Demo: Establishing a Strong Underpainting
Check out a short and simple landscape painting demo that focuses on the underpainting part of the process.
Stop Painting Boring Trees!
Learn a practical approach for alpine landscapes with Allie Zeyer: soft wet-in-wet backgrounds, bold tree massing, light-and-shadow depth, and expressive branch details—without overworking your painting.
Pro Tips for Using Water-Mixable Oils
If you have questions about how to use water-mixable oils, start here with this Q&A from Christine Lashley.
Behind the Pastel Layers of “Zattere Rainy Reflections”
Explore the process behind Liz Haywood-Sullivan’s "Zattere Rainy Reflections" in this insightful pastel landscape painting demonstration.
What to Expect at Plein Air Live!
Whether you paint in oil, watercolor, pastel, or acrylic, Plein Air Live offers actionable techniques and insights to transform your work. Here is a look at the types of engaging sessions, expert demonstrations, and ...
Watercolor Tip: How to Make Splatters with a Paintbrush
"Many people use a toothbrush, but a toothbrush makes the spatters too even for me," says Richard Sneary. Here's his quick tip on how to make natural-looking marks with watercolor.
How To Paint By Subtraction
Learn how one artist creates a gorgeous painting using water-mixable oils, the rule of thirds, and a squeegee in this five-step demonstration from PleinAir Magazine.
9 Ways to Improve Your Quick Painting / Pochade Skills
Quick painting trains our reflexes and judgment; it improves the observation of the eyes and drawing skills of the hand by ...
Practical Advice for Painting Clouds
Because the diversity of cloud paintings is so unexpected, we offer the following practical advice for painting clouds and skies.
The Confidence to Know When to Stop
Watch plein air artist Scott Hamill paint ‘Winter Light, California Coast’ step-by-step — learn how he captures light, shadow, and coastal atmosphere in this free oil painting demo.
Free Lesson: Painting with Gouache en Plein Air
Discover the art of painting with gouache en plein air with expert tips and techniques from Bernard Dellario. Perfect for artists of all skill levels!
Two Important Reasons to Practice Sketching From Life
Watercolor artist Shuang Li explains why sketching from life can have a big impact on your next painting.
How to Paint with Gouache and Oil: A Practical Method
Combining gouache and oil might sound unlikely, but the two can form a powerful partnership when handled correctly. Raymond Bonilla treats gouache like a painter’s utility knife: a fast, forgiving tool to build a value and temperature map. The result is a workflow that speeds decision making, reduces solvent use, and gives the finished piece both vibrancy and painterly texture.
3 Ways to Show Perspective in a Landscape Painting
Perspective is more than just the way a road appears to get smaller as it recedes into the distance - learn more in this guest blog post from Michael Holter.
Why Your Paintings Look “Off” and How to Fix Them
This Art School Live critique session with Eric Rhoads covers composition, values, focal point, edge control, and warm vs cool balance, with practical fixes like checking in black and white and simplifying clutter.
Why It Works: 5 Winning Paintings Explained
If you've been considering entering your work in an art competition, you'll want to take note of what these PleinAir Salon judges have said about their First Place choices.
Watercolor Tip: Be Adaptable
Brienne Brown shares her approach to painting with watercolor in this quick tip for beginners.
Watch: Secrets of Sketching en Plein Air
In case you missed it, check out this interview below with Paul Kratter, who demonstrates helpful techniques for sketching en plein air.
How to Create a Great Painting From an Imperfect Photo Reference
Plein air painter Shelby Keefe shows us how she took a lackluster photo reference and turned it into a painting with great design and color.
Plein Air Practice: My Daily Painting Exercise
To ensure she regularly paints from direct observation, Lyn Asselta uses this simply painting exercise each morning. It is to ...