Table of Contents

CONTENTS
Introduction 
Finding “The Zone” 
1 MATERIALS AND GEAR 
What’s Your Medium? 
Brushes and Brushstrokes 
Supports: Canvas, Panels, and Paper 
Plein Air Painting Kit 
2 COMPOSITION AND VALUE 
Making Interesting Compositions 
Black and White 
Sketchbook Exercise: Notan 
Value 
Exercise: Simplified Value Studies 
3 COLOR 
Speaking of Color . . . 
Color Exercises 
Exercise: A Color Chart, Emphasizing Value 
Exercise: Color Ladders 
Limited Palettes 
Color Development of Value Studies 
SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW 
Seeing Skills: Shift Your Perception 
Light, Shadow, and Color 
Demonstration: Light and Shadow
on Architecture 
Where to Start 
Exercise: The Color of Light 
Raking Light 
Technique: Stain It, Draw It, Paint It 
Perspective 
Foreground Solutions 
5 INDIRECT LIGHT 
Dappled and Filtered Light 
Technique: Starting with
a Mid-Tone Canvas 
Demonstration: Large Scale Work 
Demonstration: Dappled Afternoon Light 
Overcast Light 
Demonstration: A Two-Session Painting 
Technique: Cutting In 
Painting Makeover: Light and Shadow
Relationships 
Technique: Using a Broad Brush 
Shade and Reflected Light 
6 BACKLIGHT 
Rim Light 
Contre-Jour: Against the Light 
Transmitted Light 
Technique: A Loose Start 
Painting Makeover: Perspective 

About the Author

Known for an engaging style and versatility in subject matter, Aimee Erickson is an internationally renowned oil painter and instructor who has given lectures and demonstrations at venues nationwide. A standout at plein air painting competitions, she has won both Best of Show and Artists' Choice at Plein Air Easton, as well as Best of Show at Carmel, Sonoma, Olmsted, Laguna, and Pacific Northwest art festivals. Erickson has been a Portrait Society of America finalist, won Best of Show at an American Women Artists national show, and is a signature member with multiple awards from Oil Painters of America. She has exhibited with international plein-air groups in China and Russia, is an inaugural member of Charlie Hunter's En Train Air expedition, and in 1997 painted the official portrait of governor of Oregon Barbara Roberts. Erickson's professional affiliations include Plein Air Painters of America, Oil Painters of America, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, American Impressionist Society, and the California Art Club, and her work has been featured in Southwest Art Magazine, American Art Collector, and Plein Air Magazine, and on OutdoorPainter.com. Erickson has a BFA in Visual Communication Design with an Illustration emphasis from Brigham Young University. She lives in Portland, Oregon, and carries a sketchbook. To see more of Erickson's work, visit aimeeerickson.com, @1aim on Instagram, and Aimee Erickson Artist on Facebook.

Reviews

"Award-winning oil painter Erickson’s devotion to sharing her love of plein air painting techniques is clear from the first pages of this book. This resource is a great addition to crafts collections. Suitable for both experienced artists and novices interested in this artistic practice."
*Library Journal*

"Aimee Erickson demystifies how to capture a variety of light effects—from sunlight and shadow to nighttime—and every glisten and glimmer in between. Her friendly tone and accessible workshop-syyle lessons and skill-building exercises offer artists down-to-earth guidance on painting more effectively in natural light. Exceptional still lifes, figures and landscapes by noted contemporary plein air artists provide endless inspiration."
*Artists Magazine*