UPDATED: Michael Chesley Johnson FREE Plein Air Primer

Michael Chesley Johnson is a landscape painter ( in oils and pastels) and an author. He's been painting and blogging two months longer than me - having started in Autumn 2025.

He also writes for magazines like Artists Magazine and Pastel Journal. He's the author of some books, including Beautiful Landscape Painting Outdoors: Mastering Plein Air

I'm very happy to recommend Michael as an artist worth reading on the topic of plein air painting. He's very experienced and he produces good plein air artwork.

However, the purpose of this blog post changed half way through writing. It's about 

• making you aware you can read his Plein Air Primer for free
• making sure you read the conditions VERY CAREFULLY.
  

EXCEPT that Michael has now worked out what went wrong - and everything is now OK.  So this blog post now reads

• Primer for Plein Air - just click a link and read the whole post for FREE
• The UPDATED VERSION (what went wrong)
• the ORIGINAL VERSION - kept as a salutary reminder that these platforms can catch out even the best of intentions

Primer for Plein Air by Michael Chesley Johnson

Michael has made his Plein Air Primer available for free on his Substack - and this post tells you how to access it! Which means a bit of unpacking of what exactly "free" means.

In these articles, I’ve distilled much of my plein air practice. With plein air painting season just around the corner, I hope you find them useful—whether you’re a beginner or an old pro

Strictly speaking, this is a FREE with "a 7 day free trial". Which should be sufficient to get through all 7 articles - listed below.

• Part 1: Gear - What do you need for an easel or a paint box?
• Part 2: Tools and Stuff - What should I take?
• Part 3: Paints, Pastels and Papers - You don't need more than a few colors.
• Part 4: Setting a Goal - Don't go out without one!
• Part 5: Location and Picking a Subject - Location is everything.
• Part 6: Making a Proper Value Sketch - Making a preliminary value sketch is waste of time, right? Wrong.
• Part 7: Making a Painting - The final installment of the series

THE UPDATED VERSION

You can now read the entire post for free just by clicking the links above.

This is the email I got from Michael explaining what had gone wrong - which means it's now OK to click any of the links above and you will automatically 

This is Michael's explanation of what went wrong

First of all, thanks so much for the review in your Making a Mark blog—and also for pointing out that my “free” plein air primer posts are free for only 7 days and that they require you to provide an email address! That was not my intention at all.

I originally had set those posts for paid subscribers only, but had a change of heart and decided to make them free. I made the change and tested it by logging out; I was then able to view them in their entirety without having to provide an email address.

What changed things, however, was another setting lurking in the background. This setting lets you turn all free posts older than a month into “paid” posts—and because the plein air primer posts are over a month old, Substack reset them to paid-only. Yikes!

I have now turned off that particular setting and have tested it again, and everything looks fine, working as I planned. No one should have to give an email address to read these for free.

As for the GDPR law, Substack, unfortunately, doesn’t have a setting for this. However, this morning I’ve put in place a TOS/Privacy Policy and have also set the system so that new subscribers will need to go through a double-opt-in, confirming their email address.

Thanks again for the review and pointing out the problem.

THE ORIGINAL VERSION: What you need to do

UPDATE (23 Feb 2026): Apparently I have spotted an unintended problem with the posts ( as identified above)

You have to 

• set up an account in Substack (which is always a good idea) and 
• then subscribe to his Substack. Over on the right is the option to subscribe for free. HOWEVER.......

WHAT IT USED TO SAY: NO LONGER APPLICABLE - BUT WORK KEEPING FOR OTHER SUBSTACK USERS WHO MIGHT ALSO BE CAUGHT OUT!

The thing is I'm not a big fan of things that promise stuff for free - with a catch - i.e. you  then find out 

• you have to subscribe for free and sign up to a subscription which is going to charge you £41 for an annual subscription every year  (which it doesn't tell you on the blue advert)
• unless you cancel - which you can at any time.

That's because I'm one of those people who has to cancel straight away, because I know I'll forget to cancel in 7 days and I don't EVER give my credit card data away for free.

Plus I don't mind giving my email away - just so long as I can also refuse further communications and am not going to have to pay for anything.

Strictly speaking, I think of he had an advert like that in the UK Michael might get  stitched up by 

• the Advertising Standards Regulator (Non Broadcast Code) and 
• the OFCOM (complaints about websites and apps) 

if anybody complained to them. That's because they who prefer people to say exactly what they mean - with no qualifications in the small print a long way in.

I get the impression that maybe things are done differently in the US? Or the regulations are not as tight as the UK's.

It really depends what you want to do. If you're serious about plein air painting, I'd recommend it. He writes informative posts (but the books are cheaper!)

NOTE: Michael also appears to have worked out the way to keep his Blogger blog going while having transferred all new content to his Substack Painting to See. So I'll be having a think about that.

Review: Episode 6 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 11 (2026) - Dover Castle

This is my sixth and final review of the Heats in Series 11 of Landscape Artist of the Year. This episode apparently was the first heat of the series - and the view was of Dover Castle and its ramparts

Drone View of the location with LAOTY Pods, wildcard artists and Dover castle

As always my review provides:

• more detail than the programme about each of the artists
• overview of the location for the day and how this worked for the artists and programme
• comments on themes which cropped during the programme
• details of the artists who were shortlisted and who won the Wildcard and this heat.

My next review will be about the semi final - which is in Sussex (see end).

Episode 6: Dover Castle

Location and Weather

The location for this heat was an exposed hill across a wooded valley opposite Dover Castle. The pods were set up at the top of the slop and the wildcards were located further down the slope - in the eyeline of the pod artists.

DOVER CASTLE

Dover Castle:
a classic 11th century motte and bailey castle built by William the Conqueror
transformed by Henry II in the 12th century with a massive stone keep and curtain walls

Dover Castle is cared for by English Heritage and is VERY important in UK History. 

It was originally built to overlook the shortest passage between the south east of England and the continent. As such it has played a crucial role in the "defence of the realm" for over nine centuries. As such it ranks alongside the Tower of London and Windsor Castle.

The history of the castle includes:

• The massive earth ramparts and ditches surrounding the castle were thought to have been originally constructed about 800 years BC!
• The Romans constructed a lighthouse (Pharos) to guide ships into the harbour 
• Churches were built in the 7th and 10-11th centuries
• 1066: William the Conqueror builds a castle there after he has defeated King Harold
• 1180-89: King Henry II rebuilds the Castle and constructs a huge Keep. This was the most expensive castle building project in England ever!
• 1215: King John constructs the important outer defences which hold when the castle is besieged the following year by the Prince of France
• 1217-56: over the next 30 years, enormous sums are spent strengthening Dover, making it one of the largest and most strategically important castles in England.
• 1793-1815: huge sums are spent during the French Revolution and the Napoelanic wars to make the castle safe
• 1939-45: The naval and later combined services headquarters were located in the Napoleonic tunnels and masterminded the invasion of France.
• 1956: the gun batteries were removed.

I didn't have the sense from the programme that ANY of this was explained to the artists before they started their paintings.  I don't know any serious landscape painters of major important structures who wouldn't do a bit of research before they started painting - so they can make sure they include critical bits or because they need to know what they're painting - and which bits are where!

From a painting perspective, the earth ramparts (which are entirely artificial) are at least as important as the stone structure - and yet few really showed what they were there for or what they looked like.

One artist - the winner - did. Hence why I've explained the location in so much detail.

NOTE: Incidentally, I know that drones are fabulous things that allow filmmakers to get views they could never get before. 

• For me they are good for locating the venue and the nature of its vicinity. 
• However, the film-making of this series seems to have fallen prey to using the drone as much as possible.
• what WE DO NOT SEE ENOUGH OF is what the view looks like from each artist's pod.

That view is the only one we need to know about to do an armchair judgement of whether or not an artist has captured a good likeness of what a place looks like.

All we got a was a very few seconds near the beginning as the artists began to prep their artwork. 

All we needed was for Stephen and Tai to do their double act explaining the view from inside a pod - BEFORE the artists got into them. How difficult is that.  Instead they talked about it from a place where all we saw was them talking rather than the view!

The (very) quick view from an Artist's Pod

Bottom line, it's exactly the same as portraiture - if you choose to make a portrait of a place then it must look like the place as well as being interesting as a painting.

i.e. what it looks like is the view from the pod - NOT the view from the sky!

Weather

Yet another very warm and sunny day - but apparently a great deal of gusty wind from time to time also. Easels, artwork, paint, water - all went flying! I'm not surprised there was a wind because I think the location for the pods was absolutely crackers!

Wind is normal. Artists normally avoid windy spots for all sorts of very practical reasons - the main one being lightweight plein air easels falling over. Which means Storyvault Films MUST  project manage the set up for wind - and that might include (VERY serious suggestion):

• having a VERY big think about the wisdom of some locations 
• where wind is VERY predictable 
• eg near the coast, on top of a hill!!
• thinking about / finding out what the PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION  is likely to be and how this might affect the pods i.e. 
• it looked to me like they'd pitched the pods right in the path of every (PREVAILING) south west wind coming up the channel! 
• I then checked on Google Maps and that is precisely what they had done!
• HOW can a Location Manager not understand about prevailing winds - and hence why some locations are NOT a good idea? I am just gobsmacked.

The prevailing wind direction in Dover is primarily from the west and south-west for most of the year, particularly from mid-May to mid-April. 

Strong winds (force 5 or greater) occur frequently, with higher, more dangerous gusts often coming from the South-South-West (SSW) to West-South-West (WSW) directions, affecting the port's operating safety limits. (Google)

  

The Artists in the Pods

Episode 5 artists are listed BELOW in the alphabetical order of their surnames.

• including a synopsis of their background
• Links to their websites (if they have one) are embedded in their names.
• Social media platforms are also referenced - but typically only one

Portraiture and Portrait Painting: Reflections on a Discussion by three Expert Portrait Artists

On Saturday afternoon, I went along to the Mall Galleries to hear Miriam Escofet RP, Antony Williams RP, NEAC PS and Frances Bell RP ROI CBPP participating in the Expert Artist Panel Discussion.

The subject was Portraiture. 

The Expert Panel
(left to rght: Frances Bell; Antony Williams, Dr Alison Smith and Miriam Escofet)

I know all three artists well having seen their work in various exhibitions and award competitions in the last few years - at least a decade and maybe nearer two! I have lots of photos of them with their work! You'll see some of the pics I took below.

It was interesting to hear their take on questions posed by the host who was Dr Alison Smith, who was formerly the Chief Curator at the National Portrait Gallery (2017-2024) and is curently the Director of Collections and Research at the Wallace Collection.

Below are some notes and some quotes. 

I'm not going to attribute them to individuals as, for the most part, they were all in agreement. Plus while I've got notes for some, I've not got notes for all!

You can see examples of their portraits on their websites - but they've completed very many more portraits than are typically included on a website.

(Left to right) Miriam Escofet, Frances Bell, Antony Williams

What is a portrait?

Which comes first, the person or the painting?

"Portraits are first and foremost a likeness"

The audience for a portrait expect a good likeness.

However:

• a portrait is also a painting
• there is also the issue of the difference between personal work and a commissioned artwork
• artists are always fascinated about the possibilities of their media and what they can do
• there's a tension between getting the likeness and creating a satisfactory painting

If there's no likeness a portrait isn't working BUT it's not a good painting just because it is a good likeness.

To this end

• portrait artists also like to paint personal work which allows them to explore the possibilities of their media and what they can do

What's different about Portrait Painting?

Review: Episode 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 11 (2026) - HMS Wellington & the South Bank

There are no pods in this week's episode 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year - because all the artists are created their art while rocking and swaying to the waves of the River Thames with their easels on the decks of HMS Wellington.

LAOTY 2025 - Episode 5 Artists with their paintings

This review follows the same format of my other reviews and considers.

• the location and weather
• the artists' profiles
• themes arising during the episode
• who was shortlisted and who won

See my review of Episode 1 for how these reviews and my commentary works.

At the end, in the Reference Section, you can see listings for all previous reviews of this series and most of the previous LAOTY series - which ALL have lots of tips on my Art on Television page.

 

Episode 5: HMS Wellington and the South Bank

Location and Weather

A drone image of HMS Wellington - on the right
and the brutalist architecture of the South Bank Centre (National Theatre etc) on the left

The artists were based for the day on HMS Wellington which is a historic Royal Navy Grimsby Class Sloop moored on the Victoria Embankment - which runs between the Palace of Westminster and Blackfriars Bridge - near Temple Tube Station.

An iconic feature on the River Thames since 1948, HMS WELLINGTON provides a unique and charming venue with unrivalled views of the Thames riverscape that includes Big Ben and the London Eye to the West, and the Shard and the City of London to the East.

Group #1 seemed to be around about the middle of the ship

Group #2 seemed to be a slightly different place - towards the bow

HMS Wellington can be hired out in part or as a whole for the day.

 

HMS Wellington - moored at the Victoria Embankment

The location is one I know extremely well - having spent 

• three years working for KPMG at Puddle Dock (next to Blackfriars Bridge) and 
• four years working for my professional institute which used to be located nearby, adjacent to Embankment Gardens. 
• This stretch of the Thames is in between the two. 

Plus I have walked along the South Bank - from Embankment to Tate Modern - at least twice a year for the last 20 years.

The set-up minus pods on the deck of HMS Wellington
The only people with shelter are those who brought their own umbrellas

The view of the South Bank across the River Thames included everything from the Shard to the East (left) to the London Eye to the west (right).

It's probably the most panoramic landscape they've ever had in an urban environment. That is a genuine first.

Interestingly, you normally find the artists on the other side of the river painting the City of London - as I have done. This is also because, if you locate on the North bank of the Thames you're looking into the sun all day - which can be very wearing. I'd be interested to hear how the artists found it on the day. I was surprised not to see more sunglasses! (of which more later).

The weather was dry and very sunny in the morning, lots of high cloud in the afternoon and VERY windy rather a lot of the time. (At least they didn't have a rain problem)

On HMS Wellington

• the artists were located along the side of the ship - on the fore deck - at the mercy of the wind and experiencing wash from the other boats and the rising tide
• the wildcards were all under an awning in "steerage"!

We were on a boat! Out in the elements, buffeted by the wind, swaying with the rising tide, we emerged after a long day ruddy-cheeked & still smiling thanks to the team @storyvaultfilms Nicola Tremain

"Isn't TV Art Mad" Tai Shan Shierenberg 

The Artists on HMS Wellington

Episode 5 artists are listed BELOW in the alphabetical order of their surnames.

• including a synopsis of their background
• Links to their websites (if they have one) are embedded in their names.
• Social media platforms are also referenced - but typically only one

Katherine Tyrrell: Ten Artistic Tips Learnt From The Big Painting Challenge (11 years later!)

Some of those contemplating entering one of the Artist of the Year competitions might find the tips below to be useful.

This is a reproduction of an article I wrote for the WH Smith Blog eleven years ago following (a) the Final of the The Big Painting Challenge and (b) the publication of my book Sketching 365. 

I found it by accident while searching for something else and realised I had completely forgotten about it! It also seemed very timely for a repost!

So here is Katherine Tyrrell: Ten Artistic Tips Learnt From The Big Painting Challenge

________________________________

Last Sunday was the final episode of The Big Painting Challenge. The series has offered a lot to opportunities to learn over the last 6 weeks – from the amateur painters as well as from the Judges Daphne Todd and Lachlan Goudie.

I’ve been following the series on my blog Making A Mark and have been writing a series of posts – one for each episode. These comment on the challenges and highlight tips as the series has progressed.

Below I’ve summarised some important tips which I’ve derived from the programme content and the comments of both judges and the amateur artists.

TOP TEN TIPS

Check out these tips if you’re thinking of entering an art competition on television – or just improving how you paint.

TIP 1: Observation is key.

It’s really important to look carefully whether you are painting a person, a still life, a landscape – or things which move and dance about and change while you watch! You will reap the benefits if you spend as much time looking as you do drawing and painting. Find the big shapes, the verticals, horizontals and angles and don’t forget to measure and check the size and relative proportions of what you can see.

TIP 2: Good drawing underpins sound construction.

When a drawing or painting does not look quite right it’s often down to a problem with the drawing. Problems with drawing often lie either in:

• A failure to observe carefully (see Tip 1)
• A tendency to simplify so as to ignore the difficult bits
• Unfamiliarity with a range of normal drawing media and the scope for making different marks (see Tip 3)
• Difficulties in placing an object on a page – leading to bits missing which you intended to include (see Tip 6)
• Difficulties in handling and mixing colour when using dry media rather than paint (Tip 8)

Identifying the nature of the problem with your drawing is your first step to learning how to correct it. Example: My major problem is my verticals often lean if I draw without thinking. My solution is to check how a major vertical lines up with the edge of the page as I draw it.

My book "Sketching 365" published internationally in 2015

TIP 3: Practice drawing quickly using different types of dry media.

Dry media was usually used for the quick draw exercises in The Big Painting Challenge but was not limited to pencils or charcoal. There was also little time for slow careful drawings! Moving on from graphite to use different types of dry media – and colour – challenged a few of the artists! Dry media are great for drawing and sketching. Try becoming more familiar with the properties of different types of dry media and also how they can be used intelligently to produce quick drawings. Not everything is drawn using a tip – you can also use the side and cover more paper faster! Drawing quickly is something that can be learned – but it takes practice

TIP 4: Become comfortable in working from life – as part of your daily life.