Landscape Oil Painting with Plein-air Techniques
A course by Diana BuitragoRealist Painter
A course by Diana Buitrago, Realist Painter
Learn how to paint atmospheric landscapes that capture natural light using plein-air techniques
Painting a natural landscape can transport you to a calmer, more peaceful world. However, on rainy days or when stuck in the city, adapting **plein-air techniques indoors ** can help take you to that idyllic space just the same. Realist painter Diana Buitrago is here to teach you how to paint captivating scenery from the comfort of your home.
In this online course, learn how to compose and paint natural landscapes in oil using Plein-air techniques. Transform a photograph or your own sketches into a vibrant oil painting. By the end of the course, you will be able ** to recreate natural light in your landscape paintings.**
What will you learn in this online course?
21 lessons & 26 downloads
The Materials
9 minutes, 47 seconds
Nature as a Major Inspiration
3 minutes, 24 seconds
Thumbnail Sketches and Draw-In 1
13 minutes, 56 seconds
Thumbnail Sketches and Draw-In 2
14 minutes, 36 seconds
Studio Setup, Lighting, and Toning the Canvas
9 minutes, 56 seconds
Value and Color Studies 1
18 minutes, 15 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet Diana Buitrago, a realist painter from Colombia, and your teacher for this course. Hear about her creative journey into the art world, which has taken her across North America and Europe. She shares her influences and sources of inspiration, which are deeply rooted in nature.
Get an overview of the materials needed for the course, before exploring how to find inspiration in nature. **Learn the fundamental of landscape painting **and pictorial planes.
Next, Diana teaches you how to draw thumbnail sketches, work on composition, and develop your idea further. After setting up your studio space and lighting, **learn how to tone your canvas, **before doing a value and a color study.
Time to start painting the final piece! Begin by doing[/b] the block-in process and under-painting,[/b] then work from back to front: paint the sky and the clouds. Once that’s done, Diana shows you **how to work on the middle ground and the foreground. **
In the last layer, see how to work on the overpasses: glazings, scumbling, and impastos. Finally, learn how to varnish the painting. As an extra lesson, Diana shows you how to take your paintings outdoors and paint en plein air.
What is this course's project?
Paint a studio landscape using oil painting techniques in four layers: block-in, under-painting, first color pass, and final revision (or over-pass layer).
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course welcomes oil painters with moderate, little, or no experience in landscape painting, as well as more experienced painters looking for more guidance.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you need:
⦁painting tubes of different colors
⦁brushes, an easel, a palette
⦁a space with natural or artificial light
⦁drawing materials such as paper, pencils, charcoal, eraser, among others.
Reviews
- 1 month ago
Wspaniały kurs. Uzupełniłam swoja wiedzę. Prowadząca w bardzo przystępny sposób tłumaczy aspekty malowania.
- 5 months ago
genial!
- 6 months ago
Amazing, fantastic course! Just all what you need to paint beautiful landscapes. Well explained the composition, the palete, the values, cromo and hue concepts, as well as the natural phenomena that should be taken into account when painting landscapes! Very recommended course. Thank you!
- 6 months ago
This is the beginning of painting for me, I am grateful to have found this course, it is very extraordinary, I like the explanation that is not long-winded but provides a deep enough understanding space so that the audience understands quickly and is easy to follow, and this is very helpful for me. Thank you and I am very proud to be your student. Regards
- 6 months ago
Excellent, great teacher
She now teaches painting to the advanced students in the Core Program at the Grand Central Atelier. She’s also taught workshops for The Art Students League of New York and in other institutions around the world such as Paris, Vienna, and Mexico City. When she’s not teaching, she’s at home painting in her studio or out traveling painting landscapes en Plein-air. In 2018, she was awarded a Fellowship with The La Napoule Foundation, which took her to the South of France to paint the beautiful Côte d'Azur. She’s also a four-time Hudson River Fellow, which allowed her to paint breathtaking landscapes in New Hampshire, New York’s Hudson Valley, and Connecticut. In 2019, her painting “Portrait of a Young Dancer” won a certificate of Excellence from the Portrait Society of America.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Fundamentals of Landscape Painting
- The Materials
- Nature as a Major Inspiration
- Landscape Elements and Pictorial Planes
- U3
Compositional Studies and Sketches
- Thumbnail Sketches and Draw-In 1
- Thumbnail Sketches and Draw-In 2
- Studio Setup, Lighting, and Toning the Canvas
- Value and Color Studies 1
- Value and Color Studies 2
- Value and Color Studies 3
- U4
Developing the Studio Painting: The First Two Layers
- The First Layer: Block-In
- The Second Layer: Underpainting
- U5
Developing the Studio Painting: The Third Layer
- The Sky and Deep Space
- The Middle Ground
- The Foreground 1
- The Foreground 2
- U6
Revisions and Corrections: The Fourth Layer
- Revision, Glazes, Scumbling, and Impasto 1
- Revision, Glazes, Scumbling, and Impasto 2
- Varnish and Preservation of the Painting
- Painting Outdoors: Plein-Air Gear
- FP
Final project
- Landscape Oil Painting with Plein-air Techniques
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate artists who want to deepen their skills in classical realist painting techniques, including landscape, portrait, and figure work using oil.
You’ll need oil paints, brushes (bristle and fan), toned paper, charcoal, canvas or panels, solvents for cleaning, and a palette. Specific material recommendations and setup instructions are provided in the course.
You’ll learn how to create plein air sketches outdoors, convert them into finished studio paintings, and apply techniques for capturing atmosphere, light, and depth in landscapes.
Yes, the course teaches classical techniques for painting portraits and figures from life, emphasizing the atelier approach and observation-based realism.
The course follows a structured atelier approach, guiding you step-by-step through drawing, grisaille, underpainting, and layered oil painting techniques for both landscapes and portraits.
Some basic experience with drawing or painting is recommended, as this course is best suited for those with foundational art skills who want to advance in realist oil painting.
Yes, the course covers setting up your studio, choosing easel positions, selecting lighting (natural and artificial), and organizing your materials for efficient workflow.