I am a painter from Virginia. I am passionate about landscape painting, and this lens is about creating landscape paintings both in the studio and en plein air. My primary medium is oil paint, and I am happy to share tips about oil painting and landscape painting processes here and in my links below. My paintings are inspired by the beauty of the natural world, and I travel frequently in search of new subjects to paint. If you enjoy my lens I do hope you will consider leaving a start rating (at the top of the lens). Feedback is also welcome!
Please feel free to also visit my website to see more paintings, and my blog for even more of my latest projects, shows, tips, and painting demos.
Paintings of Tuscany and Provence from JenniferYoung.com
Italian landscape paintings of Tuscany, Venice, and Lake Como by Jennifer Young
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A Cabin in the Field...
Colors of Spring oil...
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Off the Beaten Path,...
Oil painting; Possible solutions to common challenges
They are rich and luminous when at their best, and they can produce fabulous texture and depth of color. They are, however, quite challenging at the start, so here are some tips to help aspiring oil painters "take the plunge"
- If you can't stand the smell of turpentine, use odorless mineral spirits (OMS) or Turpenoid Natural to thin and clean up. *Be aware though that while OMS is easier on the nose it is no less toxic for those who are sensitive to turps. In that case your best alternative is to clean up with Turpenoid or some other natural product.
- To avoid "mud", refrain from mixing too many colors together. Try mixing with your palette knife instead of your brush. This will allow the paint load to sit on the end of the brush and not mush down into the brush toward the ferrules.
- Avoid the overuse of white. White will lighten values but also cool and dull colors, giving a chalk-like appearance to most colors if overused.
- Avoid the overuse of black or dark earthtones. Some would say avoid ANY use of black as it is a dead color. But in reality, there is nothing bad about black if used judiciously. However, often there is a tendency to reach for the black (or umber) for anything that requires shading or darker values. This can result in an overly dull, flat looking painting.
- Avoid over-working back into a wet section. Experiment with laying in your color and leaving it alone as much as possible. Over blending and mushing your paint around on your canvas can lead to "mud".
- Experiment with other mediums. While absolutely no medium is necessary, it's fun to experiment with different painting mediums to enhance the behavior of your oils. There are a variety of mediums available that can help speed drying time, enhance the fluidity of your brush stroke, and help your paint strokes stay where you put them.
- Fumes too toxic? Some people experiment with water soluble oil paints. These clean up with water, and tend to dry somewhat faster than regular oils. The cleanup can be a real advantage to those who love oils but are allergic to turps or mineral spirits.
Paintings of France, Italy, and Beyond
Latest posts from my art blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byOil Painting Supplies on Amazon
Gamblin Galkyd Lite Oil Painting Medium (leaves brush strokes) 32 oz bottle
Amazon Price: $30.90 (as of 07/19/2008)
Winton Complete Easel Set
Amazon Price: $59.95 (as of 07/19/2008)
TURPENOID NATURAL 16OZ
Amazon Price: (as of 07/19/2008)
John Howard Sanden Beginner Set of 9 Silver Brushes
Amazon Price: $65.00 (as of 07/19/2008)
Winsor & Newton Trio Oil Color Painting Set in a Three Drawer Wooden Box
Amazon Price: $89.95 (as of 07/19/2008)
My galleries of landscape paintings
- Paintings of Italy
- Paintings of Tuscany, Venice, and the area around Lake Como.
- Provence landscape paintings
- Paintings of village scenes and the landscape of the Provincial countryside.
- Giverny landscape paintings
- Scenes of the village and countryside around Giverny, France, and paintings of Monet's garden.
- Paintings of the American South
- Landscape paintings of Virginia, Key West, and the Carolina and Georgia low countries.
- Hanging Art and Caring for Your Art Collection
- This is another lens I wrote with tips on how to display and care for your art collection.
Landscape paintings of the American South from JenniferYoung.com
Some of my latest paintings of the luminous landscape
Finale; Sunset landscape painting of Ocracoke Island, Outer ...
Twilight on the Outer Banks; Sunset landscape painting of th...
Landscape painting of the Blue Ridge mountains on a foggy morning by Jennifer Yo...
What's on my palette?
- Titanium White
- Cadmium Yellow Light
- Raw Sienna
- Indian Yellow (good for sunsets and mixing terra cotta colors)
- Cadmium Orange
- Cadmium Red Light
- Alizarin Crimson
- Permanent Rose (nice for flowers and sunsets)
- French Ultramarine Blue or Cobalt Blue (Cobalt is cooler and gives me cleaner greens. French Ultramarine is seductive though.)
- Sevres Blue or Pthalo Blue
- Windsor Green or Viridian (*I like to mix my greens, but it's good to have some kind of pre-mixed green en plein air. Windsor green is very intense, so start out using it sparingly.)
- Sap Green (though you can mix a pretty good sap with Pthalo or Prussian Blue and Indian Yellow).
New Del.icio.us bookmarks
Jennifer Young's Links
- Jennifer Young; Vibrant Landscapes
- Jennifer Young's official website featuring her landscape paintings and prints. The artist's impressions of Provence, Tuscany, and scenes of the American South, plus biographical information and more.
- Jennifer's Blog
- With my blog I share information about my upcoming projects and shows, and also some of my ideas, inspirations, and techniques. In addition, my blog is a place to post some of my more experimental works, sketches, and works in progress.
- Subscribe to my blog feed
- Keep up to date with my blog using your favorite feed reader.
- Subscribe to my blog by email
- Don't have a feed reader? Have my blog updates delivered right to your email!
- My Cafe Press store
- Shop for Cafe Press products with my landscape paintings on them!
Jennifer Young's CafePress Store
Landscape painting links
- Plein air painting tips and techniques
- Been thinking about doing some plein air painting, but afraid to dive in? Here are some tips I've posted on my blog to help beginners get started.
- Landscape painting demos by Jennifer Young
- Here are some demos that show my approach to painting the landscape both in the studio and en plein air.
- Landscape lessons from Creative Spotlite
- A very nice collection of landscape painting lessons, tips, and techniques from a variety of artists.
- Wet Canvas Landscape Channel
- A vast collection of demos, tips, and articles, plus a great online forum for landscape painting.
- Traveling with oil paints
- I love travel and I love plein air painting. The two naturally seem to go together! But traveling on the airlines in today's world can be a little tricky, so here's an article I wrote on my blog on how to deal with this.
Small Stuff! Vignettes and miniature paintings from JenniferYoung.com
A selection of small vignettes and miniature paintings by Jennifer Young
Spring Finery oil pa...
A Cabin in the Field...
Colors of Spring oil...
Simple Brilliance oi...
The Window Above Key...
Lilacs and Forsythia
Daisies in a Blue Ja...
Key West Hideaway
Open For Business wa...
Ocracoke Lighthouse...
Books about landscape painting
Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting
Illustrations in black and white for the most part, so not much in visuals. But a classic and filled with great insights on landscape painting
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 07/19/2008)
Composition of Outdoor Painting
Wonderful book on how to build strong compositions for your landscapes
Amazon Price: (as of 07/19/2008)
Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color
Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 07/19/2008)
Plein Air Painting in Watercolor & Oil
Ever wanted to try plein air painting but didn't know where to start? This book covers tools and setup as well as techniques.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/19/2008)
Painting Better Landscapes
A good book on how to fine tune your landscapes.
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/19/2008)
More art books that inspire me
The Art of Impressionism: Painting Technique and the Making of Modernity
This is an amazing book if you are interested in exploring the techniques of the Impressionists. It can get pretty technical at times, as the author draws on scientific studies of the artists' pigments and materials. From the book jacket:
"[The author] analyses the material constituents of oil painting and the complex processes of 'making' entailed in all aspects of artistic production, discussing in particular oil painting methods for landscapists and the impact of plein air light on figure painting, studio practice, and display."
If you ever wanted to know "how'd they do that?" this book might be for you. Wonderful color reproductions throughout.
Amazon Price: $57.60 (as of 07/19/2008)
Monet: Nature into Art
To date this is my favorite book about Claude Monet. Written with insight and depth, the author explores the life, work, and methods of this Impressionist master. Wonderful color reproductions throughout.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/19/2008)
Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting
A master of our time, Richard Schmid shares his approach and all he knows. (I still can't paint like him though, unfortunately!) Not a cheap book, but one that does justice to the painter's virtuousity.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/19/2008)
California Impressionism
Another great book to pour over when I need a little inspiration. Beautiful color reproductions.
Amazon Price: $47.25 (as of 07/19/2008)
The Art Spirit: Notes, Articles, Fragments of Letters and Talks to Students, Bearing on the Concept and Technique of Picture Making, the Study of Art Generally, and on Appreciation (Icon Editions)
A wonderful classic.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/19/2008)
Reader Feedback
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ArtByLinda
Jennifer, Posted February 28, 2008 |
