Sure, you can paint indoors, but why? There are so many advantages to gathering your supplies and heading outdoors.
Of course, being outside you don’t have to worry as much about the mess, but there are other benefits too. You are giving your creativity freedom bound by no walls! And outside in the fresh air, you can let nature inspire you.
En Plain Air
“En plain air” is French for “in the open air.” This style of painting became important in the mid-19th century, with the birth of the Impressionist movement. Artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir were in awe of the natural light provided by the sun. They marveled at how they same object looks different at different times of the day.
You can see for yourself. Head outside and pick a view. Look at how the sun lights up some areas and casts shadows in others. Are the colors light or dark? Paint what you see. Then do it again. Watch how the sun traveling across the sky changes your view.
Paint Like Pollock
Jackson Pollock was a type of painter called an abstract expressionist. His style was also called “action painting.” His work is still celebrated today, hanging in many art museums across the world.
You can be both active and creative making this kind of abstract art. When you’re painting outside, you may want to lay a tarp on the ground under your paper. Then experiment with the different shapes and designs you can create with different actions. Throw, splash, splatter, drop, drizzle and flick the paint! Let the colors fall!
Poke like a Pointillist
Pointillism is a style of painting that is almost the opposite of the freedom of painting like Pollock. It is using the same single motion of making a point over and over and over again to create art. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac invented the technique. By layering and blending dot over dot over dot over dot they were able to make beautiful paintings.
Can you make shapes and images come to life point by point? You can also try making mandalas. This art form also uses the method of only making dots, but to make patterns, not images. You can also use the pointillist method to fill in shapes, like the butterfly above.
You can Google other artists and styles and let them inspire you before heading outside to create your own masterpiece. No matter what style you decide to paint in, the most important thing is to have fun! Listen to your inner artist and be bold! Make mistakes, learn and try something new. You will be surprised how time flies.
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