Plein air enables us to be inspired directly by nature and observe the scenery more closely. It can help train our eyes to see things from different perspectives and it can help us simplify shapes, understand values, and develop our brushstrokes that are full of energy. 

However, there are a few challenges with Plein air such as unpredictable weather and constantly changing light. I have experienced Plein air on a really hot day under the bright sun, on a rainy day under the trees and I had to deal with the changing lights and shadows on the buildings. 

But all that will not stop me to keep doing it. And if you are a beginner or you also have a passion to get started with Plein air painting, I want to encourage you to grab your painting gears and start to paint outdoor. 

In this class, I will cover everything you´ll need to know to get started with Plein air, the preparation before Plein air painting, from gathering painting gears, choosing location, planning composition and I will share all the impressions and difficulties that I´m facing during Plein air and tips to solve them.

We will discuss basic Plein air painting materials based on a Plein air workshop that I attended and my Plein air painting experience during a road trip with a car. You will not need to have all of these, I´m just sharing some possibilities that might inspire you.

What you will get and what you can learn in this class:

First, How to DIY a customized Plein air easel. 

In this section I will guide you to build your own, unique, customized Plein air easel, starting with collecting materials, customizing and building each of the easel parts.

And then I will show you my process and thoughts to build my very own, unique, customized watercolor palette that suits each of my needs.

Which type of palette I´m using for Plein air painting, the watercolor brand that I´m using and the details and swatches of each color in my palette.

In the next lessons, I will show you the selection of brushes and the watercolor paper that I´m currently using for Plein air painting. 

After covering all the plein air painting gears, I want to encourage you to start painting outdoor and give you some tips for choosing locations. You can start painting everywhere. You don´t need to go far away to find a perfect location, just take a walk in your surrounding and I´m sure you will find a perfect spot to paint. My very first Plein air painting experience was located just 10 minutes away from my home.

And then I will give you some ideas about painting subject, what you can paint on the location and how to put it on your paper and to create a simple painting composition. 

Not only that, in this class I will show you my live Plein air painting session in Senanque Abbey, Provence.

In the drawing part section, I will talk about some challenges and difficulties that I´m facing during Plein air painting and some tips to solve them

In the first layer section, I will guide you through my painting process and I will share some general rules of watercolor that might be valuable for you. 

In the painting shadow section, I will share a few key things to observe that will make our cast shadows appear more believable, such as shadow shape, shadow qualities, the color of the light source and so on. 

In the next section of the painting demo, I will share some tips about how to build and develop confidence during Plein air painting

And with this painting demo in general, I want to share my real-life experience with the hope that you can feel the exact atmosphere on the location where I´m painting, the sunlight that hit on my paper, the warm weather, the noise of the tourists around me, and the loud sound of the crickets. 

If you are interested in getting started with Plein air painting, then this class is for you. But I would also love to welcome you to this class. If you are just interested in my process to paint the building and lavender field.

Homepage:

https://www.skillshare.com/classes/Plein-Air-Painting-With-Watercolor-For-Beginners/1278670375