Exploring the How, Why, What and Where of Plein Air

[MurrayG]

Hi Folks, I thought I would tell folk about my pleinair (PA) learning experiences (very limited) and ask folk about what they have worked out so far. Now, Bart has a wealth of experience, whereas I am a learnatic and PA mostly due to a "need" to draw while I can.
I must admit, I am a more comfortable with my easel and the frequent coffee breaks, than the relative hassle of PA. A studio drawing can take me one to four days depending on motivation and interuptions as opposed to 45 minutes to 90 minutes for a PA not counting the travel etc. It has taken a number of redrawings of the same scene to at least appreciate the pitfalls and joys of PA. I have also tried to study other "accomplished" PA artists styles, composition and technique, as much to learn how to quickly interpret a scene and how then to transpose that experience into the studio. These are points I have identified so far and would like to hear of others revelations. Maybe it can serve as a guide to others willing to try PA.
The list is not in any priority but I am willing to have someone prioritize !!!

• The eye sees things differently from a camera regardless how good the software is etc. The mind fills in with peripheral vision that scales out the "mind picture"
• Your settup needs to be robust and flexible enough to not be frustration, be it pastel, watercolour or oils
• An portable easel setup can be less easy for those pastellists that like to have dramatic or robust drawing or blending (like me)
• The time of day is critical as the sun moves quite quickly, 15 minutes can shift shadows
• The best time is a Midday as there is a larger overhead lighting window.
• Other times can be when the sun is directly behind as in late afternoon that also lends towards interesting colour variations
• Small "value/tone" sketches can help see the focal and range of the scene
• Use warm and cool colours to create depth
• There should be an area of "maximal" contrast in colour or value to pull the viewer in
• Use repetative colours between areas (even a small dot) to bounce the minds eye and let it build the painting
• Be bold in colour and movement, This is an "impression" of the scene not a photo
• A reference photo can help to analyse after but be aware of the limits of camera colour and depth.
• If you take a photo, include as much as possible of the surroundings so you can "relate" to the whole scene
• Ignore bystanders and onlookers
• Rain and pastels dont mix well, even humid conditions can ripple lighter papers.....
• Consider the palette of colours you may need, landscapes in different places have VASTLY different Greens and Blues
• Concider the paper or board surface, you want the colour to "stick" quickly
• Limit the size to 30x40cm, an ideal size seems to be about A4(ish) timewise and practicality

Thats my off the top of my head starters, can anyone else chime in, lets face it, I am also trying to get pointers as well.
Stay well and happy all.

 

[Bartc]

Thanks for the compliment, Murray, but I don't claim expertise, only my experience in the field and watching others
Here are my thoughts on your points - and take them just as IMO or IME, please!

• The eye sees things differently from a camera regardless how good the software is etc. The mind fills in with peripheral vision that scales out the "mind picture" This has always been true about painting vs. photography. One of the great values of painting vs. photography is that you can and should alter what you "see" to your own expressive desires. Your brain certainly does that!
• Your settup needs to be robust and flexible enough to not be frustration, be it pastel, watercolour or oils It also needs to be light and handy enough to not be a frustration. You don't need everything to go with you to pull off PA, just enough. Small kits abound and can actually be quite robust in terms of versatility.
• An portable easel setup can be less easy for those pastellists that like to have dramatic or robust drawing or blending (like me) I disagree. I think you may have seen pix of my latest DIY setup and it works quite well.
• The time of day is critical as the sun moves quite quickly, 15 minutes can shift shadows Both the challenge and the inspiration for PA! The challenge is obvious, though a reference photo helps mightily. But those changes can suddenly reveal something you will truly WANT to capture.
• The best time is a Midday as there is a larger overhead lighting window. Problem with this is that mid-day lighting is often the very least interesting lighting; it tends to flatten things out too much and often washes them out. The contrast and coloration of early and late in the day are far more interesting.
• Other times can be when the sun is directly behind as in late afternoon that also lends towards interesting colour variations See above.
• Small "value/tone" sketches can help see the focal and range of the scene True. I don't use them often enough, and they do help me with isolating my focal point and figuring out the values. It's not "seeing", it's composing them, though.
• Use warm and cool colours to create depth A painting basic. Not a rule, but a good guideline.
• There should be an area of "maximal" contrast in colour or value to pull the viewer in Another painting/perception guideline. The brain is drawn to places of contrast, whether in value or in color or both. So where you want the viewer's eye is where those should be most prominent. And only there!
• Use repetative colours between areas (even a small dot) to bounce the minds eye and let it build the painting Another painting basic. Walk your colors around the canvas. An underpainting can also assist.
• Be bold in colour and movement, This is an "impression" of the scene not a photo That is purely a personal choice. There is excellent tonalism and low chroma potential that should not be ignored.
• A reference photo can help to analyse after but be aware of the limits of camera colour and depth. Agreed.
• If you take a photo, include as much as possible of the surroundings so you can "relate" to the whole scene Disagree in landscape painting! I find that most of us are fooled into thinking panoramic, when we should be looking for that focal point or consider close in details. If you do this, you will be overwhelmed and I suspect largely underwhelmed with the results. I say do the opposite. Take one panorama if you must, but take a few more detailed close cropped photos. If you use software in the field to help composition, then this advice may be OK, because you can use the software to do the cropping/emphasizing.
• Ignore bystanders and onlookers Not the easiest thing to do, but helps your zen! Some people really do find that giving mini-instruction helps their work, much as teaching a subject can help you refine your thoughts.
• Rain and pastels dont mix well, even humid conditions can ripple lighter papers..... I use Pastelmat specifically because it holds up extremely well to any "wet" medium: water, alcohol, turpentine, etc. But obviously standing in the rain won't work for any sort of realism (abstract OK) with any water soluble medium. However, heavy humidity if you are covered isn't a true obstacle to pastel.
• Consider the palette of colours you may need, landscapes in different places have VASTLY different Greens and Blues For pastels yes, and expecting to mechanically blend or optically blend for color variation in pastels is much much much harder than in other media! But the basic palette advice for all paints is to have at least some "warm" and "cool" versions of each hue, and unfortunately for pastel you have to do that in various values as well, which isn't necessary in other media. You do not need every color at all to depict a landscape in other media. Simple palettes can work well in any easily blended medium with 4-5 basic hues. There are reams written about how to do this. And don't forget that your notion of depicting "true" color is a myth at best; value structure even in realism permits use of a wide range of imaginative colors, if the values are done well.
• Concider the paper or board surface, you want the colour to "stick" quickly I have no idea what you're talking about here. If you mean drying quickly, that's again a personal choice and a matter of skill. Some of my painting buddies do PA in oil, despite drying issues and freak at acrylic because it dries too fast for them. Others like me love acrylic for drying fast. I use watercolor and water soluble wax (Ceracolors) PA and enjoy being able to manipulate the drying time to suit. Most of us use a stiffly supported painting surface PA, such as watercolor board, MDF or wood gessoed panel, or even those inexpensive "canvas" panels with cardboard backing, because they are easier PA. But one friend is able to paint at least 2 dye on silk paintings on stretchers in our 3 hour sessions including his masking and mask removal times.
• Limit the size to 30x40cm, an ideal size seems to be about A4(ish) timewise and practicality Not necessarily true, depending on your working style and equipment. Obviously, it's easier to work smaller than larger PA if you have to carry any distance. But suppose you are within easy reach of your supplies instead? Then the size limitation you suggest doesn't apply. If you paint slowly and you don't work to finish back in a studio, then smaller is better PA. But many do finish at home and there's nothing wrong with that. I paint very quickly so for me size is not an issue PA for time, just for carrying it any distance.

 

[fedetony]

Thanks, nice to see some tips from experienced artists ...

 

[Bartc]

Thanks, nice to see some tips from experienced artists ...

Please take them as only my personal tips and not rules! Thanks.

 

[fedetony]

no worries, I do not follow rules..

 

[P. Barrie]

It certainly is Important or have a plan. You have made excellent points.
45 to 90 min. for even a small scale PA sketch is probably not realistic for a beginner. Better to travel/look close to home base and plan on one long session with breaks or a couple of trips/sessions. First for comp layout, value sketch with color notes, another for laying in color and details. Unless you can paint extremely fast, you’ll most likely need to make two or more trips if you want to capture morning light. Late afternoon light gives most of the day to set up, look, plan, layout, etc. prior to the flurry of capturing the changing light.
I feel am a somewhat experienced painter. In my few PA experiences, I did not feel finished in even two or three hours. I used photo refs to finish in the studio. However, did not really feel finished, rather felt I messed the paintings up. Perhaps it takes a lot of experience to pull that off as well.
I can say one thing I did not plan on was the frustration of lack of success. I thought it would come easier to me as I have several years of drawing and painting experience.
The most important experience for me has been working from life, both figure drawing/ painting and still life/interior painting.
My advice is draw, draw, draw, to develop speed and accuracy before tackling any complex landscape scenes. Pastels are great for this.

 

[MurrayG]

Hi Folks. Hey Bart, thanks for commenting.
I should qualify a little, my experience with PA is mostly pen drawing or pastels. I dont have any expertise in acrylics or oils so maybe my points are more pastel geared but Bart makes good points re other media.
@Bart
Super good explanations and observations.
I mostly agree with what you have expanded on re the reference photo. Agreed, I take 1 or 2 wide panoramas to get the whole scope then a series of focussed ones of my area of interest, so maybe I didnt explain fully. I like to frame in a scene, but without that panorama I sometimes loose contact.
Re robust painting, I now only use pastels for PA and have not had a sturdy enough settup, sounds like you have conquered that
Re Light - hmm, I meant midday mainly as a way to limit changes in shadows etc. Its also a bit seasonal Ive noticed. Here in Croatia, the suns arc has dropped so far as we go into autumn that its a whole different colour experience. I agree that the moring and evening offers the most interesting, the trick (for me) is to set up so you are not "sideon" so the shadows change too quickly .... or paint really fast
Your thoughts on size of painting is interesting. I limit my size mainly to allow me to "finish". If an artist such as you can go bigger - do it!! Ive seen photos of folk with 6x4 Feet canvasses out in nature!! I meant this as a suggestion to those who want to explore and not get frustrated until they find their feet - but hey, rules are made to be broken.

@PBarrie, Speed - hmm, I can be quick, but often I find that one and a half hours has disappeared and Im still working.
While I love pleainair, I usually use the sketches as a basis to explore for a studio piece, I kind of "learn" the feeling of the place.
I enjoy the experience of going out to draw rather than my results as I am a mild control freak when it comes to getting it the way I want so the studio suites me better.
I have never considered going back to a scene to continue work... interesting. Ive always concidered every scene is unique in time, colour and mood and so unique. I used to take photos of the same scene over again on different days for that reason.... now I try to paint/draw it with middling success

Thanks all for commenting

 

[Bartc]

Some of our painters go to our next site in advance to make a plan. One sometimes starts her oils a day in advance!

I must admit, since I'm the organizer and I choose places that I've scouted, I must have the advantage of some planning in my head, but not always. Before choosing a new site I often use Google to check them out visually, not just geographically. The images give me ideas. The first thing I do when I arrive to paint is to formulate a plan. Walk around and choose the potential views, then figure out my lighting scheme and focal points. A small pencil or pastel sketch helps a great deal. Color comes last.

But I admit to being a fast painter. Watercolors (pen and wash) can take as little as 20-30 minutes. A full size pastel or acrylic 60 - 90 minutes. Since I don't like going back to "finish" - always alla prima - that takes discipline. But my style is impressionist/expressionist, and definitely not photo-realism.

We have a saying among our group: LITFA = Leave It The F**k Alone! If you are asking if you are finished, you very likely are already risking overdoing it.

Of course, practice is the way to develop skill even more than speed. I don't know how you define success. We each are idiosyncratic in that regard. I often am not completely satisfied or sometimes even dissatisfied with the result, when my colleagues and viewers are delighted with a painting, so clearly "success" is self-defined based on what you hoped to portray.

Just remember that Leonardo da Vinci almost never appeared to have felt "finished". Many of his most famous paintings he carried around with him for years futzing with them, rather than delivering them as promised commissions.

 

[Bartc]

Murray, I had the same experience when photography was my primary art form of shooting the same thing too many times in the same way. Painting allows for far more latitude in developing composition.

One of my group exhorts me to follow the lead of a different group and always go to the same place two times in a row. I do exactly the opposite when organizing. I shift locations constantly so that we rarely return to the same place within 12=18 months UNLESS we are trying to capture something special about the change in seasons (or the site has sooooo many opportunities/views!)

But Monet, Cezanne and so many others demonstrate the fallacy of my preference.....

 

[Artyczar]

No offense, but now it all seems way too complicated to me. I'll stick with my photos. But I AM here to observe and admire, and support.

 

[Bartc]

Wow, we goofed, Arty! It wasn't supposed to sound that way, though any time you embark on something new it has that feeling. PA is actually quite simple. Just go out with something small and draw and/or paint and enjoy yourself. The equipment truly necessary is actually small, you can sit just about anywhere. It sounds complicated when studio painters start to contemplate separation from their extensive materials collection and into changing light.

 

[MurrayG]

Wow, we goofed, Arty! It wasn't supposed to sound that way, though any time you embark on something new it has that feeling. PA is actually quite simple. Just go out with something small and draw and/or paint and enjoy yourself. The equipment truly necessary is actually small, you can sit just about anywhere. It sounds complicated when studio painters start to contemplate separation from their extensive materials collection and into changing light.

Bart is right again. While I feel comfortable in the studio to take my time, consider and work into a piece, my best works are those where I have either been onspot (walking camping etc) or been drawing there. I ned to connect with the painting and scene. Same with portraits, I need a connection. I guess thsts true of any art.
Also, yes PA is simple. I only sought to distill parts for my own learning and any newcomers. Gee, I hope I am not putting folk off !!

 

[ntl]

MY plein air work (generally a simple kids watercolor kit and 4x6 or so WC paper, or a simple oil kit) is so terrible I'm embarrassed if anyone sees it. BUT I LOVE IT. I so enjoy working plein air it's worth the time and work I invest in it.
I do generally keep my time to 2 hours, but not always. Sometimes I do the same subject several times over time. I often just go into the back yard to paint something there.

 

[Bartc]

MY plein air work (generally a simple kids watercolor kit and 4x6 or so WC paper, or a simple oil kit) is so terrible I'm embarrassed if anyone sees it. BUT I LOVE IT. I so enjoy working plein air it's worth the time and work I invest in it.
I do generally keep my time to 2 hours, but not always. Sometimes I do the same subject several times over time. I often just go into the back yard to paint something there.

That was how I started. And it's quite adequate to the task. Believe me, only a snob would look down on that and anyone passing you while working will be fascinated.

 

[MurrayG]

Hi Folks, my pleinair experience is very limited, a new thing for me, basically from when I have been down on the Croatian coast since retirement. Up til then it was pen or "studio" work at the kitchen table with oils. I still love just walking out with a tote bag and a sketch pad and a couple of pens. But now I am trying to get "semi serious" and gather some tips and maybe others can get some use as well

Can I ask.... what are your pleinair palettes for Oil or Acrylic?
I am refining my pastel outdoor set by stripping down then introducing colours. BUT - as Bart points out, the pastels outdoors tend to need different hues or shades. I am off to Rome in a week and hope to pick up some Sennelier sticks - yum

 

[Bartc]

Whoah, that's like asking to be buried in a landslide of preferences, Murray!

Really best for you to watch some YT vids on the "Zorn palette". Yes there are varying opinions and options here, but the basic idea is sound in any medium in which you can mix colors successfully. (Doesn't work for ink nor for pastel, unfortunately.)

I like a cool white (titanium), a deep blue (ultramarine works well), a deep red (alizarin crimson or similar), and a bright yellow (cadmium or lemon). From those you can mix an infinite variety of colors and values. Works in watercolor, oil, acrylic, Ceracolors, gouache, etc.
To that if you must, I would add: cobalt blue, yellow ocher, burn sienna, cadmium red or vermillion. In other words, the basic setup is usually white with deep chroma warm and cool primaries. All secondaries and tertiaries can be derived from such a setup. (BTW, many blacks are inherently bluish, when diluted, so you can actually sub in a black for the deep blue, though you will have some limitations, while you can usually mix a convincing black or gray tone from the primaries.)

But seriously, an art store is a classic "candy store", in which we eager children will overeat until we're sick! Start that lean way and only build up if you must, believe me.

 

[MurrayG]

Hi Bart, yes I use a modern version of the Zorn palette for my oils and with some tweeking its easy to extend. The same would go for acrylics I am sure. Ceracolours - hmm Ive read of them but cant get them here - probably just as well
But like you say, buying pastels induces drooling even at this early stage of my addiction. But I have found already that my colours are different from Sweden to here in the southern landscapes. So a "landscape" pastel selection can be kinda lottolike.
Pastels are a frustrating joy for me, fast and flexible but wishing I had just one lighter shade of that blue or green, for example

 

[Bartc]

There is an European version of cold water soluble wax like Ceracolors; the brand is "Cuni". The cold wax paints are highly versatile and lovely to work with.
I love working in pastel and my work is coming along well. It's a brilliant medium, literally. But it's damn expensive! Not just having to buy so many colors, but also because you need to frame and glaze them and the good glazing is expensive. Ordinary glass just won't cut it because it tends to dull the look, and plastics are a total no-no for pastel.
My sister was enamored of one of mine and I gave it to her. She says it's highly admired but bemoaned that the framing was "museum quality" and cost like it. I replied, "I warned you...."

 

[Artyczar]

No worries peoples! I am not totally turned off or anything. I still like to sketch outside, and wouldn't mind bringing a small watercolor kit with me. I can start out that way and move forward as I feel comfortable. I'll get there. eventually.

 

[ntl]

You can start off cheap(!?) with a basic Prang set ( https://www.dickblick.com/products/prang-semi-moist-watercolor-pans/ bout $4.USD ) and a water brush. (Or https://www.dickblick.com/items/winsor-newton-cotman-watercolor-field-box-set-set-of-12-half-pans/ about $30USD )
A few paper towels, and paper is about it. Enjoy
This is my WC plein air outfit: It's usually in my van.
3 pocket fanny pack holds ~4x6" wc paper and a few paper towels, an old box of prang watercolor crayons, water brush, (flavoring) water bottle, old 8 color prang set, the bottoms or 2 pepsi bottles for extra mixing trays (held in place by dot velcro), a couple of clips, cut up credit cards for a straight edge. Not shown, a watercolor pencil. Notice a few pans have 2 colors in them. I was given tube paints, so broke the orange wafer and added yellow ochre to that pan, the green got cerulean added, and the brown got burnt sienna put beside it. I don't need to carry the extra water, the cray-pas, 2 extra mixing trays, etc...Give it a try. Go paint that barrel cactus you have!