. Be prepared: it's easy to underestimate even the slightest gust of a breeze. I take multiple sketchbooks with me on painting trips so I don't need to tear off and chase the painting I've just finished down the beach. On the rare occasions that I work with pencils, I take something to put the shavings in too. Better than trying to round up those tiny fragments in a heritage site.
5. Winging it: insects seem to love oil paint. I've learnt to stick to acrylics outdoors. Much easier than trying to rescue winged friends from sticky oil paint.
6. Hindsight: propping my drawing board in the sand seemed like a good idea for a makeshift easel on Alnmouth beach. Unfortunately, it tempted a four-legged George to cock his leg. Luckily, I'm dog-savvy and instinctively rescued the art and the board before any damage was done. But I did need to move to a drier spot.
   
7. Stay-wet: acrylic paint dries rapidly in the sunshine. A stay-wet palette is essential to ensure your palette doesn't dry faster than you can paint. 
8.  Colour me quick: working with a limited colour palette is a great asset for making quick decisions and achieving a harmonious result outdoors. Plus, it minimises how many tubes of paint you need to carry around.

Not yet figured out how to avoid having half the beach in my paint box. Tips very welcome.