Plein Air Hot Tips
I’ve talked a lot about the benefits of Plein Air painting. This post isn’t about that. In this article I just want to share the things that I find are important to consider before I actually put paint to paper.
The only bit of advice I do want to mention is that if you are in any way, basically, a representational painter then painting on location is essential even though it can be quite intimidating at first.
The following are 3 things I’ve learned that make painting on location much more successful and enjoyable:
#1
For me two very important things are comfort and convenience. This means my wagon. It will hold everything I need with lots of room left over. First of all the chair. I have sat or stood as the situation called for but ideally I want to be comfortable so the chair is essential. Also, I have a French easel that I’ve modified to fit on a camera tripod. In the yellow bag go the water, water container, extra paints, paper towels and my sketch book. Everything I need is in the wagon. Just for interest, I’ve stopped thinking about creating a masterpiece on location so for me it’s about collecting information and trying out some techniques and having fun. If it works out that’s great! Then I can develop it into a studio painting later.
#2
I look for good, interesting shapes and most importantly a good value pattern. The way I can get a practical understanding of these things is to do a quick thumbnail sketch. They take about 10 minutes and I just work on them until I’m pretty sure the painting will work. I don’t worry if it’s finished or not. In general, nature provides far too much information so I have to identify what’s important to me. In this sketch I eliminate anything that isn’t important and just focus on the necessary elements. When it’s finished, I’m guided more by the sketch than the actual subject.
#3
For these three paintings the first step was to cover the entire paper with a light wash of various colours. I just choose basic colours that I see in the subject. The important thing is just to keep it light. This practice helps me get rid of the white and connect everything before I get caught up in all the little isolated shapes.
A Final Thought
When I first started painting on location, many years ago I had no idea what to do. I was embarrassed by my efforts all the time and I would not show my paintings to anyone. This went on for quite a while, but like anything, if you keep at it, you can’t help but get better!
Happy painting!
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