The same view on two small panels, morning and afternoonThree paints and white, the same tubes for both panels. Change panels when the shadows have clearly moved.
Orchard rows in blossom running away from youPink, white, green, umber. Blossom as soft clouds of pale pink; trunks only in the nearest row.
Backlit hedge trees, each crown edged in thick lemonDark green, lemon, white, blue. Mass the trees dark and edge them with thick pale yellow at the end.
Bean poles laying striped shadows across a vegetable bedGreen, raw umber, ocher, violet. Lay the soil in one warm tone, then drag the shadow stripes across it.
Bird feeder on a pole with a hedge blurred behind itSap green, umber, white, red. Scrub the hedge in loosely and save every sharp edge for the feeder.
Folding chair on a lawn and the long shadow it throwsSap green, lemon yellow, violet, white. Mark where the shadow ends before anything else; it will move.
Open kitchen door seen from the yard, dark insideCream, burnt umber, ultramarine, green. Paint the dark doorway first so every other tone has something to match.
Rain boots caked in mud, parked on the doormat outsideOcher, burnt umber, black, white. Three values only: the door, the step and the boots, darkest last.
Shirts on a clothesline with the sun coming through themWhite, ultramarine, yellow ocher, sap green. Put in the shadow side of every shirt first, one stroke each.
Side gate standing ajar, a bright lane beyond itWhite, green, gray, ocher. Draw the gate's slant with the brush handle through wet paint.
Stepladder left standing under an apple treeGreen, red, raw umber, white. Premix three greens before you start so the tree takes one pass.
Sunflower heads leaning over a fence into blue skyCadmium yellow hue, ultramarine, burnt sienna, white. Sky first with one brush; the flower heads sit on top.
Terracotta pots on a back step, one of them in full sunBurnt sienna, white, ultramarine, ocher. Mass the shaded pots as one dark shape and keep the lit one for last.
Watering can left on a path still wet from the hoseGray blue, white, burnt umber, green. Paint the wet patch darker than the dry path and drop one sky highlight in.
Wheelbarrow leaned on a shed in the last sun of the dayRust, gray, ocher, white. Block the shed wall in two tones, lit and shaded, before the barrow goes on.
Street and buildings 12
Alley with laundry strung between upper windowsGray violet, white, ocher, red. Keep the alley walls dark and let the laundry be the only light.
Bike rack outside a cafe, shadows tangled on the sidewalkGray, black, red, ocher, white. Paint the tangle of shadows as one shape; pick out two bikes only.
Clock tower above rooftops late in the afternoonOcher, violet, white, blue. Tower in two tones; the roofs below are one cool shape.
Corner building with one wall in sun and one in shadeOcher, white, ultramarine, burnt sienna. Mix the two wall tones side by side and fill each wall flat.
Crane over a half-built apartment blockGray, blue, yellow, white. Simplify the block to a grid and draw the crane with a rigger in one go.
Empty sidewalk tables under a single street treeGreen, gray, white, ocher. Dab the dappled light on the tables last with thick pale paint.
Gas station canopy lit up while the sky still holds colorOrange, violet, white, black, lemon. Get the sky down in one pass; it will be gone first.
Market stalls under sun-bleached canvas, a dark band beneathRed, white, green, ocher, gray. Run the dark under the awnings as one band from left to right.
Row houses stepping down a hill, roofs like stairsBrick red, slate gray, white, green. Draw only the roof line; hang the walls from it.
Scarlet front door set in whitewash under midday glareRed, white, ultramarine, black. Tint the wall's white slightly warm in sun and cool in shadow.
Stone arch with the street carrying on through itRaw umber, ocher, white, blue. Paint the bright street beyond first and frame it with the dark arch.
Storefront awning and the hard shadow under itTeal, white, burnt umber, ocher. Paint that shadow first as the darkest shape on the panel.
Water and boats 12
Boathouse and its reflection on a still morningWhite, gray, green, blue. Paint house and reflection as one shape and split them with a single line.
Harbor wall with three fishing boats sitting on the mudOcher, gray, red, blue, white. Mud and wall in one warm gray; the hulls are the only color.
Lazy river curve where a single willow leans out over itSap green, ocher, ultramarine, white. Paint the water darker than the sky and drag the willow over both.
Mooring buoys dotted across a gray bay, each a single touchGray, white, orange. Water and sky first in two grays; the buoys shrink toward the far shore.
Plank jetty heading out over flat lake waterGray, blue, white, ocher. One horizon line, one jetty line; keep the lake to two bands of blue.
Pond with lily pads and a strip of the far bankGreen, blue, white, umber. Lay the reflection of the bank first; the pads are flat ovals on top.
Rowboat tied to a post, its reflection broken by ripplesBlue gray, white, burnt sienna, green. Pull the reflection straight down, then cut across it with pale dashes.
Sea wall with spray going up on a windy dayGray green, white, umber. Drybrush the spray upward with almost no paint on the bristles.
Stream in a wood with light coming down through leavesGreen, umber, lemon, white. Cover the panel dark, then add the light patches thick and stop.
Three bright kayaks hauled above the tide line on pebblesRed, yellow, blue, gray, white. Stipple the pebbles as one gray texture and let the hulls stay clean.
Tide pools among dark rocks with the sky in themUmber, black, blue, white. Rocks as one dark mass; each pool is a piece of the sky color dropped in.
Wooden footbridge over a stream with stones showingUmber, green, white, blue. Put the stream's lights in last with single strokes that follow the flow.
Park, field and trees 12
Avenue of trees closing in down a straight pathGreen, umber, blue, white. Make the far trees bluer and paler than the near ones.
Bandstand in a park glimpsed between tree trunksWhite, green, gray, red. Trunks as dark verticals in front; the bandstand is small and pale behind.
Empty seat on a shady walk, sun spots across the gravelGreen, violet, ocher, white. Path in shadow color first; dab the sun spots over it at the end.
Fallen log across a clearing with ferns around itUmber, green, ocher, white. Log first as one warm dark; the ferns are quick fans of lighter green.
Flock spread over a slope, each animal a single pale touchGreen, white, ocher, gray. Finish the hill, then place each sheep with one press of the brush.
Orchard rows in blossom running away from youPink, white, green, umber. Blossom as soft clouds of pale pink; trunks only in the nearest row.
Pale birches standing out in front of a deep shaded groveWhite, black, green, ocher. Paint the dark grove first and leave gaps of bare panel for the trunks.
Picnic blanket spread under a tree with nobody on itRed, white, green, violet. Checks on the blanket only where the light falls; the rest stays in shade.
Round bales scattered across a stubble fieldYellow ocher, white, violet, green. Shadow side of each bale in one violet stroke, then the lit tops.
Single oak in a field with its shadow pooled beneathSap green, ocher, ultramarine, white. Tree and shadow as one dark shape, the field as one light one.
Stripe of poppies along the foot of a hedgeRed, green, ocher, white. Hedge as one dark band; touch the poppies in without drawing any.
Trail gate and a signpost at the corner of a fieldUmber, green, white, blue. Sky and field in two flat tones, then the posts in one dark.
Sky, light and weather 12
Backlit hedge trees, each crown edged in thick lemonDark green, lemon, white, blue. Mass the trees dark and edge them with thick pale yellow at the end.
Cloud shadows sliding across a far hillsideGreen, violet, white, blue. Paint the whole hill in sun, then lay the shadow patches over it fast.
Far-off shower hanging gray under one cloud, fields beyondGray, white, blue, ocher. Drag the rain down from the cloud with a dry brush while the sky is wet.
First sun on a chimney while the street below stays grayOrange, gray violet, white. Keep the whole panel cool and spend the orange in one place.
Fog lifting off a meadow, fence posts fading outGray, white, green. Each post farther off gets more white in the mix and a softer edge.
Gusty day in a hay meadow, every stroke leaning downwindOcher, green, white. Pull every stroke in the same direction and let them overlap.
Low sun raking long shadows across a mown lawnLemon, green, violet, white. Shadows first, all of them, because they lengthen while you work.
Midday in a parking lot: small hard shadows under everythingGray, white, black, red. Flat pale ground; a dark patch right beneath each car and post.
The same view on two small panels, morning and afternoonThree paints and white, the same tubes for both panels. Change panels when the shadows have clearly moved.
Snow in shadow painted blue beside snow in sunWhite, ultramarine, a touch of orange. Mix the shadow blue first and leave sunlit snow as warm white.
Storm light: a dark sky over a sunlit fieldGray violet, ocher, lemon, white. Sky in one pass, as dark as you dare, so the field can glow.
Wet lane after a shower, blue patches lying in the rutsGray, blue, white, umber. Dark wet ground first; each patch of water is a flat piece of sky color.
How it works
En plein air is French for outdoors, and plein air painting means painting outside. The light shifts as the sun and clouds move, so every idea here comes with one step for working fast.
Read the full guide
Plein air painting ideas sorted by where you set up
The Place list under the button holds Garden and doorstep, Street and buildings, Water and boats, Park, field and trees, and Sky, light and weather, 12 subjects each. Garden and doorstep needs no travel at all: Terracotta pots on a back step, one of them in full sun.
Shadows first
Several steps put the shadow shapes down first, because shadows are what move. In Low sun raking long shadows across a mown lawn they lengthen while you work. Far things look paler and bluer than near ones, which Avenue of trees closing in down a straight path uses.
Acrylic may harden quickly in warm, sunny weather, so the palettes here are short: three to five paints.
A pochade box holds the paints and palette inside and the panel in its lid.
Questions and answers
What is a good first subject for plein air painting?
One with two or three big shapes. Single oak in a field with its shadow pooled beneath is a dark shape on a light one. 25 of the 60 subjects are marked Easy first subjects, under More filters, Level.
What can I paint outdoors without leaving home?
Garden and doorstep holds 12 subjects, such as Shirts on a clothesline with the sun coming through them and Rain boots caked in mud, parked on the doormat outside.
How do I paint when the light keeps changing?
Fix the shadows early and do not chase them. The same view on two small panels, morning and afternoon turns the change into the subject: a second panel is started once the shadows have clearly moved.
Can I paint the weather itself?
Yes. Sky, light and weather holds 12 subjects, among them Far-off shower hanging gray under one cloud, fields beyond and Fog lifting off a meadow, fence posts fading out.