★ TRYING PLEIN AIR PAINTING ★

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[@markroland5247]

The reason why passing people says "it looks good!" when you are just in the middle of it and it's not finished, is the same reason why AI is not gonna stick. People value skill and talent

[@BugArts]

Amen. ❤️

[@screamingbean7509]

Love comments like these, they’re always so sweet to read☺️

[@Lilstarnerd]

[@DraconoBlade]

I watched this video when it first came out and I keep thinking about it, because it really is in human nature to encourage the learning of a skill. The people who passed by you didn't know if you've done this 100 times, or if this is the first. They don't know you've done art professionally for years. But they see someone who took the time and energy to go out and DO something creative, and SO many of them thought "an encouraging comment wouldn't hurt." It's really inspiring how many people who you may never see again decide to give you a verbal pat on the back and a thumbs up. Artistic skill is valued!!!! Hobbies and interests are valued!!!!

[@oogalaboo]

The runners were right, it looks great! I think it was very ambitious of you to choose such a large canvas size for your first plein air, and make a great painting to boot. I don't think I could muster up the bravery.

[@Lilstarnerd]

thank you!!!! i think i was only able to do it because i had been day dreaming of it for MONTHS haha!! seemed much less scary by the time i actually got around to it!

[@ihopemynameisalice]

Gouache is great for plein air! I love watching James Gurney’s videos on them 😍. Also mad props for doing this. I always wanna paint outdoors but I’m a coward

[@emhaggsart]

This is exactly why when I did a plein air landscape painting course in college I switched from oils to acrylics. To me acrylics are great for plein air because you can quickly blend the first 5 or so minutes the paint is on the canvas. Then add detail after it has dried. Also to avoid muddy-ness in landscape doing an underpainting helps usually of a bright color you want as a tone for the painting for example orange if you want the painting to feel warm, or blue if you want it to feel cool. Good luck with your future plein air paintings!!!

[@Lilstarnerd]

thank you!!! i think i'll try acrylic at least once just to see if it works for me!

[@erinfarrell4247]

I like working in water color or acrylic when I am outside!

[@thinkerdreamersketcherspy]

It's not bad! Especially for a first try! I think most of your problems with the paint are down to technique and brushes. The brushes seem to be those soft, dense synthetic ones. Great for blending, not so great for layering. They'll clog up faster and feel 'sticky'. The layering issue seems to be about painting with too similar consistencies of paint. If you want to go over paint with paint, you need to do fat over lean. The first layer should be, for example, 30% paint and rest medium, and the second layer, for example, 80% paint. You can do first 30 and second 35, but the narrower the difference, the harder it is. Takes a lot of practice! To avoid the issue/make things easier, you can figure out where you can paint around things instead of laying down a colour all over. Also, I see you scribble through your strokes. That'll blend your painting. Instead, do straight strokes only. Load the brush, touch the canvas, pull and release. Then do the same again. That's why your "I can't make it layer, look" tester worked. You had a clean, loaded brush and let the paint do the work. If your brush is loaded enough for multiple strokes, instead of washing your brush, wipe the paint surface clean between strokes (on a cloth, tissue, whatever you use). If you want to look up more tips and tricks, alla prima painting tutorials are helpful. It takes away the 'distraction' of plein air but gives you the instruction needed. Keep on painting, you'll get there! 😊

[@bella_color]

This is a great comment! Very helpful tips not just for Al but also other people starting out in plein air or oils in general :)

[@nicolejustkidding8662]

hey, i did a class on oil painting and i think i have some insight that might help! though this wont apply to a quick-dry medium. the technique i was taught for the underpainting was basically to use a paper towel to smear a relatively even medium tone all over the canvas. then use a clean paper towel to wipe out light spots and a brush to darken the shadows. then go over with colors. while i'm sure there's many other effective methods, there were a few key takeaways from learning this specific process for me: -the color of your underpainting "tints" everything, and a good choice can help unify the palate -when using a slow drying medium during a quick study like plein air, the value mapping in the underpainting/bottom layer is crucial -the more paint you add the muddier things get, so highlight zones especially should be established from the very bottom layer -ALWAYS MIX YOUR BLACKS (tbh idk why this is so important but they insisted lol) -oils require a VERY light touch for good control. they had us use the "belly of the brush" (the flat side) for 90% of the process. the hold was with the brush basically vertical, over your four fingers with your thumb on top. super awkward to get used to but it saves your wrist, apparently i always love your use of color, so i get not starting in monochrome. but i hope this info might give you an idea of certain technicalities to base your own engineered process off of! :)

[@TheArtisticWitch]

Drawing outside is such a vibe💅 I should draw outside more. Also, I love your hair❤️❤️ this video feels like you’re sitting outside talking with a friend 😌

[@katielikesart]

Something that could help with the paint sticking to already wet paint is using a round brush with lots of paint on it. That works for me when i want more detailed areas in places where i already painted. I think you did great though!

[@Lilstarnerd]

thank you for that tip!!!!

[@maggieimoore]

Plein air painting is so tough. I also have a plein air setup, purchased months ago, and still unused in my room. For water mixable oils the Cobra brand is really good. Or you can try using Golden Open Acrylics, or casein, instead of oils. Winsor & Newton also makes water mixable oils, though they are not liked as much as Cobra. But they also have a variety of mediums and thinner that is specifically made for WMO. Using WMO thinner, instead of water, may help thin the paints without having it dry so quickly. I enjoyed seeing you paint outside and I hope you do it again.

[@artisttaskin2277]

I used to do plein air only. I was unaware of doing any sort of art through pictures etc. after certain amount of gap in painting i forget to do plein air. I still love to do it i will in future. I think you choose wrong medium for yourself always select a medium you are comfortable in. Your painting is way better as a first attempt. Would love to see more in future.

[@unknwn5386]

People painting at cafe are the most aesthetic videos I've seen 😅

[@jessiecortesart]

I love plein air painting, but is so different to painting in the studio, I remember to be so scared to try it, and the first time I did it, it wasn’t a good experience, I don’t have an easel like that so I have all my stuff all over the place, the sun, the wind, a lot of people, I wasn’t sure what to paint, anyway 😅 but for your first plein air painting and in that size and that time, girl you did a great job!! but I highly recommend to try it again with smaller size and maybe other medium like gouache or watercolor, quicker to dry, less things to carry on

[@AnotherMADCreation]

Def get mediums for WMO paints, it will help you immensely! Keep trying, try other things like gouache or even pastels, you never know what you’ll end up liking best.

[@Lilstarnerd]

i will definitely be trying some different art mediums!! and i know it's so petty of me but rn i refuse to get mediums for my water mixables bc the point of having water mixables to me was the convenience of not needing them lol!!!

[@AnotherMADCreation]

@@Lilstarnerd yeah, but there are special mediums for the water mixables, they still use water also but you’re going to get better results if you use the proper tools, yanno?

[@RachelleByersArt]

Love plein air painting! Also love Spanish moss

[@alexmottierart]

A few things on WMO from someone who uses them daily: 1. They are NOT to be thinned with water, unless it's for the 1st underpainting layer. Water makes them dry too fast, and dull. 2. WMO have dedicated mediums like WM Linseed or WM Thinner. Use that instead of water!! 3. The Water Mixable part is a misnomer. Many professionals call them Water SOLUBLE Oils instead = can be cleaned with water, not really mixed with it. 4. I'm afraid your WMO are a really bad quality. I'd recommend WMO / WSO from Holbein, Winsor & Newton, Schmincke, and a few other brands that offer artist/professional quality paints instead. Those brands also offer very good Water Soluble mediums, as mentioned above. 5. Always respect the 'fat over lean, thick over thin' rule. This should prevent muddy colours, and make the drying process even. 6. Mixing the WMO with water makes them muddy and dull and harder to work with anyway. Did I tell you all that you SHOULDN'T use water as a medium for your WMO? 😂 Ps: crafting a tiny square or rectangular frame with cardboard to 'frame' the outside view instead of losing your eyes and focus on the whole landscape really helps with plain air painting. I always have my students do that, and it always works! 😊

[@scrunchi5016]

I love going to the woods to draw, not necessarily the environment but just to be outside without distractions, but the pee problem is the biggest enemy XD It's never "I draw until I have filled a page" but "I'm done when I need to pee" :,)

[@Lilstarnerd]

so so so true hahah!!!

[@keulistal]

maybe you could go the mixed media route, start with a watercolor/gouache palette to get the shapes, feel & colors down (that's easier to travel with too!), and then do your second layer with a more opaque medium?

[@bella_color]

I got so excited when I saw this video pop up in my feed!! I know you've mentioned wanting to do plein air for a while and I'm so happy to see you've been able to get started!! And it's a great start at that!!

[@ihopemynameisalice]

I’m deeply excited for your landscape painting journey!! I love landscapes.

[@RhomanysRealm]

Maybe try using an extender with acrylics? I use a W&N one that you put in the water and it works great for me. Though personally I prefer gouache. My watermixable oils are W&N and I don’t struggle with them at all, even though I don’t use traditional oils.

[@alinatr2693]

I love THE IDEA to go out and paint but I hate the reality of it😂

[@Lilstarnerd]

so so so true lmaooo

[@bentinho]

I use a gel medium (Neo Megilp) + water with my water mixables. The gel medium doesn't evaporate as quickly as water. Also, don't forget you can use normal oil mediums with water mixables... At least you can with the Winsor & Newton's I use. Edit: When I was learning oils my teachers were very adamant about thinly blocking in the darkest darks first as a way to avoid layering and muddiness problems.

[@giggles100001]

The piece is gorgeous I really love it!

[@SpellboundArtstudio]

I got a plein air easel for Christmas and I’ve been impatiently waiting to use it. Looks like a great experience. And all things considered, the piece you did isn’t bad. It’s very refreshing to see someone try something for the first time and bring us along for the journey. This video has definitely inspired me to try something new.

[@TracieWho]

Plein air takes a lot of practice and you had the added challenge of not being familiar with the paints you were using. Maybe try starting small with medium that you are comfortable with. I started with a sketchbook and a few color pencils and now I have a whole set up that is light and very portable. I tried acrylic paints and they just dry way too fast for my tastes. I am a slow painter. Plus, I had to do exactly what you are doing - haul supplies and easel around in a cart. I am 67 years old.....that was not at all enjoyable. But I really loved the idea of plein air and now love using a dried gouache palette with a small (as in a tiny Art Tool Kit) watercolor palette. I am able to attach a superlight tripod to my backpack and slip a small James Gurney type easel in the pack along with a pad of paper and a sketchbook. Of course I have to have a fairly large water bottle (for both me and my paints), snacks, sketching pencils and pens, and um, yeah, even a bit of toilet paper. I love painting in the woods....lol It's all in learning what works for you. You learn more about it every time you go out to paint or draw. i hope you continue! I love being outside in all weather - well, wind and rain suck, but you know what I mean!

[@Lilstarnerd]

i will definitely have to try gouache!! i am very much looking forward to learning how to make my experience/set up better each time!!

[@ALLJArt]

Gouache is better for plein air, but they dry so much faster outside than in the studio... water mixable oils are good, but I think your main issue was your application. You were putting down a large chunk of the same value/colour and then trying to layer on top which is hard because if you layer it on too thick, you can't layer more on top. Putting down different shades next to each other is way easier to get more variation and detail. You did a good job considering you haven't used that medium much and it's so different outside. I dont care what anyone else says, it's hard. So good job!

[@boundbytheseas]

21:07 i’m not sure what oil paints you’re using but different ones definitely have different dry times and oil drying quickly is not usually an issue. wet on wet is also just difficult if you’re used to using mediums that dry down quickly.

[@pinkrin123]

i have the cobra water mixable oils from talens and i don't think i've ever experienced any of the issues that you've had with yours. especially the layering light on top of dark. i've brought them out just to test them for your issues and yeah, no gunky brushes (can clean them in the water cup itself quite decently), no muddying etc... so if you're willing to try another kind of water mixable oil paints i think cobra might be an option (dunno how expensive it is for you tho since i got mine on clearance basically)

[@Lilstarnerd]

oooh i will definitely have to try them! thank you so much!!!

[@CheyenneWyntarArt]

I’ve never done this, but I have the easel and materials ready for when I work up the nerve. My plan is to bring a small jar or OMS so I can do an underpainting w that and then use linseed oil for the rest, bc I feel like I can layer well that way. I can’t imagine doing it w acrylic, I feel like it would mess up the flow so bad 😖

[@ChantelleArts]

What an amazing piece, I *love* plein air painting ☺☺☺

[@Vengurl09]

maybe you need designed brushes to oil painting since you were having a bit of a hard time with the ones you had. Rosemary & co brushes are pretty good quality and aren't as expensive except for the shipping costs lol but it's all worth it I think you can use a medium oleogel or gamblin solvent free medium gel maybe it could help + priming the canvas with gesso before hand could hep so you don't struggle as much with putting paint on the canvas initially

[@fandoms_unite890]

The thing is… with oils, you bring out rags with you, you wipe the brush, that’s why there’s no need for water 😢 the one advantage over acrylics and the like for plein air, lol

[@Lilstarnerd]

true! when i oil paint i often find that just wiping them isn't enough to clean my brushes though, so i didn't think that would be great for plein air for me

[@cyberspazm]

Maybe you can try polarized sunglasses to help with the color issue!

[@Lydzo]

Haihaii, just a comment to lyk that you’re literally one of my biggest art inspiration in every way! Your art is so gorgeous and you always inspire me to try new things & motivate me to keep doing art consistently. So just wanna say a big thank youuu and also that this video was very fun, will fs do that too in spring🤞🏽

[@Lilstarnerd]

that is so so so sweet, thank you so much!!!

[@HarleyWithWings]

I have only taken my art supplies outside one time. The experience was nice at first, but the frustration was quick to come and kinda ruined the moment. And it takes a lot of willpower not to cover that page in my sketchbook with a different painting. 😅

[@Lilstarnerd]

totally relatable!!! and what's worse is the first negative experience makes you not want to try again!!

[@jiyoridraws]

Plein Air can be fun, maybe an under painting pre-prepped? Like a nice red or orange base? I heard some artists even paint their sky before hand? Anyway enjoyed the video keep it up!

[@Lilstarnerd]

OOOH A PREPPED PANNEL IS SO SMART!!

[@BewitchCraft]

I'm always like "I'm gonna go paint in nature!" and somehow magically end up picking the worst days. Windy blowing away supplies, bugs flying in my face, too many randos suddenly walking by, very intimidating squad of ducks rolling up lookin for bread, oh look I set up and those clouds moving in look like rain clouds despite my app assuring me today was gonna be sunny....

[@Lilstarnerd]

REAALLL

[@Wildwoodenfull]

It looks great Ithink. Maybe you should see the experience as the “goal” and not the painting 😊 🙌🏻

[@nk3cm]

i've seen some people wipe (with a towel) or scrape (with a silicon scraper) away oil paint when they want to put in highlights or shadow. I have very little experience with oils so I havent tried it out personally but when i saw it i was like omg maybe thats the solution to my oils blending too much

[@jessie.jordan]

Have you tried liquid matte medium to help spread the color?

[@extracoffeemug]

For all the trouble you had while doing it, u think it came out really good especually since the paints weren't cooperating with you. 😊

[@kayleeovel2306]

Ok so for cleaning oil paint you need a chemical. When I was taking classes they had us use turpentine (which is hazardous) but I think there are alternatives now. You can’t just clean oil paint with water. It’s like…. Well, oil and water.

[@InLiquidColor]

Plein air is not for me, for many of the logisticals issues you ran into. I can imagine it being much more comfortable with a wholeee lot of practice. If you dont already follow Sarah Burns, I highly tecommend checking her out! She is a gouache landscape artist who actually just released a video yesterday (same time as this one!) on getting ready for plein air season :)

[@PaperTigress]

[@16yoy202]

Hi😊

[@Psalm27.mp4]

i miss robin sealark

[@sociolostitch]

Chris F. (@paintcoach here on YT I think?) have a great suggestion of taking a reference photo of a landscape to use later or to finish a plein air piece -- take a video instead of / in addition to a photo and talk through what you see in real life! What you want to focus on, any colors that aren't showing up quite right in the video, how you'd crop or where you might embellish things. I've only tried it once but it made it so helpful to get straight into painting because it was like I'd given myself a road map! (PS- I'm an expat and I miss friendly Americans just saying hello and cheering on a stranger 🥹)

[@Lilstarnerd]

that's so smart!! i did take a photo afterwards in case i wanted to finish it at home, but i actually love the idea of taking the photo before i even start to see it as its own composition to plan my piece!