Plein Air Oil Painting Tips and Techniques for More Success
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- čas přidán 24. 09. 2018
- Join me as I show you exactly how I paint on location and how you can too. From my thought process to some tips and strategies that will help you become more successful in the field. You can do this, and I'll show you how!
Textured gesso ground recipe for painting on masonite:
2 Cups Gesso
5tsp Pumice "FF"
Raw Umber Acrylic Paint. I mix in raw umber paint, until I get the color that I want to paint on. Not too dark, but enough to tone the panel and get rid of the color of the raw masonite board.
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Add the pumice to the gesso and stir gently until well blended. Once blended, add your raw umber acrylic paint for toning the board.
Using a cheap sponge brush, or chip brush, apply the ground to the precut panels in 2 to 3 coats (allow to dry in between coats), lightly sanding in between coats. If the surface is too rough after your final coat, use a 400 grit sandpaper to lightly remove some of the tooth of the ground. Enjoy!
Music:
"Guitar Backing Track Soothing Ballad A Minor"
Nick Neblo, musician/performer
/ @nickneblo - Jak na to + styl
How come nobody bothered to put a like there ?! COME ON GUYS, THIS IS A LEGITIMATELY GREAT ARTIST!
Very nice demonstration ! Feeling much encouraged to try and not to be afraid of failure.
Great video and wonderful tips on how to do these quick plein air technique style paintings.
Thank you, excellent tips and advice. Very inspiring
Wow! Fantastic
Great demo. Thanks for posting. Really appreciate it. Speeded up video with commentary works real well -- we can see the work process but not get bored. And yes, painting needs time, and work, and re-work. Got it.
Plein air is hard! Just started and patience with yourself is so important! Thank you for sharing this!
Great advices dude, no matter how bad your first attempt at painting an masterpiece, always practice.
For every one plein air I sell, there are 5 that went into the recycle pile!! Good message!
Loved this video, Very well presented............many thanks!
Really loved your method, talking, and didactic aporoach. Felt at home watching and following. Totally encourages me. Theres no undo button... fear of failure... felt all of this. Thank you so much.
Love the painting and love the presentation.
Thank you for your time. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.
How majestic and vibrant palette 🎨
Beautiful. That is amazing.
Don't be afraid to fail!!! Can't tell you how many times I've preached that. I think many leisure time artists just want to come away with something they're proud of with minimal time invested. Well... we all know how that works out don't we. Great demo Steve. Love the colors!
Thanks Steve! Lord knows I've been guilty of it myself until I figured out it was holding me back. I do think that painting on location helped me to quickly throw that worry of failure out the window. I appreciate your support so much!
This is one of the best pieces of advice any artist can keep in their head!
Watching you paint that stagecoach robbery was the first time I’ve ever seen an artist paint a complicated scene like that. Thanks for sharing your skills sir. Subscribed
Really beautiful!
Hi. I live in Prescott, Az and have been watching many videos on painting. I was so pleasantly surprised to see you are local and painting the Dells. I plan to paint lots of local scenes of our beautiful surroundings here, particularly Watson Lake, the Dells and Thumb Butte. I am a total beginner, but retired and have lots of time. Great video with lots of good info. Thank you!
Hiya @JenetLevyNYC and depending on how long you've been in Prescott, WELCOME! I wish you much fun and success in your painting adventures ✨️ I'm glad I could help you a little bit. Those are all beautiful places you named that you're planning on painting! Paint On!!
Encouraging in the way the simplification of the masses, shapes and tonal values are dealt with. Should be a boost for those out there at loss in the open with what their eyes see. Thank for that.
Nice. Wow. Love the frame.
Beautiful!
Brilliant demo thank you 🙏
A very good painting.
Another great job! I can't get enough of your tips and simple ease speak (KISS). Thanks
Thanks Mark, I sure do appreciate it!
Hallelujah!! "A little detail goes a long way" Thank you for saying that, it totally resonates with me. So many artists detail everything so the painting becomes about nothing.
Hi Phil, thanks for the reinforcement. I was one of those detailers! When I started plein air painting in 2003, I would try to paint every rock crevice, tree branch, and blade of grass and just about drove myself nuts by how bad I was. Finally, I started listening to my teachers and trusting what they told me. Eventually, I understood that painting on location has nothing to do with how much detail you cram into it. It's all about capturing a moment, a light effect or your impression of a place. Once I got that, my paintings improved rapidly. No lie, I could spend half a day on a 6X8 when I started on location, lol. I shake my head now, but I had to go through that before the lightbulb in my head went off! Thanks for checking in!
Great how you sound so relaxed as you mention some aspects of painting that puzzle, cause brain overload and can land up as something of a battle. I liked the hints and tips, and your clear ideas about approaches to painting.
Hi Sophie, thanks for your kind words. I may sound relaxed, but it's still a challenge until I sign it when it's finished. Glad you enjoyed it and you took the time to comment. Paint on!!
Painting as process: just what I was looking for! Thank you.
Thanks James, I'm glad you found it helpful!
This turned out beautiful. Love your videos. Very helpful. Thank you!
Thanks so much Geri! I appreciate you watching.
Love those left rocks.
Want to see your color pallet from next tutorial. That will be helpful to learn.
Fascinating to watch you work. I can't imagine how you know when to stop!
Ha! Thanks S. Giles... it's simple, I stop when I run outta things to fix, lol! Thanks for watching ;)
This painting turned out so well. Thanks for reminding us not to be afraid to fail or have a painting fall short of our expectations. I've learned too, that they all are not going to be framed, even if I rework them. I like your casual style of teaching too.
So true! They ain't all home runs, lol.
Excellent
great advice/ well done
This was excellent. Thank you for the explanation so well articulated.
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement Martha! And, thanks for watching!!
I did love this video! Thanks so much! Jim
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment Jim!
Hi, Great demo, I love your brush strokes and your style, Thank you so much!
Thanks Shyju, I appreciate you taking the time to let me know!
I love your instructions a nd your style is so beautiful!Thank you so much!!!
Thanks for the compliment Jana!
Great tips! I was a little concerned when you reworked it but it really came out great! Love the way you work the cold and warm colors.
Haahaha, yeah, my wife is the same way, though over the years I think she's come to trust me (I hope). Happy painting!
Thanks I learned a lot
Amazing work
Exactly, no bugs or changing light conditions... and a good cup of coffee nearby.
great abstract design.
Thanks PB! Much appreciated =)
Such a great demo! I love the way you handle strokes. It is so cool to watch. The scene really lights up when you started in on on the reflected light in the rocks. By the time you got the ground it was singing. Beautiful work!
Thanks buddy for making me smile! Do you work in oils too? C'mon out and we'll sling some paint!!
Draw Paint Repeat I do- I would love to. The climate there is so different from the lush green and snow up here.
I'm an artist, Brazilian, I love painting plein air, I really really liked your video!
Hi Rose, thank you for your comment and Pintura feliz!
Thank you! Your video was very informative.
Thanks a bunch Dale!
I found an old portfolio from my Bachelors days. On the back of one drawing was this little quote (I don’t know who I was quoting), “ Make lots of mistakes.” I learned early on to embrace them. I’ve got my MFA now. Lots of mistakes. Sometimes that’s the best work.
So many very clear comments by others about your painting and words....I have experienced them mostly myself but never really heard someone else speak of these similar feelings. A great video; both the painting and your words.
Thank you Jefferson, you made my day. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment! Paint on!!
Very nice, you are one of my top 5 artchannels, due to your calming voice and «moody» paintings 👌🏻😀
Hi Rune, thanks for that, it's quite a compliment since there are so many great art channels here on YT! Paint on!!
Thank you!!! Good video
Really nice video...thanks for sharing!!
Hi Johann, I don't know how I missed your comment... Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment!
Phenomenal! Subscribed
Hi John, thanks for subscribing! I somehow missed your post until today =0)
I so appreciate your comment about the ‘ugly duckling stage.’ For quite a while, early in my painting journey, I would get stuck at this stage and just have no idea how to move past that stage. When I finally saw several painting tutorials and how people moved on, I finally got it. But i think this is a point where many people struggle. Nice demo, and nice little painting, and great comments along the way. Thanks for sharing! 👍
Thanks Christine... sorry I just saw your great comment, don't know how I missed it. You are so right about getting discouraged at an early stage. I love quotations and have one taped on my easel that says. "Don't judge your paint too soon". That is soooo true for me. I had to learn to trust the fact that it doesn't matter what a painting looks like when you're working on it. The only thing that matters is what it looks like when you're done! Paint on and thanks for the great comment!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt I have a quote on my Open Box M too. It's a reminder that I often hear while working on a painting out doors,... and you know the standard comments: "My aunt used to paint", "I'd love to paint,..... someday", "it looks sooo relaxing", etc. LOL. Mine is a quote by someone named Post, dunno who that is but it is simply this: "If not now,..When?" That reminds me I have to get out and work, while I'm able; because we do have a finite period of time to do this wonderful thing.
@@ronschlorff7089 Love that Ron! I may need to adopt that on my easel in the studio. Thanks!!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Cool. I'm glad I found your site, really nice work, so thank you!
Good video.
Beautiful painting.
Thank you! Cheers!
It must give you a lot of joy to see your finished work. As someone who appreciates art, I am frustrated with my own because my colour blindness is a barrier not to seeing colour but being able to identify exactly what colour it is.
Could you please tell me the colours you used. This will help me to with my painting process as I need to compensate for my lack of intuitive colour identification. Thanks.
Awasome painting man! Congrats!
Hi Costel, somehow I missed seeing your comment until today. Sorry about that and THANK YOU for your kind comment! Paint on!!
I just did my first plein air yesterday and I wasn't satisfied of the outcome and got frustrated mid say, I'm grateful for the tips and information.💚
I know it's frustrating Sarrah, but I promise you that if you keep at it, every painting will be a little easier and you'll get a little better. So that in a few months, if you look back at your first attempts, you'll be surprised at just how much better you've gotten!
Thanks. Nice commentary, very much as organic as the painting process itself. Do you have a post talking about the nature of atmospheric perspective---capturing the effect of air on light to create distance/depth? Another area of my interest in painting is the quality of the "mystical" in landscape that certain painters (of, say, Hudson River school/Church, etc) brought to their canvases. That "bigger than life" quality. Do you ever get into tutorials about that kind of thing?
What a wonderful, relaxed voice, full of sincerity. Puts us all at ease. Thanks for posting this!
Thank you Bert!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Right, I don't detect any prima-donna- ish-ness in your voice or speech! Good job!
@@ronschlorff7089 Hi Ron, this is Steve, as soon as my personal assistant gets back from getting me a latte, I'll have her thank you! ;0)
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt LOL :D
Great video. Thank you so much.
Thanks for watching Pam, glad you liked it. I'll be doing many more of the plein air type videos in the future. Paint On!!
You explain things so well, I have a hard time remembering important things you say. COULD YOU PLEASE WRITE a book???? You make so much sense and encouragement leaks out everywhere.
Hi Sandra, maybe someday I will write a book, but until then I'll keep trying to put my thoughts down in these kinds of videos. I think the number one thing I hope everyone takes away from these videos is to try it and don't worry about not getting it right right away. You take what you know and add to your knowledge every time you attempt a painting. And so, the next one can't help but be better. You only fail when you give up! I have a closet full of unsuccessful paintings, but every one of them is valuable to me.
Thank You!👍👏
Thank you very much for the tutorial. I love your brush strokes in this painting. You have useful tips for us to remember for great paintings. Next time, will you please put in some guidance as to what colours you are using? Much appreciated.
Yes, I love your pedagogy, clear, concise & consistent. However, would it be possible to mention the colours? Thanks
I've heard that there is always an "ugly" part of every painting process and you have to push through it to reach the detailed finished part. I find when I'm conscience of it, that really does work. I have my share of "not finished" stuff tucked away, never thrown out. It's funny to look back at some of it and see what was actually wrong with it with more seasoned eyes. Like you said, it's part of the learning process. Very nice painting, by the way. I never had the patience for oil paint, maybe some day.
I hope you give oil painting another chance John, you may be ready for it now that you have more experience under your belt. Paint on!!!
Hasilnya Bagus sekali...
Amzing tips. You hit so many nails on the head. Beautiful painting as well.
Thanks for watching Erik, and for your kind comment!
Great words. Great instructions! Thank you. Did you mix any of your colors ? What colors did you use? Thank you
Very good
Thank you very much
Thanks for posting these videos. I am getting ready to teach a plein air workshop and so I’m looking at how other painters/teachers approach it. The eternal conundrum is when to stop. As a proponent of what we might call the Fairfield Porter school, I like a simplified approach, and honestly prefer your painting somewhere around the 8 minute mark. I wonder how much detail plein air painters add knowing that prospective buyers prefer this.
You certainly have a wonderful grasp of values, shape, and warm/cool relationships. And you explain things very well.
I would like to see you do a plein air demo in the field. Because there is no way to replicate that experience in the studio from a photo. Take the scene you paint here. Those lit and shadowed areas would be changing rapidly, requiring some quick work and fast decision making. You wouldn’t have the luxury of going back in and refining the values of those areas except by memory, or by painting different lighting, which would result in a mess.
In the field, you are bombarded by so much stimulus, a nearly unlimited dynamic range of values and a landscape that sweeps 180 degrees. A photo does a lot of the work of abstracting from nature for you.
But again, kudos. Liked and subscribed.
Hiya Will, thanks for your thoughtful and kind comments, I do appreciate it. Where to stop?... YES! It's something I, like lots of artists struggle with, and I agree with you that less is more when on location and I'm running out of time since the lighting has changed. I treat different paintings differently in this respect. If I know I'm going to be keeping a painting, I don't want or need the extra detail. If I believe I'm going to put it up for sale in a gallery, then I go for a more finished painting. Usually, I don't sell my plein airs since they are just for working on getting a light effect, composition, or such like.
I do want to do a plein air painting video, but haven't taken the time to figure out an acceptable set up for recording, but really, I think that's more of an excuse since so much of my time is painting in the studio, under the gun to get work out for shows or galleries. But, one of these days... soon! I promise... grin.
Good luck on your teaching and thanks for the sub. Paint on!!
I'm enjoying your channel 👍 🇬🇧 you use different mediums I like that. I'm mainly an Acrylic artist on here, but in my spare time I like to use INKTENSE BLOCKS.. my favorite is still your horse loved the story to that one, plus I have had horses in the past still love em 💝
Thanks Chrissy, working in different mediums just makes us better in our main medium, so it's a win-win! I'm glad you liked "Stool Pigeon", I did too. I'm working on a 2 part video of a painting I just did that has three horses, three riders, couple of cattle dogs and a nice landscape around them. Needless to say it's not going to be a short one (or two), lol!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt look forward to it, cheers 😊🎨✌️
Very nice painting demo. Your working method was convincing that it would be the same en plein air, understanding the challenge of camera and production values, out doors, particularly if doing it alone. I, being based in Tucson, have similar subjects to paint, with an added saguaro or three, plus some prickly pears and chollas. Liked how you "showed-off" there, painting with your left hand,... I can't do that,... yet! LOL :D
LOL! Yeah, painting with my right hand is just too easy... grin. Thanks for the good feedback, I love painting in the Sonoran desert, my wife is originally from Tucson. Happy painting!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt We are recent transplants from CA, near Tahoe, nice there too, but I love the desert landscape for paintings. We are actually in Oro Valley now, and with a view of Pusch Ridge, Catalinas out the patio, so you are welcome anytime you are down this way!
You had me at Draw Paint Repeat...
I really enjoyed this video. Loved your comments as you’re painting, and I really liked the regular speed at the end. So much easier to learn from! I do have a couple of questions. At a couple of points, your hand is above your brush (sort of like left handlers were taught to write by Catholic nuns!). Is that for the camera angle and filming, or do you do that for another reason? Also, you seem to use such small brushes. I’ve always heard teachers advise using the largest brushes you can....??? And, although you do step back from your painting, you don’t use long handled brushes. Just a personal preference, or are they easier to carry when doing Plein air painting? You can probably tell from my questions that I’m a beginner. Your teaching is so helpful. THANK YOU!
Wonderful demo, still struggling with values. Do you recommend a good book on values and colour mixing ? Would you have a demo of yours that I can buy on this topic ? Thank you ☺️
Time lapse makes it intimidating 😵💫
Thanks a lot for this tuto!, I´m glad to meet an artist very claire and didactic. I like so much how you mix your own colors, and this is my motivation in this day. Thnks again, and greetings from Bogotá, Colombia!
Hi Alberto. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it and am sure it will help you if you keep these things in mind while painting on location. Greetings from Prescott, Arizona... USA!
Again I watch and see the magic happen. Let me at my paints...
Muy bueno, sólo un detalle me hubiera gustado que te quedara con mas profundidad como en la fotografía .Eso le daría mas atmósfera a la pintura por lo demás buena pintura pero insisto me quedó con una interpretación mas de acuerdo a la foto ya que es bastante buena y puedes sacar provecho de ello , y eso se lograría con un dibujó mas exacto del modelo 😉 buen video me suscribo.
Thanks, very informative. I have a question; when you go over the top of your oil with other colour for highlights/definition etc how is it that they don't blend together. I have a constant problem with the paint lifting and moving and blending; I end up with a milky muddy mess.
Hi Peter, a couple of things are at play here. When I'm working wet into wet (that is, all of my painting is still wet), I use a light touch and try not to mix over it too much. Some mixing is going to happen, that's just the nature of the beast. Just try working so that the brush grazes the surface and doesn't pick up much of what's underneath. And if you find things are getting sloppy and muddy, you can just wipe off what you don't like and repaint it. The second thing at play here is if I work into a painting on a second or third day... etc., and my paint is dry. Then I can work over the top with Liquin as my medium and it doesn't affect the layers below.
fantastico
Great !
Thanks for watching Jimi! Love your guitar playing, btw! ;)
Thank you I follow your videos and I admire your brushstroke, thank you for sharing your processes !
nice painting
Thanks for watching and for the kind comment roger! Are you a plein air painter or landscape painter?
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt i like landscapes but im more in2 portraits
Excelente. Deveria ter legenda em spanish
top trop beau!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Steve, did you do a sketch first ? I noticed that the mountain is higher and really adds to your painting. You make it look easy, thanks.
Hi Ann. The only sketch I did on this was the one on my board that you see me do at the very beginning of this video. Changing the mountain in the back was just something that I intuitively knew I needed to do as a way to reinforce the depth in the painting. Would have been alright without doing that, but it's better with it changed I think. Good question and hope that helps!
Thank you so much Steve.
Great tutorial. How do you protect the painting for transportation when you are done painting outdoors?
I prefer this panel carrier: www.raymarart.com/collections/wet-painting-carriers Good luck and have fun!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Thank you Steve! And I'm indeed having fun
Biutiful
At 1:35 I can clearly see a Doberman torso in the dark paint :D
Dang, I thought I'd slipped that by y'all. Thanks for making me laugh!
At what stage did you stop using turps and start using liquin...thanks
Hi Peter, I only use turp at the beginning during the block in stage to get the canvas covered. After that it's Liquin from then on. Good question!
Hey sir. I was wondering and hoping you can critique a painting of mine. Now it's going to be a while since I'm just starting the composition and structure. But once I'm done can I send a picture to you to get a pros point of view?
Sure, my email is SAStudio11@gmail.com
👍😍❤
How did you mix accurate color so quick
Hi Riccia888, I wish I could say there was some kinda shortcut to mixing accurate colors quickly, but the truth is that it's just brush mileage. The more you paint... especially on location, the better you'll become at it and the easier it'll be. So I guess the quick answer is you'll just need to paint a lot of paintings that don't work, and in between those, you'll have some that do work (though, you won't always know why at the time). The more you do it, the more successes you'll have. At least that's how it worked in my case. I do recommend John F. Carlson's book "Carlson's Guide to Landscape painting". In it he explains the planes of the landscape and the values they are in relationship to each other. This helps you to know if your values are correct when you put them down. Another great book I can recommend is "Landscape Painting Inside and Out" by Kevin Macpherson.
Hi, what is turpentine for? what does it do to the paint?
Onii Chan, the turpentine is to thin down the paint for your initial lay in. Working in oils, the rule is "thick over thin". This just means to start with thin paint and finish with thicker paint. This will keep your paintings from cracking over time. If you put thick paint down first, you will either need to continue trying to put at least as thick paint into the paint you already put down, or use thicker paint. Neither of which has worked well for me. Using thinner paint at the beginning also allows you to make changes to your painting as you go along. Hope this helps and Paint on!
How!?
im always scared to jump on a already finished paint, i feel like im going to messed up what i already have there. yes im stingy with my paint lol, and is not like i want to be is by default
I had a painting instructor who once said, when he looked at someone's palette,.. with tiny specks of paint on it: "For God's sake,... use some paint!! They'll make more!!" LOL :D
Dear Steve, your lessons have fallen from me. I was just looking for something like that :)) Can you explain to me, what the color of underpainting is all about? E.g. you started painting the rocks with purple. Why Other painters first put browns, others pink, others blue. What determines its color? How to sense, what color will be right? Thanks for sharing.Amazing work. Best wishes.
Hi Chaconne 04, If you mean why do I start with a purple color in the shadows and others start with different colors. Every artist has learned to do things differently and when I learned, I learned to look at what I was seeing and try to match that base color as closely as I can. But really, don't worry if you get the exact color right. That color will be different for everyone depending on what's in front of them and how they wish to interpret the scene. What I can tell you is the most important thing to try to get accurately is not the color, but the VALUES. That means how light or dark something is in relation to what's surrounding it. Is it lighter or darker? Really force yourself to observe this when you're painting. At first it may be hard to judge, but I promise you that the more you do it, the easier it becomes. I notice myself all the time, looking at a scene when I'm not painting, and observe the values of things. Squinting down will help you to simplify a scene. The more you do it, the better you will become... just like everything in life! Paint on!!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Oh dear master! I understood, thank you! This is a very good point. When I paint, I try to find the specific color I see, and the picture lives its own life! I am happy, thank you and best regards from Poland :))
What do you mean when you talk about plains and painting rocks? I’m confused 😂
Hi Tonia, good question. Planes, the way I mean it, are the flat surfaces of the rocks. Many times an artist will exaggerate planes on surfaces like rocks to make them read more like rocks. If I paint my rocks too rounded without many planes, they can look like marshmallows, and so I paint them with more flat surfaces to make them look more like what they are, which is hard heavy flat objects that can hurt if you drop one on your foot (or your head). Hope that helps and thanks for the great question! Paint on!!
MR. ATKINSON YOU ARE A GREAT ART MASTER. YOUR PAINTINGS ARE SUPERB. I FEEL DIVINE MICHAEL ANGELO HAS REBORN IN THE THE FORM OF ATKINSON. YOUR PAINTING "BELLY LAUGH " CONFIRMS MY OPINION. MY SALUATIONS TO YOU. ANILKUMAR, Mumbai, INDIA.
MY SALUTATIONS
Thank you Anilkumar, you're very kind. I hope you are well.