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Plein Air Essentials - Learn Basics of Plein Air Painting
4.4 (68 ratings)
Course Ratings are calculated from individual students’ ratings and a variety of other signals, like age of rating and reliability, to ensure that they reflect course quality fairly and accurately.
443 students enrolled

Plein Air Essentials - Learn Basics of Plein Air Painting

Learn the essentials of plein air painting in a series of short video lessons.
4.4 (68 ratings)
Course Ratings are calculated from individual students’ ratings and a variety of other signals, like age of rating and reliability, to ensure that they reflect course quality fairly and accurately.
443 students enrolled
Created by Michael Chesley Johnson AIS PSA MPAC
Last updated 2/2013
English
English [Auto-generated]
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Plein Air Essentials - Learn Basics of Plein Air Painting
Price: $19.99
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This course includes
  • 43 mins on-demand video
  • 1 article
  • 3 downloadable resources
  • Full lifetime access
  • Access on mobile and TV
  • Certificate of Completion
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What you'll learn
  • By the end of this course, you will be able head out into the field with the confidence that you need to complete a plein air painting
  • You'll learn what kind equipment to use in the field
  • You'll learn what materials you'll need for plein air painting
  • You'll learn how to choose a subject and compose the scene
  • You'll learn how to analyze the scene in 4 values
  • You'll learn how to do a quick block-in to capture light and shadow
  • You'll learn how to move beyond the block-in stage to create a finished painting
Requirements
  • You'll need a stable and portable field easel
  • You'll also need painting materials (paint, brushes, canvas, etc.)
  • You may find it helpful to have a ViewCatcher (see supply list)
Description

New to Plein Air Painting?

Or just looking to take your plein air painting to the next level? Whether you paint in oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor or some other medium, you'll find help in these videos, authored by artist Michael Chesley Johnson.You'll also find plein air painting workshops and plein air painting instruction.

Looking for a workshop?

Michael teaches two programs.  Paint The Southwest offers two workshops in Sedona, Arizona, in fall and spring.  It also offers a private, one-on-one intensive program based at Michael's studio in New Mexico.  Plein Air Painting Maine offers workshops in July and August in Lubec, Maine. Both are great places for a plein air painting experience. Michael specializes in small-size workshops He also teaches elsewhere in the US and Canada.

Who this course is for:
  • All levels of painter, from beginner to professional
  • Oil and pastel painters (although the approach can be applied to acrylic and other media as well)
Course content
Expand all 11 lectures 58:11
+ – Introduction
2 lectures 01:01

Introduction video to the Plein Air Essentials course.

Introduction
Preview 01:01

You'll want to read this brief manual before watching the video lectures.  In it, I give you leads on where to get equipment and to find information; what supplies and materials I use; and my basic process for painting in oil or pastel.

Manual
15 pages
+ – Equipment
1 lecture 05:18

(5 minutes)  In this video, I cover the different types of equipment and easels you might use.  I even show you how to set up a French easel!

Equipment
Preview 05:18
+ – Getting Started
5 lectures 25:20

(6 1/2 minutes)  In this video, I show you the best way to pick a subject suitable for a plein air painting.

Picking a Subject
Preview 06:13

(7 minutes)  In this video, I show you my approach for making compositional studies quickly and painlessly in the field.

Composing in the Field
06:59

(3 minutes)  In this video, I show you how to analyze value in the landscape and how to simplify your scene.

Value Basics
03:02

(6 1/2 minutes) In this video, I demonstrate how to create the illusion of distance in a painting through use of atmospheric perspective.

Creating Distance
06:32
Drawing is one of the most basic and essential skills for the outdoor painter.  In this video, I'll tell you why!
The Importance of Drawing
02:34
+ – Two Short Demonstrations
2 lectures 10:53
This is a second short video of an oil demonstration showing how to paint trees and snow, showing some of the uses of texture and mark-making with oil.
Oil Demonstration: "Snowfield Sentinel"
07:00
This is a short video of an oil demonstration showing how to paint trees.
Oil Demonstration: "Two Sisters"
03:53
+ – Conclusion
1 lecture 00:40
In Conclusion
00:40

Take a few moments to take this quiz. It will help reinforce some of the concepts that you learned in this course.


 

Test Yourself!
6 questions