Go Small & 4 Other Quick Tips
Using a plein air setup on a photography tripod, Clare Bowen gave an oil demonstration at Plein Air Live 2023 while ...
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.
Watercolor Tutorial: Building a Façade
Check out this step-by-step plein air watercolor painting demonstration with Mat Barber Kennedy, who paints a street in Maryland.
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"
Art Snippet: Paint the Less Obvious
While most of her workshop students were preparing to paint the New Zealand mountain range before them, Lori Putnam ...
Dull Scene? Boost the Color! (free demo)
A step-by-step demo where Jed Dorsey explains how to bring harmony to a plein air landscape painting.
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.
Free Painting Demo > How to Create Atmosphere
In this free painting demo, Kathleen Hudson takes us through 8 steps to creating a beautiful plein air painting of waves crashing on a rocky beach.
Can Altoids Help You Paint Better?
Plein air painting can get to be a mental endurance test, so here are some tips to keep concentration high.
The Only Way to Improve Your Art
... "And I learned to accept the convoluted process I personally need to go through to finally say 'YES!' to new opportunities."
Why Bother Doing Color Studies?
Color is always shifting for plein air painters. What to do? Gavin Glakas explains how he uses color studies when "chasing the light."
What Exactly is Normal?
Representational painter and plein air artist Johanne Mangi is known internationally for her animal and floral fine art. When we asked her if she had any unusual habits as a painter, she had these gems to share.
Awake at Night: Painting Nocturnes
When painting nocturnes in urban areas, I’ve had all kinds of encounters with ...
Pro Tips for Using Water-Mixable Oils
If you have questions about how to use water-mixable oils, start here with this Q&A from Christine Lashley.
How Light Affects Your White
Understanding how to paint the light is a common conversation topic for plein air artists, and it’s one that came up during a special talk led by ...
Watercolor Tip: How to Make Splatters with a Paintbrush
"Many people use a toothbrush, but a toothbrush makes the spatters too even for me," says Richard Sneary. Here's his quick tip on how to make natural-looking marks with watercolor.
Demo: Establishing a Strong Underpainting
Check out a short and simple landscape painting demo that focuses on the underpainting part of the process.
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.
What Is Color Relativity?
In this Art School Live interview with Eric Rhoads, Kami Mendlik shares one of her biggest secrets: how in any medium, with any painting, you can bring your paintings alive with light.
Watercolor Tip: Be Adaptable
Brienne Brown shares her approach to painting with watercolor in this quick tip for beginners.