Plein Air Painting

Christina Ann
Apr 13
3 min read

Here we are! April! The beginnings of our plein air painting section of class! Plein air is a French expression relating to painting in outdoor daylight, which is just what we got to do this past week! I am looking forward to trying oil painting at some point in the near future, but to start out I began with watercolors! I love watercolors so much. They have such a magical way of interacting with the water and the other paint pigments, it is one of my favorite materials to use!

The Prep & Setup

The first steps when planning to go plein air painting are to choose your location and plan your time and setup as well as pack the supplies you will need. I decided on some trails in town that I frequent. Going on walks has become a bit of an obsession for me, so I have spent many hours on these trails. Because of that, I adored the idea of painting there! I always enjoy working on an art piece that means something to me, more than a simple requirement to do so. I am more likely to invest deeper into a work of art if I already have a love for my subject :)

For my supplies I made sure to have with me my easel, watercolor paper pad, watercolor paints and palette, paintbrushes, water container, towel, and some basic drawing supplies. And of course I had to bring snacks, that makes it all the better! Once everything was all packed up I set off to find a good spot. To determine a good spot I wanted to make sure there was a clear amount of depth and variations in interest, meaning hills, trees, paths, varying colors, etc. I wanted more than a simple green field with a line of trees, the positioning needed to show the depth of landscape that was there. I also made sure to sit in a shady spot, to not bake myself or the paints. I don’t know how much it matters with watercolors as it does with oils, but nonetheless I looked for shade. I then put out a blanket and arranged my workspace to start the process.

Painting

Starting out I first drew a basic outline of my landscape then moved forward with paints. Since I was working with watercolors I made sure to add my values from lightest to darkest. Watercolors don’t allow for covering darks with lights because of how transparent they are. When I work with watercolors I will often pair them with gauche for finishing touches because of gauche being more opaque.

I really loved the process and being able to enjoy the lovely spring weather all the while! It’s such a joy to do this because not only does it bring joy to the painter but also those who pass by. There were multiple times where I was greeted by folks on walks and curious dogs.

Class Outing

For my class we all gathered together at a park and found some good shady spots under trees to work on our plein air painting together. I decided to use my watercolors again but I greatly enjoyed getting to observe the oil painting process by my professor and some of the other students. One great thing I was reminded to keep in mind was to focus on your key subject most, making sure that is painted with the most attention, while the other parts can be less attended to.