Home Painting Demonstrations & Art Tips

Painting Demonstrations & Art Tips

From color to composition, to dealing with the elements, learn from the community of plein air painters with these tips for painting outdoors!

From Sebastian Thommen’s plein air landscape painting session

A Peek at the Plein Air Sessions from Watercolor Live

The 5th Annual Watercolor Live came to an end recently, wrapping up with even more of today’s best watercolor artists sharing all of their secrets, explaining their materials, methods, and more.
Christine Lashley, "Wave Study," 2018, watercolor, 5 x 7 in., collection the artist, plein air

Large-Scale Painting Techniques: 3 Problems and How I Solved Them

Explore the art of going big with this insightful case study-driven advice for large-scale painting techniques from plein air painter Christine Lashley.
Step 4

Creating a Soft Effect in a Landscape Painting

Discover the step-by-step process Shanna Kunz uses to create her atmospheric landscape paintings. From building a strong composition with grids to adding subtle textures with sandpaper, explore how she balances color, value, and detail to bring her art to life.
Heather Arenas, "St. Armands Circle Corner," 2023, oil on Dibond aluminum panel, 12 x 12 in., Collection of the artist, Plein air

Free Painting Lesson: Marking Light and Shade

Discover the art of capturing light and shadow with Heather Arenas in this free painting lesson. In her vibrant work "St. Armands Circle Corner," Heather shares how she builds her compositions from bold shapes, thoughtfully balancing warm sunlight and cool shadows.
John Hughes on location for painting en plein air

My Biggest Stumbling Block as a Plein Air Painter

A quick tip to help you discover the transformative strategy that will elevate your plein air painting - learn from over 40 years of experience to create more ...
unique gifts for artists

Gifts for Artists: Your 2024 Holiday Shopping Guide

This list has it all: gorgeous frames, beautiful paints, and a special section of gifts under $50!
Mark Mehaffey artist

Why I Chose Acrylic Over Watercolor

My first love is transparent watercolor on rag paper. But I realized some years ago that using watercolor on site takes not only practice but ...
John Hughes painting en plein air

Pep Talk: The Value of Field Studies

Motivation for the most important learning activity a landscape painter will ever engage in.
Tony Allain, "Passing Rain on Braco Road," pastel, 12 x 16 in.

Landscape Painting Demo: Designing for Balance

View four stages of a pastel landscape painting demo done en plein air, including the color Tony Allain chooses to indicate a brightly lit area in the background.

Hard Not to Fall in Love Once You Touch It

Highlights from the Pastel Live virtual art conference, taking place now through Friday evening, September 20, 2024, with attendees from 14 countries, 49 states!
Plein air painting at night

How I Painted a Twilight Scene of the Smithsonian Castle

What started as a night painting in my mind — and on my panel — became a twilight painting once the lights didn’t go on.
how to paint landscapes en plein air

Free Lesson: How to Escalate Your Paintings

In this episode of Art School Live with special guest host Debra Huse, we welcome Bill Davidson as we explore the magic of shapes, design, and values.
how to paint realistic water reflections watercolor

Free Art Lesson: Painting Reflections in Water

In this episode of Art School Live with Eric Rhoads, we invite Stan Miller to lead us through a free lesson on how to paint realistic water.
Pastel Painting Demo: How to Create Crashing Waves

Pastel Painting Demo: How to Create Crashing Waves

Join art publisher Eric Rhoads on Art School Live as he gives you free art instruction in pastel painting with artist Lyn Diefenbach.

It Gets Better and Better: Highlights from Plein Air Live

The 5th Annual Plein Air Live wrapped up after several days of camaraderie, workshops, paint-along sessions, and learning from the masters. Today's demos featured Amit Kapoor, Beth Bathe, Kimball Geisler, Charlie Hunter, and Kevin Macpherson.
From Tim Horn's landscape painting demo

An Aha Moment, Every Time

Preview expert presentations from Natasha Isenhour, Roos Schuring, Tim Horn, John Budicin, Shuang Li, and even Don Demers at Plein Air Live, Day 2.
From Marc Anderson's Plein Air Live session

We Can’t Imagine Life Without It

On Day 1 (Wednesday) of Plein Air Live this year, we had front-row seats for painting demonstrations from Shanna Kunz, Tom Hughes, Nicholas O'Leary, Marc Anderson, Rich Gallego, and Mary Garrish.
Second-generation plein air painter Carrie Curran

9 Painters Share Essential Techniques for Painting Outdoors

The fifth annual Plein Air Live kicked off this week with our "Essential Techniques Day," an annual favorite ...
Jennifer McChristian, “Bougainvillea Bloom,” 2018, oil on panel, 8 x 10 in., Collection the artist, Plein air

What Makes a Landscape Painting Work?

The compelling art of this California oil painter may hold the answers.
watercolor studio from plein air study

A Study-to-Studio Watercolor Demo: Oak Creek at Briar Patch XXII

Watch step by step as Julie Gilbert Pollard creates a plein air study with watercolor, then takes it into the studio to paint "Oak Creek at Briar Patch XXII."