En Plein Air: Light & Color

Expert techniques and step-by-step projects for capturing mood and atmosphere in watercolor

Iain Stewart

• Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781633228344
• eBook ISBN: 9781633228351
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

Take your watercolor painting beyond the studio—learn how to effectively use color and light to capture mood, create atmosphere, and convey emotion on location.

Geared for beginning artists, En Plein Air: Light & Color introduces a variety of techniques for on-location watercolor painting. Following a brief introduction to the basics of painting en plein air and an overview of the necessary tools and materials, you will learn how to choose a subject and paint a compelling outdoor composition using the subtleties of watercolor to create beautifully expressive subjects and themes.

Other important topics include perspective, rendering the background and foreground, capturing both urban and pastoral landscapes, mastering color to convey weather and time of day, and much more. From choosing just the right subject to awaiting the perfect time of day, let En Plein Air: Light & Color guide you in your artistic travels as you explore this daring and expressive medium.

Painting outdoors is a rewarding, peaceful experience full of joy, adventure, and persistence. Let the En Plein Air Series guide you in your artistic travels as you explore this daring and expressive method of painting, wherever you may be.

Sketchbook

A sketch is a quick expression of where you are rather than a lengthy explanation.

I am often asked what advice I would give to someone wishing to improve their watercolors. My answer is invariably the same: Grab your sketchbook and go outside. Record the world around you. Don’t save it for trips to exotic locations. Take it to the places that you know well. From there you begin the journey of discovery of the places you may think mundane or underwhelming. I’ve done some of my favorite work in the alleys of the small railroad town I live in—places no one would consider beautiful or worthy of a second look. Training yourself to see and record those moments is at the heart of what I think is the beginning of every artist’s journey.

When used regularly, the sketchbook will further your understanding of the world that surrounds you. It is where you explore with the freedom of knowing that you are the only one who needs to view the work. Here are a few guidelines to help you let go of blank- paper anxiety.

1. When you start a new sketchbook, always skip to the second or third page. This is a simple solution to help you avoid seeing the first sketch you did in that book every time you open it. Yes, it does get old. Instead, use the first couple of pages to make notes or jot down ideas. One important thing: clearly write your name and a contact email address with “Reward if returned” prominently on the inside cover, so it has a chance of making it home if it’s lost.

2. Never tear a page out of your sketchbook—this will cause multiple problems. First off, if you don’t remove a page it means that particular image will never be anything more than a page in your sketchbook. No matter how good or bad it is, it will never be framed or judged on its merits. This allows you the freedom to make mistakes. I can’t stress this enough: to grow you must make mistakes. A well-used sketchbook collection becomes incredibly valuable to you as an artist. It allows you to revisit site work when in the studio and gives the joy of revisiting places and memories you have made while in the process of observing your world.

3. Set up a daily habit of sketching for at least 30 minutes. Choose subjects that interest you or that you have a hard time drawing. Practice is key. The results will speak for themselves.

4. The first few strokes you make upon opening your sketchbook will be rough. Doodle for a while or practice drawing straight lines to get warmed up.

TIP

When I sketch, I calm down. My breath becomes measured and my pulse slows. I am in my element, recording my life and where it takes me. There is an honesty in a sketch that I strive to recreate in my other work. It is often difficult, but the results can be astonishing. In all sincerity, sketching is not just about the result. It’s about being outside in the elements and “seeing” at a higher level.

Drawing

As I mentioned before, in order to communicate your ideas visually you have to be able to draw. There are many books written on this subject but my goal is to get you outside and working from life as quickly as possible. As we progress through this book, there will be drawing exercises in addition to painting ones. I will present them in a way that you should find easy to understand. They will build upon one another until you are working at an advanced level. This will require patience, but I believe the experience is worth the price of admission.

It is of utmost importance that you understand the principles we have discussed before moving on to more difficult subjects. The sketchbook is the perfect place to begin these exercises.

Painting in a sketchbook versus watercolor paper

Painting in your sketchbook is a very different exercise to working on watercolor paper. Typically, the sizing in your sketchbook will allow the color to stay on top of the paper, rather than be absorbed by a more traditional watercolor paper. Also, the bright white of the sketchbook paper is significantly lighter than the “white” of the watercolor papers I use.

You will find that your colors have more power. I enjoy forcing “blooms” and watching the way the paper changes, leaving peaks and valleys, which, in turn, shed or collect color. This can be used to your advantage depending on the type of scene you are trying to capture. If you have difficulty getting loose with your work, embrace these differences and let go of the idea that you are always in control.

Personally, I feel you should allow watercolor to behave the way it wishes. You can intervene, but in the end, the most pleasing passages in my paintings are when I allow the paint to react with the paper in surprising ways.

The important thing is to remember that this is your sketchbook—experimentation is what it is for.

Wet-in-wet: Watercolor paper

Wet-in-wet: Sketchbook paper

Amsterdam Tram Step-by-Step

With a minimal palette and by using light and simplification to your advantage, you can paint a complex city scene.

An Amsterdam street scene may seem an unlikely place to start the simplification process. It’s incredibly complex, full of people, and features unique architectural elements....

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Materials
• Sketchbook
• Drawing on Location
• Painting Techniques
• Capturing the Details
• Composition, Light & Color
• From Field to Studio
• Conclusion
• About the Author
• Copyright