Vineyard Vista 

I would like to give you some tips that will set you up for fast-tracking your plein air journey and prevent you from making some classic rookie mistakes. I want to take the fear out of your outdoor painting adventures and get you comfortable, so you can paint like a pro!

Watercolour is one of the most beautiful and expressive forms of painting and, many would say, the most difficult medium to master. One of my joys with teaching is the opportunity to share some great tools and “secrets” that break down the fear of working in watercolour, making it more accessible for people to experience this exciting medium.

With a bit of structure to create the framework for your painting, you will have greater freedom to be more spontaneous and allow the medium to work its magic.

Every time I teach a workshop, I am reminded that there is a very high level of anxiety amongst the students before we begin. Fear is the one thing that prevents us from achieving our full potential. This manifests itself in negative energy – that voice in the back of your head bringing up insecurities that we won’t be good enough, doubts about what you’re doing, questions like “will I be the least experienced in this class” or “will I look stupid?” Rest assured I have felt it too ~ when I first began demonstrating, I thought everyone watching must be able to hear my heart pounding inside my chest!

Once you understand that these feelings are totally normal and that you are not alone in feeling this, real learning and personal growth can truly begin. Those that are able to accept and acknowledge these feelings are present, but keep moving forward and through them anyway, will get the sweet nectar of development and success.

So if you feel uncomfortable right now, that’s okay. Just sit with it and let it wash over you so you can get out to the deeper water and ride that big wave in all the way to the shore. Let that fear you feel be the energy you harness to take your skills to the next level. Creativity truly does take courage, so congratulate yourself for taking this big step to improve your skills and know that your world is about to be rocked!

Boats on Lake Como 

What I have discovered is that painting has taught me everything I need to know about life. It has taught me when to be patient, when to jump in, boots and all, self-discipline, risk-taking, how to communicate and connect with others, and humility. Oh, has it ever taught me humility – again and again and again. But by being open to failure, or in this case, making bad art in the higher pursuit of making incredible art, we must leave our ego behind and risk it all. If we keep playing small by doing what we know we can already do, our growth process stagnates and we never progress.

So here I invite you to listen with an open heart ~ even if you think you already know something about whatever I am talking about, try hard to really listen and get inside what I am teaching. You may find a deeper understanding of concepts that you already know, and you may gain access to the key that opens the door to the next level of your own painting journey. It may take you a while to make that happen in your own work, but understanding comes before performance.

We often are working from a level of a little bit of knowledge and some success, yet that mastery we hope for seems elusive and slippery. It can be hit and miss at times with our painting success, so I hope you will gain some critical pieces of the puzzle of your own experience by what you learn here. The most important thing is to listen with an open mind and heart, and your progress will surely follow. Please know that you are not alone in feeling anxious or uncomfortable, but I promise you that you will gain insight into the painting process to get the results you love.

The key here is your willingness to step outside your known comfort zone and try the things you learn here. Brush mileage will be the thing that bears artistic fruit, but with good guidance and solid foundations, you will find your stride and artistic voice much more quickly.

Creekside Jackson Hole

Now to address the mechanics and process of your watercolour success in the field…get outside! Mother Nature is the best teacher of all and you have all the information you need right in front of you, if you know what to look for.

Painting on location is very different to studio painting where you have all your creature comforts and materials at your fingertips. But it is absolutely the BEST way to improve your work. Painting en plein air forces you to assess the situation, make some important executive decisions quickly and distill what you are seeing and experiencing into a moment in time. It teaches you how to respond in the moment and quickly capture the essence of what grabbed your attention.

And guess what? If you can do that, you can also capture the attention of your viewers because you get to decide what is important in your painting! You become a storyteller, leading your viewer in and through your painting and letting them see inside your world. This is how we express ourselves and share how our experiences made us feel. We are very privileged to be able to share our creative expression and visual voice. This is something only you can do from your unique point of view, so please don’t be afraid to let your light shine!

Georgia demonstrating plein air painting at Wolgan Valley

Plein air gear

I have tried many different easel setups over the years, but I finally found one that works best for me. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are wrestling with an octopus that is heavy and uncooperative! This is a very personal decision, so check out the sales and choose what suits you ~ you will likely have to kiss some frogs before you find your own prince. There are many kinds of easels to choose from and you will need to think about how much it weighs if you are doing lots of hiking ~ you need to be able to carry it all yourself. Please note-  if you are working from the tailgate of your vehicle, weight may not be such an issue, but I recommend paring down your materials to be as light as possible anyway ~ less is more.

I mostly use the Strada Mini on a tripod because it is strong and lightweight, and can handle a lot of abuse from traveling about 8 months of the year teaching around the world. It doesn’t have any screws or bolts to fiddle with and packs neatly in my backpack with its nesting detachable wings.

My tripod is lightweight but strong with a quick release plate and a snap to position legs, which make setup and breakdown time super fast and easy. I would avoid the twisting telescopic legs, as they tend to fall out or seize up over time. Trust me, you want to be ready to pack up in a moment’s notice if the weather suddenly changes!

Because I teach a variety of water media (watercolour, acrylic and water-soluble oils), I swap out my 3 identical palettes depending on what I am demonstrating. I essentially use the same colours in all media.

Abbey 2 

The first thing you need to do is set up your easel somewhere that is safe (not with your back to the ocean or on a cliff with slippery rocks). Although listening to music is nice, having headphones in does interfere with your ability to hear approaching vehicles, persons, machinery or animals.

If you are in a zone with ticks, poison oak or other insects, protect yourself by covering your skin or using insect repellent. It’s a good idea to know the flora and fauna of the area you will be painting, as it is sometimes necessary to carry bear/moose or pepper spray, wear boots or have a snake bite kit handy. Carrying a phone is also a good idea if you are alone but make sure you are in a service area of course.

The next thing is to check that your palette and painting have similar light on them ~ try to set up in shade (avoid dappled light) or undercover if at all possible where you are protected from weather.

If not possible, you might like to invest in an umbrella that attaches to your easel or fit your easel and painting support with some strong velcro in high winds. I also use my carry bag for rubbish and anything else I might need as a counter weight hanging off my easel, which keeps it stable and from blowing over. I sometimes change my mast for a larger painting when I know that the wind is not going to turn my painting into a kite!

I feel an umbrella is just one more thing to carry….so I usually opt for a large brimmed hat and sunscreen. I do not wear sunglasses, as they affect my ability to judge proper values and colours. Be mindful that strong coloured clothing can reflect onto your painting and interfere with your ability to judge colour, so neutral clothing is a good option.

Be sure you have plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated as well as enough for your painting water ~ I use a container that has 2 wells ~ one for dirty water and one for second rinse to keep your colours clean and fresh.

My Mudgee View

Check that your painting is the right height for you to stand ~ this means the middle of your painting should be at about shoulder height. I highly recommend you stand rather than sit to paint. You are much more free in your body and are able to use your whole body rather than just your hand ~ this will make your paintings more lyrical, loose and free. I encourage you to dance with your brushes and immerse yourself fully into the process. Painting outdoors can be joyful and fun, don’t rob yourself of the full experience!

Sitting causes us to get tunnel vision and removes us from the scene, hiding behind our painting and not properly seeing it in context. Standing also gives you the huge benefit of walking away from your painting and getting the right perspective. In fact, I encourage my students to step back 10-20 feet from their painting about every 8 minutes. This ensures that you are working your painting holistically and can see if any one thing is out of balance and you can’t do this very well from a seated position. It also forces you not to tighten up too soon and get lost in the details before it is time! Just remember to look where you are backing up….we don’t want to end up in the ocean or worse!

Don’t be intimidated by different subjects than you are used to painting. The key to painting on location is to isolate what you want to paint through your viewfinder and forget about everything else that is not in your view. Don’t allow the over-stimulation of all your senses get in the way of your emotions and genuine response to your scene.

Boogie in the Sun

If you can simplify everything you see into a pattern of shapes and values, no subject is out of your reach. Start with organic shapes and work your way up to manmade subjects as you gain confidence. And if you are feeling totally overwhelmed by the great outdoors, bring it back to something simple, like focusing on a flower or something not so intimidating at first. Your successes will give you more confidence to tackle all the subjects you see. Perhaps you just want to even focus on doing some basic value studies in your sketchbook to warm up, whatever works for you.

I do most of my paintings in three stages:

1. Planning and composing, getting my underpainting on whilst saving my whites
2. Focusing on values, structure and mood through colour and temperature
3. Fine-tuning details, unifying and pulling it all together

One thing that I think many beginners don’t quite understand is the importance of the consistency of paint to water ratio. Here is my general rule of thumb:
Stage 1 = First wash is coffee or tea consistency with a fair bit of water
Stage 2 = I use a creamy consistency, less water and more paint (wet onto damp gives soft edges)
Stage 3 = I use paint straight out of the tube for the final accents  (wet into dry gives crisp edges for man made objects and important details)

In stage 3, I am looking to make sure it is reading the light and points of interest leading the eye effectively and most importantly, making sure my focal point is the star of the show.

Loading your brush properly and controlling the ratio of wetness to dryness takes a bit of practice, but you can control the amount of water by using your sponge to offload some of the moisture. Try to make sure you are not starting with a brush already half loaded with water after rinsing it, or else you won’t get the consistency you need and will be struggling with a lot of cauliflower blooms on your painting!

Sand Dunes