En Plein Air French for 'in the open air,' en plein air has become the accepted term for painting out of doors. Artists have been painting outdoors for ages. Most agree that it was the invention of the collapsible zinc paint tube by John Goffe Rand in 1841 that really jump-started the plein air movement. Prior to that, artists had to grind their own pigment into linseed oil and then keep the resulting mixture in glass jars—very inconvenient for carrying paint around. Whatever your motivation, there is no better time to start than now. Read along, learn some techniques, try out new ideas, and follow the demonstrations provided in these pages. Then get outside, practice, wear out some brushes. I guarantee it will be fun! Working Outdoors The first thing you need to do is decide where you’d like to paint. The majority of my plein air work is done within two miles of my home in Michigan, where the landscape is a mix of old and new housing and farmland. In this rural setting, Contents Materials & Supplies Substrates Working with Acrylic The Palette Basic Color Use Planning a Painting Different Approaches to Painting Acrylic: Expert techniques and simple step-by-step projects for creating dynamic landscapes in the open air with acrylic paint The Minimalist Approach There may be occasions when you want to paint outside, but you either don’t have much time or you don’t feel like carrying all your usual tools and supplies. For me, it’s usually a matter of time or place. There are occasions when I only have an hour to paint, but I still go for it. Also, when packing for a trip that requires flying, I sometimes greatly reduce the painting supplies I bring. The flip side of this is the fewer clothes you bring, the more painting stuff you can pack! The Principles of Design The principles of design are unity, harmony, balance, rhythm, repetition, variety, dominance, and contrast. There are variations to this list, but these are the main principles that govern our use of the elements of line, shape, color, value, texture, form, and space. For me, however, it is impossible to keep all of this in mind while painting. There is just too much to think about. So I select the principles that most often inform my work in plein air and concentrate primarily on those, namely dominance, unity, and contrast. I use the principle of dominance (color, temperature, value) to supply unity. I use contrast (size, shape, value, hue) to imply importance. Painting as You Perceive I prefer sunny mornings and foggy days to paint en plein air. I love the long shadows of early morning light—the quality of the light close to dawn. I also love the mood of a foggy day. Fog causes the light and the dark ends of the value scale to drop out, pushing all the values toward the middle. What is uninteresting on a sunny or cloudy day becomes mysterious and subtle on a foggy day. The easiest way to build interest in an otherwise ordinary scene is to plan it out.
✔ Author(s): Mark Mehaffey
✔ Title: En Plein Air: Acrylic: Expert techniques and simple step-by-step projects for creating dynamic landscapes in the open air with acrylic
✔ Rating : 4.6 out of 5 base on (150 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 1633226107
✔ ISBN-13: 9781633226104
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
Readers' opinions about En Plein Air by Mark Mehaffey
Thea Bell
I must confess, this book made me shed tears like never before. The themes of love, loss, and resilience struck a chord with my soul. It was an emotional journey I'm grateful to have taken.
Aileen Menzie
The rich historical context of the book added a layer of depth that I found fascinating. It was like stepping back in time and experiencing history firsthand.
Rosa Bax
This is a book I'll cherish and recommend to everyone. It touched my soul and made me reflect on life's profound mysteries.
