Have You Tried Plein Air (Outdoor) Painting?

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Have you tried plein air (outdoor) painting? In the past, I thought about trying plein air painting. However, I was put off by the thought of dragging my easel, paints, brush jar, and other supplies outside. I also felt limited by the small blocks of time I have for painting.

Luckily, everything fell into place last week and I was able to try en plein air painting on a trip to Myrtle Beach that my husband had to take for work. It was perfect because I could paint while he was attending his conference.

We only had one car, but that was okay because there was a fairy tale pond beside our hotel. It had palmetto trees, big, jumping fish, rippling water, and a wooden rail that was the perfect width for my table top easel.

I avoided painting outside the first day, placed newspaper on the desk in our room to work, and told myself I could try it the next day.

What I Brought Outside for Plein Air Painting

It was kind of a pain to carry everything, including my dog, down the elevator and through the extra door that never seemed to open with my room key. In the end, it was worth it.

• table top easel
• canvas or other painting surface
• palette- I always use a paper plate when I paint. I know you’re thinking I should use something better, but old habits die hard.
• water and brushes- I had to weigh the paper plate down with the water jar, so don’t forget about the wind!
• I had my paints in a plastic caddy to my left. It isn’t in the picture, but I’ve included a picture with a link below. Any shower caddy or cleaning caddy with compartments and a handle would work.
• supplies I might have needed in a different situation- an umbrella for the sun
• supplies I plan to buy for plein air painting in the future- a folding, tall, director’s chair

The Painting Process

It took me over two hours to paint a rough representation of what I wanted to create in the studio later. The time went by so fast! The weather was perfect, and it was wonderful for body and soul to paint outddoors. I usually take photographs and paint from them, but outside I had to look with my eyes to see the contrast, highlights, etc., then paint what I saw on the canvas.

Finishing Up in the Studio

Plein air is exhilarating and inspiring, but my outdoor skills need work. I spent nearly four hours in the studio finishing my painting. The palmetto tree leaves were so much fun to paint. I added yellow leaves in some areas and swished in the swan from the Barc Parc (artistic license). After examining the photos I took while painting, I covered the brown and white strokes of paint on the pond with Aqua and added new White highlights.

The grass in front of the swan was an improvement, but the trees needed a little something. Also, the highlights on the water were way too wide.

I hope you enjoyed Have You Tried Plein Air (Outdoor) Painting? Come back next week to read about the rest of our very artsy Myrtle Beach trip and see what I painted our first day at the hotel.

Blessings,

Kristie

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