en plein air Archives - Liron Yanconsky

Plein-air After a Long Break | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 54

Hi there! Today I wanted to share my experience of painting plein-air after a relatively long break!

Plein-Air Painting

So there’s been about a 1-2 months period when I barely got to paint outside.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know just how important I think plein-air and painting on location is.

In my opinion, it’s a crucial ingredient in turning your paintings from good to amazing. Nothing can beat that spontaneity and full visual perception of being outside, in front of your scene.

After doing it for a while, photos start to feel a little flat and boring.

But Then I Took a Small Break From Plein-Air

So as I mentioned – I took a small break. And the result fascinated me.

In the beginning, I felt a little rusty, as expected. But it’s not like I took a full break from painting. I’ve been actually painting a lot – inside.

So here’s the fascinating part – I could feel just how much sharper my instincts became. I could immediately recognize how my composition was more on point. How better prepared I was to tackle the subject.

Another interesting feeling I had was that of slowing down. I felt like I’m deliberately working slower than usual, and I still maintain the same control (and you know how sometimes with watercolors – you have to be fast!).

Conclusion

So over all this was a big experience for me. It’s something I haven’t had in a while.

I hope you enjoyed reading about it, and perhaps this resonates with you, regarding plein-air, or anything you may have taken a break from.

Let me know in a comment below – did you ever experience something similar?

And now – it’s time for the Artist Corner.

Artist Corner

Today I talked about Andy Evansen.

Andy’s an impressionistic painter based in the US. His style is fairly minimalistic, yet has a strong sense of realism.

He started painting in the mid nineties, and studied under some of the greats, such as Skip Lawrenc, Eric Wiegardt, and my favs – Alvaro Castagnet and Joseph Zbukvic.

Here is his website, where you can see some of his work: http://www.evansenartstudio.com/

And here’s where you can find me

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

– Liron

Painting in the Studio VS Painting Outside | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 44

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Hi there, Liron here! And today I want to talk to you about how I’m recently spending more time painting inside my new studio, rather than outside.

Painting Outside VS Painting Inside / In the Studio

I’ve already talked about this several times in the past. Both of these have advantages and disadvantages.

I find that for me, the ideal way is to alternate between the two, and find the balance that satisfies me. And that balance keeps changing with time.

My Journey & With Painting Outside

When I just got started in watercolor, and still had no idea what I was doing, I painted inside only.

That’s how I learned how watercolor works, the basic techniques and several approaches.

I then started experimenting with painting outside, but nothing too serious. I always made a big deal out of it, like not knowing what to paint, or how to have a proper setup to help me make it easier.

Then, around late 2017 I started becoming MUCH more serious about painting outside, after hearing about the importance of this practice, from multiple sources.

I spent most of that and 2018 creating mainly outside. I also lived in a tiny apartment, and painting outside was actually EASIER (:

But I then started lacking in accuracy, and in the ability to properly finalize my art.

It was time to go back to working more inside.

My New Studio

As I recently moved to a new apartment, and now finally have a dedicated studio, I find myself painting inside most of the time.

I recently started feeling like it was time for a change.

So I decided (like I did in the past), that I’d spend x number of days a week working outside. Right now, my balance is once a week.

For now this feels great, and I’m slowly getting back to the joy of seeing a beautiful view in front of your very eyes, and painting it.

Will keep you updated on any interesting developments (:

Artist Corner

Today I featured Gonzalo Carcamo, a Brazilian artist who works mainly in watercolor.

He has a fantastic sense of light and shadow, and he keeps his color scheme VERY simple. Yet his work is a beautiful and REALISTIC impression of what he sees.

I highly recommend you check out his work on Instagram: Gonzalo Carcamo

And here’s where you can find me

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

– Liron

Use Pure Colors in Your Watercolor Painting

Hi there!

Today I want to present to you a painting process I did a while ago.

It’s not my best painting. However, it’s an experiment I did with preserving the purity of colors and letting them mix on the palette.

You can watch the entire process below, and scroll down for the written version (:

Use Pure Colors in Your Watercolor Painting

So here’s the scene I wanted to paint.

And here’s the drawing stage.

Notice it’s quite the busy scene. There are many cars, people and buildings. This was very challenging to break down.

I think this is actually one part where I “failed” with the painting process. With that being said, I still did a decent job simplifying it.

The funny part is that, I think, the drawing itself is inaccurate, especially in regards to its perspective.

In any case – off we go with the first wash.

First Wash

This is exactly where I wanted to keep the purity the most. I found out it’s important to get it right in this particular step.

The reason stems from the transparency of watercolor. If you start of with over-mixed, muted colors, the next wash may still show them through. And so, glazing yellow over muted blue won’t do much good (;

Next, we have an additional wash.

Second Wash And Beyond

I’ll admit, this isn’t the best of my work. But I was able to improve the purity.

In this stage it’s important to still use vibrant colors. This is true especially for the areas you want to keep colorful.

After that, I continue adding more layers.

And this is the final result!

I went for a rather complex scene, and challenged myself to try something new. This is why I’m very pleased with the result.

Putting Pure Colors in The Correct Context

It’s important to remember that this is one particular approach out of many. It doesn’t mean you have to ALWAYS ALWAYS keep your colors pure, or avoid grays.

This is a tool to be used at the right moments. You can use it, perhaps, to direct the viewer’s eye in some way. You could use it to create a focal point or area.

And this is it for today. I hope you enjoyed this one! (:

Let me know what you think in a comment below, or under the video.

Also, if you enjoy my content – consider supporting me on Patreon. This REALLY helps (:

And I’ll talk to you soon.

– Liron