Plein Air

Drawing & Painting with Style and Confidence

Presented by

Anne Kullaf

Anne Kullaf © 2008

Paintingen Plein Air

Anne Kullaf © 2008 Painting en Plein Air

Workshop premise…

• This workshop is designed to provide a basic primer for students new to painting en plein air (outdoors in natural light). It will address the challenges specific to working outdoors as well as with specific mediums (oil, acrylic, pastel, watercolor).


Workshop Overview…• During the workshop we will explore the following topics:

– Methods & Materials:• Overview of materials needed for painting en plein air• Challenges of each medium/suitability to the task

– Color:• Working with colors in the landscape • Working with a limited palette• The challenges of the color green

– Composition:• Composing in the field


Painting en plein air• Painting plein air is a

great way to practice seeing shapes, values & colors

• Plein air studies can be used to create future studio paintings

• Working outdoors is challenging and good practice for capturing changing light quickly

Tree, plein air study in oil on canvasAnne Kullaf © 2008


Methods and Materials

Basic items:• Easel – either a French

easel or aluminum field easel, or a pochade box depending on your medium of choice

• Covered containers for holding water or mediums suitable for oil or acrylic

• Palette, preferably one that is NOT white (glare can be a problem)



Oil Alla Prima• Wet-into-wet• Done in one pass as

opposed to layering• Excellent technique for

plein air• Loose brushwork, very

expressive• Best for smaller works

(11x14 and under)



Pastels• Very expressive medium• Allows for a great deal of

spontaneity• Work from dark to light• Excellent for sketching• Optically mix colors on

the surface to create new colors (can be challenging to those not used to working with color)

Magnolia Tree, plein air study in pastelAnne Kullaf © 2008



Acrylic• Quick drying time• Water can be used as

a medium, or gel for slower drying

• Highly versatile: can be layered similarly oil color on canvas, or transparently like watercolor on paper



Watercolor• Highly expressive but

unforgiving• Colors not as

strong/bold as oil• Highly suitable for

plein air• Working from light to

dark may be confusing for those of us used to pastel or oil

Flowers, study in watercolorl on paperAnne Kullaf © 2007


Color


Color Basics• Colors that complement

one another should be used to create shadows and darks, in other words, colors that appear opposite one another on the color wheel

• Example: if you need show a shaded area on a lemon (yellow, primary color) use violet (secondary color)

• Mix your secondary colors whenever possible instead of using them directly from the tube


Color in the Landscape• Working with colors in changing

light can be challenging• The most important step in plein

air painting is the value study—get the values right and the painting will have strength and dimension

• If the values are not dark enough, the painting will look washed out

• It is also important to keep variety in colors, particularly in the shadows—use mixtures to create your darks, avoid black


The Limited Palette• Try working with a limited palette of 3 primaries, one

dark neutral and one white. One of my favorites is:– Cobalt blue - Burnt umber – Alizarin crimson - Titanium white– Yellow ochre

• You may experiment with other colors you like, just remember to keep it to 3 primaries and one dark neutral plus white.

• If necessary, you can always add in a brighter primary for the areas in highlight—for example, I often will use a cadmium yellow in addition to the colors above when working on sunlit landscapes just to get that extra “glow” in my greens.


The Limited Palette2 Paintings, 1 Palette:

• Cobalt Blue• Alizarin

Crimsom• Yellow

Ochre• Cadmium

Yellow• Burnt Umber• Titanium

White

Notice the difference in mood of the 2 paintings above. • Both were painted using the colors listed at left, this illustrates the wide range of effects capable with a limited palette.


Green!• Green is one of the most

challenging colors to work with

• Variety of greens is key• Avoid using greens out of the

tube—mix whenever possible• Some good combos:

– Cobalt & cadmium yellow– Cobalt & yellow ochre– Add a little titanium white

to either of the above to “grey” them down or lighten if necessary

– Add in some alizarin in shadow areas or some violet

Tree, plein aire study in oil on canvasAnne Kullaf © 2008


Composition


Composition Basics

• Composition refers to the way you arrange the elements/objects contained in your painting in order to create and maintain:– Balance– Harmony– Viewer interest


Composition in the Field

• Composing in the field can be a challenge because of the feeling of no boundaries

• An old mat in a size format that you like can be used as a view finder to help you decide what to include

• You can also use your digital camera screen or view finder in the same manner

• Don’t rely on these tools all the time though, try to compose purely “by eye” in order to build your skill in this area


Tying it all together…


Tying it all together…Here are some things you can do when painting en plein

air:• Focus on shapes and values – sketch in charcoal first!• Use complementary colors for shading• Try working with a limited palette• Try working with a new medium• Vary your greens in the landscape, mix colors as

opposed to using straight from the tube• Try to find something you LIKE about every sketch you

do and remember what it is so you can build upon it• Identify the areas you want to improve and practice

those specific skills so that you become more confident

Education

Plein Air