Painting Waves and Waterfalls – With Intention and Improv
In addition to technique, your intention and ability to improvise play a key role in painting waterfalls and waves, and in creativity.
Refining and Finishing a Landscape Painting
In this excerpt from "Beautiful Landscape Painting Outdoors: Mastering Plein Air," Michael Chesley Johnson explains how to finish a painting, and three tricks to help you decide if it's complete.
What to Know About Painting Snow
Eight top artists help break down the important elements to capturing snow-covered landscapes in pastel and oil.
Can You Really Make Your Own Watercolor Paint?
If you want more vibrant and rich color with deeper darks from your watercolor, watch this episode of Art School Live with Eric Rhoads, as he welcomes guest artist Stewart White.
How to Paint Landscapes: Design Makes All the Difference
How artist Jim Wodark redesigns the landscape to create stunning compositions.
The Three Most Important Skills Plein Air Painters Need
Thoughts on what you should practice while plein air painting; a new guest blog post by John Hughes.
Photo Reference to Final Painting
A landscape painting demonstration from John Potoschnik, author of Unlimited Color with a Limited Palette.
3 Ways to Paint with Pastels Safely
Don't let your fear of pastel dust stop you from using this colorful and versatile medium. Brenda Boylan shares three tips for painting with pastels - safely.
How To: Plein Air Sketch to Studio Painting (Watch Free)
Join art publisher Eric Rhoads on this episode of Art School Live, featuring Michael Holter!
Variety: The Spice of Art
The very idea of how we approach our own art and feel about the art of others, keeps the “spice of art” alive. Now, I will be the first to confess that...
Rules vs Principles: How to Improve Your Painting Composition
What makes a painting boring versus dynamic? John Hughes shares his list of things to help you understand the underlying principles behind the pesky rules.
Why It Works: 5 Winning Paintings Explained
If you've been considering entering your work in an art competition, you'll want to take note of what these PleinAir Salon judges have said about their First Place choices.
On Keeping a Travel Art Journal: Tips for Artists
In this excerpt from Ivan Chow's "Travel Sketching: Drawing Insights from Istanbul," the artist shares his approach to a practice that is both satisfying and memorable.
The Power of Underpainting in Pastel
Discover how underpainting can transform your pastel paintings with expert tips from Bethany Fields.
What is Casein Paint?
Stephen Quiller is a legendary artist known for teaching color and color theory. In this interview, he discusses painting with casein and more with Eric Rhoads.
The 6 Steps to My Plein Air Painting Process
Be inspired by this outdoor painter, who shares his process for painting landscapes in the northeast and southwest. You might be surprised by what they have in common. (Includes a bonus interview video!)
Taking Time to Carefully Observe Nature
This Maine artist is concerned with understanding and painting the total appearance of subjects rather than dashing off fleeting impressions. (Bonus: See the step-by-step process of two of his works.)
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.
Surprising Things 7 Pro Painters Do
Over the years, we have shared plenty of traditional tips for painting outdoors, such as how to develop the right composition when there’s a...
A Quick Composition Tip From Massimiliano Iocco
This week at Watercolor Live, Italian artist Massimiliano Iocco painted for us a street scene from the village of Tagliacozzo, Italy.