Plein Air Essentials - Learn Basics of Plein Air Painting
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)
Instructor
![Michael Chesley Johnson AIS PSA MPAC](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.4 Instructor Rating
- 141 Reviews
- 633 Students
- 4 Courses
One of the country's top plein air painters, Michael works in oil and pastel in the American Southwest, coastal Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. He has been an invited artist to many national plein air painting events over the years and has competed in challenging locations such as the Grand Canyon.
Elected a Master Pastellist by Pastel Artists Canada in 2008, he is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society and the Pastel Society of America. He is the author of Backpacker Painting: Outdoors with Oil & Pastel and Outdoor Study to Studio: Take Your Plein Air Paintings to the Next Level. A long-time contributor to The Pastel Journal , The Artist's Magazine and PleinAir Magazine, he splits his year between Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada, and the high desert of New Mexico. Michael also specializes in teaching small-size plein air workshops in oil and pastel for the intermediate and advanced level painter and for painters desiring mentoring.