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Tag: Painting Fundamentals

Laying with acrylics - Michele Usibelli, "Sunburst," 2020, acrylic, 12 x 9 in., Private collection, Plein air

Art Snippet: Why I Love to Layer

Contributing Author -
Carla Bosch demonstrates how to use brush strokes, color choices, and shape placement to create perspective and depth in landscape paintings.

How to Create Perspective and Depth in a Landscape

Plein Air Today -
Landscape painting by Bill Davidson

Glow, Energy, Texture: How to Paint Landscapes Step by Step Demo

Contributing Author -
simplifying shapes - Acrylic landscape by Georgia Mansur

Art Snippet: On Simplifying Your Shapes and Massing

Contributing Author -
Painting composition lesson - This demo breaks down neatly into three masses, with the sky and snow forming two of them and the river and land elements combining into one abstract shape. One could think of the snow and sky as just one big mass with a dark overlay as well. (The final count is not as important as the act of seeing the shapes.)

Understanding Masses for a Strong Landscape Painting Composition

John Hughes -
Tiffanie Mang, "Maui Beachscape," 2025, gouache, 6 x 8 in., collection the artist, studio from plein air digital sketch

5 Ways Digital Tools Can Strengthen Your Plein Air Practice

Kelly Kane, Editor-in-Chief, PleinAir Magazine -
landscape painting - Michael Chesley Johnson, "Early Spring Day," 2019, oil, 11 x 14 in., Studio, Collection of the artist.

Refining and Finishing a Landscape Painting

Contributing Author -
John Pototschnik: Keeping it Simple

5 Thoughts Every Artist Has

John Pototschnik -
Online art critiques - how to paint like Van Gogh

Can We Improve Van Gogh?

Plein Air Today -
#1. Image courtesy of Kathie Odom /

10-Minute Thumbnail Sketch Challenge: Lay of the Land

Cherie Dawn Haas -
Jennifer McChristian, “Bougainvillea Bloom,” 2018, oil on panel, 8 x 10 in., Collection the artist, Plein air

What Makes a Landscape Painting Work?

Bob Bahr -
John Hughes working on location / painting plein air

Painting Plein Air & in the Studio: Motivating Factors

John Hughes -
Color mixing for artists - Landscape painting by John Hughes

Intuitive Color Mixing

John Hughes -
plein air painting for beginners

New Watercolor Demo: Focus on Big Shapes and Contrasts

Contributing Author -
Watercolor paper for beginners

Watercolor Paper – An Overview for Beginners

Contributing Author -
A common scene at the Plein Air Convention - artists of all levels and backgrounds painting together

Do You Know These 19 Outdoor Painting Tips?

Plein Air Today -
Painting composition how-to

Rules vs Principles: How to Improve Your Painting Composition

John Hughes -
Rule of Thirds for painting landscapes - Michael Chesley Johnson, "Canyon Trails," 2018, oil, 12 x 24 in., Private collection, Plein air

Plein Air 101: The Rule of Thirds for Painting Landscapes

Contributing Author -
Pastel artist Albert Handell painting en plein air in Taos, New Mexico

How Albert Frames a Focal Point

Plein Air Today -
John Pototschnik teaches a demo on painting landscapes (from 2022 RealismLive.com)

5 Fixes for 5 Common Painting Mistakes

John Pototschnik -
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