7 Tips for Painting the City
Just as you wouldn’t explore a new city without a map, don’t start your next cityscape without a plan for where you want to go and how you intend to get there.
Step-by-Step: How to Paint Like Van Gogh
Dena Peterson had the honor of being one of 125 international artists selected to work on the new movie “Loving Vincent.” Here, she shares what she learned by studying Van Gogh’s work.
Learn to See and Interpret Light, Before Attempting to Paint It
In order to better understand the properties of light for your next landscape painting, practice this assignment from John Hughes.
How to Paint Beaches: Nail the Illusion of Distance, Light, and Atmosphere
The key to an effective plein air beach scene is to keep it simple — and that goes for your equipment, your palette, and your subject.
Painting Outdoors? Plan for Spontaneity!
“The best plein air pieces start with a well-thought-out plan that is then executed spontaneously with an intuitive hand.” Follow Peggy Immel’s three steps before starting your next landscape painting.
Plein Air Painting for Dummies
If you’re new to painting outdoors (or know someone who is), take advice from these 11 artists, including the most obvious but overlooked things you should know, and what “plein errors” to avoid.
How Joseph McGurl Paints a Landscape in Oil
Preview Joseph McGurl’s newest art video workshop in this exclusive announcement on how to paint better landscapes.
How to Use “Concept” to Create a Successful Painting, From the Start
As artists we must decide what we want the viewer to take away from our creations and determine how best to communicate it.
A DIY “Micro” Pochade for Painting Outdoors
How one outdoor painter is making the most of plein air with this artist hack.
The Benefits of Repeatedly Painting the Same Location
With keen observation and awareness, we can identify opportunities for a successful plein air painting.
How to Paint Landscapes: Impressionism, Sorolla, and the Color of Light
Seeing, understanding, and learning how to use color temperature in your work can elevate a so-so painting into a work of art.
Ways to Use Rhythms in Your Next Landscape Painting
“Almost everything presents rhythms and patterns once you begin to discover them,” says Lori Putnam. “The real challenge for an artist is knowing when to emphasize the pattern or rhythm, and when to break it.”
Painting Basics: Understanding Value
“All of us, beginners and experienced painters alike, can benefit from a refresher course in the bedrock principles of value and color.” John MacDonald explains more in this overview.
Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Painting a Landscape
Ultimately, when you paint a landscape, you’re painting movement. The air moves, the light changes; it’s never static. Light and atmospheric forces act upon the components of the landscape to create a story, and it’s up to you as the artist to pick the story you want to tell...
How to Paint Clouds en Plein Air
The unique challenge of painting clouds is that, unlike other landscape elements, they’re in constant motion. Learn how to choose the right moment for painting clouds en plein air.
Color Mixing for Beginners
Achieving color harmony is certainly one of the keys to creating a successful painting. We need to infuse our paintings with harmonious color; however, our job becomes somewhat more complicated because...
Six Keys to Painting Trees with Character and Dimension
To avoid trees that look generic or pasted on, follow these tips for painting compelling contours, varied sky holes, and details at a range of distances.
The 6B Graphite Pencil: An Essential Drawing Tool
Toolbox tip: Learn about the drawing tool that Michael Chesley Johnson says is essential for plein air artists.
PleinAir Tip from Stefan Baumann: Sketch Quickly
When painting outdoors, it is important that you capture this piece first.
The Importance of Accurate Color Values
When learned and absorbed, this knowledge can bring dramatic changes to your work. See how in this guest blog post from John Pototschnik.
