Landscape painting on location can be a very rewarding practice, though it can also present some challenges due to the ever-changing nature of the landscape and the elements. In this series, eight landscape artists from our Year-Long Online Landscape Course share their methods and top tips for landscape painting on location; from navigating colour to experimenting with composition, as well as tips on how to prepare your materials in advance for portability.
Debbie Mackinnon working outdoors on Dartmoor.
“When I arrive in a new country with very different landscapes to my home in Australia I spend the first couple of days just walking and thinking. I walk in a mindful way and only start making work once I have connected to the place.
Drawing is very important to me, I work in sketchbooks when travelling. If I haven’t drawn it, I haven’t seen it. I work very fast, I find this stops me from over complicating the drawings and it helps me to simplify the landscape. I ask myself ‘What can I leave out?’ and if I can edit more out I will."
Debbie Mackinnon working outdoors with ink, collage and acrylic.
"I use collage in my work, I make my own papers and also use old drawings and paintings. These can be used to edit out areas that are not working in a composition or as a random background to draw back onto. I use a wide variety of materials including acrylics, Dewent Inktense sticks, inks, and gouache.”
Debbie's Tips
- Keep to a restricted colour palette to prevent the work getting muddy and confused.
- Explore mark-making with a variety of tools. For example marks made with the Inktense pencils are different from the marks made with a stick and ink.
- Try using old drawings and paintings as backgrounds for new work. Carry a few with you and then select one that connects with your landscape in some way, such as the colour or the marks in it.
- Try making your own tools such as sticks and other materials found in the landscape to make marks with rather than just brushes.
- Work fast and don’t ‘overwork’ it.
Year-Long Online Landscape Course
The year-long online course has contributions from 16 respected landscape painters, each sharing filmed demonstrations. The artists have devised over 80 exercises for participants to complete alongside studio visits, professional development, and interviews. The pre-recorded course is delivered online over six sessions, directed and hosted by Anita Reynolds. The course is designed to be experienced from the comfort of your own studio/home, and with 18 months of access, you can really make the most of the wealth of information, exercises and tips from all of these respected landscape artists
Uniquely, the course also includes over 40 looped films of the locations these artists often visit for participants to paint from; of the coastline and moorland around Cornwall and Devon. There’s amazing drone footage, guidance, and countless tips on how to energise and improve your landscape painting practice.
View the Year-Long Online Landscape Course here.