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!

PleinAir Salon Double-Winner John McCartin Spills His Secrets

Seemingly out of nowhere, John McCartin won the PleinAir Salon contest two times in a row, as well as a category prize. And he...

What Art Can Do for Johns Hopkins Scholars

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore enjoys a sterling reputation as a research university. But the institution has learned to value artistic expression as well. ...
How I Got Out of My Comfort Zone and Improved My Art - Ellen Howard

How I Got Out of My Comfort Zone and Improved My Art

In a place with constant activity, curious children, and vibrant scenery, Ellen Howard learned why it’s important to “get out of your own way” to make the most of an art workshop.
John MacDonald painting en plein air

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.

Puddles: Water and Light

Robert Bashford likes painting puddles. If you think about it, that’s brilliant. Why? Lead Image: “The Muddy Bikers,” by Robert Bashford, oil, 10 x...
What Can You Do With Broken Pastels?

What Can You Do With Broken Pastels?

Learn how to make new pastels out of your broken pastel sticks in this Art School Live session with Brenda Boylan and Eric Rhoads.
Plein air painting using broad brushstrokes

15 Ideas for a Painting

An excerpt from Aimee Erickson's book, "Plein Air Techniques for Artists: Principles and Methods for Painting in Natural Light"
Plein air art advice - OutdoorPainter.com

How Plein Air Groups Get Museum Shows

An exhibition at a regional museum is a marketing coup — but how does it happen?

Why This Works: Aerial Perspective and a Good Lead-In

In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they succeed as painted images. This week, Paul Keysar’s “Bath County Fog.”
plein air color study

Step-by-Step: Creating Harmony in a Plein Air Painting

Follow along and see how Nancy Macdonald begins with a pen-and-ink sketch and color study to create a plein air painting of two figures in the Ecuador landscape.

How an Artist Group Gets a Museum Show

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - From June 30 to August 6, 28 members of the Montana Painters Alliance will show their work...
Steve Puttrich winning an award during a recent painting competition

How to Prepare for Plein Air Painting Competitions

If you're ready to participate in painting competitions, check out this important advice on what to bring, how to prepare, what to expect during the event, and what to do afterward.

Do You Paint What You Love, or What You Think Will Sell?

This dilemma seems to plague all artists at one time or another. Painting from the heart, or painting what sells? Is it possible to do both?
7 Tips for Improving a Landscape Painting Composition

7 Tips for Improving a Landscape Painting Composition

In this free article, score Dan Marshall's tips, plus three case studies on landscape painting composition.

Encaustic en Plein Air — It Can Be Done

“Plein air” and “encaustics” are generally not found in the same sentence ... unless Michael Westcott is talking. Lead Image: All you need to...

Hear it Again, Differently: Values

Values. They are what make a painting read and succeed. We all know it, but many of us still have to work hard to...

The Skinny on iPad Plein Air Studies

Paul Zegers used his iPad to sketch scenes while on a vacation. Here’s what he had to say about the iPad as a tool...
Plein Air Tips - Carrie Curran, painting the Indiana Dunes

18 Plein Air Tips for Beginners

Check out this helpful list of tips from Carrie Curran, who lays out what you should do before painting, advice for sketching your scene, and steps for success.

McGurl on Past Masters: Church’s Icebergs

Noted painter Joseph McGurl wraps up this series by discussing Frederic Edwin Church's studies of icebergs. PleinAir Today thanks Joe for sharing his knowledge...
Finding the perfect place to paint

3 Considerations for Finding the Perfect Place to Paint

A plein air painter shares her quick and dirty tips for finding the perfect place to paint, above ground or below!