Bring Duct Tape …

… and seven more plein air painting tips from Gavin Glakas.

1. Plein air painting is hard. Give yourself permission to sit down every once in a while and read or just take a break. You’ll be way more productive.
2. Bring a hand mirror. You can always see your mistakes in the mirror.
3. Paint back to front (when possible). It’s much easier to overlap and build space.
4. Paint from the most important area to the least. By the time you finish the important stuff, you won’t be as tempted to overpaint the detail in the areas of lesser significance.
5. When you’re out of your comfort zone — say when you’re starting to paint trees or windows — start someplace unimportant. “Get the hang of it” before moving onto the areas the viewer will really notice.(The above three notes seem contradictory. They’re not.)
6. Remember that as color and value change, the color is always shifting to one side of the color wheel or the other.
7. Bring duct tape. I always need duct tape. On the last day I was working on my demo, the sunlight shone brightly from behind my panel and obscured the left side of the painting. I attached a piece of duct tape to the back of my panel to block the light.
8. Use Q-Tips cotton swabs as paint erasers.

Bonus Inspiration: “In ‘Nights on P Street,’ (above) I was captivated by the different light sources – orange, blue, red, and green,” Gavin said. “The challenge was to combine the colors so they harmonized rather than clashed. Much of my approach to color is abstract; what looks good together? If I can be decisive about which way colors are shifting around the color wheel, I can create believable, vibrant graduations.”

Study with Gavin Glakas in his five-hour painting workshop, “Glow: Creating Depth, Atmosphere, and Vibrant Sun” (preview and order here).

Looking for MORE ways to improve your skills?
Join us for the next Plein Air Live online art conference! Plein Air Live gives you invaluable insights and live demonstrations from some of the world’s best plein air artists. Over the course of 3-4 exciting days, they’ll reveal techniques to improve your use of color, light and shadow, giving you the confidence and skills to paint outdoors and create more amazing artwork than you ever have before. Learn more at PleinAirLive.com.

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Blog post prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today