Landscape/Plein Air Painting Lessons
Plein Air Painting Tips
By Sean Durham
Every artist has his or her subject. It could be people, portraits, group studies or working outdoors, away from the studio. If you like to paint landscapes or cityscapes, then being prepared can save a lot of time and hassle once you set up easel and are ready to paint.
Palette, easel and brushes at hand and one should be ready to begin working - and for how ever long it might take, brave the elements till the days work is done.
Often, the problem is that artists don't know how much easier things could be if they were to invest a little time and thought into their "outdoor studio". You wouldn't have a studio space and not ensure that it's well set up for your convenience and ease of use - would you?
When painting outdoors the type of equipment to take with you is a little different from your indoor studio. For example, the palette shouldn't be too big but it should be suited to the size of the canvas or watercolour paper being used. Why take an enormous studio palette out into the field just to end up struggling with it because the wind is catching it?
Another point to think about is the easel and paint box and a place for your oil mixture - if you're using oil paint. Some people are happy to hike through the fields or town carrying individual components of the above. Great way to tire yourself out before starting work.
You can combine the easel and palette and storage for paint tubes by investing in a travel box for artists. This means that you carry just one box with most of your equipment in it, neatly packed away.It converts into an easel too and most people who use them, swear by them. You can even get them with storage for painting panels or boards which can then be put back into the compartment for a safe return journey without any accidents with wet paint. Yep, they come with big shoulder straps for carrying.
Another point is, don't carry unnecessary amounts of paint and brushes; think ahead and try to establish which brushes you really need to use. You can do this by looking at your canvas or watercolour paper and thinking which is the largest brush you need and which brushes do you habitually use often. Maybe double up on the favourite brushes and dispense with the oversized ones.
Dispense with any tube colours that you can mix with two of the other colours. You can get away with leaving out black ( mix it with dark blue or green and red, it will function as black on the right palette). Cutting down on some things means you can take the more important tools that are needed to paint a great painting. You're cutting down weight too!
A friend of mine who paints a landscape a day, never goes out to paint without his trusty camping burner and something to brew tea or coffee. These things are light and purpose made for travelling, so they're not a burden to carry.
There are many ideas that come from camping and painting that you can incorporate into your outdoors studio to make your working experience much more enjoyable and easier for yourself. So look around and pick up ideas about building a studio that you can carry on your back. When you get it right you'll discover that painting outdoors doesn't have to be a catastrophe but the enjoyable experience that it should be.
Sean Durham is a practicing artist and gives advice and tips on his website http://www.best-art-products.com.
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