Plein Air for Beginners

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

One artist shares the surprising and unusual methods he uses for creating effective values, edges, marks, and more.

Check out this helpful list of tips from Carrie Curran, who lays out what you should do before painting, advice for sketching your scene, and steps for success.

Use this guide to help you get started plein air painting with tips from artists who are willing to share their knowledge and wisdom.

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."

Shawn Dell Joyce, Lyn Diefenbach, Kathleen Kalinowski, and Heidi A. Marshall offer practical solutions to three common problems pastel artists face when painting on location.

Find out how just a few changes to your toolkit can make a positive difference to your plein air painting experience.

There’s an interesting thing about beauty: it can be found everywhere, if one is tuned to its frequency and actively looking for it.

Although I still sometimes set up my easel in the snow in early spring, for the past 10 years I’ve increasingly painted wintry landscapes from my car. I’ve become so used to it that I can now work fairly large — as big as a quarter sheet of watercolor paper (11 x 15 inches). It may seem awkward, but I’ve been doing this for so long that it’s actually become one of my favorite places to paint. Here's how I do it, and my advice for plein air painting in winter.

Avoid ending up with a plein air painting that has too many scattered, isolated, small shapes by ...

Insights from plein air painter Beth Bathe, who will be joining us at the 2026 Plein Air Convention & Expo!

We asked some of your favorite plein air artists about their palettes and what colors — and brands — they use to create stunning landscapes.

... and seven more plein air painting tips from Gavin Glakas.

Painting Tips for Beginners > Plein air painter Gary Snavely shares his advice to help you organize your thoughts for a greater chance of a good painting outcome.

The following article features a leading artist who is teaching others how to paint through online workshops at PaintTube.tv.

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

When it comes to designing landscape paintings, artists usually have their own approach to making their paintings work, but there are certain common threads worth noting.

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...

Ever wondered how to make your landscape paintings glow with realistic light? In this beginner-friendly lesson, artist Kami Mendlik breaks down her simple, effective approach to painting light that feels real by mastering color relativity.

How many colors should you use when painting en plein air? Eric Rhoads answers in this teaser from Plein Air Live.