Be successful at plein air painting

Mike McCain shares his advice for a great outdoor painting experience, detailing equipment, observational techniques and the need to simplify

Mike McCain shares his advice for a great outdoor painting experience, detailing equipment, observational techniques and the need to simplify.

There’s so many great ways to learn and practise art these days. When it comes to studying light, colour and value, I’ve found no substitute for painting en plein air – which just means ‘the act of painting outdoors.’ Each time I go out to paint, I learn something new, which feeds back into my imaginative work.

Plein air painting might not sound much different than doing a photo study. Yet even the best cameras don’t capture much of the colour and value that our eyes can perceive. Not to mention the sounds, smells and emotions of a place. It’s also a great excuse to ditch the desk and get outdoors: science says that just spending time in nature can reduce stress and anxiety!

I work in Procreate on an iPad Pro, but you can plein air paint with anything. Of course, traditional mediums are fantastic, and you can foster an even deeper discipline and appreciation for colour temperatures by working with oils or watercolours. There’s also plenty of tablet PC options out there like the Surface, and I’ve even seen some incredible studies done just by finger-painting on a smartphone using Procreate.

So regardless your tool of choice – next time the weather’s nice, I challenge you to go outside and paint! I hope you’ll find it as fun and beneficial as I have.