Plein air is about painting in nature. Observing the real world with your eyes. Though it’s nice to be analog and outside, digital tools are a big help!
So here are 3 digital tools to improve your paintings and help you find a good scene. They only require a few moments to use. I have these all on my phone and recommend them.
Grid Overlay #️⃣
Find a scene. Take a reference photo. Use an app to overlay a grid. This lets you select a proper composition. It helps you draw your underpainting with guidelines.
Try Grid#. You select a custom grid of columns, rows, and diagonals. Start with the basic 3x3 grid to get a good golden section.
Alternative: Enable the gridlines in you photo settings to see a grid while taking your original reference.
Value Finder ☯️
A value finder app lets you switch a photo to black and white. It removes color. It helps you see areas of light and dark. Proper value is essential to a successful painting.
Try Notanizer. Quickly switch between color, black and white, notan, or multi-value. You can control the levels of gray. Great for seeing high key and low key options.
Alternative: Edit your photo and turn the saturation all the way down. Or use a predefined black and white filter. Both remove colors to see values.
Blur Photo 😑
A blurring app removes details from a picture. It makes a scene less overwhelming. It helps you see big shapes, group values, and group colors.
Try Motion Blur Photo Editor. You can make your picture more blurry or less blurry. If you are really fancy, change the type of blur, or only blur certain areas of your reference.
Alternative: go analog and squinting your eyes. Or take a photo and adjust the f stop.
These digital apps can help you paint stronger paintings. They help with the fundamentals, like composition and value. They are fast and convenient. These are my recommendations for iPhone. There are many alternatives, and similar tools on Android. Try them out.