Hello Steve, me again... thanks for the lesson. I made the decision today (after 5/6 sessions with huge 16x20 boards and paper, and clips, and pencils) to go small. It took me several attempts to get the hang of the portable easel... a bus stop bench proved to work, and moved down to a smaller block!
Happy birthday Mr. Steve. Thanks sharing with us this beautiful view and your painting. I have to do more often plein air painting, I set my supplies in my backyard all summer time, but I only scetch and paint on the beach once, we have magnific lakes and parcs here in Québec, Canada, I should do that more often. 🌳🌱
I am so glad you posted this! I have been searching for tips like: finding a spot, tips on keeping away from people or accepting the visiting people, ... That is what I worry about getting distracted by purpose. I used to practice music outside when I was a kid. I realize now that my music stand would work for watercolor... bonus feature for me! Look at Peak portable folding stands, folds down into same size as a tripod stand. All you need is clips to secure stuff. It is a heavy plastic so you could drill into it to add hardware or glue magnets like James Gurney. Anyway, really liked tutorial! Thanks!
Thank you, Steve (and wife) for sharing time with us on your special weekend. Love watching you paint so it’s a gift to ME!!! Have a wonderful birthday!
Good advice, thank you. Just starting my plein air journey and I’m still working on the sensory overload of detail and how to simply and still get that from life rendering.
Like Michelle Herron, I started with a notebook and a pencil, tried quick sketches with some toning but now, with the help of Steve's diy camera easel instructions (and my husband and his tools) I have a real "set-up" for planned outings (I consider it camping equipment). Being able to show my husband how it needed to work made for a wonderful and useful result.
The Baltimore Estate is one of my favorite places as well! I grew up near it and have several photos from the area that I want to try painting. I’ve been watching your videos a lot for the past couple of months and learning a lot about watercolor painting. Watercolor painting with your guidance has taught me patience and brought me a lot of peace and relaxation during a stressful time. Actually, it’s not just a blessing to me, but also to my dad who is terminally ill. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to paint some sceneries and a bird for him that really cheered him up-thank you! I hope you had a lovely birthday!
Thank you for this beautiful video! I am going on a 2 week camping trip (Yellowstone and all over Idaho) soon and want to use watercolor plein air painting to journal my experiences and what I see!
You make it look so easy Steve! I am amazed by Biltmore everytime I go. Christmas is my favorite so far though. I love that they are doing more themed set up there. Those rooms looked so cavernous and empty the first time I went in 1984. Penn Plantation was another favorite of mine that closed and was sold off a few years ago. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
That was a lovely treat for us too Steve. Happy birthday and thanks for taking us on your trip and for sharing your wisdom on painting outdoors. Great advise as usual ! I still haven’t made it down to the nearby beach to do some studies of the sea but it has just warmed up this week here in Scotland so with your encouragement I’ll at least go and get my bag packed.....I’ve got my fishing rucksack down from the attic now which has a little folding stool attached. I’ll see how that works out....🐠
Great video. I totally agree about doing a dry run in your own yard, especially if you are moving from one medium to another, like from pastel to watercolor or from watercolor to oil. Do an entire painting start to finish right outside your door because there will always be something you forgot to put in your gear bag.
Happy Birthday! Thanks so much for including us on your Birthday Trip. You've given me an inspiration to paint a pine tree in the cemetery we live next to. I've always loved it and it's what came to my mind when watching you.
love listening to you talk and explain, you are such a calm and interesting teacher. Thanks for sharing your passion, and hope you had a wonderful birthday.
I so love your paintings. Even you sketchbook paintings I would love to hang on my walls. Great ideas about plein air as well. Thank you for another great video.
I loved this and your useful commentary and tips! Just found you today because I realize there is a lot to learn from professionals! I think I'm getting more serious! Ah-oh...haha
Hi Steve! Happy birthday!!! What a lovely present that this trip to enjoy a gorgeous place, the outdoors and plein air painting ! 😃👍 Your style is so much more subtle than mine, 😅 what a refined painting! 😌 Thank you so much 🙏 for mentioning me in your video 😳☺️ it made me really proud and happy that you thought my channel and setup sharing was worth it. I am so glad I can share what I like, what I do, what I believe in with more and more artists. 😊 Thanks again, and see you!! 👋
I just wanted to let you know that I find your videos to be extremely helpful and also, I just really love your art. I want to do landscapes, specifically, and your art inspires me. Thank you!
Hi love your art. you are really an experienced talented artist. I now want to go out to my yard where we have five gardens and a waterfall to paint , when the weather improves!!Thanks for your thoughtful , encouraging suggestions . Happy Birthday!!
Steve, Great information. You work turned out so well done and very detailed. I haven't taken the step, but in my "Mind" I have created many plein air paintings. I certainly can see an advantage using watercolors for plein air work. I know many use oils and have had great success, but the small watercolor set like you were using looks so efficient.
Thank you to your wife for making your birthday and your beautiful painting possible! I've been there once; I was able to see the 1st floor and part of the 2nd floor and a little later, areas of the garden(s)! I remember that library - what an amazing place!
Belated happy birthday steve. Great video. I love your channel. Im so glad i found it. Thank you for all your teachings. God bless you and your family. :)
So cool! We were there Sunday the 15th through Tuesday the 17th. We also stayed at the Village Hotel. We went so that I could see the flowers and get photos to paint from. I have never been during Biltmore Blooms. It was cold on Monday, windy, but so beautiful. I got tons of pictures! I hate I missed you cause I would love to meet you and talk watercolors. It would have been great to see you painting. I learn a lot from your videos. Thanks!
Happy Happy Birthday! So nice of you to take time on your special day to give us this great tutorial! Very informative and so helpful...thank you so much! Have a great day and thank you again 😊
Thanks so much! I appreciate that you chose this transition season to put this video together. It's a great demonstration of how a seemingly drab time of year has its own beauty. I've been admiring the form of a tree in my yard and it would be a great subject for me to start on considering your tips. Hopefully we will have no more snow here in the Midwest. God bless you, Brother.
Happy belated birthday Steve. I've never really considered painting plein air, but your video has at least caused me to consider it. Well, part of that is that you make painting look so easy. I appreciate this video, thanks so much.
That was really a great video. At first I wasn't sure what you were going to paint. I have gone out many times and felt that what I was seeing offered nothing special enough to draw or paint but you found the special that always exsists for the eyes of an experienced artist. The detail that you extracted from the scene and placed on your paper was superb. Great thoughts as well. Inspired by my yard now:) God Bless Cathy
Thank you so much for doing these videos! I am dying to try plain air and this is so helpful and INSPIRING. You make it feel so much less intimidating. Love your work, just beautiful.. and Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Steve and thanks for taking us along on this beautiful journey! I never tried doing outdoor painting, mainly because I don't have the equipment for an outdoor set-up, but seeing how you manage make me rethink this! I loved the painting by the way, such a beautiful area. Always learn so much from you. Thanks.
I just tried painting plein air for the first time this week in a local park. It was wonderful! My painting didn't turn out but I learned some things about how to paint distant trees. I was so excited! 😄
Happy Birthday Steve. Thanks for sharing a part of it with us on such a lovely spring day. There are so many good things to be learned in your video about plein air. I'm certainly looking forward to milder weather and lots of time painting outdoors.
Hope you had great birthday. Loving Friday night to see what Steve has for me! I have to say this, and watched it twice the water was better after the studio work but I preferred the trees before, can’t quite figure out but maybe I liked a little starker . If I had just seen the end I would and do love it. Great advice as always. Thanks
I added some dry brushing on the water to suggest the ripples. There were a lot due to being breezy. I deepened the color of the foliage. A little weak before. Thanks!
For me, I find Plein Air easier than other methods but I don't usually have time. Usually I sketch as much as I can and get a snap on my phone (which is usually not that helpful) and the final picture doesn't come out as good as a Plein Air ones because they aren't as spontaneous. I agree with what you say about the more you bring the more time you set up and clean up.
So beautiful! I’m intrigued by plein air but I just haven’t gotten brave enough to try it yet. I do like the idea of starting gradually with just pen and a sketchbook. I may have to give that a try first!
Thank you for taking us along on your birthday gift - and Happy Birthday!! 🎂🎉🎁 I’ve got health issues as well as mobility impaired, and usually only get out for doctor appointments or a special occasion so I love watching Plein Aire videos!
This is coming just in time, as we are finally going to be warm enough for some nice plein air painting this weekend (I'm in southern MN). I've always been pretty intimidated by plein air (probably mostly b/c I don't like the idea of people watching me...) but I feel like it will be a really good way to progress with my painting, and I always feel a bit jealous watching you or other folks on youtube painting outside. Started doing it in the Fall when there were still some warm days, but then went and broke my hip sleepwalking. By the time I was mobile again the temperature was always between -20 and +20...
I love this painting! Steve, I look forward to each new upload you post. I always learn something new. This composition is very welcoming to the viewer. It makes me want to be there!
Happy Birthday Steve. A most enjoyable way to spend the day, in the outdoors. there are other places in Florida that prohibit plein air painting, I have heard it may be banned in a City near you, Asheville. What would Monet, VanGogh, J.S. Sargent, etc.,etc. think? Enjoy your weekend.
I wouldn't be surprised. They have a lot of street musicians downtown and they usually do that for fairness and control sake. In a busy city, bystanders are a thing. Its a shame but plein air painters in downtown probably seem like entertainment which is why they'll want to license them. License or no license, I wouldn't even attempt painting in downtown Asheville. Way too busy.
Happy Birthday! Thanks for a great video! I’m a beginner painter, but I followed your plein air easel video, and now I have my own camera tripod easel. Twice last week I went to a nearby park and painted. I really enjoyed it. A question: would there be any interest in another video about painting trees? I know you have a couple, but I was interested in learning your approach to painting plein air and then finish it in the studio. I’m struggling with how to approach completing a painting without the same “view”. Of course, that could be my experience level talking.
5:31 I wonder where do they draw the line. If I grab a sketchbook and start drawing in it with a pen? Or when you have a tripod set? You just broke another illusion of the freedom in the US in my mind. 😂
Sounds like you had a great Birthday celebration doing what you love Steve, so lovely. On Catalina Island, the Plein Air Society descended annually all around the area but I never bothered them for knowing time was valuable and they were working, but it was nice to watch them all painting their chosen scenes as I'd drive by in the golf cart... slowly of course! I'm curious and like to look at what they were going to put up for sale later at the art show when finished. Was wondering what is on that gooseneck, is that a Camera Lucida by any chance?
Good video I’m looking to do my first year of plein air myself. Never would’ve thought painting outside would require a permit. Anyone know what the bag is being used on the tripod is that the etchr bag? I know I’ve seen it in another video.
Great video Steve! I love the Biltmore!! I was there many times as a teenager as my grandparents used to live in Hendersonville, NC. Haven't been there in years and years but hope to get back someday. :)
Hi Steve. Thank you for sharing. I was very interested to watch your brush strokes and technique. Is there any chance you would post the video of this painting, even without commentary? Your videos have really help me get started.
Because I am new to watercolor I find it helpful to watch the details of the process. You have generously posted other videos with studies of clouds and sky. These are great and I refer to them often as I try to work out the mistakes I am making. Because the subject of this video is plein air painting the focus is less on the painting process. As I watched the video I found myself trying to catch the details of what you were doing. Since I especially like this painting I was hoping for an opportunity to see the whole process as you paint an actual sky, clouds, water, reflections, trees, etc. It's probably too much to ask and mostly I want to thank you for all the effort you give in sharing your art.
Ok, I see what you're saying. I guess in most cases I just have to choose what I'm focusing on by way of instructional subject matter.This scene is very similar to other videos I've done with woods and trees where the focus was more on technique. I pretty much use the same techniques in all my landscapes. All I can do really is point you to those.
Thank you, Steve. I appreciate you getting back to me. I will gladly look through your postings to find what I'm looking for. Best wishes and Happy Birthday.
Ah, thank you for your helpful videos! So calming. May I ask, for travel painting (usually in cars, but also interspersed with time to paint outdoors), would you recommend waterbrushes or travel brushes?
Travel brushes always work best if you have a satisfactory way to carry and use water. Waterbrushes just eliminate that need but have drawbacks and take getting used to.
Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for all the beauty you create. We have been to Biltmore but never spent much time on the grounds... gotta fix that! My question is about your satchel. Does the satchel attach to a regular camera tripod or a specific tripod?
Oh wow, was happy to hear you mention Teoh's name, I've loved his sketchwalk videos for years. Definitely inspiring :) Also your painting turned out beautiful! did you use white acrylic at the end?
This was a really lovely video, Steve, and I hope you had a good birthday. :) How do you like the Schmincke paints, which I think you used in this video? Also, do you think you could do a tutorial at some stage on your method of painting the kinds of trees on the right in this painting?
Hi Steve, thanks for doing this video. I’m new to wc and drawn to plein air but not sure I’m ready - we’ll see. Anyway, I’m curious about the long dark, pencil-looking tool you seemed to be using a lot. It didn’t look like a brush. Were you using wc pencils? Thanks for your contributions and your great help to beginners.
good information 👍 thank you for sharing. I'm looking forward for next month as I try and reach out to you on patreon 😝 I've got an issue with my landscape drawings. I don't seem to get past it on my own 🙈
I've been really wanting to try plein air painting but I haven't had the energy to go out and do it. This definitely makes it seem less daunting though. On an unrelated note, do you have any resources you like for painting animals (especially mammals) in watercolor? I always have a hard time making the detailed textures like fur look believable without over rendering or layering improperly.
Great video Steve! 😁 The painting came out beautifully. Which blue did you use for this one? I'm so glad you had a nice birthday get away. It looks like it was really relaxing. 😃 My biggest thing for plein air is being comfy! I have to be able to sit & be out of the sun. All of those were great tips. I hope you are doing well my friend. 🤗
Hey Val. Thanks. It was just some Ultramarine, though it ends up on my palette and mixing with other colors. Comfort is a problem for me too. It seems the more comfortable I want to be the more "stuff" i'll need to carry. Which is fine if you don't have to go far from the car. Thanks for watching!
Happy Birthday Steve. Great video, you make it look so easy. Near the end when you were highlighting the tree trunks and branches on the right side did you do that with gouache or an acrylic?
Hello Steve. Interesting setup. I couldn't tell what the vertical contraption was until I realized it was for the camera. Do you still use the masonite easel you made a few years ago?
Spring is just about here after more snow recently, but I've been going out and about, scoping areas to venture when the season finally settles in. This was a wonderful adventure and glad you were able to share it! Wonderful work as always, but really enjoyed the discussion! The "comfort" in the location is crucial. Nothing worse than getting settled into a spot, only to be uncomfortable in 30 minutes! I learned the hard way! Curious, do you have a special or unique chair or stool that you bring along? Something collapsable, maybe? Thank you, Steve, and again, happy birthday! :)
Hey Mark. Thanks for your comment! I have a small folding camp stool thats easy to carry, but the seating area is only about the size of a notebook. Honestly I've not used it much. I like to stand when I paint. I even do this in the studio, but more recently, that has become fatiguing to my feet and I've needed a place to sit and rest for a few moments. If I'm not far from the car I have a sizable and comfortable folding chair I like to use. The type with arms made with canvas. As you say, lack of comfort can be a downer real quick. I was painting at a remote location once and leaned against a rock. It was fine for about 15 min. Then the rock was feeling quite cold (It was January) and before long my legs also started to fall asleep. Gaaah! Catch 22. The more comfortable you want to be the more you need to bring it seems. Still working out my favorite situation. If I can find somewhere that has a seat like a bench, I still like the standing method with the occasional sit down. Carrying a large chair is really untenable unless you're close to the car. Thanks for stopping by my friend!
What does your wife do while you paint? I want to try plein air while camping with my husband, but I get torn between hiking with him vs painting. I want to try and do quick 10-15 min sketches, so maybe the wait wouldn't be as long for him, but I will likely feel rushed. Maybe I just need to do painting specific trips and realize my husband might not be with.
She was knitting in a chair about 5 feet away. She loved the day and the outdoors. I don't ask her to come with me unless she wants to video me and has something to do, so I know the dilemma.
Hello Steve, me again... thanks for the lesson. I made the decision today (after 5/6 sessions with huge 16x20 boards and paper, and clips, and pencils) to go small. It took me several attempts to get the hang of the portable easel... a bus stop bench proved to work, and moved down to a smaller block!
For the first time ever, I noticed the painting is far more interesting than the environment being painted, omg. Happy Birthday Mind !
Great info!
Wow Steve. You are such a great teacher. So much great advice for the novice or intimidated... I'm both. "Start in your own backyard!". Genius.
Happy birthday Mr. Steve.
Thanks sharing with us this beautiful view and your painting.
I have to do more often plein air painting, I set my supplies in my backyard all summer time, but I only scetch and paint on the beach once, we have magnific lakes and parcs here in Québec, Canada, I should do that more often. 🌳🌱
I am so glad you posted this! I have been searching for tips like: finding a spot, tips on keeping away from people or accepting the visiting people, ... That is what I worry about getting distracted by purpose. I used to practice music outside when I was a kid. I realize now that my music stand would work for watercolor... bonus feature for me! Look at Peak portable folding stands, folds down into same size as a tripod stand. All you need is clips to secure stuff. It is a heavy plastic so you could drill into it to add hardware or glue magnets like James Gurney. Anyway, really liked tutorial! Thanks!
Thank you, Steve (and wife) for sharing time with us on your special weekend. Love watching you paint so it’s a gift to ME!!!
Have a wonderful birthday!
I love it when you get outside and we get to watch a piece come together. Talking through an exercise is my fav learning style.
Thanks for the input!
Happy Birthday Steve. I share an April birthday with you. Wishing you a great year.
Good advice, thank you. Just starting my plein air journey and I’m still working on the sensory overload of detail and how to simply and still get that from life rendering.
Omg I love biltmore. I painted some eucalyptus down by the creek past the bridge and a blue teapot set from inside
Like Michelle Herron, I started with a notebook and a pencil, tried quick sketches with some toning but now, with the help of Steve's diy camera easel instructions (and my husband and his tools) I have a real "set-up" for planned outings (I consider it camping equipment). Being able to show my husband how it needed to work made for a wonderful and useful result.
The Baltimore Estate is one of my favorite places as well! I grew up near it and have several photos from the area that I want to try painting. I’ve been watching your videos a lot for the past couple of months and learning a lot about watercolor painting. Watercolor painting with your guidance has taught me patience and brought me a lot of peace and relaxation during a stressful time. Actually, it’s not just a blessing to me, but also to my dad who is terminally ill. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to paint some sceneries and a bird for him that really cheered him up-thank you! I hope you had a lovely birthday!
Thank you for this beautiful video! I am going on a 2 week camping trip (Yellowstone and all over Idaho) soon and want to use watercolor plein air painting to journal my experiences and what I see!
Beautiful painting. It feels alive. The way you captured the movement of the water...I can hear it. Wonderful gift from your wife. Happy Birthday!
Love the painting and your channel.
Wow Very Nice ! Thanks for the tips. Like your set up!
Love this video so much. It's very helpful. I might give it a go on my lap...I have a good chair. Thanks so much
Love the painting!
You make it look so easy Steve! I am amazed by Biltmore everytime I go. Christmas is my favorite so far though. I love that they are doing more themed set up there. Those rooms looked so cavernous and empty the first time I went in 1984. Penn Plantation was another favorite of mine that closed and was sold off a few years ago. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Happy Birthday Steve! Thank you so much for sharing your love of watercolor.
That was a lovely treat for us too Steve. Happy birthday and thanks for taking us on your trip and for sharing your wisdom on painting outdoors. Great advise as usual ! I still haven’t made it down to the nearby beach to do some studies of the sea but it has just warmed up this week here in Scotland so with your encouragement I’ll at least go and get my bag packed.....I’ve got my fishing rucksack down from the attic now which has a little folding stool attached. I’ll see how that works out....🐠
Great video. I totally agree about doing a dry run in your own yard, especially if you are moving from one medium to another, like from pastel to watercolor or from watercolor to oil. Do an entire painting start to finish right outside your door because there will always be something you forgot to put in your gear bag.
Great advice! Less is more, especially when you are new to something.
Happy birthday, Steve! Have fun painting. Thanks for sharing your special day with us. Cheers.
Greetings from Blackpool, north west England. Excellent video!
Happy Birthday! Thanks so much for including us on your Birthday Trip. You've given me an inspiration to paint a pine tree in the cemetery we live next to. I've always loved it and it's what came to my mind when watching you.
love listening to you talk and explain, you are such a calm and interesting teacher. Thanks for sharing your passion, and hope you had a wonderful birthday.
I so love your paintings. Even you sketchbook paintings I would love to hang on my walls. Great ideas about plein air as well. Thank you for another great video.
I loved this and your useful commentary and tips! Just found you today because I realize there is a lot to learn from professionals! I think I'm getting more serious! Ah-oh...haha
Hi Steve! Happy birthday!!! What a lovely present that this trip to enjoy a gorgeous place, the outdoors and plein air painting ! 😃👍
Your style is so much more subtle than mine, 😅 what a refined painting! 😌
Thank you so much 🙏 for mentioning me in your video 😳☺️ it made me really proud and happy that you thought my channel and setup sharing was worth it. I am so glad I can share what I like, what I do, what I believe in with more and more artists. 😊
Thanks again, and see you!! 👋
You're very welcome! I enjoy your content and especially your location travels and painting. Thanks for stopping by to say hello!
I just wanted to let you know that I find your videos to be extremely helpful and also, I just really love your art. I want to do landscapes, specifically, and your art inspires me. Thank you!
Hi love your art. you are really an experienced talented artist. I now want to go out to my yard
where we have five gardens and a waterfall to paint , when the weather improves!!Thanks for your thoughtful , encouraging suggestions . Happy Birthday!!
Steve, Great information. You work turned out so well done and very detailed. I haven't taken the step, but in my "Mind" I have created many plein air paintings. I certainly can see an advantage using watercolors for plein air work. I know many use oils and have had great success, but the small watercolor set like you were using looks so efficient.
Thank you to your wife for making your birthday and your beautiful painting possible! I've been there once; I was able to see the 1st floor and part of the 2nd floor and a little later, areas of the garden(s)! I remember that library - what an amazing place!
Its a special place!
Happy Birthday! Beautiful painting and great tips. Thank you!
Biltmore grounds are so beautiful and there are endless opportunities for subjects,thanks for all the tips steve.Hope you had a great birthday.😀
Beautiful Place. You are so lucky to be able to go there. Thanks for all the good tips.
Belated happy birthday steve. Great video. I love your channel. Im so glad i found it. Thank you for all your teachings. God bless you and your family. :)
Happy belated birthday. So, so enjoy your demos.
Very lovely painting. My problem is trying to find a good composition when outside.
So cool! We were there Sunday the 15th through Tuesday the 17th. We also stayed at the Village Hotel. We went so that I could see the flowers and get photos to paint from. I have never been during Biltmore Blooms. It was cold on Monday, windy, but so beautiful. I got tons of pictures! I hate I missed you cause I would love to meet you and talk watercolors. It would have been great to see you painting. I learn a lot from your videos. Thanks!
Yeah, small world huh. The blooms were gorgeous and they're just getting started.
Happy Happy Birthday! So nice of you to take time on your special day to give us this great tutorial! Very informative and so helpful...thank you so much! Have a great day and thank you again 😊
Thanks so much! I appreciate that you chose this transition season to put this video together. It's a great demonstration of how a seemingly drab time of year has its own beauty. I've been admiring the form of a tree in my yard and it would be a great subject for me to start on considering your tips. Hopefully we will have no more snow here in the Midwest. God bless you, Brother.
Happy belated birthday Steve. I've never really considered painting plein air, but your video has at least caused me to consider it. Well, part of that is that you make painting look so easy. I appreciate this video, thanks so much.
That was really a great video. At first I wasn't sure what you were going to paint. I have gone out many times and felt that what I was seeing offered nothing special enough to draw or paint but you found the special that always exsists for the eyes of an experienced artist. The detail that you extracted from the scene and placed on your paper was superb. Great thoughts as well. Inspired by my yard now:)
God Bless
Cathy
This is so helpful. Thanks for your insight.
Thank you so much for doing these videos! I am dying to try plain air and this is so helpful and INSPIRING. You make it feel so much less intimidating. Love your work, just beautiful.. and Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Steve and thanks for taking us along on this beautiful journey! I never tried doing outdoor painting, mainly because I don't have the equipment for an outdoor set-up, but seeing how you manage make me rethink this! I loved the painting by the way, such a beautiful area. Always learn so much from you. Thanks.
Happy Birthday to you! Thanks for this very informative, and well done video. Your painting turned out terrific also! Thanks again.
Happy birthday !!!!! Thanks so much for this wonderful video!
Beautiful painting as always, and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 😘
I just tried painting plein air for the first time this week in a local park. It was wonderful! My painting didn't turn out but I learned some things about how to paint distant trees. I was so excited! 😄
Well, I would say if you learned something, then your painting did "turn out", no?
Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing all your know-how.
Happy Birthday Steve. Thanks for sharing a part of it with us on such a lovely spring day.
There are so many good things to be learned in your video about plein air. I'm certainly looking forward to milder weather and lots of time painting outdoors.
Happy YourDay Steve. Great instruction as usual!
Hope you had great birthday. Loving Friday night to see what Steve has for me! I have to say this, and watched it twice the water was better after the studio work but I preferred the trees before, can’t quite figure out but maybe I liked a little starker . If I had just seen the end I would and do love it. Great advice as always. Thanks
I added some dry brushing on the water to suggest the ripples. There were a lot due to being breezy. I deepened the color of the foliage. A little weak before. Thanks!
Oh boy, this place is so special, glad you are having good weather and a birthday treat. Our winds need to die down here. Happy Birthday!!!🎂🎈
For me, I find Plein Air easier than other methods but I don't usually have time. Usually I sketch as much as I can and get a snap on my phone (which is usually not that helpful) and the final picture doesn't come out as good as a Plein Air ones because they aren't as spontaneous. I agree with what you say about the more you bring the more time you set up and clean up.
Happy belated birthday Steve. I really enjoyed the video and I love your sketch. Thanks for all the great tips on painting plein air. 💞💫
Wonderful video and beautiful painting. Thank you for sharing.
Love ❤️ this video! Great tips. Your painting is beautiful. It should be framed.
You paint so beautiful pictures, I just wish I could do it too ❤️
So beautiful! I’m intrigued by plein air but I just haven’t gotten brave enough to try it yet. I do like the idea of starting gradually with just pen and a sketchbook. I may have to give that a try first!
Thank you for taking us along on your birthday gift - and Happy Birthday!! 🎂🎉🎁
I’ve got health issues as well as mobility impaired, and usually only get out for doctor appointments or a special occasion so I love watching Plein Aire videos!
Thank you,,, happy belated birthday. This helps a lot
This is coming just in time, as we are finally going to be warm enough for some nice plein air painting this weekend (I'm in southern MN). I've always been pretty intimidated by plein air (probably mostly b/c I don't like the idea of people watching me...) but I feel like it will be a really good way to progress with my painting, and I always feel a bit jealous watching you or other folks on youtube painting outside. Started doing it in the Fall when there were still some warm days, but then went and broke my hip sleepwalking. By the time I was mobile again the temperature was always between -20 and +20...
I heard about the weather. My inlaws live in Northwestern Iowa and have record breaking snow for April. Hang in there.
Always beautiful and helpful thx
Happy birthday.
I just had a birthday as well. 60 yrs young! Happy Birthday to ya!
Got you by 1. I just turned 61. 😄
I love this painting! Steve, I look forward to each new upload you post. I always learn something new. This composition is very welcoming to the viewer. It makes me want to be there!
Happy Birthday Steve. A most enjoyable way to spend the day, in the outdoors. there are other places in Florida that prohibit plein air painting, I have heard it may be banned in a City near you, Asheville. What would Monet, VanGogh, J.S. Sargent, etc.,etc. think? Enjoy your weekend.
I wouldn't be surprised. They have a lot of street musicians downtown and they usually do that for fairness and control sake. In a busy city, bystanders are a thing. Its a shame but plein air painters in downtown probably seem like entertainment which is why they'll want to license them. License or no license, I wouldn't even attempt painting in downtown Asheville. Way too busy.
Happy Birthday to my sweet and talented Watercolor Brother! Wishing you joy, health, and epic watercolor adventures all year round.
So kind. Thanks Hajra! Wishing you the same!
Happy Birthday! Thanks for a great video! I’m a beginner painter, but I followed your plein air easel video, and now I have my own camera tripod easel. Twice last week I went to a nearby park and painted. I really enjoyed it. A question: would there be any interest in another video about painting trees? I know you have a couple, but I was interested in learning your approach to painting plein air and then finish it in the studio. I’m struggling with how to approach completing a painting without the same “view”. Of course, that could be my experience level talking.
Yeah, I'm sure there will be more. Thanks Michelle.
5:31 I wonder where do they draw the line. If I grab a sketchbook and start drawing in it with a pen? Or when you have a tripod set? You just broke another illusion of the freedom in the US in my mind. 😂
Sounds like you had a great Birthday celebration doing what you love Steve, so lovely. On Catalina Island, the Plein Air Society descended annually all around the area but I never bothered them for knowing time was valuable and they were working, but it was nice to watch them all painting their chosen scenes as I'd drive by in the golf cart... slowly of course! I'm curious and like to look at what they were going to put up for sale later at the art show when finished. Was wondering what is on that gooseneck, is that a Camera Lucida by any chance?
Thanks! That was a GoPro camera. The straight overhead shot was from that camera.
Oh okay, that's very nice... they make great cameras and so now I know why your videos turn out so clean and clear.
Good video I’m looking to do my first year of plein air myself. Never would’ve thought painting outside would require a permit. Anyone know what the bag is being used on the tripod is that the etchr bag? I know I’ve seen it in another video.
Yes, Etchr. Link is in the description.
Ah, I didn't scroll down far enough thanks!
Great video Steve! I love the Biltmore!! I was there many times as a teenager as my grandparents used to live in Hendersonville, NC. Haven't been there in years and years but hope to get back someday. :)
Hi Steve. Thank you for sharing. I was very interested to watch your brush strokes and technique. Is there any chance you would post the video of this painting, even without commentary? Your videos have really help me get started.
‘Helped’.
Not sure what you mean, since this is the video of me painting it.
Because I am new to watercolor I find it helpful to watch the details of the process. You have generously posted other videos with studies of clouds and sky. These are great and I refer to them often as I try to work out the mistakes I am making. Because the subject of this video is plein air painting the focus is less on the painting process. As I watched the video I found myself trying to catch the details of what you were doing. Since I especially like this painting I was hoping for an opportunity to see the whole process as you paint an actual sky, clouds, water, reflections, trees, etc. It's probably too much to ask and mostly I want to thank you for all the effort you give in sharing your art.
Ok, I see what you're saying. I guess in most cases I just have to choose what I'm focusing on by way of instructional subject matter.This scene is very similar to other videos I've done with woods and trees where the focus was more on technique. I pretty much use the same techniques in all my landscapes. All I can do really is point you to those.
Thank you, Steve. I appreciate you getting back to me. I will gladly look through your postings to find what I'm looking for. Best wishes and Happy Birthday.
Ah, thank you for your helpful videos! So calming. May I ask, for travel painting (usually in cars, but also interspersed with time to paint outdoors), would you recommend waterbrushes or travel brushes?
Travel brushes always work best if you have a satisfactory way to carry and use water. Waterbrushes just eliminate that need but have drawbacks and take getting used to.
Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for all the beauty you create. We have been to Biltmore but never spent much time on the grounds... gotta fix that! My question is about your satchel. Does the satchel attach to a regular camera tripod or a specific tripod?
Any tripod with a removable plate will attach, but it needs to be a beefy tripod. The bag is pretty heavy when loaded.
Oh wow, was happy to hear you mention Teoh's name, I've loved his sketchwalk videos for years. Definitely inspiring :) Also your painting turned out beautiful! did you use white acrylic at the end?
His sketch walks are the best! Thanks!
This was a really lovely video, Steve, and I hope you had a good birthday. :) How do you like the Schmincke paints, which I think you used in this video? Also, do you think you could do a tutorial at some stage on your method of painting the kinds of trees on the right in this painting?
I did a video a few weeks ago on painting a complex woods that used the same method. I don't have the link in front of me but check it out.
I must have missed that one. Thanks for your reply. :)
Hi Steve, thanks for doing this video. I’m new to wc and drawn to plein air but not sure I’m ready - we’ll see. Anyway, I’m curious about the long dark, pencil-looking tool you seemed to be using a lot. It didn’t look like a brush. Were you using wc pencils? Thanks for your contributions and your great help to beginners.
Its a Silver Brush Black Velvet Travel Brush. A #6 round. Its listed in the video description. 😊
good information 👍 thank you for sharing. I'm looking forward for next month as I try and reach out to you on patreon 😝 I've got an issue with my landscape drawings. I don't seem to get past it on my own 🙈
I've been really wanting to try plein air painting but I haven't had the energy to go out and do it. This definitely makes it seem less daunting though. On an unrelated note, do you have any resources you like for painting animals (especially mammals) in watercolor? I always have a hard time making the detailed textures like fur look believable without over rendering or layering improperly.
Heyyy, it was my grandma's birthday, and she got me into watercolor in the first place
Great video Steve! 😁 The painting came out beautifully. Which blue did you use for this one? I'm so glad you had a nice birthday get away. It looks like it was really relaxing. 😃 My biggest thing for plein air is being comfy! I have to be able to sit & be out of the sun. All of those were great tips. I hope you are doing well my friend. 🤗
Hey Val. Thanks. It was just some Ultramarine, though it ends up on my palette and mixing with other colors. Comfort is a problem for me too. It seems the more comfortable I want to be the more "stuff" i'll need to carry. Which is fine if you don't have to go far from the car. Thanks for watching!
Happy late Birthday! Beautiful painting, can I ask did the watercolor set come already filled?
This one came half filled. I put gouache in the other side.
Are, Schmincke paints lightfast?
Happy Birthday Steve. Great video, you make it look so easy. Near the end when you were highlighting the tree trunks and branches on the right side did you do that with gouache or an acrylic?
M. Graham gouache.
I watch Teoh too!
Come to Finland! No silly rules to stop you paint plain air!
Hello Steve. Interesting setup. I couldn't tell what the vertical contraption was until I realized it was for the camera. Do you still use the masonite easel you made a few years ago?
Less and less now that I have the Etchr Satchel. I still like my easel quite a lot but have enjoyed testing the Satchel.
Oops! I TOTALLY sat and painted the lighthouse in St. Augustine without a license. I had no clue. I feel like an outlaw now. Haha!
I couldn't think of what to paint today.....guess my head was just full of PLEIN AIR!
просто чудесно рисуете, у вас в балтиморе весна, а у нас в карелии снег пошел
youpie ! une vidéo de Steve !
Spring is just about here after more snow recently, but I've been going out and about, scoping areas to venture when the season finally settles in. This was a wonderful adventure and glad you were able to share it! Wonderful work as always, but really enjoyed the discussion! The "comfort" in the location is crucial. Nothing worse than getting settled into a spot, only to be uncomfortable in 30 minutes! I learned the hard way! Curious, do you have a special or unique chair or stool that you bring along? Something collapsable, maybe? Thank you, Steve, and again, happy birthday! :)
Hey Mark. Thanks for your comment! I have a small folding camp stool thats easy to carry, but the seating area is only about the size of a notebook. Honestly I've not used it much. I like to stand when I paint. I even do this in the studio, but more recently, that has become fatiguing to my feet and I've needed a place to sit and rest for a few moments. If I'm not far from the car I have a sizable and comfortable folding chair I like to use. The type with arms made with canvas. As you say, lack of comfort can be a downer real quick. I was painting at a remote location once and leaned against a rock. It was fine for about 15 min. Then the rock was feeling quite cold (It was January) and before long my legs also started to fall asleep. Gaaah! Catch 22. The more comfortable you want to be the more you need to bring it seems. Still working out my favorite situation. If I can find somewhere that has a seat like a bench, I still like the standing method with the occasional sit down. Carrying a large chair is really untenable unless you're close to the car. Thanks for stopping by my friend!
What does your wife do while you paint? I want to try plein air while camping with my husband, but I get torn between hiking with him vs painting. I want to try and do quick 10-15 min sketches, so maybe the wait wouldn't be as long for him, but I will likely feel rushed. Maybe I just need to do painting specific trips and realize my husband might not be with.
She was knitting in a chair about 5 feet away. She loved the day and the outdoors. I don't ask her to come with me unless she wants to video me and has something to do, so I know the dilemma.
What kind of white paint are you using?
M. Graham Gouache.
The Mind of Watercolor 2