When the weather warms up and the days are longer, I get the urge to be outside. In the last few years I've done more plein air (out of doors) painting. I have joined a couple of groups in the area and really enjoy the camaraderie of painting with other artists and the challenge of painting the quickly changing scene in front of me. Plein air is a French term coined in the mid 19th century and is characterized by the luminous effects of outdoor light. Plein air has seen a resurgence in recent years with thousands of artists, plein air events and shows, podcasts, Youtube videos (Andrew Tischler is an oil painter with very good plein air videos), and the 'Plein Air Magazine' promoting its benefits. One article I read had a great quote - "Today the movement is unstoppable; it has become “the new golf” as tens of thousands have taken up plein air painting across the world". (http://paintoutside.com/wp/the-history-of-plein-air-painting/)

When I paint on location, I have to speed up my usually very slow, controlled process of painting. I find it good to get out of my comfort zone of the studio. Plein air paintings are usually done in a looser fashion, but can be slower and done by going back to the same location over several days or weeks. Some of the challenges are the rapidly changing light, wind, temperatures, and insects. Sometimes I will paint in my car to avoid some of those challenges. However, actually being on location and dealing with the challenges that occur can actually heighten your memories and add to the look of your painting.

The equipment I use is evolving as I do more plein air painting. I have a set up from En Plein Air Pro (https://enpleinairpro.com/) for my easel and palette tray that is light weight and very easy to use and fit on my own tripod. I am in the process of acquiring an umbrella that I don't have to hold. It is important to shade your painting to see the colors accurately and not blind yourself with the white of the paper. If I am going to paint near my car then I will take a rolling backpack that allows me to bring way more than I need. If I will be doing some walking or hiking to a location, then I pare down my supplies to my small Guerrilla palette, a couple brushes, a small plastic container of water, paper towels, and one or two blocks of paper. If I don't have an umbrella, I look for shade and a comfortable place to stand or sit.

One of my recent changes to my supplies is to paint on Hot Press paper instead of the Cold press paper that I like for all my studio work. I like to use ink and watercolor and find the Hot Press a better surface for this. I also do a lot of my initial drawing with a waterproof ink pen when painting outdoors because it helps me loosen up and not be so precious with every mark because I can't erase. I like using the Graphik Line Maker (graphite color, .1, .3, or .5) from Derwent for my ink because it looks like pencil and is waterproof or if I want a darker line I use a variety of black ink pens from Staedtler, Copic, Uni-ball and others. I don’t always do plein air as an ink and wash, sometimes I will do a quick sketch with pencil and then paint.

I have also collected and tried many brands of sketchbooks and watercolor papers. I have found that right now, I really like using a watercolor paper block for most of my paintings. I like the ability to remove a painting to keep or sell without tearing apart a sketchbook and with a watercolor block, if a painting isn’t working, I can remove it. Plus, the watercolor blocks I use are the professional grade, 100% cotton paper that I like to work on; and a lot of the sketchbooks I have are not watercolor paper or they are a blend of wood pulp and cotton and not archival.

I always bring my digital SLR camera to take some good pictures of the scene. I think of my paintings as studies to inform a possible larger painting, which can relieve some of the pressure. However, I have had quite a few plein air "studies" that I am happy with as little paintings in themselves. I have matted these and taken them to a couple galleries I am represented by.

Plein air painting can be a challenge, but the fun of getting out with other artists, creating a sketch or finished painting, and the joy of being outside far out weigh those challenges!

This is the continuation of my posts to create 17 watercolor illustrations for the children’s book, “For I Am Yours” by Pauline Hawkins. My plan was to post about the process every Friday, but life got in the way! I have until the end of July to complete all 17 illustrations, so I have planned to get one or more done each week. Right now, I am ahead, but some of the coming illustrations will have more figures in them and I am anticipating these to take longer.

The images that I have completed are not in order. I have skipped around to the ones that I felt either wouldn’t take too long or that I felt the drawing was resolved and ready to go. The first two pages also helped me figure out the colors for almost everything because they will be repeated throughout the pages.

Here are the first two pages with the blanket waiting for the baby to arrive. Before applying paint, I masked some of the shapes with Winsor and Newton masking fluid. The shiny shapes in photo #1 is the masked areas. The masking will protect the white paper until I am ready to paint in those areas or I can leave them white.

Then I started painting the background walls. I used a mix of Aureolin (Cobalt) Yellow with Amazonite Genuine (a turquoise blue) and created a soft yellow green. Because I am making up these scenes, I am building them slowly so that I don’t go too dark. I found it easiest to paint in the objects that I was certain of their color and value and then move on to the objects with more value or color variations.

As I add objects, I keep adjusting the things around the room because I can better judge the value of everything. I ended up needing to increase the value of the walls and I gave them some shadows in the corners to make them less important and bring the focus to the middle of the image. In the final image, I have everything painted in and I have added shadows. .

As I was working on these pages, I took a break in the beginning and started adding some color to the second double page spread. It helped to get away from the first image to see it with fresh eyes and while one area dried on the first image, I often added the glazes to the second image.

Here are some images from the next pages:

Again, I started by painting in the color on the bedroom walls and the color on the blanket. In this scene the blanket has a little more character and is dreaming of the day the baby comes home.

I used some Winsor Newton and some Pebeo (blue) masking fluid to save some of the smaller parts of this illustration.

I then started painting the image of the baby in the ‘dream bubble’. I used a mix of a warm red (Pyrrol Scarlet) and yellow (New Gamboge), thinned with water to paint the base color on the skin and slowly added layers of color to form the face of the infant. I used lighter color and soft edges along the outside of the bubble to make it feel like a dream.

After looking at the scene some more, I decided to increase the size of the circles that lead to the thought bubble. Using some masking tape over the area, I cut out the larger shapes. I used a small piece of a ‘Mr. Clean Magic Eraser’ to scrub off the color and get those areas back to the white of the paper. If you use a ‘Mr. Clean’ make sure to use the kind that does not have soaps or chemicals because you don’t want to transfer these to the watercolor paper. Also, test your paper. The ‘Mr. Clean’ is abrasive and can tear some papers.

The final image here still has some areas that need adjusting or painting. I also decided to add the lamp in the lower right corner. I was able to use the same method listed above with the tape and ‘Mr. Clean’ to lift the paint and get back to the white surface of the paper.

I was pleased with the outcome of the first two, double page spreads, for the children’s book. I have already started work on several others and will continue to post more as I create them. Thanks for following along!