My experience with digital plein air painting has been one of the more interesting experiments of my practice, and I want to share both what works and what doesn't.

The setup that works: iPad Pro with a small stand, a screen shade to reduce glare, Procreate, and a location with interesting light and a place to sit comfortably. The stand frees both hands. The screen shade is essential in direct sunlight.

What works about digital plein air: the ability to undo and to change brushes without cleaning a physical palette. Starting a new composition on the same device without changing media or setup. Color sampling from earlier studies on the device.

What doesn't work as well as traditional: the screen rendering varies with angle in ways that can make you over-saturate colors. I've learned to sit perpendicular to the screen and use the same viewing angle consistently. The physical drawing sensation is different from brush on paper, which takes adjustment in a location that's already full of observational demands.

The overall assessment: useful for capturing light quickly when traditional media isn't available. The speed of digital lets you do three or four color studies in a plein air session rather than one traditional study.