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!

Why This Works: Complementary Colors; Angles to Counter Repetition

In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Advice for artists - Michele de Bragança plein air paintings

Painting (and Life) Advice for the Painter’s Journey

The most important things we learn aren’t just technical tips, Michele de Bragança tells us, but rather, life lessons.
Color mixing for beginners - OutdoorPainter.com

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...

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.”

Why This Works: Balancing Warm and Cool

In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...

Parting Shot: Painter’s Best Friend

Jenni Deamer received some crucial support during a painting session of the Plein Air Painters of Kentucky recently. The group was set up in...

Technology Triumphs in Preliminary Step

Rusty Jones is not a raging iconoclast. But he readily abandoned a traditional method of preparation for a painting when his iPhone offered an...
How to paint landscapes - OutdoorPainter.com

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.

Jane Hunt’s Award-Winning Approach to Sunsets

Jane Hunt’s painting of North Boulder Pond titled “August Sunset” recently won the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico’s 2016 Summer Nights Contest. Her approach: Preparation allows intuitive painting in fleeting light.

Why This Works: Warmer Clouds in the Distance

In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
In this painting, John indicates a meniscus effect along the shoreline.

14 Guidelines for Painting Effective Edges

Edge control is one of several tools which artists use to create quality paintings; but there are 14 governing factors that determine the degree of hardness or softness on the various forms that we paint.

Why This Works: White in Shadow

Jeanne Mackenzie reporting In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out...

Why This Works: Beautiful, Simple Design

In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Color blocking in art demonstration

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.

When the Middle of Your Triptych Can’t Be Painted

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - Joshua Adam had in mind a triptych depicting a famous rock in Castine, Maine, but when he...

Why This Works: Color Harmony, Cohesion Through Brushstrokes

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, Doug Gorrell’s “River Mist.”

Know the Judges at Your Competition

Many artists find it useful to know who is judging their work at a given competition. The PleinAir Salon has announced its judges for...

Demos From Master Artists

We begin a series of painting demonstrations by the master artists who will be sharing their ideas and inspiration during the Plein Air Convention...
drawing architecture landcapes - Thom Rozendaal

Architectural Subjects: To Paint or Draw?

When this artist approaches architecture as a subject in the landscape, certain factors determine if the resulting art will be a drawing or a painting. See why...

McGurl on Past Masters: Corot’s “The Bridge at Narni”

In this series, noted painter Joseph McGurl discusses plein air paintings by past masters that he finds instructive or inspiring. This week: Corot's "The...