Creating a Limited Watercolor Palette for Painting Outside

June 2, 2023.Reading time 1 minute.

In my most recent episode of Behind the Brush on Patreon, I shared my strategies for creating a custom limited watercolor palette for plein air. These are all Daniel Smith colors chosen from my larger studio selection. But I just thought this diagram was a fun way to explore it, and was worth sharing here. […]

Painting Outside Every Day in April – PleinAirpril 2023 Recap

May 13, 2023.Reading time 12 minutes.

Gouache Forest River Plein Air Sketch by Sarah Burns

Let’s talk about the 30 day plein air challenge known as PleinAirpril. I’ll also show my sketchbook scans from the entire month and share some thoughts about what I learned.

My Ultralight Travel Sketch Kit (6.24oz / 177grams)

January 4, 2023.Reading time 18 minutes.

Hiking is one of my greatest passions. Combine that with painting and I’m a happy girl. The biggest lesson I’ve learned after hiking hundreds of miles with heavy packs is that if I don’t make sketching as easy as possible on the trail, I just won’t do it. If my sketch kit is buried in […]

New Gouache Travel Palette Colors for Plein Air (July 2022)

July 3, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

Lately I’ve been diving deeper into exploring GREENS and GREYS. At first I was determined to make an entirely separate travel palette containing custom mixes of greens and greys. Upon further thought I realized that two travel palettes wouldn’t align with my goal of slimming down my travel supplies. Less is more when painting outside. […]

What to bring to your first Plein Air Meet-up [intense weather edition] | #pleinairproblems

June 17, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

This past weekend I attended my first public art meet-up in Scotland. The Art Society of Inverness organized a plein Air meet-up in Findhorn, a beautiful coastal town in Moray county. Since it was my first time, of course I over-planned and brought every art supply I owned. So in order to spare you the […]