8 Tips to Paint Like an Impressionist: Advices from a French Artist.

Naima Namaste
May 15
5 min read

Updated: May 25

French artist Naïma shares personal reflections and heartfelt tips on how to paint like an Impressionist — inspired by her roots in Normandy and a lifelong love of the great French Masters.

Have you ever dreamt of painting like an Impressionist?

Capturing the softness of morning light, the movement of flowers in the breeze, or the emotion of a passing glance with just a brushstroke?

Today, from my studio in the South of France, I carry their essence in my own way. I paint not just to depict, but to feel and to invite others into that feeling.

If so, you’re not alone.

That dream has lived in me since I was a little girl in Normandy... the land where the sky has inspired ALL the Great Masters and art feels as natural as the sea air.

I grew up near Rouen and surrounded by beauty, light, and the spirits of my favorite painters: CLaude Monet, Eugène Boudin, Renoir, Cezanne... Their presence was everywhere...in the books on our shelves, the gardens outside our windows, the museums and the places that inspired them.

It’s from that place...of memory, feeling, and years of practice... that I offer you these gentle pieces of advice. Not rules, but invitations.

A way to step into the magic of painting as the Impressionists did…

and as you might, too.

I love to find a place, sit and be inspired....Painting plein air in South of France in spring and summer time

1. See with feeling, not just with your eyes

Impressionist painting isn’t about copying the scene in front of you. It’s about translating emotion. I always ask myself: What does this moment feel like? A garden at dusk. A woman turning her face to the wind. A still pond. Let your brush be led by sensation, not precision.

eternal rose oil painting, impressionist art, naima fine art — Painting a Single Rose with behind a magical ethereal background of flowers and plants, expressing my emotions through each brushstrokes

2. Let light be your guide

In Normandy, light shifts like the tide... soft one moment, radiant the next. The Impressionists were deeply in love with light, and I understand why. I often paint by a window, looking at the sky from my art studio, or outside whenever I can and feel the inspiration.

Let the time of day shape your painting. Observe how shadows stretch, how sunlight dances. You don’t need to control it : just respond.

Learn to interpret colors, look at them deeply, translate them on canvas following your intuition. I also often take photos to check later my painting I started plein air and finish in the studio.

During summer, I prefer to paint in the morning or late afternoon when the light is really beautiful and rich in colors...

3. Embrace loose, instinctive brushstrokes

There’s freedom in letting go of perfection. I often remind myself: this is not about “getting it right.” It’s about movement, rhythm, breath. Let your strokes be wild or gentle, as they wish. Let them carry emotion. Some of my favorite works were born from total surrender.

Let the colors blend on the canvas and become your very unique expression.

*On this painting, I have decided to play with oil pastels, you can use your favorite medium, oil paint or oil pastel, don't be afraid to try new ways of expressing yourself, that's the beauty of ART.*

4. Keep your palette simple

The great French painters often used limited palettes... and I love this approach. With just a few carefully chosen colors, you can say so much. It creates harmony, softness, and intimacy. Trust that you don’t need more to go deeper.

painting abstract woman made of water and nature — with only manganese blue, yellow ochre, quinacridone magenta and titanium white, I have created so much beauty, I always let my intuition guide me, my emotions. Again, it is about letting go.

5. Paint what lights you up

A small flower. A distant memory. The shape of a dress in the wind. It doesn’t have to be dramatic... it only has to move you. I always begin with something that stirs my heart. That emotional connection is the soul of the painting.

6. Trust the process, even when it’s uncertain

You don’t need to have a perfect plan. Let the painting evolve. Begin, and see where it wants to go. Some of my most beloved pieces surprised me. They emerged from intuition, not intention. Give yourself permission to not know...and keep going anyway.

This is an abstract painting I created inspired by the French Riviera with its beautiful Mediterranean Sea and sunflower fields.

7. Beauty is enough

This is something I’ve had to learn and relearn. You don’t need to justify your love of softness, of color, of beauty. In a world that can feel sharp and rushed, creating something tender is powerful. What speaks to you and what you find beautiful is your signature.

Painting like an Impressionist isn’t about technique alone. It’s a way of seeing, of feeling, of being. For me, it’s a dance between wildness and softness, like Monet’s garden, where everything grows freely, but with such grace.

Painting the Nympheas of Claude Monet's garden — My latest painting serie is an Ode to Claude Monet's garden, I am blending the colors directly on the canvas, **tap here to see more**

Impressionist Palette and Technique

The technique used by the Impressionists is rooted in the theory of juxtaposing primary and complementary colors. This concept comes from the French chemist Michel-Eugène Chevreul and his law of simultaneous contrast(1839).

Rather than blending pigments on the palette, Impressionist painters would place pure colors side by side to enhance their visual impact.

For example, placing a vibrant green next to a red will intensify the contrast between the two.

By dividing tones into distinct colors, the artist allows the viewer's eye to do the blending, creating a new hue through optical illusion.

It’s a kind of visual magic: when all the colors are juxtaposed on the canvas, the eye brings them together and gives shape and meaning to the painting.