How to feel more comfortable making art outdoors

Ever felt like ‘plein air’ {aka making art outdoors} is something for the landscape oil painters with fancy pochade boxes and portable easels?

Not sure how it would fit into your own art practice?

Feeling uncomfortable about people asking questions or watching you at work?

I’ve definitely had all these thoughts myself, and it stopped me from going outdoors and into the world beyond my studio more than it needed to.

Here are 3 ways you can make it easier on yourself and get the most out of making art outdoors:

1 | It doesn’t have to relate to your usual practice

Seems obvious in a way, but this one was a game changer for me.

I was put off because I felt like it had to be a way to gather inspiration for my studio work, and that wasn’t going to work for me because a} I don’t make studies for my paintings, and b} my paintings are quite specific {inspired by my sea swims and what I feel and see there}, so drawing in a field, for example, didn’t really relate.

When I dropped the ‘shoulds’ around what plein air art is for, it opened me up to play and explore and make whatever I like.

2 | Choose your locations with care

A busy park in the middle of summer might feel overwhelming and generate too much self consciousness for you to be able to relax into creating mode.

But a friend with even a small garden you could ‘borrow’ to draw and paint in is still plein air!

A beach might have a quieter end {away from the amenities where people tend to gather}, or a field on a hill could easily mean no people at all.

3 | Take one or two ideas with you

I tend to go blank when faced with ‘I could do anything’, so I find it helps to have some ideas in my back pocket {literally – make a list if it’s helpful!}.

If I know I’m not going to be particularly interested in drawing or painting what’s in front of me, maybe I have some ideas I want to explore while I’m away from the studio – the perfect opportunity to try something new or different.

I might draw people passing by {a great exercise in honing your eye and capturing energy and essence as you get so little time}, or explore different ways to ‘express’ a flower on paper, for example.

If you found these tips helpful and would like more ideas – I made a free workshop for you!

It’ll walk you through 8 ways to feel more comfortable making art outdoors, so you can head out into the world with some supplies on an artist date that feels really good to you.

 

 

This free workshop shows you how to set yourself up for a beautiful plein air experience, with less awkwardness, more confidence, and an approach that works for you and how you want to make your art.

👉 Click here to get the workshop