Lessons Learned - A beach scene in Picardy
Last week, I was flipping through one of my small sketchbooks, where I mostly do plein-air and on-location paintings / drawings. I stumbled accross a quick sketch of a beach scene I had captured mid-August 2024. The colors really intrigued me, and I decided to give this scene a go, again! I have made a video of re-doing this scene, where you can see the whole process of painting it again (and here is a very short reel of the plein-air process). But here, I just want to explain the whys and hows.
Why painting the same scene again?
First of all, I did not paint exactly the same scene. Instead, I focused on the parts of the scene I did not know how to tackle plein-air. Which leads me to the first WHY.
I want to paint more plein-air, but plein-air paintign is quite challenging. There are people, there is wind, you don’t have all of your supplies, you struggle to find a comfortable place to sit and balance everything, the light keeps changing… Well, if you have ever tried to paint plein-air, you know if comes with many many challenges. Apart from these challenges, capturing a scene (landscape or other) is also quite difficult. What is your composition? What colors do you use? How do you capture the shadows? How do you capture the reflections of sun on the water? All of these, you can actually train yourself in the studio, so that you have some reference before going plein-air. But what you can also do - and what I did by recreating this scene - is to take back your plein-air into the studio.
This day in August, I was walking on the beach and decided to do a quick sketch. As usual, I struggled with my composition. That I know, and I’m always trying to improve. But there was an unexpected challenge: the tide was very low, and there was a lot of wet sand, with seaweeds, and seawater that was trapped into small pools. And I realized that I did not know how to capture all of these textures and color variations. When flipping through my sketchbook (and when you don’t know what to paint, I think this is actually a nice way to find inspiration for a study session), I saw this painting and remembered the struggle. So, I decided to study!
This was the original messy sketch :)
How to study from you plein-air paintings?
When I’m painting somewhere, I always try to take pictures and short films of the place, so that if I want to re-create it, I have some materials to anchor myself (besides the painting I had made). When looking back at the photos and videos I made that day, I decided to change my composition, and really focus on this area of the beach with the wet sand and all that jazz! I printed my reference picture (it makes it much easier for me to paint from a physical picture compared to a digital one), and took the same sketchbook.
This is the reference picture :)
When doing these studies, I always try to re-use the same base of materials that I’m using plein-air. Beyond studying the scene, I am also familiarizing myself with the materials. Which is sort of the second WHY, and also informs the HOWs… I also allow myself to experiment with some other materials that I could add to my plein-air bag. Some that are easy to carry, but that make a dfferent for me when I’m painting. I am more and more exploring mixed-media for my plein-air sketch. I usually have trouble making something I’m happy with only with ink and watercolors. Acrylic markers, colored pencils and watersoluble crayons hlep me add this bit of texture and details that takes the piece to the next level! However, the layering between watercolors and all the other possible materials does not come naturally to me, especially on toned paper like the one I was using. So these study sessions are also a way to experiment with mixed media and find a process that suits me nicely. It will inform the supplies I will be using for my plein-air sessions and how to use them in an efficient and satisfying way.
Finally, when doing these studies, I don’t only experiment. I also make notes, so that I remember what I was doing and how I did it. I do color notes on the side to remember the interesting or unexpected mixes. I can also take notes on the process. Or the supplies I used and the orders in which I layered them. Or the time it took to do the whole thing. Filming myself is also a really nice way to document to process and keep it available for future me!
And this is the new version!
Overall, these studies really keep me excited for plein-air painting, and are a fun way to 1) study complex scenes, 2) get to know my materials, 3) experience with mixed media, 4) prepare for plein-air season! I hope it inspires you to take out you sketchbook, and have fun re-creating a scene you struggled with ;) If so, feel free to share it with me on IG, I would love to see what you come up with.
