Plein Air Painting - Part III

Plein air painting is the art of painting out of doors. This article is Part III of a five part article on plein air painting. Part I provided a brief history of plein air painting and discussed its purpose and goals. Part II discussed the preparations necessary for plein air painting. In Part III, we talk about the supplies needed when painting en plein air.

Supplies

Certain supplies are common to all plein air painting, whether you are doing an oil painting, a watercolor, a pastel, or working with acrylics. No matter what type of painting you create, you need to bring paper towels or cloths, adhesive tape or clips, and an eraser. Remember, too, that you will need a means of propping up your painting surface. Field easels are widely available and are useful for this purpose.

If you plan to do plein air painting often, consider keeping a separate set of plein air supplies so you don't have to pack and unpack every time you paint en plein air. Also, if you plan to be at the site for several days, you may want to bring extra canvases, boards, or paper. This gives you the option of creating several paintings, based on the various times of the day.

Oil Painting

If you are doing an oil painting, you will need to bring along:

• One or more canvases or boards.

• Pairs of warm and cool reds, yellows, and blues; a brown, and a large tube of white.

• A variety of brushes. Bring three or four sizes of flat, bristol brushes; a fan brush; and one small brush for detail.

• A palette knife.

• A sealable container large enough to hold your painting palette. The best way to do this is to put a few sheets of disposable paper palette in your sealable container.

• Turpenoid and your favorite oil medium.

• Charcoal and fixative for spraying the canvas if you plan to start with a charcoal drawing.

• Brush soap so that you can soak your brushes before the drive home.

Keep in mind that weight and space are important because you will be carrying your supplies. So, reduce the size and weight of your mediums by using small sample glass jars instead of the original containers.

Plein Air Oil Painting - Mediterranean Garden

Watercolor Painting

If you are doing a watercolor painting, you will need:

• A watercolor kit or selection of tubes.

• A watercolor tray or palette (if you don't have a watercolor kit). A few small, sectioned porcelain or glass plates (like the kind used for holding hors d'oeuvres) work well for this purpose.

• A number 12 round brush, and a number 2 round brush. (Remember to protect your watercolor brushes while travelling so that they don't get damaged.)

• A watercolor block and a utensil to separate its pages.

• A number 2 soft pencil.

• A jar with water to clean the brushes, and an extra bottle of water to change the water in the jar if you need to.

Plein Air Watercolor Painting - Parisian Cafe

Pastels

If you are doing a pastel painting, bring along:

• A selection of pastels. (Half pastels take up less space than full-length ones and weigh less.)

• Paper.

• A box of wipes to clean your fingers (or latex gloves if you use them).

• Stomps, tortillons, or other utensils as required by your personal style.

• A kneaded eraser.

• Some form of protective cover so that your pastel painting doesn't smudge while driving home. It is not recommended that you spray the painting on-site, because you may want to retouch it at home or in the studio.

Acrylics

If you're doing an acrylic painting, it is recommended that you create an acrylic wash in advance, using the colors that will be in the background of your painting, and then do the rest of the painting in oil. This is because acrylics dry very quickly; also, the requirements for cleaning brushes used with acrylic do not easily lend themselves to painting out of doors.

Because plein air painting occurs in the open and with a fixed time span, special considerations arise regarding the actual painting process and other people who also may be at your chosen plein air site. In Part IV, then, we will discuss creating the painting and dealing with spectators.

Julinya Vidigal de Vince offers a variety of art workshops in Westlake Village California.

Julinya's Art Classes - Westlake Village, CA