I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
The book is useful for artists of various skill levels. The author makes sure to be very descriptive with plenty of examples included with the text.

Thank you to Netgalley, Aimeee Erickson, and Quarto Publishing Group – Rockport Publishing, Rockport Publishers for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

I love painting outdoors (with a small watercolor travel set) so I was thrilled to read this book. It got plenty of new ideas to improve my practice and encouraged me to try different media and techniques outdoors and improve my skills. It also contained many examples from artists.
It contains information on gear to take, color theory, composition, and many more together with fun exercises to practice.
A great book for anyone who wants to try plein air or get a different grab on things.

Plein Air Techniques for Artists is jam packed full of great information, as well as a lot of examples of other artist's work. Aimee breaks down each chapter for learning skills & techniques for general artists aspiring to paint, but not strictly for plein air artists only.
The book reviews materials to use depending on the medium of your choice, recommended gear to take for plein air, color theory & values, composition, how to "see" and break down your painting, etc. Each topic had several exercises to practice with as well!
I have wanted to try plein air, which is why I requested this book, but I didn't expect all the information that would be given!

This book went beyond my expectations. It’s an invaluable resource for artists with great illustrations and so much great information.

"Plein air" is just a fancy way of saying "painting outside." It normally is referring to painting during daylight hours, but Aimee Erickson doesn't limit the techniques demonstrated in this book to strictly daytime. Plein Air Techniques for Artists covers the range from morning, noon, and even twilight and nocturnal. (Personally, I think nocturnes are far more interesting than daylight paintings and don't receive nearly enough attention.)

Erickson covers the basics from materials and gear to various forms of lighting--indirect, back, front, sunlight and shadow, and nocturnes--to special effects and even includes a glossary and quick reference guide. As part of the materials and gear section, I appreciated the explanation of the various mediums and their pros/cons such as oils, acrylics, watercolors, etc. Erickson also provides information on composition and value, perspective, color, and so much more.

Plein Air Techniques for Artists is perfect for the beginner as well as the more experienced artist who may be looking to expand their knowledge.

I felt this was a book of two halves with the second half being more useful than the first. The first half was very theoretical whereas there were more examples in the second half.

I felt this book wasn't really about plein air as such but was more about painting light in the most effective way. There were some interesting and useful tips but this is not a book for beginners..

i felt some of the examples, however, were somewhat expressionistic and therefore didn't always demonstrate the point well, but it showed that the techniques applied to all styles.

All in all a useful book.

Whilst this book is about painting outdoors, it concentrates more on lighting from various sources. There is the usual instructions on paper paint ,color and equipment. But the real gem of this book is the information on perspective and lighting, such as sunlight and shadows, indirect lighting, back lightening, front lighting, evening lighting and goes on to special effect such as illumination and much more. A great book to dive into when one can't get that effect that one wants when painting outdoors. Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC

This book contains a lot of information about painting. The illustrations are very beautiful and inspiring. The instructions are easy to follow. A very useful book for aspiring and also more experienced artists.

I can see myself spending hours with this book, devouring all of the information presented and losing myself studying each of the examples. The format, flow and topics are perfect for the subject matter. The author does a great job of starting with the basics and moving the reader along the process - providing useful reference information for each topic and exercises for the reader to try. It reminds me a lot of how Mitchell Albala approaches his art books - which I love.
Even if you are not a plein air artist, there is so much here to learn and incorporate into your artistic approach.
I have only started to scratch the surface of all of the information presented in this book, but from what I have seen already, this is definitely going to be bought and added to my collection. Highly recommend!

Plein Air Techniques for Artists : Principles and Methods for Painting in Natural Light is a guide book for artists wanting to tackle a variety of subjects in different lighting conditions. The author covers materials, composition and values, colour, light effects, and design. The book is full of photographs and illustrations to help you understand everything. However it is not step by step and is more tips and advice. Therefore probably not for complete beginners. Overall a great book.

Plein Air Techniques for Artists is great book. It is full of inspiring photos of artwork and has an informal and relaxed text that gives ideas on how to approach a variety of subjects under different lighting conditions.
Although the title refers to plein air techniques and most of the paintings are in oil, I would find it equally useful for my way of working , which is usually from photos and using acrylics.
This book would make a great addition to any artist's collection.