5 Great Plein Air Painting Books
Plein air painting offers a wonderful way to connect with nature, improve skills of observation, build confidence and explore new compositions. Whether you’re just starting out or are an experienced artist, these five great plein air painting books will provide inspiration and guidance to help you start painting outdoors. Discover expert tips on materials, site selection, composition, color and elements of landscape painting. Overcome the special challenges of painting in nature while discovering the joy of creating art in the fresh air. Grab your paintbrush and let’s get outside!
Beautiful Landscape Painting Outdoors: Mastering Plein Air, by Michael Chesley Johnson
This book is an invaluable resource for any painter who delights in working outdoors. It offers comprehensive instruction from the best plein air artists in all major media, including oil, pastel, watercolor, acrylic and gouache. Within these pages, you’ll find expert tips on materials and site selection, as well as guidance on composition, color and elements of landscape painting. With hundreds of stunning images and complete start-to-finish demonstrations, this book is your go-to source for mastering the special challenges of painting landscapes outdoors.
Plein Air Painting With Oils: A Practical & Inspirational Guide to Painting Outdoors, by Haidee-Jo Summers
With Summers’ expert, down-to-earth advice, this book takes you on a journey of personal growth and artistic development. The wealth of information provided, from choosing a subject to advice on painting in all types of weather, ensures that you have all the tools you need to become a master at outdoor painting. With clear step-by-step exercises, demonstrations and dozens of inspiring artworks from Summers, this book is the perfect guide for unleashing your creativity and creating paintings that come to life.
Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice, by Mitchell Albala
This book is jam-packed with concise, practical and inspirational lessons on simplification and massing, color and light, selection, and composition. Albala draws from the work of more than 40 contemporary artists and landscape painting masters, including John Constable, Sanford Gifford and Claude Monet, to provide you with all the tools you need to make stunning landscape masterpieces, whether in the studio or outdoors. With more than 25 years of experience and proven methods taught at his successful plein air workshops, Albala is your go-to guru in landscape painting!
The Art of Plein Air Painting: An Essential Guide to Materials, Concepts and Techniques for Painting Outdoors, by M. Stephen Doherty
Written by M. Stephen Doherty, a devoted plein air artist, the book presents a comprehensive understanding of the techniques involved in painting en plein air. The author guides readers through choosing the best spot, selecting the appropriate materials and tools, preparing canvases, and mixing colors. Through sidebars and step-by-step demonstrations, the book covers various topics, including composition sketching, washes and lines, toning a surface, and cityscapes and nocturnes.
En Plein Air: Light & Color: Expert Techniques and Step-by-Step Projects for Capturing Mood and Atmosphere in Watercolor, by Iain Stewart
The book masterfully coaches you on choosing compelling subjects and using the subtle nuances of watercolor to expressively create stunning outdoor compositions. It offers guidance on a broad array of important topics such as perspective, rendering the background and foreground, capturing diverse landscapes, and conveying weather and time of day through color.
There are so many other great books about plein air painting. What’s on your list? Share them in the comments below!
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Meet the Artist
Scott Maier is an artist and a content contributor to artistsnetwork.com. He’s also the author of the instructional art book See, Think, Draw: An Easy Guide for Realistic Drawing and Beyond.
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