Outdoor Study to Studio: Demo for 2022 Plein Air Convention in Santa Fe, NM

In May 2022, I was on the faculty for the Plein Air Convention and Expo in Santa Fe, Nm. I gave a demonstration which was supposed to be recorded, but due to a technical glitch, was not. I decided to try to recreate the demonstration -- or at least, my process -- in a video. Here it is. Below is a descriptive outline of the process:

Title: Liven Up Your Outdoor Sketch-to-Studio Paintings

We've all had the experience of taking a field sketch—one that excites us with its freshness—to the studio to serve as a reference for a studio painting, only to end up with a lifeless and dull result. In this demonstration, Michael Chesley Johnson will share tips to help your studio painting end up just as exciting and fresh as the original reference. (Or maybe even more exciting!) By the way, there's a bonus: By not copying your field sketch literally, you'll avoid the boredom that plein air painters often feel in the studio.

Details

Studio can be boring for the committed plein air painter, but here's how I make it more interesting
-Use one medium in the field reference, switch to another in studio (good for rethinking color choices, plus challenge of switching)
-Change the parameters: scale, format, proportions of painting
-Shift design elements
-Incorporate other elements from elsewhere

Process
-Gather reference materials
-Color Studies: Try to be accurate with color notes
-Pencil Studies: Studies of elements, paying attention to form
-Photographs: Pan for context, plus photos of elements that might be useful
-Play with charcoal and a color medium
-Format: What format will best portray the feeling?
-Design: What makes the strongest design? (Notan) Try several different options in a large scale (not full-scale, but smaller).
-Color: What color scheme will best portray the feeling?
-Decide on your medium
-Transfer your design
-Assemble all your reference material
-Color studies and pencil studies
-Avoid photos till the end unless absolutely needed for detail
-Begin with just blocking in color (underpainting or not), avoid representation
-Refine shapes
-Refine color
-Rinse and repeat
-Detail at end

Видео Outdoor Study to Studio: Demo for 2022 Plein Air Convention in Santa Fe, NM канала Michael Chesley Johnson