Watercolor Tip: Be Adaptable
Brienne Brown shares her approach to painting with watercolor in this quick tip for beginners.
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.
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.
Telling the Truth – By Leaving Stuff Out
Most of us mistakenly feel when we start out, that the more detail we include in a painting the more convincing it will be. Where does this lie come from? It may sound silly, but I think it’s partially the fault of...
6 Ways to Develop a Distinctive Style
Beth Bathe's reductive approach to plein air painting, combined with simplification, strong design, and a unique perspective, distinguishes her from other artists. Here are a few elements that contribute to her distinct artistic identity and how you can use them to set your own work apart.
What Comes First: The Painting or the Title?
Artist and author John Pototschnik explains his process when it comes to giving a landscape painting the perfect title.
Painting With Random Tubes of Paint
Have you heard of the Random Tube Challenge? See how it works, and try it yourself. You just might discover that although it's dubbed a challenge, it’s actually quite liberating.
11 Peaceful Paintings of Skies
Learning how to paint clouds and skies doesn't have to be difficult. Simply start by studying the works of accomplished painters, right here. You'll love what these top artists have to share...
Painting Techniques: Glazing Basics
Have you heard of the glazing technique, but aren’t sure when or why you’d apply it to your painting? In this guest blog post, Hebe Brooks, a NOAPS Master Artist, explains glazing for beginners.
Clean Color: A POV on Painting With Acrylic
Artist Brooke Borcherding shares her insights on painting with acrylic, including a great tip for using acrylic en plein air.
Shapes Before Subject
What makes a painting successful at the finish might just be what you do at the start. Check out these underpaintings and advice from Barbara Jaenicke, who is on the Pastel Live faculty!
5 Ways to Get Your Art Published
If you want to get your art published and seen around the world, do any (or all) of these suggestions from your team at PleinAir Magazine!
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.
What Is Color Blocking in Art?
In this interview with Eric Rhoads, colorist Camille Przewodek explains why she stresses the importance of color blocking for artists, which she compares to practicing scales for musicians.
Creating Atmosphere: An 8-Step Landscape Painting Tutorial
"More than anything, I enjoy the sense of connectedness that painting on location brings,” says Kathleen Hudson. “My own sense of wonder in the landscape comes from my immersion in reading history. A place isn’t just scenery when you come to know its story, when you think of people from generations past who stood upon the same ground, taking in their surroundings just as you are.”
7 Tips for Painting Wildflowers and Grasses
Embrace the wild without overpowering your landscapes with Karen Margulis's tips on painting wildflowers with pastels.
Why “Student” is Not a Dirty Word
John Hughes shares why he hopes he never loses his enthusiasm for learning more about making art, because “that would surely spell disaster.”
Q&A: How to Use Water-Mixable Oils
In this excerpt from Plein Air Magazine, Lori McNee ("Luminous Landscape Painting" on PaintTube.TV) answers four reader questions about how to use water-mixable oils.
Free Landscape Painting Demo: Establishing Value and Design at the Start
In this landscape painting demo, Jim Wodark walks you through how to paint a beautiful landscape, starting with a thumbnail sketch and ...
Why Use Watermixable Oils?
If you're curious about how watermixable oils work and why you'd use them to begin with, you don't want to miss this!