Peatland Point Parcel
Peatland Point
Happy September Subscriber!
Juneau painters have been plein air painting, meaning out in the open
air, in fairly decent weather this summer.
If you have never painted or sketched outside en plein air, and you
want to give it a go, I offer these few plein air painting/sketching &
supply tips. These will apply to almost all kinds of painting methods,
and there are many more tricks and tips that you will discover as you
learn about (and go) painting outside.
Note: These tips are based on my practice of oil painting. Some steps,
such as cleaning brushes in the field will vary according the medium
you use.
1. Painting from life will avoid the garish or washed out colors that
are very often present in a photograph. Even perspective can be wonky
in a photo.
2. Keep your kit as small as you can to keep it in a dedicated
backpack, ready to go. If you are painting, bring just the primary
colors (blue, yellow, red) and white - or a warm & cool of each. (4 - 7
tubes/containers)
3. Get into the habit of sketching your motif (a thumbnail of your
scene) - bring a board or firm surface on which to rest your sketchbook
or paper. A small portable easel with the ability rest a board or your
sketchbook will help. A tray or board (your palette) to mix paints is
required when painting, too. There are many pochade boxes to choose
from that have easel abilities, storage, and a palette. Pochade: comes
from the French poche or pocket.
4. Plain graphite pencils, &/or watercolor pencils
, will do for sketching. And an eraser. Or bring
water soluble graphite
(this link shows just one type of many available)
or charcoal for ability to make more varied marks. For painting, bring
one or two brushes in the smaller sizes. I usually clean my oil brushes
when I get home, so I dab them off with paper towels in the field.
5. Bring water to drink & enough for watercolor/graphite use and
clean-up and paper towels or rags.
6. A view-finder to zero in on your scene is handy, and narrows your
focus. You can make one from cardboard.
7. Simplify - use your view-finder to sketch a simple "thumbnail" that
you can paint or even draw from.
8. Just know you will be overwhelmed. I think most plein air painters
are.
9. Breathe, relax and just do it!
view finder
Here is a view finder I made from cardboard. If you form two pieces
like the photo, you can change from square to rectangle, or, from
portrait to landscape.
This is my thumbnail sketch of the scene, about 1.5" x 2". I often put
notes about the place, what colors or values I see. Here I noted my
limited palette that I used for the painting below.
thumbnail mend penn
Mendenhall Penninsula View on the Wetlands
Mendenhall Penninsula View on the Wetlands
Oil on Masonite, 8 x 12 inches
set-up MPenn
Set-up with umbrella
t backpack
My backpack with everything!
mend wetl
Painting panel set up
on the pochade box
pochade box
Pochade box - a better look at it with the drawer containing paints,
brushes, etc
Mendenhall River & Glacier
Mendenhall River & Glacier
(sold)
Here are a couple of this and last summer's efforts. In my July
newsletter I
have a couple other paintings from early summer.
Be aware, there are things that can happen to a painting when you are
outside that usually don't happen in the studio. Wind can blow bugs,
seeds, dirt, leaves, sand and dust onto your painting. Many times the
wind has almost knocked my set-up over, or I have dropped my painting.
Maybe the painting will be better! ... is my thought.
Sunny Point Looking South
Sunny Point Looking South
(this one has fluff and seeds in the paint!)
A Peek at the Glacier
A Peek at the Glacier
Mt Golub in Purple
Mt Golub in Purple
(painted at Eagle Beach)
Mt Golub (4194 feet) - Chilkat Range
Mt Golub (4194 feet) - Chilkat Range
Thank you to my new subscribers! I know life is busy, so I appreciate
that you signed up for a shot of art each month. Please get in touch if
you have any painting questions ... or art questions. I am still
learning too, and I hope to always be wondering and asking "what if?"
and "why?"!
Thank you also for the curious art fiends/friends who have been here
since the start! I appreciate your support, and as always, feel free to
share with someone who may be interested.
Note: We will be traveling a bit this fall, and I hope to write an
October letter, but we will see how much time I have.
Cheers and hugs to all!
Teri
Click here to head to Teri's website
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