GOUACHE PLEIN AIR Painting on the Coast ✶ Set up, Tips and Overcoming Struggles

Today I have some tips for overcoming the struggles of gouache plein air painting. I'll show you my supplies and share the journey as we head to the coast to paint.
I've painted here in a past video (July) so you may recognize this location. For some reason these cliffs are such a struggle for me! I am headed back there tomorrow to practice again.
Let me know if you have any questions!
00:00 Supplies & Packing
5:02 Setting up at the coast
6:57 Value Studies
8:20 Warm-up Painting
10:30 Second Painting
10:57 Results & Final thoughts
Materials:
Winsor & Newton Designers Goauche
Holbein Gouache
Guerrilla 6x8 Thumbox (small pochade box)
Watercolor palette box
➤ Prints: bit.ly/sbbookshop
➤ My Supply List: bit.ly/SBfavesupplies
➤ Tutorials & Blog: fearlessbrush.com/painting/
➤ Patreon: bit.ly/sburnspatreon
➤ Instagram: bit.ly/sburnsinsta

[@snakewomangirl]

Really appreciate your honesty and sharing how difficult plein air is. I also struggle with choosing a focal point, simplifying and getting values right. But, I agree, the more you do, the better you get at “seeing”. Many thanks Sarah.😊

[@suel4269]

Beautiful paintings. I’ve been painting for 5 yrs . I did my first Plein air last week and it was like I forgot how to paint!

[@ameliaameliaworks3678]

“Secret nightmare storage area” - you make me laugh 😆 . Liked seeing your setup and, of course, your beautiful ocean view.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Haha...yea that bit is "hidden" behind my curtain but its just always a mess 🤣

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

Extremely honest video but....the challenges you felt are really universal...I feel exactly same every time...very reassuring..thanks

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I tend to forget we are all in a similar boat as we struggle through new things. I need to remember it's all normal! 😁

[@darbylaing9156]

I am headed on my first plen aire excursion. Your video and tips are amazing / thank you so much. I feel super ready / not quite ready to invest in a fancy set up but your solutions can easily be modified to work well. Question: why do you prep your cold press paper with acrylic. I usually use hot press paper and no prep with guache. I I am trying your method this round to see what it is like…

[@janm8477]

Fabulous, helpful, well-paced, calm, informative - thanks so much.

[@AlanFurneaux]

That was so refreshing . Thanks

[@ARTYCOATY]

Awesome‼︎ Excellent work‼︎

[@cchemmes-seeseeart3948]

I'm not painting today, but I did like the brownies idea; so I'm doing that. Ha ha. Nice video.

[@gilbertorego2195]

Hello Sara! Her's artwork are very beautiful. Congratulations!

[@lindazorich6734]

Loved this video so much. You showed the best and what can go wrong while actually being there in the location. Much appreciated. Please make more of these.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I will definitely do that once the weather is nicer 😊

[@mapk100]

Oh my goodness, this has been soo helpful 🙏 thank you

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

You're so welcome!

[@InnerMagpie]

Absolutely love this set up!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It’s definitely a luxury 🙂

[@sanneholm2010]

You are one of my creative heroes :-) I love watching your videos. Thank you for your art and all your work :-)

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you so much for the kind message!

[@marcythobaben1284]

Just discovered your amazing work and marveled at how many replies you give! I'm new to plein air and gaouche but will give it a whirl with some watercolor I love your transparency and kindness in helping us all! Thanks!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Since youtube is a big part of my job, I devote a lot of time to it, including comments :) I do my best!

[@garymcguire8529]

Use a flate palette, and fresh paint squeezed from tubes, like an oil painter would. I recycle plastic food trays, from ham or cheese, with a large fold back clip, to hold it in place, on a peice of board.

[@PamelaRuddyUKart]

Chasing the changing light over the course of a plein air session rather than choosing a moment is my most common mistake during plein air painting! I just keep being drawn back to the coast here in the north east too, it's a beautiful part of the world.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It really is so challenging!!

[@aylinbegum5744]

Dear Sarah, this is a great chance for having met you in KZbin. You are the most enjoyable person there, freeing my mind with two things that I love so much : sea and forests sights and painting (with gouache as favorite). Especially, Scotland is so incredibly beautiful. I hope I could travel there. Anyway thank you for your sharings for what I am so grateful. From where you are I think you didn't imagine that you contribute to help me in my days. I could not resist to inform you on this particular point. God bless you ✨ 💖

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you so very much

[@aylinbegum5744]

@@SarahBurnsStudio also you are very calm while speaking to us 😌

[@janeking707]

This Saturday morning discovered you going to sketch and paint by the ocean. Wonderful tips , thank you. I have Sienna little box similar to yours and the gouache squeezed out in the little container as you gave a lesson of squeezing the whole tube. I watercolor paint for years. I want to simplify carrying too much and not take too much too. At 87 not a spring chicken but very active and having fun. Love your September pencil sketching every Friday. I am catching up today to sketch fourth week class. Jane King, in Olympia, Wash.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Simplifying/having a minimal setup is so helpful to encourage painting more often. The less time it takes to setup, the better! Also I’m really glad to know you are enjoying my content!

[@janeking707]

@@SarahBurnsStudio Thank you. Thursday, two friends and I went to a pumpkin farm and I scooped with a palette knife primary colors proceeded to mix various colors surrounding the pumpkin and the leaves of a plan. Before that had a thumbnail sketch with pencil 3B and 9B and made a faster sketch than I had ever done before and then a post card watercolor with gouache thinking of you saying lay out the colors and no detail. I was pleased with the simplicity. Thank you again for some of us are listening what you are saying. Love your sense of humor and humbliness too. After drying, I make a coating of Dorland's wax medium to waterproof my post card. I polish the card with an a worn out man's handkerchief as it is soft material.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

That sounds wonderful! Also great tip about the wax..i need to try that

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

I am just getting ready to begin my journey to Plein Air painting this year. This was a wonderful video of how & what to pack for painting outside. Thanks for sharing this.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I have a more recent video about all my plein air supplies that you might enjoy

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

@@SarahBurnsStudio Is it the 30 days challenge, because I have seen it & loved it?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

@@colleenmcchesney1482 no this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/noTReZKirLGCpNE

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

@@SarahBurnsStudio Thanks I will watch it soon. 💕

[@lewisartuk]

Interesting. I am using oils in my beginner Plein art videos. I will try gouache at some point. Thanks

[@shibascream2360]

Totally understand about the frustration. I plein aired the other week and got pissed and just gave up, I kept getting distracted and decided to hike the mountain instead. xD

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It happens! Some days I force myself and I'm just not able to get past one little thing that will eat away at me.

[@henriquejanuario881]

Great tips and beautiful video! It is so challeging plein air painting...but you give me an idea...what about use just watercolor pencils in the beginning? Thanks for any help!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

There are infinite ways you can do it - just go with whatever feels natural :)

[@cametientaucoeur]

I identify with what you said about sketching/ painting from photos...I can do that fine, but real life much more difficult for me. I wonder if you can paint from your car/ van, if weather inclement? Lovely setting & painting! Jeanne.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Yes! I've done that before at some places. But a lot of my favorite places require a good amount of walking to get too.

[@larrymarshall9454]

Loved this video. The internal dialog you shared is something we rarely express to others and it's so valuable for people to hear it. What is the purpose of the card stock you've put inside your well palette? It would seem to mess up the function of the rubber seals. Also, don't these palettes cause a problem when they're carried upside down?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

The card stock has 2 functions: 1. Swatch sheet, 2. It keeps the rubber seal tighter against the lid so there’s absolutely no way it could leak. Doesn’t matter if it’s upside down because when its sealed that tight, the paint can’t escape it’s dedicated well.

[@larrymarshall9454]

@@SarahBurnsStudio Went back to look at the video again. I didn't realize that you've pulled the rubber from the lid and that it now sits between paint and card stock. Brilliant! I shall replicate it with mine. Thanks.

[@Angelwrites]

“Virtual Sarah here..” 😂😂😂

[@kop4rka379]

😍

[@barefacedquestions]

What I've always wondered about is: How do you dispose of used water when painting or sketching outdoor?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I’ve shown that in more recent videos, but you can carry a small empty plastic bottle (like 100ml or less) and pour it in when you’re done.

[@barefacedquestions]

@@SarahBurnsStudio That's a great idea. Thank you.

[@artjournalofjg]

I want to do plein air with gouache so I’m searching for materials/how to set up. I definitely learned from your video. 😊

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@guillermoortiz8796]

@@SarahBurnsStudio,

[@rachelanns6357]

This was really informative and inspiring! I would love to try this but how do you attach the pochard box to the tripod? 😯

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Standard tripod plate attached to it

[@rachelanns6357]

@@SarahBurnsStudio Oh okay, thank you so much for answering my question that was very kind of you

[@silkeschumann7261]

Have you tried various glycerin water mixtures in the spray bottle to combat the need to nurse your palette?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I’ve tried a few things. Blending Medium is the best, but even that doesn’t work against full-sun on a hot day!

[@peggyandthegreenfamily5469]

Hi Sarah where did you buy the gorilla bag and chair combined on wheels.. great video best wishes Ken xxx

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

My husband got it for me as a gift a few years ago. I heard it’s discontinued though. Maybe you could try to find a shopping trolley/chair combo

[@geslinam9703]

Maybe I’m paranoid...but this looks like such an isolated spot. I’d be nervous, trying to focus on my painting and not thinking about some serial killer sneaking up behind me.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It's Scotland. You should be more worried about midges!

[@geslinam9703]

@@SarahBurnsStudio I had to look up midges. I think I’d rather take my chances with the serial killers.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

@@geslinam9703 being stuck in the wild in a cloud of midges is a real nightmare!! 🤣

[@Angela27red]

Is the gouache dry when you leave? Or Do you put them in a wet canvas carrier?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

The gouache is dry on the paper. Gouache dries SUPER fast.

[@IntersexGamer]

Thank You I really wish I had seen this video before I started painting. I just ended up putting paint on the bare wood of my pochade box after several other things didnt work and now I cant get the pigment out of the wood. Have you ever seen the frisk pochade boxes? Thats kinda what I had to get since I couldn’t afford a guerrilla one. Well not to make this comment too long I just wanted to say Thanks. I also wonder do you have any tips in using gouache aside from what you have in the video? My first attempt at gouache was terrible. I treated the paint like watercolor letting it dry in pans and it all just cracked to pieces.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I havent tried a frisk box. I did the same to my wooden palette in the Guerrilla box with oil and now its all lumpy. I guess you/we could sand it down and seal it again but honestly the palette paper is just so easy! I have several gouache videos (a whole playlist) that might help!

[@IntersexGamer]

Sarah Burns Studio Oh Thank You I didnt know that. Ill go watch them.

[@didierleprince6106]

Merci (:

[@shannondawn44]

What are the winters like in Scotland where yous live ? Are you able to paint outside in the winter months ? I am in The Canadian Maritimes , and we have some harsh winters and I also have some mobility issues so I get around with crutches and a wheelchair . It would be wonderful to be able to paint outdoors year round . My sister in law is in Newfoundland and is an amazing photographer , and she loves me to paint her photos , so that helps through the long Canadian winters :)

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Winters are very long, dark, cold, windy, and rainy. Not good for plein air.

[@dreamrabbits5072]

Do you use the traditional gouache over the acryla gouache? Do you know if it's archival or stable? I was actually thinking about this exact question recently because I had the same idea, I wanted to do a layer of acryla gouache underpainting first, then on top with traditional gouache. But I hadn't seen anybody do that and I don't know if it's archival.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

No I dont use acrylic gouache. Traditional gouache doesn't like being painted on anything that isn't porous, so acrylic gouache might be a challenge (depending on the brand). I've tried on on top of holbein acryla gouache and it was awful. But you could also try transparent watercolor ground on top of your underpainting.

[@dreamrabbits5072]

@@SarahBurnsStudio Thanks so much for that info! And thanks for the suggestion, that sounds like an amazing product, will definitely try that out! I wanted to paint gouache on toned paper, and I know it'll probably come out fine, but this paper is a bit thin so I don't want to add tons of layers, and I wanted to put a layer of white down that won't mix and reactivate with additional layers.

[@danthomas6587]

Nice work. Check out Spike Ress' gouache landscapes. He uses a flat brush with great results. Subbed.

[@santaaugustino1]

You painted your right arm too? (kkk)The location is so nice and quiet. I like a place like this to fly a drone.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

lol...actually I did lean my arm on my gouache palette several times and it was covered in dry paint by the end 🤣

[@santaaugustino1]

@@SarahBurnsStudio lol..It's 2:22 AM now . Where are you at?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Scotland

[@skelly5851]

wow the area is so pretty is it the lake district?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

No, north east coast of Scotland

[@Angela27red]

Can you talk about your filming setup while plein air painting?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It varies a lot but usually I just use my phone (samsung galaxy note 10+) on a tripod :) (or hand held which is difficult)

[@lewisartuk]

Hi I like your videos. I too make plein air videos. How do you create chapters?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Hello! Add 00:00 in the description then continue to add however many sections you want :)

[@lewisartuk]

@@SarahBurnsStudio thanks I will give that a go

[@invisiblevfx]

Don’t forget to squint, my art directors at Disney squinted all the time. It’s not just for beginners

[@Slaveofhell01]

"This thing has fallen off a cliff"... what are you doing? XD

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

NOTHING I SWEAR

[@gilbertorego2195]

Say: Sarah*