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Plein Air for Beginners

If you’re new to painting outdoors with watercolor, pastel, oil, or acrylic, start here with advice from seasoned plein air artists.

Katy Smith's setup for painting landscapes

How Much Should Your Plein Air Painting Gear Weigh?

There’s a mental freedom we associate with painting outdoors, but that lightness can easily be juxtaposed with the ...
Plein air for beginners - OutdoorPainter.com

Plein Air Painting for Dummies

If you’re new to painting outdoors (or know someone who is), take advice from these 11 artists, including the most obvious but overlooked things you should know, and what “plein errors” to avoid.
Shuang Li at Easel, in rural Northwestern China, plein air painting

The Worst Time of Day for Plein Air Painting

Avoid ending up with a plein air painting that has too many scattered, isolated, small shapes by ...
Plein air for beginners - Carrie Curran - OutdoorPainter.com

7 Things to Consider When Painting a Landscape Outdoors

Painting outdoors gives you so many options! Get insider notes from Carrie Curran's advice on "Plein Air Basics."
Edge Pro Gear paintbox

The Best Palettes for Plein Air Painting

What’s the best palette for painters? We asked, and you answered! More than 25 artists share their favorites here (including DIY palettes).
Painting outdoors - watercolor

Plein Air Watercolor Tips and Tricks

When time is of the essence and access to supplies is limited, you must be prepared to make the most of what you have. Plein air watercolor painter Frank Costantino offers his best advice for how to handle just about any outdoor painting situation.
Plein air painting in Chicago

Plein Air Painting and Personal Safety

This could save your life > Get expert tips from a Chicago artist on how plein air painters can be safe while painting outdoors in public spaces.
7 Tips for Painting the City - OutdoorPainter.com

7 Tips for Painting the City

Just as you wouldn’t explore a new city without a map, don’t start your next cityscape without a plan for where you want to go and how you intend to get there.
Painting outdoors - tips for beginners

Tseng’s Tip for Beginner Plein Air Painters

To achieve free, direct handling, Hsin-Yao Tseng says it's impor­tant not to ...
Plein Air Convention & Expo

FREE: The Ultimate Plein Air 101 Guide for Artists

If you’re an artist, chances are you’ve already practiced plein air painting and maybe don’t even realize it! Some artists paint en plein air for years before realizing they’re part of the world’s largest art movement.
Mike Hernandez, painting with gouache en plein air

Plein Air Painting with Gouache in Winter

Can you paint outdoors with gouache when it's below freezing? Mike Hernandez shares his tips here.
How to paint landscapes - OutdoorPainter.com

The Visual Tools You Need to Create Atmospheric Perspective

Master these elements to give your paintings a powerful sense of atmospheric depth.
Backpacks for plein air painting

The Best Backpacks for Plein Air Painting

There are as many backpack brands and styles as there are colors in the western sunset, so what’s the best backpack for artists who paint en plein air? We asked, and you answered! (Bonus: Watch a free video from Eric Rhoads on how to pack a light plein air backpack.)
Practical Perspective: 3 Ways to Show Point of View in a Painting

3 Ways to Show Perspective in a Landscape Painting

Perspective is more than just the way a road appears to get smaller as it recedes into the distance - learn more in this guest blog post from Michael Holter.
Michael Chesley Johnson, “Down by the River,” 9 x 12 in., pastel, en plein air

Painting the Landscape? Do Not Overlook This Step

When it comes to painting the landscape, there are many common mistakes that artists - especially new plein air painters - make...
Plein air landscape painting critiques

Plein Air Society Starts Online Painting Critiques

"Artists that have trained their ability to look beyond the detail ... are able to make stronger, more captivating art."
watercolor studio from plein air study

A Study-to-Studio Watercolor Demo: Oak Creek at Briar Patch XXII

Watch step by step as Julie Gilbert Pollard creates a plein air study with watercolor, then takes it into the studio to paint "Oak Creek at Briar Patch XXII."
The 10 Most Common Mistakes Painters Make | OutdoorPainter.com

The 10 Most Common Mistakes Painters Make

Tackle these common issues to start making better paintings sooner rather than later with this painting advice from John Cosby.
Gene Costanza painting on location

5 Quick and Dirty Tips for Artists

Plein air painter Gene Costanza shares his five quick tips for artists on composition, color, and more.
Sketching From Life - OutdoorPainter.com

Two Important Reasons to Practice Sketching From Life

Watercolor artist Shuang Li explains why sketching from life can have a big impact on your next painting.