… and seven more plein air painting tips from Gavin Glakas.
- 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.
- Bring a hand mirror. You can always see your mistakes in the mirror.
- Paint back to front (when possible). It’s much easier to overlap and build space.
- 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.
- 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.)
- Remember that as color and value change, the color is always shifting to one side of the color wheel or the other.
- 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.
- 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.”
