CELEBRATING THE ARTIST’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR
artist
June 2021 £4.80
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THE PRAC TICAL MAGAZINE FOR ARTISTS BY ARTISTS – SINCE 1931
Discover the keys to unlocking better paintings
Enter our TALPOpen 2021 & 90th anniversary front cover competitions
with Paul Talbot-Greaves
Plus 10 top tips for painting in acrylics the watercolour way Enjoy the benefits of daily sketchbooking
Funding availability for artists & how to apply
How to create impressionistic, multi-layered landscapes
WATERCOLOUR
OILS
Be inspired to paint a family portrait
Pre-mix your colours for successful still lifes
9
ACRYLICS
770004 387193
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Advice on painting en plein air in oils
artist‘S 90
1931–2021
th
ANNIVERSARY
FRONT COVER COMPETITION HELP US TO CELEBRATE OUR 90TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR BY ENTERING OUR NEW FRONT COVER COMPETITION
The Artist was first published in March 1931 and to celebrate we are looking for entries from which to select an image to be featured on the front cover of a forthcoming 2021 issue. The selected artist will see their work featured on the front cover of our print and digital issues, online, and seen by our huge worldwide audience. CELEBRATING THE ARTIST’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR
artist
June 2021 £4.80
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Upload a digital image of a recent drawing or painting of any subject, in any medium, for the chance to feature on
Discover the keys to unlocking better paintings
Enter our TALPOpen 2021 & 90th anniversary front cover competitions
with Paul Talbot-Greaves
Plus 10 top tips for painting in acrylics the watercolour way Advice on painting en plein air in oils
Enjoy the benefits of daily sketchbooking
Funding availability for artists & how to apply
ACRYLICS How to create impressionistic, multi-layered landscapes
WATERCOLOUR
OILS
Be inspired to paint a family portrait
Pre-mix your colours for successful still lifes
9
artist
770004 387193
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the front cover of a 2021 issue of
THE PRAC TICAL MAGAZINE FOR ARTISTS BY ARTISTS – SINCE 1931
ENTER ONLINE AT http://bit.ly/39rHkD6 Entry is FREE and the closing date for entries is Friday July 9, 2021. The winning artist will be notified soon afterwards and asked to supply a high-resolution image suitable for reproduction purposes.
JUDGES Sally Bulgin, editor The Artist Dawn Farley, online editor PaintersOnline and members of our publishing team
artist
WELCOME
artist incorporating ART & ARTISTS
90
from the editor
First established 1931 ISSN 0004-3877 Vol.136 No.6 ISSUE 1095
TH
Want to comment on something you’ve read, or seen? Email me at theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or visit our website at www.painters-online.co.uk/forum
Publishing Editor: Sally Bulgin PhD Hon VPRBSA
ANNIVERSARY
1931 – 2021
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I
was a massive fan of Grayson’s Art Club on Channel 4 during our first lockdown in 2020 which provided an inclusive, fun and creative outlet that helped us through a difficult time. For me it was the best of its kind in its invitation to the British public to discover and celebrate their artistic side. Everyone was encouraged to send in their own interpretations of a different theme, every
week, with the chance to be selected by Grayson Perry for inclusion in a final exhibition. It was a
Advertisement copy: Natalie Reynolds: 01778 391130 Natalier@warnersgroup.co.uk
huge success and although the exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery was unable to open to the
Online Editor: Dawn Farley
Art Club on Channel 4.
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public due to the lockdown in November 2020, it was showcased in a special episode of Grayson’s Thankfully, due to its success, we were able to enjoy a second series during our third lockdown when Grayson’s Art Club returned to our TV screens on February 26 for a six-week run of episodes focusing on the themes of family, nature, food, dreams, work and travel. Filmed in Grayson Perry’s welcoming studio in Islington, London, with occasional appearances by his cat Kev, Grayson revealed in online conversations with members of the public, as well as other artists, actors,
Subscription orders should be sent to: The Artist subscriptions, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH. Tel: 01778 395174
comedians and TV stars, how art can help us to get in touch with, and channel our feelings and
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channelled into an illustrative imaginative painting on the theme of family.
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confirmed.
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memories. I was particularly moved by Grayson’s conversation in the first episode with TV presenter Anneka Rice who shared her sadness about her parents’ secrecy of their past and which she had At its core Perry’s message is that art can help us through times of crisis and trauma and, as he emphasises in everything he does and says, art is for everyone. His great skill is in seeing beyond the purely aesthetic qualities of a piece to discover and empathise with the heartfelt passion or narrative behind the work. There are plans for a second exhibition to celebrate the work created during the second series, although at the time of writing, the date and location are yet to be Another initiative designed to inspire everyone to think about creating their own artworks is The Great Big Art Exhibition, launched earlier this year by the Firstsite gallery in Colchester, Essex, running until May 7, 2021. The aim is to encourage the nation to create artwork for display in windows, gardens, on doorsteps, windowsills and balconies and help create the biggest art show this country has ever displayed and bring a smile to people’s faces in their local communities. Grayson Perry is amongst the leading artists who have backed the initiative by suggesting themes and ideas to encourage everyone to take part. The first to kickstart the project was Antony Gormley who chose the theme of animals. Free activity packs are available to download from Firstsite for ideas and inspiration at www.firstsite.uk At a time when making art has provided so much joy and solace for so many people, the idea of a new nationwide exhibition growing in our communities
artist Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH. Tel: 01778 395174 www.painters-online.co.uk
over the coming weeks and months seems like a great way to celebrate our collective creativity.
Best wishes
THIS MONTH’S COVER
Sally Bulgin Publishing Editor
Paul Talbot-Greaves Summer in Dentdale, watercolour on Saunders Waterford 140lb (300gsm) Not, 10315in (25.5338cm). See pages 34 to 37
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artist June 2021
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CONTENTS
56
FEATURES
PRACTICALS
39 A brilliant combination
16 Bold and wild
21 Dramatic forms and gentle reflections
Liquid acrylics make a great base for coloured pencil work, as Liz Seward shows with a lively spring landscape
Collette Clegg, winner of The Artist Award in the 2020 David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition talks to Susie Hodge about her approach to painting
Be inspired by Judith Yates as she demonstrates how she creates her impressionistic landscapes in acrylic with layers of texture and glazes
42 Acrylics, watercolour style Acrylics can be diluted and used just like watercolour says Amanda Hyatt as she demonstrates an interior scene and shares her top ten tips to get you started
55 The colour of shadows
26 A portrait of love
Mike Barr explains why the colours of shadows are rarely just darker versions of the areas not in shadow – something that the Impressionists used to great effect
Follow how Francesco Fontana painted a portrait of a grandmother and her granddaughter as part of a series of watercolour paintings on the theme of relationships
Follow Sarah Manolescue as she demonstrates a plein-air landscape of a riverside scene in oil, with details of her outdoor painting kit
30 Keeping it fresh
50 Paint a still life in oil
56 Daily sketchbooking Sarah Edmonds looks at the discipline of keeping a sketchbook and why it’s an important ritual in the first of a new series about the artist’s practice
58 Funding your practice Penny Harris looks at what funding is available to artists, and how to apply for it
65 Art collecting in a time of coronavirus – Sally Middleton offers a personal view
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artist June 2021
As Helen Tarr demonstrates, careful preparation and pre-mixing of the colours are the keys to creating a lively painting of roses in oils
34 Better design Paul Talbot-Greaves’ new series unlocks the secrets behind creating better paintings. This month he discusses the importance of good design as he demonstrates how to plan a watercolour landscape
46 Add water to your landscape
Adele Wagstaff completes the transition from drawing into painting using information informed by her previous studies and explains how to mix colours from a limited palette to paint a still life in oil
PLUS THIS MONTH 6 Your views 9 The Art World 64 Opportunities 66 Exhibitions www.painters-online.co.uk
Join our friendly art community
PAINTERSONLINE l Create your own portfolio of artworks in our online gallery l Create your own Studio Wall mood board and share with other artists l Chat with other artists on a wide range of art-related topics l Connect with art tutors and art clubs l Find details of art courses, art shops, galleries, framers and more l Be inspired by practical painting and drawing demonstrations l Enter our competitions with great prizes up for grabs
Next month in
artist
FEATURES
p FINISHED PAINTING Sea Swells, Antigua, watercolour and gouache on canvas board, 15¾313½in (40334cm). Lastly I added the highlights: with my rigger charged with some creamy white gouache I established
Join our new Studio membership today. Try it for FREE for 30 days at https://www.painters-online.co.uk/membership/freetrial
NEWS & OFFERS 2 Enter our 90th Anniversary Front Cover Competition for the opportunity to see your work published on our front cover 14 Enter our TALPOpen Competition 2021 for the chance to see your work exhibited, published and promoted worldwide, and to win one of over 35 prizes worth over £13,500! 38 Subscribe to The Artist, save money and enjoy free delivery direct to your door 54 Save money on discounted practical art books from our online bookshop 62 Become a member of our Studio community and enjoy these exclusive benefits 70 See your work published in The Artist. Simply upload your work to our PaintersOnline gallery for the opportunity to be selected for our monthly Editor’s Choice feature 71 Help us to celebrate The Artist’s 90th anniversary year by entering our monthly online challenges for the opportunity to win £50 vouchers to spend on Search Press art and craft books
p
IN CONVERSATION Royal Academician Olwyn Bowey discusses her carefully planned approach to her complex still life set ups and pared down landscapes, describing her style as ‘forensic’
PRACTICALS
p
NEW SERIES In the first of her new three-part series on painting figures and wildlife in watercolour, Hazel Soan shares her approach and suggests an exercise to try to help you paint figures from life with confidence
p
Follow Paul Weaver’s demonstration and paint seasonal floral still lifes in watercolour
PLUS l How to create mood and atmosphere in seascapes in
acrylics, by Judith Yates l Paul Talbot-Greaves demonstrates the importance of
drawing for capturing a successful portrait in oils, and suggests an exercise to try l Paul Riley puts the latest Hahnemühle watercolour papers to the test
EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS
PLUS l Advice from Penny Harris on how to manage the gallery Ken Howard OBE, RA
David Curtis ROI, VPRSMA
studied at Hornsey School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He is a member of the NEAC, ROI, RWS, RWA and RBA. He exhibits extensively and has won numerous awards.
has won many awards for his en plein air and figurative paintings in both oils and watercolours. He has had several books published on his work as well as DVD films, and exhibits his work extensively.
www.painters-online.co.uk
Haidee-Jo Summers ROI, RSMA has won many awards for her plein-air and alla-prima oil paintings. She is an elected member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the author of Vibrant Oils and also has a DVD with the same title.
relationship l The many and varied colours of the sky, more top tips
from Mike Barr
And much more! Don’t miss out: our July issue is on sale from May 14 artist June 2021
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YOUR
VIEWS
LETTERS, EMAILS AND COMMENTS
Email theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or write to The Editor, The Artist, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH Please note we may have to edit letters for reasons of space
STAR LETTER Perspective explained I was interested to read Karren Whalen’s letter ‘My perspective’ in the March 2021 issue. Sadly perspective is not taught at art colleges any more. In my art school days (at Medway College of Art in the 1950s), perspective was considered to be an important aspect of our initial foundation drawing course. I taught art for 43 years and made sure my students understood the basic principles of fundamental perspective – but not until year eight or above so as not to suppress natural expressiveness or creative enthusiasm. I discovered that many students would grasp perspective theory just by looking carefully at what they were sketching. Recently, a graduate BA from UCA in Rochester asked me to give him some basic tips on perspective, which I was more than happy to do. Basically, if you are unsure, it’s helpful to establish your eye level with a faint pencil line at the start; look very carefully at what you are about to sketch, and compare the eye line in your view to the line in your sketchbook. Note that lines receding into the distance above your eye line go DOWN, those below it go UP. The simple drawing (below) illustrates the theory of perspective and encourages the student to add windows and doors in perspective using the imaginary vanishing point (VP). Using this theory with the eye level (EL) covers most perspective aspects.
John Austin, by email This month’s star letter writer will receive a Sennelier portable watercolour palette, worth £29.95.
Alternative support for oil pastels It was pleasing to read Robert Dutton's article about oil pastels in The Artist April 2021 issue. As he stated, oil pastel is an underrated medium, although it has lots of advantages to offer when the technique of handling has been mastered. The supports Robert mentioned are all very useful to use although, as an alternative, I have used the reverse side
of hardboard, well sanded down with two coats of primer. This surface will hold many layers of oil pastel – oil pastels can be thinned out with solvent and further thicker pastel layers added. It is also useful for making larger work or cropping down. John Betton, by email
Lifeline I had been buying The Artist for a couple of years, off and on, before we went into the first lockdown, at which time my
husband took out a subscription for me. I love reading the magazines as soon as they pop through the letter box; I found lots of articles interesting, some have been helpful and others have encouraged me to try something a bit different. I have given some copies away, but have kept many, and they were a treasure trove over the winter lockdown when my art class went online but was not live. I have been able to search through back copies for ideas, techniques and encouragement for the varied subjects we were painting each week. So thank you for all your inspiration during this difficult time. Sue Hester, by email
First steps to success Congratulations Barbara Kozyra (The Artist Your Views, April 2021 issue), for having the courage to give up the day job and paint full time. Getting started is difficult. However, selling online is only one option, and getting your name and work known is necessary from a very early stage. There is no easy answer and legwork, I am afraid, is essential. You need to find galleries that sell work of your genre and knock on the door and go in, armed with paintings. The gallery may not like your work, or may be oversubscribed with other artists. So try another one, and another... Tourist towns often have several galleries, if yours does not. You can find galleries by searching online or you can go look for yourself. Offer to show them what you do, either in person or by sending images. Talk to the proprietor: find out what they like and what the commission is. It's likely to be steep – it pays their overheads and wages, but you allow for that when pricing. Look out for exhibitions that you can be part of – the Derbyshire Open is one example. Or join a group or a club that meets and exhibits regularly. I got started by walking into a gallery and asking if they were interested in my stuff – I took it with me to show them. They had had a cancellation and were delighted to fit me in if I could do 20 pieces in three weeks. It nearly killed me but I sold out! Isabel Blincow, by email
Subscribe at www.painters-online.co.uk or telephone 01778 395174 Become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/paintersonline. Follow us on Twitter@artpublishing
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June 2021
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4 – 13 JUNE 2021 A Celebration of the Arts in the North Cotswolds
TRY OUR ONLINE COURSES FROM £12 Exclusive Workshops with: Haidee-Jo Summers l Jake Winkle l Ann Blockley l Tim Fisher
Exhibitions l Art & Design Talks l Outdoor Theatre l Music Open Art Competition - Main Prize £1000 Closing date 23th April - Entry details on the website
BEAT B R OA DWAY
The opening weekend showcasing some of Britain’s top artists, designers and artisans demonstrating their skills and selling their work
Enjoy our inspirational, high-quality tuition at home Interactive webinars and small group courses. We broadcast live from our studio and send you a recording after the session too. Full technical support provided.
Studio based courses back from May.
Paintings l Sculpture l Ceramics l Textiles Jewellery l Glass l Wood l Art Supplies
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THE PRAC TICAL MAGAZINE FOR ARTISTS BY ARTISTS – SINCE 1931
Discover the keys to unlocking better paintings
Enter our TALPOpen 2021 & 90th anniversary front cover competitions
with Paul Talbot-Greaves
Plus 10 top tips for painting in acrylics the watercolour way Advice on painting en plein air in oils
Enjoy the benefits of daily sketchbooking
Funding availability for artists & how to apply
ACRYLICS How to create impressionistic, multi-layered landscapes
WATERCOLOUR
OILS
Be inspired to paint a family portrait
Pre-mix your colours for successful still lifes
Digital editions are available at:
pocketmags.com/theartist from ONLY £3.99!
770004 387193
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artist
June 2021 £4.80
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NOW!
CELEBRATING THE ARTIST’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR
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See for yourself by downloading the FREE SAMPLE ISSUE
FINISHED PAINTING The next day I decided to throw caution to the wind and develop it further. I had kept my palette covered overnight and had plenty of mixed colours left. The roses were a beautiful, delicate pink and I knew that a little more time spent on them would enhance them as the focal point of the composition. I was able
THE ART WORLD NEWS, INFORMATION AND ONLINE EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD
compiled by Jane Stroud
p Joseph Mallord William Turner The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her Last Berth to be Broken Up, 1838, oil on canvas, 35¾347¾in (913121.5cm)
TURNER’S Modern World Turner’s Modern World at Tate Britain explores the way Turner responded to new challenges facing society during the Industrial Revolution. Starting in the 1790s when the artist first observed the effects of modern life, the exhibition brings together major works from the Tate and other collections, such as Rain, Steam and Speed and The Fighting Temeraire (above) recording the impact steam power had on all areas of life – from industry and war, to travel, politics, slavery and the environment. Turner’s Modern World is at Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG, until September 12. Check with the gallery for opening details and up-to-date information. Telephone 020 7887 8888 or visit www.tate.org.uk
www.painters-online.co.uk
June 2021
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PaintersOnline webinars Watercolour artist and tutor, Grahame Booth (left) will be leading our first series of live watercolour webinars for PaintersOnline. With over 25 years’ teaching experience and three books on watercolour techniques published by Search Press, he is well used to the problems faced by watercolour painters. To keep up to date with this and forthcoming PO webinars, sign up to the PaintersOnline email newsletter at bit.ly/POSIGNUP t Grahame Booth
Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years A major exhibition featuring early works by Grayson Perry, made between 1982 and 1994, will open at York Art Gallery on May 28. The touring exhibition, developed by the Holburne Museum in Bath will re-introduce 70 works made by the artist during this time. ‘This show has been such a joy to put together,’ writes Grayson. ‘I am really looking forward to seeing these early works again, many of which I have not seen since the eighties. It is as near as I will ever get to meeting myself as a young man, an angrier, priapic me with a huge energy but a much smaller wardrobe.’ Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years is at York Art Gallery from May 28 to September 5; www.yorkartgallery.org.uk
t Grayson Perry
Cocktail Party, 1989 at York Art Gallery, from May 28 to September 5
The Artist's 90th Anniversary CHALLENGE ‘To celebrate The Artist’s 90th year, PaintersOnline is inviting all artists to join in with our series of monthly challenges. Entries are invited in any media inspired by some of the key events throughout 1931, the year of our launch. To find out more go to www.paintersonline.co.uk/competitions The winner of our first 90th anniversary challenge goes to Emma Price for her pen and wash Floating World (left). ‘I live on the northeast coast of England,’ writes Emma, ‘so during lockdown we’ve been taking our outdoor exercise along the sea front, where there’s lots of birds to see, especially during winter. One day there was a roaring high tide with a ferocious easterly gale whipping the sea into foam, and a big group of gulls and crows were just floating on the wind, almost within touching distance. As soon as I got home, I drew the scene with a fineliner pen, aided by some blurry photos and a lot of memory, (I couldn’t hold the camera still due to the wind) and added a watercolour wash. I wanted to convey the stirring feeling of the day, and hopefully I’ve gone some way to achieving that.’ All the winning works will be published in the March 2022 issue of The Artist. t Emma Price Floating World, pen and wash, 11½38in (29.5320cm)
www.painters-online.co.uk
ARTClubs Learning by Zoom Responding positively to the limitations forced upon art clubs around the world by the pandemic, the Sidmouth Society of Artists put together a programme of zoom demonstrations by professional artists. ‘One of the benefits,’ says club member and publicity officer, Terence Crook, ‘is that you can get to see artists at work from all around the country, if not the world.’ Recent zooms included a seaside in acrylics scene by Mark Warner and a demonstration by urban sketcher, Ian Fennelly. Here Terence explains how the demonstations have benefitted members by inspiring them to keep painting and to experiment with new media. ‘Mark hails from Wales and has worked as a teacher for many years, which has encouraged him to set up his own painting holidays and workshops. One of the tips he gave us was to use a strip of paper to the side of the painting on which to test the colour and blending. He also marked the horizon with a piece of tape. He likes colour and line and uses Winsor & Newton Artists’ quality paints, a large flat synthetic brush, size 25, and 160lb paper. He doesn’t thin the paint with water at all in order to give depth. ‘His exciting application of paint encouraged several members of the group to paint along with the artist. Which is exactly what was expected with the second painter, Ian Fennelly, who is an urban sketcher and paints mostly outdoors. He gave us a presentation using Tombow brush pens, fine liner pens, Winsor & Newton watercolours and a variety of brushes – from flats to riggers – in a range of sizes. We were asked to practise beforehand to give us time to keep up with Ian during the zoom, which comprised of six stages. He gave us plenty of tips and hints throughout his demonstration of Great Rissington in the Cotswolds, with the emphasis firmly on sketching and the importance of good drawing.’ If you are interested in joining the society for forthcoming demonstrations, go to their website at www.sidmouthsocietyofartists.btck.co.uk
p Mark Warner demonstrating his acrylic seascape to
the Sidmouth Society of Artists last month
q Ian Fennelly’s pen and wash demonstartation of the Cotswolds village, Great Rissington
A celebration of trees The Poole and East Dorset Art Society (PEDAS) is celebrating Poole Art Week with an exhibition dedicated to Trees. ‘Trees in the environment, trees as the lungs of the world; roots, bark, and leaves in forensic close-up’, write the organisers. An exhibition of their very diverse and personal interpretations will take place at The Gallery Upstairs, Upton Country Park in Poole, from May 21 to June 7. The gallery is situated above the tea rooms in Upton Country Park, a 160 acre parkland, shoreline and formal estate gardens. Please check the gallery website before making journeys. The exhibition will be open from 10am to 5pm. Telephone 01202 775304, visit the website at www.thegalleryupstairs.org.uk or visit the society’s website at www.pedas.org.uk
t Carol Cox Winter Tree, watercolour,
11¾39in (30323cm) at PEDAS’s celebration of trees
June 2021
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u
Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Marie-Louise von Motesiczky, 1959, oil on canvas, 41½323¼in (105.5359cm)
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Reframing Narratives:
WOMEN in portraiture NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY in partnership with CHANEL
Reframing Narratives: Women in Portraiture is a new three-year project by the National Portrait Gallery in partnership with Chanel. Part of the new Chanel Culture Fund that supports global innovations across the arts in developing new ideas and greater representation, the project aims to enhance the representation of women in the gallery’s collection. The gallery also plans to acquire and commission portraits of women not yet represented in the collection, particularly those who have shaped British history and culture. Modern painters, such as Austrian artist, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky (left) and activist, writer and artist, Ray Strachey (right) will be included as well as work by sculptors, photographers, writers, and women from all walks of life who have been overshadowed by male counterparts. To find out more visit www.npg.org.uk
u
Ray Strachey Virginia Woolf, late 1920s, oil on board, 22316in (56340.5cm)
www.painters-online.co.uk
June 2021
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&
OPEN CALL FOR We are looking for the best two-dimensional works in any media including drawings, paintings, printmaking and digital artwork from amateur painters in the Leisure Painter category, and from more experienced and professional artists in The Artist category. Up to 140 selected works, 70 from each category, will be exhibited in galleries at Patchings Art Centre*, from August 21 until September 26, 2021 *
Covid rules permitting
Over 35 individual PRIZES WORTH OVER £13,500 will be awarded to selected artists including: artist Purchase Prize Award worth up to £3,000
WIN!
One prize to purchase a work up to the value of £3,000
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artist Exhibition Awards worth
Over 35 prizes to be won, worth over
£1,700 Up to 10 selected artists from the 2021 The Artist’s category will be awarded a mixed exhibition at Patchings Art Centre in 2022, worth £1,700
www.patchingsartcentre.co.uk
artist Highly Commended Award A subscription worth £100
£13,500
www.painters-online.co.uk Batsford Awards worth £600 Four prizes of Batsford art books to the value of £150 each
www.pavilionbooks.com/batsford BritishContemporary.art Award worth £1,800 (All art materials prizes are quoted at the rrp)
2021
TALP
ORGANISED BY
GREATART & THE ARTIST EXHIBITION AWARDS 2020 Philippa Powell Chilli Jam & Cheese, oil, 8x8in (20x20cm) 20cm)
JUDGES
One year’s representation by BritishContemporary.art, the online gallery featuring the best of British artists
David Curtis ROI, VPRSMA
www.britishcontemporary.art Caran d’Ache/Jakar Awards worth £500 Two prizes of £250 worth of art materials
www.jakar.co.uk
Adebanji Alade VPROI Daler-Rowney Awards worth £500 Three prizes of sets of materials to the total value of £500
www.daler-rowney.com Clairefontaine Awards worth £500 Two prizes of £250 worth of art products selected from the Clairefontaine Graphic & Fine Art range
Derwent Awards worth £500
www.clairefontaine.com
www.derwentart.com
WITH THANKS TO OUR AWARD SPONSORS
Two prizes of £250 worth of Derwent art materials
Sally Bulgin, editor The Artist
Ingrid Lyon, editor Leisure Painter
Liz Wood, artist and co-owner of Patchings Art Centre
in partnership with
ENTRIES ENTER online at
www.talp.co.uk ROYAL TALENS & THE ARTIST EXHIBITION AWARDS 2020
Closing date for entries extended to
Lotta Teale Morning on the Terrace, Islamabad, oil, 12x16in (30x40cm)
June 3
COLART/WINSOR & NEWTON & THE ARTIST EXHIBITION AWARDS 2020 Jonathan Mitchell Autumn Light, Caddam Wood, oil, 18x23½in (45x42cm)
Award worth £2,600
ProArte UK Awards worth £350
One prize of a showcase feature on a selected artist in Leisure Painter magazine
www.proarte.co.uk
www.painters-online.co.uk
St Cuthberts Mill Awards worth £600
Two prizes of brushes to the value of £175 each
Three prizes of £200 worth of watercolour paper
Highly Commended
www.stcuthbertsmill.com
Award A subscription to Leisure Painter worth £100
Search Press Awards worth £350
www.painters-online.co.uk
www.searchpress.com
Patchings Award worth £350
Winston Oh Award worth £400
A gift voucher worth £350 to be used at Patchings Art Centre in Nottinghamshire
A painting course worth up to £400 of your choice, provided by Winston Oh
www.patchingsartcentre.co.uk
www.winstonoh.com
Two prizes of £175 worth of art books
HOW TO ENTER The competition is open to artists worldwide. Two-dimensional artwork in any media, including drawing, painting, printmaking and creative digital artwork is welcome. Only original work completed within the past two years will be considered and paintings based on reference photographs must have been taken by the artist or used with the permission of the photographer. Photography, except where incorporated into collage, is not acceptable. 1 The entry fee of £25 covers up to THREE entries of two-dimensional works in any media. To give more amateur artists the chance to exhibit, just ONE work per entrant will be accepted for exhibition in the Leisure Painter category. Please ensure you enter the correct category. Artists can enter either The Artist category OR the Leisure Painter category - NOT both. The Leisure Painter category is for amateur painters and The Artist category for more experienced amateur and professional artists. 2 No entry should be larger than 120x150cm WHEN FRAMED (canvases do not need to be framed). 3 TO ENTER upload digital files of your image(s) and pay your entry fee using our secure server via our website at www.talp.co.uk. Closing date for entries has been extended to 12 noon on June 3, 2021. 4 Entries will be judged after June 3, 2021 and selected works called for exhibition. These must be framed (canvases excepted) ready for exhibition from August 21 to September 26, 2021 at Patchings Art Centre. ALL works entered MUST be available for exhibition if selected. 5 Successful entrants will be notified in late June about delivering their work between July 23 and August 8, 2021 to Patchings Art Centre, Nottinghamshire. 6 All care will be taken with entries but no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage in transit, incoming or outgoing, whilst on the competition premises or during the exhibition. Originals selected and submitted for final exhibition must be fully insured by the artist. 7 All entries must be original. Submission of entry in this competition automatically constitutes acceptance of all the competition rules and agreement to allow The Artist and/ or Leisure Painter to publish, republish and repurpose entries in print and digital formats including but not limited to magazines, promotion materials, websites, databases and as part of downloadable digital products. 8 By entering the competition, entrants agree to be bound by the conditions of entry.
IN CONVERSATION
Bold and wild Collette Clegg, winner of The Artist Award in the 2020 David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition talks to Susie Hodge about her approach to painting
A
n Irish artist based in England, Colette Clegg has a bold approach to painting, including working with rich colours, varied textures, a lively handling of paint and a free method of application. She reflects: ‘When I was growing up, I was always doing creative things. My mother was a home economics teacher and she encouraged my sisters and me to have projects on the go: embroidery, knitting, sewing, crochet, macramé, painting. When I was growing up in Ireland, we had a black-and-white television with one channel and the cartoons were in Irish so we had to make our own entertainment.’
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Inspiration everywhere ‘I went to Limerick School of Art in the early 1980s. Since I started painting seriously again, 15 years ago, I have taken lots of short courses with artists that I admire. I am also inspired by several other artists. In no particular order, these include David Tress, Alice Sheridan, Lewis Noble, Henri Matisse, Patrick Heron, Nicholas de Stael, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Bonnard, Keith Joubert, Milton Avery, Keith Vaughan, Rose Hilton, Barbara Rae and Richard Diebenkorn. ‘I’m inspired by pretty much everything that surrounds me in our home, that includes nature, animals, still life and landscape. I use a
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‘I don’t want to commit to an idea too early on in the process because I get better results when I push myself and get out of my comfort zone’
p Elephants and Guinea Fowl among the Baobabs, acrylic and collage on wood panel, 23¾331½in (60380cm). ‘I love painting guinea fowl, as they are so comical. I’ve sought to interpret their beautiful plumage, inspired by images I saw of the ancient tribes of the Omo Valley in Ethiopia.’
sketchbook and draw whenever I can; I like to work in small sketchbooks that I can carry in my pocket or handbag and always have one to hand. Also I take lots of photographs that I use for reference – but I don’t work exclusively from photographs as it can make paintings static. ‘Usually something I draw will feed artist June 2021
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IN CONVERSATION into ideas for paintings. Most of my thinking goes on outside the studio and when I start working, I like to paint intuitively. I work on two or three paintings at a time so I don’t get wedded to one idea. Each painting informs the other and it is good to work in series. My sketchbook practice feeds the ideas for paintings. I’m always on the look-out for abstract shapes suggested by the light falling on objects or buildings. Light is changing all the time. ‘I always have ideas knocking around in my head. Some come straight out and become paintings quite quickly and others take longer. When I am working in the studio the ideas develop. The thinking goes on all the time in my life but when I’m working in the studio, I work intuitively. I don’t want to commit to an idea too early on in the process because I get better results when I push myself and get out of my comfort zone.’
white give a good range of colours and greys. I get different results using warm or cool colours so I like to mix colours and keep colour swatches with notes so I can remember how to mix a favourite colour. The earth triad of yellow ochre, Payne’s grey and burnt sienna with white makes lots of beautiful colours. ‘I work on wood panels and canvas prepared with acrylic gesso. I then paint several layers of paint, collage and drawing usually turning the painting 90 degrees between each ‘pass’ to find unexpected compositions. I scratch into the surface and use sand paper to reveal previous layers of the painting which add interesting textures. I think it’s important to work on a painting as a
whole rather than a section at a time. ‘The subject dictates the size of the painting. A favourite format for stilllife paintings is 9¾39¾in (30330cm). Larger subjects require bigger panels, but I find it difficult to work in a series if I work any larger than 39½339½in (1003100cm). The time it takes me to complete a painting varies enormously. Some almost paint themselves and come about quite quickly. Others take longer!’
Perseverance and focus ‘Without being flippant, the more you paint the better you get at knowing when a painting is finished, and when I’m working, there is definitely
Luminosity and depth ‘I have been working in oils for several years, but recently I’ve been working in acrylics with collage and mixed media. Acrylic paint dries quickly so it’s easy to move paintings along and not get stuck. Oil paint is buttery and has a luminosity and depth when it dries. I like painting with it on its own and I have also used it with encaustic wax, which produces beautiful, unexpected textures. The subject usually dictates the medium. I also really enjoy working in acrylics and mixed media. Red, yellow and blue with p
An Implausibility of Wildebeest, oil on wood panel, 233/43311/2in (60380cm). ‘When I was lucky enough to be on safari, one of our guides said that the collective noun for wildebeest is an implausibility. This really caught my imagination as a name for a painting. I love painting wildebeest as they have the most interesting shape. They are often referred to as one of the ugly five, which is unfair, I think, as they are one of my favourite animals.’
t Blue Buffalos, oil on wood
panel, 233/43311/2in (60380cm). ‘On safari last summer we saw enormous herds of buffalo. When they travel en masse they stir up huge dust clouds. I tried to capture the feeling of the dust swirling around the buffalo in the early morning.’
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a beginning, a middle and an end. Sometimes, when in the middle, the painting can look very ugly and it takes perseverance to push it to the finish. I think I’m lucky if three in five make it to finished paintings. I don’t expend energy on a painting that I am not happy with. I paint over and start again. ‘I’m very lucky to have a beautiful studio in our home so I can pop in and out of the studio while pretending to be a domestic goddess! I get up early as we have dogs, horses, pigs and sheep that need to be fed first thing. I walk the dogs then spend some time in the studio. We regularly ride our horses in the local woods. On days when I’m painting, I usually spend at least four hours in the studio. ‘I work with two galleries who regularly have mixed summer and Christmas exhibitions. The Russell Gallery in
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p Dusk at Vista Verde, oil on canvas, 233/43233/4in (60360cm). ‘When our boys were little, we took them to Vista Verde ranch in Colorado to learn how to ride. It was a wonderful experience – living like a cowboy and riding the beautiful horses. I loved drawing them when they were in the coral at the end of the day before they were set free to graze overnight in the lush meadows. Although horses are herd animals there is a definite pecking order and it is fascinating to see how they interact with each other.’
Putney, London, also shows my work at the Affordable Art Fairs. I find the discipline of having a show to work towards gives me a goal and keeps me focused. I enter several open exhibitions and competitions every year. It’s always flattering to win prizes as it validates my work. Painting can be quite a lonely activity so it is gratifying when someone I don’t know acknowledges my efforts. It’s also a nice way to meet fellow artists. I have done some commissions in the past, but I prefer to work on my own ideas. ‘All publicity is good publicity and
social media is an excellent way for artists to promote their work. Followers love seeing new paintings and work in progress. I usually post once a week or more often if I’m taking part in an event. It can be time consuming, but it’s TA definitely worth the effort.’
Colette Clegg lives on a farm in Surrey with her husband Aidan. See more of Collette’s work on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or at https://coletteclegg.co.uk/
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PRACTICAL
Dramatic forms and gentle reflections Be inspired by Judith Yates as she demonstrates how she creates her impressionistic landscapes in acrylic with layers of texture and glazes
T
here are so many aspects of the natural world that inspire me but whatever the inspiration, dramatic lighting is a main feature of my work. I am constantly aware of light effects cutting through trees, casting long shadows or shining through mists and fog. I always take a camera out with me so that I can record specific moods and details. In the studio I use photographs and on-site sketches to recreate the atmosphere of the location and, in order to create my own interpretation of the scene, I will happily edit the photographic image, leaving out any unnecessary detail.
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When I first started using acrylic paint at college the medium was still a fairly unknown quantity. I used to try to make it behave like oil or watercolour but then realised that my best approach was to embrace acrylics and their particular properties. It was through trial, error and experimentation that they eventually became my favourite medium – and remain so to this day.
Texture and suggested detail So many acrylic techniques and effects suit my intuitive approach to mark making. The fast drying time and ease of overpainting, means there is no fear of making mistakes and I am free to experiment with texture and layers,
p Late Autumn Lakeland, acrylic on canvas, 153/43193/4in (40350cm). This painting was all about the colours and textures. I made lots of different marks in the paint and layered up with sweeps of thick paint once dry but kept certain areas loose and washy as a contrast. The tree branches at the base were created by scraping through the first paint layer to reveal the background colour
which constantly results in the new and unexpected. I’m able to move onto the next stage without stopping the flow of creativity. I often use a thick impasto paint applied with a palette knife, which can quickly be followed with a thin artist June 2021
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ACRYLICS t Low Moorland Cloud, acrylic on gessoed
hardboard, 233/43233/4in (60360cm). This work was all about the brooding colours and atmosphere of the autumn moors. I kept the sweeps of colour suggestive and broken. The path was cut through by scraping a palette knife through the paint. The clouds were painted in loosely with wet washes
transparent wash of colour to achieve a subtle unifying haze or a soft glow. I apply paint by splattering, dry brushing in thick layers with a palette knife for a less controlled approach. I often scrape back layers to reveal small remnants of underpainting. The paint is so strong and stable that you can keep working the surface, creating bold and subtle effects. Using various textures, marks and brushstrokes creates an impressionistic, multi-layered landscape that allows the painting to gradually emerge. By adding texture to the underpainting with either paint or gesso, detail can be suggested with a dry brush dragged at an angle over the textured ground; this will pick up the raised surface and highlight the detail, implying light interacting with the landscape. I also use thicker texture in areas, which works particularly well in landscapes to describe uneven ground, grass, rocky outcrops or branches. It can attract the viewer’s attention and help with the addition of lines, paths and patches of light, to lead the eye through the composition and stop at strategic points.
Glazes
p River Valley Mists, acrylic on canvas, 193/43291/2in (50375cm). I kept the colours very subdued and used the texture as a broken surface to drag a dry brush and palette knife across, thus creating a shattered impressionistic effect
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I am a great fan of glazes and use them throughout the painting. I often start by applying thin base layers to work over later with thicker paint. Because a white ground is so distracting, I start by covering the surface with either a mid-tone or loose wet washes of paint, filling in the mid-toned shapes and the dark areas of shadow. This helps me to see how the composition is looking and how the colours and tones are working together. As the work progresses I use glazes of colour over large areas to take the tones down a notch. This unifies the painting, so that I can paint highlights and shadows on top of the resulting subtle colour, which helps make the cleaner, lighter colours sing. When glazes are loosely worked over each other a number of times they also leave an interesting layered effect where the previous marks are still
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PRACTICAL visible. It is also effective to allow very thin washes of colour to find their own way across a painting, especially in the sky. When wet paint is allowed to drip through textures it creates some wonderful unplanned effects as the paint picks out some of the detail. I find that layering glazes encourages me to look into the painting and search for half-exposed, underlying detail.
Experimental and traditional This loose, intuitive way of approaching
landscapes gives me much enjoyment and many surprises. Because I am keen to keep my work representational, I constantly refer to the original photographs. To avoid getting bogged down in detail, I might hide my source material to concentrate on the inspiration of the initial scene. Working directly from any brisk on-the-spot sketches also helps you to concentrate on the main areas of interest and ignore unnecessary information. As I near the final stages of the artwork, I again rely
on more traditional painting methods, using tonal values, balance of colour and a variety of brushstrokes to bring the whole painting together. I enjoy the mix of less controlled methods of applying paint, alongside more disciplined brushwork. If it starts to look too tight, I will add splashes of paint and palette-knife effects; if the painting becomes too loose I will add more detail, striving towards a happy mix of experimental and traditional TA painting.
DEMONSTRATION Filtered Dawn t
STAGE ONE
Working on gesso-primed board I very loosely drew the basic shapes of my composition, then applied a thicker layer of gesso in areas where most detail would be; a palette knife was used to make branch and grass-like marks in the gesso. I then started to fill in the basic midtoned colours and shapes, very loosely with a 1in flat brush and a mix of ultramarine, deep violet, Hooker’s green and white, with varying amounts of burnt umber to take the freshness out of the colours and make them recess. At this stage I am finding the tones, the colours and the main source of light, so I do not have anything too distinct at this point
MATERIALS
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l
Brushes: Daler-Rowney System 3 1in, 3/4in and 1/2in flats, Graduate rigger
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Acrylics: Daler-Rowney System 3: titanium white; Winsor & Newton Galeria cadmium yellow deep, lemon yellow, yellow ochre, raw sienna, burnt sienna, burnt umber, Hooker’s green, sap green, process cyan, ultramarine, deep violet; Winsor & Newton Professional Acrylic: perylene maroon (worth the price because there is no rich deep red like it )
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Daler-Rowney System 3 Acrylic Gesso Primer
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Support: MDF
STAGE TWO
Still working with loose brushstrokes, I laid down more areas of local colour using a soft ultramarine, white and purple mix, with a small touch of burnt umber for the distance and the sky reflected in the river. The dark tones of the main tree trunks, larger branches and shadows of the trees went in with a wet mix of burnt sienna, black and violet
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ACRYLICS
p
STAGE THREE
Adding loose dabs of colour along the river bank with a flat brush, I was still unsure about how much detail to add. I often work very rapidly at this stage to gain a feel of the painting and judge how my eye is being led through the work. I put in dark base colours using burnt umber, Prussian blue and purple, then layered bright suggestions of mosscovered rocks in different mixes of sap green, ultramarine, ochre, cadmium yellow and white
p
STAGE FOUR
I started painting in the details of the trees, which are the main area of interest with the low, early spring sunlight light shining through them. These were a wet mix of burnt umber, black and purple, applied with a rigger brush held lightly by the tip in a jerky, half-controlled manner; I wanted natural-looking branches and twigs with energy in the brushmarks. A wet mix of white and purple was added to indicate more branches with sunlight falling on them. I started to add a few subtle areas of glaze in a thin watery mix of raw sienna over the bright greens to tone them down and began to form the shadows of the trees on the left
‘As the work progresses I use glazes of colour over large areas to take the tones down a notch’
t
STAGE FIVE
At this point the trees needed more emphasis so I added more branches, along with white splashes to indicate sunlight glinting through. I was aiming for a tangle of twigs in the enclosing canopy with cool spring sunlight blazing in at an angle. Realising that the river was detracting from my main subject I added a glaze of ochre and sap green. I also used a small brush to paint tiny areas of shimmering light showing through the branches with a mix of ultramarine and white
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p
FINISHED PAINTING
Filtered Dawn, acrylic on gessoed board, 233/43233/4in (60360cm). A thin, dark glaze of sap green, burnt umber and burnt sienna added depth to the shadows to the left and helped to suggest the light flooding in from the gap between the trees; it also made for more drama and a more comfortable composition. To emphasise this even more a white and ultramarine blue mix was gently dry brushed over the river and the entire right-hand tree, almost obliterating it, along with any suggestion of a horizon. This worked better for me as it took some detail out of an incredibly busy image and suggested the feeling of the tree being washed in bright sunlight. I also ran a palette knife over the surface using very little colour; this picked up on the high points of the textured areas, suggesting sunlight catching stems and grasses and other details of undergrowth. This helped further to make a broken impressionistic surface. For the foreground grasses I used a mix of sap green, cadmium yellow and white and also added marks by picking up the colour on the edge of palette knife and making a thin line by placing it edgeways for the final details of highlight
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Judith Yates trained as a fine artist before a career as a professional designer and illustrator. She is now a full-time artist, exhibiting and selling work privately and through a number of galleries in the UK and has work in private collections both at home and abroad. Judith also runs regular workshops and her book Dynamic Seascapes, published by Search Press, is available from our online bookshop at the discounted price of £12.79 http://bit.ly/pobooks. www.judithyates.com
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A portrait
of love
Follow how Francesco Fontana painted the portrait of a grandmother and her granddaughter as part of a series of watercolour paintings on the theme of relationships Based on my studies, I selected Daniel Smith watercolours in quinacridone sienna, permanent red deep, imperial purple, French ultramarine blue and green gold. Sienna is basically meant for the overall skin tone. Other than colouring the skirt, blue is a complementary modifier and darkener for sienna. Red helps with the rosy shade of cheeks and lips – echoed on the decorations of Isabella’s shirt and skirt. Green gold was chosen for Nonna Lina’s grey hair. It also helped with the gold tones in her skin and echoed the leaves in the background. Green was also instrumental in muting the purple for the intense grey I needed for her dress
e photo My referenc
Francesco Fontana has a BA in Fine Art and is a co-founder of Fare Pittura Atelier in Milan, where he teaches life drawing, oil and watercolour. He has also tutored workshops across Italy and France, as well as Bali and the US. He has exhibited widely and won many awards for his work, most recently the Bronze Medal of Honor at the American Watercolor Society’s 2021 International Exhibition www.francescofontana.com http://francescofontana.blogspot.co.uk
I
n 2018 I started the series ‘Faces and Stories’, which is a figurative watercolour project that works around the concept of peoples’ relationships. Most of the paintings, in fact, include more than one figure. My first models were family and friends; and after seeing the first works, the Gregori-Passeri family were excited to have a portrait dedicated to grandma Lina, painted in watercolour. I had painted several large family
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portraits for them through the years, but those were made in oil. This time they wanted to take the chance with watercolour. By working with watercolour I risked losing the comparative impact of oil paint – this for me was a high concern. Plus, the margin for correction and change is much more limited. Indeed when I submitted the work at the drawing stage, my patrons were about to change their minds. But before
giving up and turning to oil, I took my time and decided to keep going, silently, during the lockdown. When the collectors saw the final result, they were totally blown away and completely in love with it, saying that ‘love flows through the painting’! I was proud to put my signature on the painting and, having been given carte blanche to choose the frame, I selected a luxury silver handmade frame.
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PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION Nonna Lina and Isabella
p
STAGE ONE
p u
STAGE TWO
The drawing was developed using a proportional divider, working with a soft traditional pencil on a half-imperial sheet of fine-grain cotton watercolour paper
To begin, I made a study limited to the heads and hands, the most challenging parts. I then selected more photographs of Isabella to make sure I captured her facial features. The younger the model, the harder they are to paint
MATERIALS �
Pigments: Daniel Smith Extrafine Watercolours from my official 18-colour palette.
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Paper: Hahnemühle 100-percent cotton paper 300gsm, cold pressed, fine grain.
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Brushes: Rosemary & Co sable rounds; Princeton squirrel mop and flat; Tintoretto pointed synthetic.
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Faber-Castell 4B pencil.
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Accurasee proportional divider.
t
STAGE THREE
Before actually starting to paint, I made a quick, small five-value sketch (notan) to make sure the whole composition held together and to set a strong reference for my darks. For the notan and details in the painting I used pointed synthetic brushes
p
STAGE FOUR
To tone the support and set the harmony key, I applied a first wash of sienna and ultramarine
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t p
STAGE FIVE
The colours in the dress, the hair and the hands were blocked in. I tested to make sure the skin tones and other colours matched, then I drew the flowers on Isabella’s shirt and added their soft rosy accents. The faces were developed with three to four layers of warm hues. I kept in mind that the average human skin colour (red-toned), is way darker than we tend to think. I also reminded myself the main character was expected to be Nonna Lina, so I didn’t want the pure beauty of young Isabella to shine over her
p
STAGE SIX
I drew the pot and leaves before darkening the background. I refrained from making the plant too dynamic because I didn’t want it to steal attention from the main focus
u
STAGE SEVEN
A last look at my value study suggested I darken the background in order to make Isabella’s torso and head pop out more. I also intensified Nonna’s dress tone to better connect it to Isabella’s skirt, which brought their two bodies closer together, as in a classic sculpture
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PRACTICAL
p
FINISHED PAINTING
Nonna Lina and Isabella, watercolour on Hahnemühle Not 300gsm, 271/4319in (69348cm). Finally I defined the vertical fixtures to increase the sense of space and placement. For the last but sweetest touch, I added the highlight on Isabella’s eye with the only tiny dot of thick Chinese white in the whole painting!
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Keeping it fresh As Helen Tarr demonstrates, careful preparation and pre-mixing the colours are the keys to creating a lively painting of roses in oils
I
have been painting the flowers from my garden, along with various pots, jars and vases, since the first coronavirus lockdown forced me to look closer to home for subjects to paint from direct observation. Roses in particular have long been my artistic
nemesis, so of course I choose to paint them frequently! I had one simple objective with this work: that it should be a lively response to the subject. I know from bitter experience that it is too easy to take a promising painting and inadvertently wreck it, and that I have to exercise enormous self-control to retain the light touch and relaxed look to my work that I strive for. Lots of squinting and thinking in more abstract terms helps too (this is a pale pink oval, that is a dark area, etc).
Setting up Helen Tarr has BA and MA degrees in fine art. She exhibits widely and her work is in British and international collections. Helen is also a qualified tutor and has taught art classes and workshops for over 20 years, as well as providing painting demonstrations and critique evenings for art societies. www.helentarr.co.uk
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I set up the still life so that, from an oblique angle, I was able to see the back of the flowers reflected in the mirror, bringing depth and interest to the composition. I always set up my equipment and palette in the same way so that I can easily find what I need as I paint. I lay brushes that are in use on
p Hypericum and Agapanthus in Sunshine, oil on board, 8310in (20.5325.5cm). The glancing light brings the complementary colours of these flowers to life as they stand on this sunny windowsill
the pochade box with my palette pots and tuck a large cloth into the belt of my apron for dabbing brushes as I work. My palette is usually held in my left hand. I chose to work on a premium cotton board from Jackson’s Art, which I underpainted with pale umber acrylic paint. The 8310in board is the perfect size for a painting that can be largely completed within a couple of hours before the light changes drastically. The warm grey underpainting becomes a useful ground and allows me to work briskly as there are no ‘empty’ white gaps to cover up.
Preparing to paint My first step was to pre-mix the key colours. I have discovered that this initial focus on colour and palette saves time and effort while painting. Knowing that you already have the right colours (checked by holding the mix
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PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION Roses in a Cornish Jug
MY PRE-MIXED COLOURS l Blue-brown made from burnt umber and ultramarine blue; I used
this for sketching out and to rough-in the darkest areas of tone and to darken other colours. l Pinks: a soft, mid-toned pink from magenta, yellow ochre and titanium white for the roses; I created a lighter tone by adding more titanium white, and a dark, warm tone by adding burnt sienna. A cooler deep pink was made by adding a little ultramarine blue to the mid-tone. l Blues: the darkest purple-blue for the agapanthus was a mix of magenta and ultramarine blue lightened with titanium white for the lighter tonal values. l Dark greens: I adapted the basic blue-brown mix with cobalt blue and chrome yellow to create a warm, deep green, and added more ultramarine blue to this to create a cool, blackish green for the darkest rose leaves. l Lime-green: the vibrant lime background colour was created by mixing chrome yellow with a smidgeon of ultramarine blue and a touch of titanium white. l Greys: burnt sienna and ultramarine blue with unbleached titanium for the warm greys on the mirror frame, mantelpiece and glassware. Adding yellow ochre and titanium white to this mix created the warm cream for the jug and mantelpiece edge.
This photograph shows my set up
t
STAGE ONE
I began by sketching out the composition using a No. 4 pointed round brush and the dark blue-brown mix diluted with Sansodor. I then roughly blocked in the darkest areas – this involved some intense squinting to simplify the subject and reveal the overall shapes and tonal values. Through this process I was able to identify where the ‘lost’ edges would be, in particular where the jug handle and the leaves were in shadow and the transparent glass vase merged with the light background. This is usually a good moment to assess the composition – ideally it should look exciting, balanced and strong.
MATERIALS l
Oils: Michael Harding titanium white, warm white, unbleached titanium, bright yellow lake, burnt sienna, burnt umber, ultramarine blue, Winsor & Newton chrome yellow, yellow ochre, quinacridone magenta, cobalt blue, indigo.
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Sansodor thinners.
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Liquin, to increase flow and give a rich glossy finish to the paint.
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Brushes: Rosemary & Co Ivory Nos. 4 to 7 curved long flats, long filberts and extra long flats for much of the painting; No. 4 egbert for the strokes and flicks of the flowers; No. 4 rigger for the stalks.
on a palette knife in front of the subject and squinting at it with one eye) allows a level of freedom and generosity with the paint that I find harder to create by mixing as I go. There is still plenty of mixing to be done as the work develops but having this central scheme prepared in advance is a great way to keep the palette cohesive and disciplined. I often find that this process gives me such a quantity of beautiful, bespoke colours that I can quickly paint a second version of the subject, too.
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p
STAGE TWO
I added the bright lime greens in the background using a No. 6 long filbert; this made the pale umber underpainting into a mid-tone, and gave me a strong colour context for the other colours to react with. It also created an exciting foil for the pinks, blues, mauves and reds that were to follow. I also dashed in some thinned titanium white to suggest the white, cellophane-wrapped drawing standing behind the vases to lighten the value of the space around the agapanthus flowers
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OILS
HELEN’S TEN TOP TIPS FOR PAINTING EXPRESSIVE ROSES IN OILS 1 Have the light source to one side of the roses, this will enhance their shape. If the light is coming from directly behind you the roses will appear flatter. 2 Select the right brush for the job. A filbert or curved flat brush is perfect for describing the shape of a petal in one or two strokes. A rigger will make light work of stalks and touches of light. 3 Lightly sketch in the composition with thinned oils, then roughly block-in large areas of dark shadow. This quickly allows you to see and assess the layout of your painting. 4 Pre-mix the colours of the roses, leaves and other key areas of the painting. If these mixes look good together on your palette they should look good in your painting. Mix tertiary colours to complement or echo your key colours. 5 Check colours and values by holding the mixed paint in front of the subject on a palette knife and squinting at it through one eye, then adjust as necessary. The right colour and value will help you to paint efficiently with less reliance on detail and drawing.
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STAGE THREE
I focused on the darkest tones next, bringing rich greens to the rose leaves, deepening the shadows behind the jug and adding the deep red of the heart on the candle holder and card using a mix of magenta and burnt sienna. The rich dark pinks on the roses helped to define their positions and the turn of their heads
6 Stand or sit well back from your canvas or board and hold your brushes at arm’s length by the end of the handle. This gives a lively, loose mark and helps you avoid painting unnecessary details. 7 Apply the paint in dabs and strokes without blending, to avoid dullness. Use mid-tones to transition from dark to light, or subtle shifts of colour or temperature to create visual blends. 8 Think of the flower heads as simple sphere or egg shapes, then observe how light and shade describe their threedimensional form. This will help you retain the shape of the flower as you develop the painting. 9 Simplify the subject where possible. Step back and squint at the painting and your subject from time to time to assess the overall tonal relationships. Keep your initial intention and focal point in mind as you work, it’s easy to get distracted. 10 Set yourself a time limit. Two hours should be about right for a small work. This way you will naturally prioritise the key elements of the painting, keeping your colours fresh and your brushwork lively.
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artist June 2021
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STAGE FOUR
I lightened the deep blue that I had used on the jug with unbleached titanium and titanium white and took this pale blue-grey across the shaded side of the candle holder and vase, and the mid-toned shadows cast onto the mantel shelf. I added pale pink to the roses and fallen petals to bring them forwards and develop their shape. Mid-tone blues were added to the jug, then lightened and carried through the composition in the shadows on the shelf and reflections on the glassware. The narrow No. 4 egbert was used to flick in the elongated flowers of the agapanthus using the deep purple mix. I added titanium white to the mix and used the same brush to dash in highlights, creating shape and movement, and used the No. 4 rigger to suggest the dark green stalks. Then the pot, dark leaf and stems of the orchid were added and created a frame on the left-hand side
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PRACTICAL q
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STAGE FIVE
The painting was coming into its own and I needed enormous self-control to resist fiddling. The palest pinks were added to define the lightest petals and streaks of light were dashed onto the jug and glassware. At this point I wondered if the painting was complete and stopped work for the day. So far, I had spent one hour and forty minutes on the piece
FINISHED PAINTING
Roses in a Cornish Jug, oil on board, 8310in (20.5325.5cm). The next day I decided to throw caution to the wind and develop it further. I had kept my palette covered overnight and had plenty of mixed colours left. The roses were a beautiful, delicate pink and I knew that a little more time spent on them would enhance them as the focal point of the composition. I was able to paint with a light touch and avoid over-working them. I added more of the mid-toned pink to the petals, and touched in deeper pinks to define the petals and enhance the silhouetted roses reflected in the mirror. A little titanium white added to the lime green was used to soften and simplify the background, obliterating the distracting edge of the white orchid pot on the left. I also added more petals to the agapanthus and pale neutral greys were used throughout the objects on the mantelpiece to reduce the tonal range a little and create a more unified effect. I brightened the blue stripes on the jug with cobalt blue and titanium white and warmed the cream stripes with a mix of unbleached titanium and titanium white, which I also added to the front edge of the mantelpiece. Finally a touch of warm white was used for highlights on the shelf and fallen petals. At this point I put down my brushes, feeling that I had done justice to this gorgeous subject without losing the freshness and immediacy of my initial marks
Watch Helen painting hydrangeas in acrylics on PaintersOnline: https://www.painters-online.co.uk/community-videos/painting-hydrangeas-in-acrylics/
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KEYS TO UNLOCKING BET TER PAINTINGS: 1ST OF 6
t Summertime at the Yard,
watercolour on Saunders Waterford 300lb (640gsm) Not, 15322in (38356cm). All the elements of composition were present here – background, focus and lead-in. All I had to do was find a viewpoint that best arranged the shapes. My design plan was to keep the distance simple and the backdrop of trees soft to contrast against the harder edges of the buildings and clutter. I deliberately offset the main element of interest and the winding track and this balanced nicely with the simple space of the left-hand field
Better design Paul Talbot-Greaves teaches watercolour and acrylic painting in workshops and demonstrations to art societies throughout the Midlands and the north of England. He can be contacted through his website: www.talbot-greaves.com
D
esign is an important element of successful paintings. It’s your plan, like having an architect’s plans for a building. You can of course just start painting but that inevitably leads to alterations and changes in a watercolour can be difficult to disguise successfully. Your design plan should consider the story you want to convey, how you might go about the painting process to enhance the picture, what additions or omissions you might consider as well as the arrangement of shapes, values, tones, and colour. If you’ve not given design much consideration before, or you have but with not much success, I hope this article will provide some valuable hints and tips for getting the best out of your landscape painting.
In the field Whether you are painting en plein air, making sketches or taking photos, the basic building block of a compositional grid is a good starting point. The grid divides your picture space into three sections horizontally and three sections
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artist June 2021
Paul Talbot-Greaves’ new series unlocks the secrets behind creating better paintings. This month he discusses the importance of good design as he demonstrates how to plan a watercolour landscape vertically, and you can use this as a guide to arrange the bigger shapes of your scene for harmony and balance. Use a picture finder tool or a camera lens with grid selected to help you gain a good balance of offset shapes into spaces of one third. There are no rules other than try to make your landscape appear interesting with a mixture of large and small shapes and maybe a lead into the focus. The focus of your painting is the main interest around your story and needs to be emphasised and strong enough to keep pulling the viewer’s attention. A focus can consist of anything that will continually draw notice such as a building, a patch of light, a flock of sheep, people, a lone tree and so on. When I’m in the landscape, I look out for either a focus or the supporting elements of a painting. The supporting elements are often as important as the focus and may comprise of a strong value background or a large, lit foreground space or an interesting line or curve leading into a scene provided by a wall or a track. Sometimes they all appear as a readymade design
but that isn’t always the case. If I see a potentially strong focus I will move around to try to place it against a good or better backdrop or see if I can find an interesting lead in. If I see the supporting elements but no focus, I will think about how I might impose a focus into the scene. When you become accustomed to working in this way you begin to see your field subjects as paintings, and you might have on-thespot ideas like making the background darker or removing a lot of distracting clutter to improve the image. If you’re painting en plein air it pays to spend some time on this, maybe making a few thumbnail sketches to quickly thrash out your ideas before you commit to the painting.
In the studio If you are painting in the studio you are likely to have some sketches and a series of photographs to work from and can spend a bit more time making decisions about the balance of values, enhancing a focus, trying out colour mixes and so on. You might also have a databank of images to call on if you
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PRACTICAL
PLANNING A PAINTING – WORKING TO A STORY 1 Compositional grid
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Here I have overlaid the compositional grid so that you can see how I used it to structure the main shapes. This was a scene that didn’t possess a great focus but the other elements of lead in and backdrop were present. I have the grid superimposed on my camera screen and this allows me to move around and select a pleasing arrangement. Notice how I used around two-thirds foreground and placed the track to meet the building around the top right intersection of the grid lines to offset it. The building provides some interest, but is not strong enough to act as a standalone focus because the values are similar to the surrounding trees.
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2 Adding shadows
Using my photo editing software, I made some lighting adjustments, sampling colours from the photograph to give the design an air of realism. I wasn’t trying to achieve perfection, it was more to get a feel of how my ideas might work. By bringing the light more from the left I introduced some cast shadows to enhance the land profiles and to bring some better shape into the building. I also added a window frame detail to help with keeping the viewer interested. These adjustments alone make the image more dynamic.
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3 Adding a focus
Next, I used some images of sheep from my own databank and sketched these into the scene using the graphic tablet and pen. Multiple shapes like these will always keep the eye interested; by adding the animals I shifted the focus, placing the building in a supporting role rather than centre stage. All these adjustments took a little while, but the resulting reference meant I could confidently get on with the painting.
wanted to add something. An invaluable tool for adjusting composition is photo editing software for your computer. Basic programmes that come with software packages such as Microsoft photos are good enough for cropping images and adjusting the exposure and colour saturation, but to make real adjustments it pays to invest in a dedicated software
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package and perhaps a tablet and pen. I use a Wacom USB tablet with a pressure sensitive pen with a programme called Serif PhotoPlus X6. There are many other packages around, such as Adobe Photoshop. There are also photo editing packages for iPads and tablets, so take a browse around the internet if you’ve never used editing apps before.
With this kind of set up you can take a photograph and not only alter the lighting and colour, but you can draw on it with the pen, clone areas, remove bits and so on, so that you end up with a digital image of your plan exactly as you envisaged. If you make a change that you don’t like, just press undo, and go TA back to your previous edit. artist June 2021
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WATERCOLOUR DEMONSTRATION Summer in Dentdale
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MATERIALS l
Brushes: Sizes 6, 3, 2 squirrel mops.
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Watercolours: cerulean blue, yellow ochre, Winsor violet, permanent sap green, French ultramarine, cadmium yellow pale, cobalt blue.
STAGE ONE
With a 6B pencil I drew out my composition on a piece of watercolour paper. By working from a definite plan, I didn’t have to make alterations, which can be disastrous even at this stage as lots of erasing can easily bruise and damage the paper. I began with size 6 squirrel mop brush, applying a simple wash of light colours using cerulean blue in the sky, switching to yellow ochre and Winsor violet lower down across the foreground
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STAGE TWO
In the trees I used a size 3 mop to apply the colours and shapes vigorously in places, maintaining control around the shapes I wanted to keep light. My basic green was permanent sap green and I varied this in colour with the addition of yellow ochre, ultramarine and some cerulean blue. I used fresh colour from the tube which also allowed for rapid changes in values. Lower down in the field I used my size 6 again with permanent sap green, cadmium yellow pale, yellow ochre and cerulean blue mixed loosely on the paper
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artist June 2021
FINISHED PAINTING
Summer in Dentdale, watercolour on Saunders Waterford 140lb (300gsm) Not, 10315in (25.5338cm). This was where the design plan paid off; with uncertainty eliminated, I confidently attacked the shadows and form. I added further dark values to the trees to give them depth and shape using a size 2 mop and plenty of thick colour. I continued into the shadow of the left-hand wall with a mixture of cobalt blue, Winsor violet and yellow ochre and I connected this into the field shadows whilst the paint was still wet. Next, I moved on to the building in much the same way, adding the shadows and allowing them to blend into the grass shadows for which I used French ultramarine and permanent sap green. Switching to a size 6 sable brush I worked the sheep one by one, adding a cerulean blue mark to echo the colours of the painting. Finally a little gouache was added to the gates, window frame, roof lights and one or two missed highlights on the sheep
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PRACTICAL
Next month: Paint a portrait in oil
EXERCISE TO TRY Use this image to practise your design skills. The trees provide a good backdrop but as there is no focus, you will need to invent one. Animals or figures would work well here. There is no strong lead-in but there are some faint radiating lines in the grass and a little drag brush is all that is needed to guide the eye towards your focus. For best results use a piece of Saunders Waterford 140lb (300gsm) paper, 11315in (28338cm) and squirrel mops sizes 2, 4 and 5. Keep the colours simple with permanent sap green, yellow ochre, cobalt blue, cerulean blue and burnt sienna.
We’d love to see your paintings – we’ll share them on PaintersOnline and Paul will select one to comment on. Email a good-quality photograph of your work, with a brief description of how you achieved it, to dawn@tapc.co.uk with ‘Better Painting Series’ in the subject line, by May 14, 2021.
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A brilliant combination Liquid acrylics make a great base for coloured pencil work, as Liz Seward shows with a lively spring landscape
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fter 40 years of painting it’s good to know that there are still some materials that excite me beyond measure. One of these is acrylic ink, or Golden High Flow Liquid Acrylics. Beautiful, intense jewel-like colours combine with a fluidity that is fascinating to watch as it moves and blends on the paper. Then, once the first application is dry, the inks can be used to continue the work or the initial layer of paint can be used as an underpainting for other media.
Firm favourites I had used inks as a basis for dry media for decades, using them with pastels, pastel pencils and water-soluble wax crayons, then about 20 years ago I decided to try coloured pencils with the inks. I was more than pleased with the result but was dubious about the
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permanence of the pencils, so I put this particular combination on the back burner. Then some years ago I acquired my first set of Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901, which is one of the most lightfast ranges available. Since then, this particular combination has become a firm favourite, combining as it does the brightness of the inks with the subtlety and accuracy of the pencils. I am lucky enough to live surrounded by trees and woodland so of course they are a favourite subject of mine, believing as I do that you should paint what you know. I have painted many different types of landscapes over the years, many en plein air, but in my studio I can experiment more and try a different approach with a subject that I know instinctively – especially if it involves more equipment than I am prepared to carry around. I have bookcases full of sketchbooks that I
p The Gate into the Woods, ink and coloured pencil on Fabriano Artistico HP paper 140lb (300gsm), 14319in (25.5348cm). This old gate has been slowly deteriorating for years and certainly will not prevent anyone from walking into the woods. I thought I would record it before it finally disintegrates. Painted with the same palette of liquid acrylics as used for Bluebell Path (pages 40–41) with the addition of burnt sienna, and the same selection of pencils, I had fun with the starkness of the gate and the softness of the undergrowth around it
have filled and in one of them I found a fairly comprehensive sketch of a bluebell wood. I’m sure there was a photograph as well but that has been consigned to history; in any case the drawing gives me all the information that I need as I know this subject as well as I know my own face.
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LIQUID ACRYLICS & COLOURED PENCILS DEMONSTRATION Bluebell Path
MATERIALS l
Golden High Flow Acrylic: hansa yellow light, phthalo green, ultramarine blue, titanium white.
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Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 Coloured Pencils: chromium oxide green, grass green, dark English green, violet grey, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, indanthrene blue, burnt ochre, sepia 50%, sepia, carmine lake; blender.
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Fabriano Artistico HP watercolour paper 650gsm.
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STAGE ONE
Using a full tonal range from the white of the paper to almost black from the 3B pencil I was able to indicate distance with soft grey tones, middle distance with darker greys and foreground with crisp dark marks that would create depth. Using the same pencil I transferred the drawing onto a piece of HP watercolour paper of the same proportions
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STAGE TWO
Having wet the paper all over I laid the yellow in places where I knew I was going to need it – the sunnier patches of grass and the foliage of the trees, then ultramarine where the distant trees and the large patches of bluebells would be, and finally pthalocyanine green for the foreground grass. These were laid wetin-wet on the wet paper, and from time to time I tilted the board to encourage the liquid acrylics to flow into certain places – don’t do this anywhere that can’t take a bit of mess! I call this phase ‘painting with gravity’, and it produces many of the tree shapes that I will use in the distance. Then I left it to dry completely
LIZ’S TOP TIPS l Keep a sketchbook and carry it with you regularly. It’s amazing how often using it relieves boredom and fills dull moments. l Even if you are working from photographs, it’s useful to draw the composition from the photo before you paint – to decide composition, what to leave out and tonal values. l Liquid acrylics are beautiful but messy so always protect valued surfaces and clothes. When dry it is very difficult to remove, even a thin film. l Keep your pencils sharp; I use a metal pencil sharpener with a replaceable blade, but I know many artists prefer knives to protect the integrity of the lead inside the wood casing. If this is the case, a sandpaper block is very useful for creating a point. l Learning to vary the pressure on the tip of the pencil to create variations in tone takes practice. A few minutes a day is all it needs. p
STAGE THREE
Using medium cobalt blue, ultramarine blue and indanthrene blue pencils, all sharpened to a fine point with a metal sharpener, I carefully defined the distant trees by colouring the areas around them; I did it this way because the trees will look as though they ‘belong’ to the picture more, and I didn’t want to lay all that lovely liquid acrylic colour and immediately cover it up with pencil. They will all have the liquid acrylic colours running through them and by varying the tone around them I can bring them forward or send them into the background. I also started to define the edges of the leaves in the trees further forward. Getting ahead of myself, I couldn’t resist trying a bit of violet grey on the foreground trees, indicating branch shadows to define the trees as round
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l Always use the smoother watercolour papers (Hot Pressed). Cold pressed and Rough give a very grainy finish that takes over visually. l I’m often asked about what direction to make the pencil strokes in. The answer is do whatever is most comfortable to you, but make it consistent. I’m left-handed so my natural stroke is diagonal but over the years I have trained myself to make vertical strokes for more strength and less movement. A blender is useful for areas where the strokes are too obvious.
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STAGE FOUR
This is the bit I’d been waiting for! Using oxide of chromium green I started to shape the branches with leaves on, again working largely in the negative space, preserving much of the original liquid acrylic colour. I then coloured some of the leaves in the middle distance that are against the sky. After that I threaded the branches and tree trunks through the leaves using lost-and-found techniques. I used violet grey for the paler tones; sepia 50%, sepia and carmine lake for the darker tones, varying the pressure on the pencil tip as required. As variety is the spice of life, I ran some burnt ochre over the darker tones on some of the foreground trees to warm them up
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FINISHED PAINTING
Bluebell Path, coloured pencil over liquid acrylics, 14319in (25.5348cm). Using the same four colours I used for the tree trunks, I defined the path that weaves through the wood. Running these colours over the original green liquid acrylic resulted in a slightly different effect to the trees but provides a general harmony to the piece. The edges of the path were defined by a broken line with a sepia pencil, and again burnt ochre was used to warm up sunnier areas. Dark English green and grass green were used for the shadows in the grassy areas – some have a straight edge and some a
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ragged edge to describe lighter clumps of grass in front of them. Applying more pressure on the ultramarine pencil resulted in some shadows in the bluebell areas. In the foreground I indulged myself and put in more defined bluebells with the same colour. Returning to the liquid acrylics, I mixed titanium white with a very small amount of ultramarine and lightened the middle-distance bluebells to enhance the sunny effect, and create some lighter flowers in the foreground. I then completed the tree in the middle distance with violet grey and cobalt blue and decided to leave well alone
Liz Seward taught and demonstrated for 36 years and is a member of The Society of Women Artists and the Society of Floral Painters. She has exhibited widely and won many awards for her work. Liz teaches residential courses at Dedham Hall and demonstrates to art societies. www.sewardart.co.uk
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WATERCOLOUR-STYLE ACRYLICS
Acrylics, watercolour style Acrylics can be diluted and used just like watercolour says Amanda Hyatt as she demonstrates an interior scene and shares her top ten tips to get you started
A
n artist should be able to paint in all media with equal proficiency, even though the artist may prefer one medium as their favourite. As a watercolourist primarily, I prefer the spontaneous flow of the watercolour medium. This flow can also be achieved when painting in acrylic. Acrylic does not have to be used thickly as most people assume – it can be diluted to the point of transparency and is just as good as watercolour for doing a wash. The exact same method that I teach for watercolour, in my Five Steps to Watercolour (see The Artist November 2020) and my DVDs* can be applied
to painting in acrylic. The acrylic can be diluted to whatever consistency is required; you can then either dry it off and paint over the top of it, or leave it wet and apply thicker paint straight into it according to the wet-in-wet technique. To be honest, an artist can create a painting out of anything; boot polish, toothpaste, strong black coffee, liquid paper, grass stains, beetroot juice or that diabolical yellow stain from the stamens of some lilies. Let’s face it, cavemen used mud. It’s how you put it on the surface that matters.
Papers Watercolour paper comes in three basic
surface textures. These are: • Hot Pressed (HP) paper is smooth, with little to no surface texture, which means the paint covers it uniformly. This paper is therefore suitable for detailed work such as botanical art. Mistakes are more obvious on this paper because the edges of your brushmarks stay sharper. To get a softer look the wet-in-wet method works quite well on this paper, although it is easy to lose control of big washes. • Cold Pressed (Not) paper is the most popular and frequently used. It is easy to use and has a medium texture. The paint fragments slightly. It can be used for detailed or non-detailed work. • Rough paper is not suitable for detailed work or correction. The paint must be applied correctly the first time and does not cover the dips in the rough texture – it fragments greatly unless a loaded brush with lots of paint and water is used. My painting Glen Coe (left) was done on Hot-Pressed paper and The Rialto, Venice, (top right) on Cold-Pressed paper. If you look closely at each painting you can see the sharper ‘edges’ of the paint on the HP paper but on the Not paper the edges of the painted brushstroke sink into the textured surface and disappear, creating a more uneven edge. My demonstration painting (right and over the page) was done on Rough Baohong paper, a new Chinese paper that is proving to be excellent.
Details
p Glen Coe, acrylic on Baohong HP paper, 18¼324in (46361cm). The vale of Glen Coe is similar to some areas of Australia and because I like painting landscapes and have visited Scotland, I enjoyed painting this scene. It was done with diluted acrylics and you can see clearly the sharp edges of the paint layers
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As previously mentioned, Rough paper allows for less detail. As a ‘big picture’ artist, I usually leave out all unnecessary details and put some in at the end to finish off the painting. I look at the ‘overall feel’ of the subject and decide which items are necessary to balance the painting. In the demonstration painting I omitted the apron hanging on the door as it would have been too isolated, dominant and distracting. The
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PRACTICAL t
The Rialto, Venice, acrylic on Baohong paper, 14320in (36351cm). Even though Venice is a much painted location and to some extent its images end up on biscuit tin lids or place-mats, I still adore painting it and have been there many times. This painting was done on medium (Not) paper in diluted acrylics. The transparency creates the light in the central area, the darks on the left push the eye across the painting to undiluted spots of white acrylic on the right. Undiluted acrylic was used as highlights in the shadows on the left. The painting was kept loose with reduced detail
DEMONSTRATION Martindale Hall Kitchen
p
My palette and brushes
This is an upturned lid of a watercolour palette. I chisel off the dried-up acrylic paint when finished so I can use the lid again. The paint is squeezed around the rim and mixed in the centre then wiped off if required, although I rarely wipe away paint and just add new colours to the ‘gunge’ already there
p My reference photo, the kitchen of Martindale Hall, South Australia
eye would have constantly been pulled towards it. Copying the details of the tea set on the table correctly as well as the items on the mantle and around the oven is a waste of time. A ‘suggestion’ of kitchen utensils is better and the eye ‘reads’ the information correctly rather than having the items detailed. My art focuses on capturing the light rather than the colour so a reduced palette was used: cadmium yellow, burnt sienna, black, white and ultramarine blue. The window and the play of light on the table and floor were the defining highlights of this painting. The shadows cast by the table items were also important. Page 44
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STAGE ONE The drawing on watercolour paper artist June 2021
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STAGE TWO
For the initial wash, I used a hake brush with mixtures of cadmium yellow, burnt sienna and black, leaving some white areas
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STAGE THREE
All the defining shapes were painted in using burnt sienna and black. This was then dried off with a hair dryer
The subject image is of Martindale Hall kitchen. I painted the Martindale Hall study for a previous article (see The Artist December 2019). Martindale Hall is a magnificent Georgian mansion in the middle of seemingly nowhere in the outback of South Australia. Its rooms are decorated with original William Morris wallpapers and English and Australian antique furniture. The history, ambience and visual impact creaks throughout every majestic room. As always, know when to stop. View the finished painting in a mirror and the mirror will speak to you loudly saying either ‘put the paintbrush down now’ or ‘ just fix that bit but nothing else, don’t TA fiddle!’
AMANDA’S TOP TEN TIPS FOR USING ACRYLIC PAINT LIKE WATERCOLOUR 1 Forget all pre-conceived ideas that acrylic is a poor relative to oil paint. 2 Acrylic paint is fantastic and can be thinned down and painted just like watercolour and used thickly wet-in-wet for highlights. 3 Most people don’t dilute acrylic paint but paint it thickly as it is squeezed out. Explore what it does when it is diluted with water. 4 Try the three different types of watercolour paper: HP, Not and Rough. You will be amazed at the differences between them. p
STAGE FOUR
A mixture of cadmium yellow, burnt sienna and a touch of black was glazed (layered) over most of the painting, except for the highlight light/white areas
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5 Painting is all about the journey. It is about practising, experimentation and
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learning through making mistakes. If you remember not to make the same error in your next painting you are making progress. 6 Dilute acrylic with water before mixing – this is the basic understanding of how acrylics can be used like watercolours. 7 Use the same brushes as you would for watercolour. Synthetic brushes are best for diluted acrylics. Hakes are always the best for doing broad washes and glazes. 8 Even though the conventional process of painting in non-diluted acrylics is similar to painting in oils, once acrylics are diluted, it is the same as painting in watercolour.
FINISHED PAINTING
Martindale Hall Kitchen, acrylic on Baohong Rough paper, 181/4324in (46361cm). Individual items such as the pots, pans and teapots were exaggerated with darker colours. Shadows in ultramarine blue were placed in and around various items such as under the mantelpiece, to the left of various utensils and on the wall. The painting was finished off with the crucial minimal details which are highlights in black or dulled-off white (white and cadmium yellow). These were done using a small round synthetic brush for the lights and a rigger for the darks
Amanda Hyatt has exhibited widely, including in New York and China. She is a member of the Australian Watercolour Institute, the Victorian Artists Society and the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society. Her paintings are in collections throughout the world and her book Watercolour: Tonal Impressionism is available from Amazon. Amanda tutors workshops and painting holidays, for details http://amandahyatt.co.au
9 You’ll find that diluted acrylics don’t dry as quickly as undiluted acrylic. 10 Use your reference photo only as inspiration. Don’t try to copy it or you will always be disappointed. You are making art, not making another photo.
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*Amanda has three DVDs, available from APV Films, including Tonal Watercolours and Five Steps to Watercolour (www.apvfilms.com)
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Late Day, the Witterings, oil, 9310in (23325.5cm)
Add water to your landscape Follow Sarah Manolescue as she demonstrates a plein-air landscape of a riverside scene in oil, with details of her outdoor painting kit
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enerally speaking, painting the landscape en plein air is a relaxing pastime. Add any kind of water to the mix and you instantly up the ante – when you’re attempting to paint it, it can change in an instant with the light, tide or even the gentlest of breezes. It’s also a mirror for the landscape, which is why I am so drawn to it, but it presents the greatest challenge and makes the largest contribution to the pile of unsuccessful paintings in my studio! A struggle it often is, but one I gravitate towards because to capture water
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successfully in paint is a beautiful thing, and none more so than en plein air.
Check the tide From where I am located I can get to the Sussex coast to paint beaches and marinas, or to countryside rivers and the more structured River Thames meandering through London. Each pose a different kind of challenge and where I go will depend on my mood. Weather is a consideration and so is the tide. Before heading to the coast I will have checked and double-checked the weather and tide times (these can
be found online and are generally accurate). It doesn’t pay to forget to check – I did once when I was intending to do a demonstration painting for this very article and I had a wasted journey. The tide was so far out I could barely see it and by the time it came back in the light was terrible.
Light and water The coast will invariably be more energetic and unpredictable in nature, so if that’s what you are seeking, head there. It is also an excellent spot to catch the sunset (although a clear sky
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PRACTICAL with the sun dropping towards the water can be absolutely blinding, so beware!). If it is reflections you crave, a river or harbour will serve you well. Spots close to city bridges offer up exciting material with boats, barges and the bridges creating great compositional opportunities. If you paint towards the sun – contrejour – you will see bleached-out colour in the water, but in exchange you get great sparkle that is a joy to paint. A trick I’ve learnt is to go quite dark, certainly darker than you think, in tone for the sky so the light on the water really pops. If you are looking away from the sun the colour returns, and portraying this successfully can create a fantastic sense of depth. With large expanses of water I find the most predominant colour and loosely block in the whole area. I can then work into this with other colours where I
see them, becoming lighter, darker, warmer or cooler. If the water you are painting is relatively still and your reflections are clear, work on both the water and surroundings simultaneously. For example, if you have large cloud formations rolling overhead, see how they reflect in the water as they
p Pink Boots, oil, 9310in (23325.5cm)
go. Make sure your water reflects its surroundings at all times and if something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to wipe and have another go.
Dealing with change Wind can play absolute havoc with reflections, particularly on a wide expanse of river and the temptation is to change your painting in a bid to keep up. Be decisive from the outset about how your reflections will look and err on the side of caution by keeping things simple. Note which colours you see and confidently place them down; perfection isn’t necessary because everything will be moving around all the time, accurate mixing is key here. By its very nature, water is ever changing, so with any painting that it features in, the goal is to get a sense of it rather than true representation. Have TA fun making it your own!
SARAH’S PLEIN-AIR PAINTING EQUIPMENT Pochade (I use an Open Box M, 11314in).
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Tripod (Manfrotto 190XPRO).
Rags and tissues for wiping brushes, correcting paintings, etc.
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Medium: I carry a small bottle of turps and pour a little into a jam jar lid to dip my brush into.
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Brush washer filled with turps or brush cleaner – I go for the smallest I can find (various sizes are available from Jackson’s or Amazon).
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Assortment of brushes – mine are Rosemary & Co and Pro Arte Acrylix, mainly filberts, rounds and a few flats.
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Panel carrier (Raymar).
A range of pre-prepared panels in various sizes.
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Oil paint – this is my standard palette for plein-air painting: DalerRowney Artists Colours blue black, raw umber, oxide of chromium, Rowney rose, cadmium scarlet, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, Naples yellow; Michael Harding ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, cobalt blue, kings blue deep, terre verte, viridian, zinc white; Winsor & Newton cadmium lemon, Jackson’s titanium white.
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I squeeze a good amount of each colour onto my pochade before I leave and take both whites with me to top up.
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Fishing from the Jetty, oil, 10312in (25.5330.5cm)
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This was the scene I was painting. I was drawn to the river leading the eye in and across the view from right to left. Although the river isn’t a huge part of the composition, my challenge was to make it the focal point. Reflecting the sky on a clear day, the water is partly in shadow from nearby trees and I liked the contrast of the two areas. The river water was flowing but there was still flood water, which served to break up the dark green areas of shadow
DEMONSTRATION: Geese by the River Wey u
STAGE ONE
I chose an 8312in MDF board primed and tinted with acrylic pale umber. These dimensions helped to keep the focus on the foreground and the river. Using a mix of burnt sienna and kings blue deep thinned with turps, I sketched out the basic composition: the shape of the river, the bank of trees on the horizon and the large area of shadow
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STAGE TWO
Using slightly thinned mixes, I blocked in all large areas of colour ready to work into and refine. For the bank of trees, I darkened the mix I made to sketch out by adding more burnt sienna, a little ultramarine blue and a touch of oxide of chromium. The dark shadow green is oxide of chromium and ultramarine blue, lightened for the rest of the green areas with some cadmium yellow and titanium white. For the sky, I used ultramarine blue and white, adding more white and a touch of Rowney rose to push the area closer to the horizon towards pink. I used this for the river also. I noticed that the green area close to the foreground trees was darker, so added a little blue black to the dark green mix
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STAGE THREE
I started to add some detail with thicker paint, adding darker and lighter areas to the bank of trees to break them up, but not so much that they became distracting. I mixed a stronger, brighter blue and added to the water close to the river edge, and some terracotta areas too, smudging it all a little with my finger to enhance the impression of fluidity. I marked out the course of the river with foliage in the same colour used for the bank of trees. I loosely marked in the flood water with the punchy blue mix, and some lighter stripes of green to further break up the large area of shadow
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PRACTICAL u
STAGE FOUR
This stage was mainly about developing the water. I added some warmer tones and highlighted small patches using a mix of Naples yellow, cadmium scarlet and titanium white. The water was changing constantly with the flow of the river, the breeze and the light, so I placed areas of paint intuitively. I sketched in the tree skeleton but kept it simple so as not to detract from the water
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Sarah Manolescue has exhibited with the New English Art Club and the Chelsea Art Society, and has work in private collections in the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia. She will be exhibiting with Sarah Potter in ‘The Way We See It’, from September 30 to October 6 at 340 Kings Road, London SW3 5UR. www.sarahmanolescue.co.uk
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FINISHED PAINTING
Geese by the River Wey, oil on MDF primed panel, 8312in (20.5330.5cm). I noticed a branch hanging into the water, so I sketched it in with its corresponding reflection. I decided to remove the vertical post in the foreground as it proved too distracting and didn’t add anything compositionally. The clouds had built up slightly since I began painting, so I decided to include them for their warm tones. I added more of the same colour to the river water. I noticed a rooftop in the bank of trees that I decided to include, so I fattened up the foreground with some bigger brushstrokes to bring it closer to the viewer and push the horizon back. A gaggle of geese had been strutting around the composition since work began, so as a finishing touch I added them in, noticing two had wandered closer to me and the river
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DRAWING INTO PAINTING: 3R D OF 3
Paint a still life in oil Adele Wagstaff completes the transition from drawing into painting using information gained from her previous studies and explains how to mix colours from a limited palette to paint a still life in oil
Adele Wagstaff trained at Newcastle University and the Slade School of Fine Art. She has taught in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the UK. Adele has been shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize and the BP Portrait Award, and her work has been exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery, ING Discerning Eye, Royal West of England Academy and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. Adele has published two books. For more details, see www.adelewagstaff.co.uk
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n this final part of the series we will look closely at colour mixing, and how we can mix a palette of subtle, warm and cool mixes suitable for our still life from the bright and saturated primary colours. In part 1 (April 2021 issue) a small still life of a shell placed on a music manuscript was the subject for a study of tone; in part 2 (May 2021 issue) tone and temperature were explored as we continued to move from drawing into painting. In this final step, the same set up, observed in natural light, is again our subject.
p Shell with Manuscript, oil on gessoed panel, 8311¾in (20330cm). Black and white tone study made in part 1 of this series
Colour mixing The colour chart (top right) shows how it’s possible to mix a palette of mixed greys from primary colours. The swatches were made by mixing cadmium yellow, alizarin crimson with white and complementary colours. It demonstrates the transition of saturated colours, mixed directly from the tube, to muted and subtle mixes. Little by little the intense yellows, oranges and reds transform to a range of mixes that appear more ‘earthy’ as we would expect to see if we added
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siennas, ochres and umbers to the palette. White was then added to each of the mixes to make the colours softer. The resulting mixes are closer to the range of colours required for the stilllife painting. With careful mixing it is possible to
p Shell with Manuscript, oil on gessoed panel, 8311¾in (20330cm). Tone and temperature study made in part 2 of this series, using burnt sienna, ultramarine and white
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PRACTICAL
extend our colour palette considerably from only a few initial colours. Further mixing, with the addition of more complementary colour and white will continue to neutralise the palette even more, and create a range of beautiful, soft ‘greys’. If you look at the muted colours of Morandi’s quiet and meditative still-life arrangements you can see how his palette has been achieved by mixing together pairs of complementary colours and white.
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COLOUR CHART
Top row, left to right: cadmium yellow mixed with small and increasing amounts of alizarin crimson. From this bright, warm yellow the colour moves through darkening oranges to darker mixes of red. In the second row the smallest amount of white was added into each pool of colour on the palette, which results in lightening and making each mix a little cooler. In the third row, you can see how each of the mixes has moved away from the pure, saturated colours in the row above to colours that have been neutralised with the addition of each colour’s complementary colour: yellow with purple; orange with blue; red with green. In the bottom row, white was added to soften the colours.
Colour mixing on the palette
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Here you can see a pale orange mix with the addition of white, being slowly adjusted to a neutral ‘coloured grey’. Moving from left to right the colour softens, as with each mix a small but increasing amount of ultramarine was added
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MATERIALS l
A small board or canvas suitable for oil painting; an acrylic primer is fine for use with oil paints.
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Oil paints: titanium white, lemon yellow or cadmium lemon, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, cerulean blue and ultramarine blue.
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Palette; a palette knife with a long blade for mixing; your preferred dilutant, eg turpentine, Sansodor, Zest-it; medium, eg linseed oil, Liquin.
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Brushes: I used a mix of synthetic rounds and filberts from Rosemary & Co’s Shiraz and Ivory ranges; a rigger brush for the initial drawing and then a mix of rounds and filberts for larger areas of colour.
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DRAWING INTO PAINTING: 3RD OF 3 DEMONSTRATION Shell with Manuscript For each of the three oil studies made during this series, I used a gesso-prepared wood panel size 8311¾in (20330cm). This composition had become very familiar through the painting of the two earlier panels. As the paintings are all of the same size, measurements can be taken from the other studies to double-check the placing of the objects within the rectangle. Distances from the edge of the board to particular parts of the still life can be used to check that the resulting composition is the same as on the two earlier panels.
STAGE ONE
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I drew the composition directly with a rigger brush, using a mix of the three primary colours on the palette diluted with Sansodor: lemon yellow, alizarin crimson and ultramarine. This made a dark tone, something close to raw umber, an earth pigment that I would normally use for underdrawing when using the extended palette
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STAGE TWO
Before beginning the process of looking closely at the more subtle colour mixes and tonality of the shell, the white of the surrounding areas was quickly covered to enable me to observe the lighter warm and cool colour contrasts within the shell. The darker warm surface on which the still life is placed was patched in, as well as the grey of the wall behind
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STAGE THREE
Once the large areas of white surrounding the still life had been obliterated, I turned my attention to observing the colours found within the shell. During the process of painting the two studies, the lights and darks were explored, as were the warm-cool relationships within the composition. A cool and brighter mix was laid-down over the surface next to the shell, a little cadmium lemon was introduced into the mix. The first cool and warm pinks of the shell were added with minute amounts of alizarin crimson and cadmium red introduced in to the mixes on the palette, carefully adjusting their amounts for warm and cool. A rigger brush was used to pinpoint the outermost curves and angles along the edge of the shell
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PRACTICAL
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STAGE FOUR
Before looking more closely at the variety of colours over the uppermost surface of the shell, the warm, darker tones within its depth were placed. Colours were also added for the covers of the manuscript, so the angles were checked and adjusted, with a lighter tone being used to clearly delineate the edges
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STAGE FIVE
As the entire surface had now been covered with at least one, if not two layers of paint, I began to look more closely at the subtle temperature contrasts of colour overall; areas of colour were becoming smaller as colours were observed more closely. Against the warm darks within the shell, I began to pick out the darker blues and mauve that run along the top, above the gap. At this stage I was beginning to think more about the direction of the brushstrokes over the top curved surface of the shell to further introduce a sense of volume. The paint surface, particularly over the background and wooden tabletop, was applied more thickly and opaquely. Small adjustments were made to the shifts of warm and cool around and within the shell, with accents of warm being found in and underneath
FINISHED PAINTING
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Shell with Manuscript, oil on gessoed panel, 83113/4in (20330cm). The final few linear touches were made to the cover of the manuscript. The dark curves were picked out with a rigger brush, while the suggestion of text on the uppermost surface was achieved by the addition of small areas of colour placed with rapid brushwork
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The colour of shadows Mike Barr is a Fellow of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts. He has won over 80 awards, including 17 first prizes. You can find more of Mike’s work at www.mikebarrfineart.com
Mike Barr explains why the colours of shadows are rarely just darker versions of the areas not in shadow – something that the Impressionists used to great effect
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he easiest way to see the colour of shadows is to see them at the beach or in the snow. You will notice that on a sunny clear day shadows are very blue or purple, particularly late in the afternoon or morning. Some of us may never have noticed this, but it’s quite a revelation when you spot it. Many impressionist artists really exaggerate these coloured shadows and even though they are more coloured than in real life, they look believable, simply because we are used to seeing those coloured shadows without even realising it! The blue in shadows on a sunny day is there because the yellow of the sun is being blotted out by a solid object, so what is left to illuminate is mainly the blue sky, hence the blueness of the shadow. Of course, it is not all blue but a combination of blue and the original colour of the surface on which the shadow is cast. It is the subtlety of these combinations that need to be worked on to get it right. There is no real formula – it takes persistence, observation and patience. The prevalence of blue is also experienced when taking a photograph in the shade. If there is blue sky visible it will cause a blue cast on the photo, which can be a bane when trying to take pictures of a plein-air piece. The colour of the shadow is not only a combination of the original object’s colour (untainted by the yellow of the sun) and the sky, it can also include colours from sources nearby. For instance, the shadows of sand dunes have the colour of sand, the sky and the reflection of sunlit sand that may be nearby – and it’s a triumph when we get it right. The shadows in a still life are particularly susceptible to colours of local objects and understanding this can transform your work. I remember one evening in Adelaide when two sets of street lights were at play. Some strong white spotlights were casting deep shadows on the pavement, but the shadows were very orange. The orange came from the
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‘The blue in shadows on a sunny day is there because the yellow of the sun is being blotted out by a solid object’ street lights above that were illuminating the shadows cast from the white spotlights. For sure, the colours in shadows are very subtle most of the time, but as artists we can enhance them and when we do, it will add another dimension to our work and bring them to life. A study of how other artists handle shadows can be an eye-opener and well worth the time to consider and then implement the knowledge in our own work. TA
p Beach Path, oil on board, 11¾311¾in (30330cm). The blue-purple in shadows is very visible at the beach, and can also be clearly seen on white sails and cricketers playing in whites. This painting of shadows on a beach path has been exaggerated, but it works
Happy observing and painting!
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THE ARTIST ’S PRAC TICE
DAILY SKETCHING In the first of a new series Sarah Edmonds looks at the discipline of keeping a sketchbook and why it’s an important ritual
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he past year has imposed a period of reflection of our lives and working practices as both humans and artists. You will likely have increased your output whilst being at home, with more time and possibly more commitment to drawing and painting than ever before. Daily rituals have become pillars of our sanity, keeping us on an even keel, regulating long days at home either on our own or juggling family needs. At the time of writing, we are still in full lockdown with normal schedules in flux. The whole country is clinging on to a day-by-day existence, without the luxury of planning ahead and with no assurances for the future. It therefore seems apt that, like my case study artist Kerry Phippen, we are exploring the daily ritual of sketchbooking. Kerry describes it as a marker in her day, a nonnegotiable activity that acts as a visual diary propelling her forwards: ‘the importance of just starting something and the discipline to show up with your materials and some paper. The sketchbooks I use are Seawhite, 939in. I like the square format, the paper is a strong white cartridge so will cope with different materials and is small enough to put in a rucksack.’ Whether you are a professional, amateur or new to drawing, there are many benefits of this daily regimen. On average it takes two months for a new behaviour to become automatic, so give yourself some time to enjoy the process and don’t give up too soon. After a while, it will become second nature and your drawing will improve exponentially. A focused activity such as drawing will absorb your thoughts and give you a break from the stresses of daily life. If you are stuck in a rut or feel your artwork is stale, the process of regular drawing will allow you to explore themes that you may not have considered. Daily drawing also challenges the ‘blank canvas syndrome’ – a very real hurdle for many artists. Your own private pages allow unbridled experimentation, mark making and exploratory work without the fear of making mistakes or creating finished works. Freeing your mind of barriers and tapping into your subconscious is an important part of the creative process. In
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Sarah Edmonds is the Marketing Manager for Pegasus Art and a freelancer supporting creatives and fine artists. Sarah studied a short course at the Slade School of Fine Art and has a degree from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. www.sarahedmonds-marketing.com
a recent BBC2 documentary following the life of Maggi Hambling, the artist offered an insight into the ink drawings she makes early each morning – they are led by her subconscious mind, her thoughts leading her hand wherever it wants to go, scrawling incoherent inky marks across her sketchbook. She insists that this process opens up her mind and guides her work. By adding notes, feelings and dates to your drawings it will help you to look back and reflect as the months pass. The sense of achievement in filling a sketchbook and witnessing your techniques improve will buoy you up to keep going. As a highly personal document, your pile of sketchbooks will grow to become a treasured archive. TA
FIVE VERY GOOD REASONS TO BEGIN SKETCHBOOKING TODAY: Drawing every day forms a habit – one that you can enjoy for years to come.
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Regular drawing will rapidly improve your skill level and observation.
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It challenges the fear of a blank page and will give you greater confidence.
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Your sketchbooks will act as a visual diary allowing for reflection over a period of time.
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Join forces with an artist friend, enjoy collaboration and reaching a goal!
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CASE STUDY Kerry Phippen Q Why do you think daily drawing is important? A Curiosity – and I just really enjoy it. Even when I’m not physically drawing, I’m thinking about what to draw next. Q Where did the idea for your 365 days project come from? And what did you learn along the way? A For years I had used a sketchbook for most of my ideas and imagery. Then I had years of not using them so often, and would go straight to the studio to do ‘something proper’ or more finished. I had been thinking about the freshness and immediacy of my sketchbook and missed that expression and freedom in my studio work. An artist friend was feeling in a similar, slightly stuck place, so we came up with an agreement to have a goal of daily drawings. The way to keep track and be accountable to each other (like a training buddy) was to use Instagram and tag each other. A year seemed like a worthwhile commitment. Q How has the experience influenced your work since? A The experience has reminded me about the importance of just starting something and the discipline to show up with your materials and some paper. On days when I was really tired, or not free until late in the evening, I would still have to start something and, more often than not, I would end up becoming involved and really interested in what was happening. It’s not about having the luxury of time to make a grand plan or overthink, you just have to do something every day. I have drawn horses for as long as I can remember and if I fancy it I can simply head outside and sketch them. During the sketchbook year I also did several landscapes and seascapes using charcoal, or gouache – this was interesting as I had never thought of myself as being particularly a ‘landscape’ artist. But I guess, no matter what the subject matter is, it’s about what you love or feel an emotional connection with. That could be your dog, or just looking at a certain tree or hill.
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PRACTICAL
Sketchbook Year, Day 233, Kincraig, ink and watercolour, 939in (23323cm). ‘A few weeks before painting this I had spent some time in the Cairngorms walking, drawing and taking photographs for future work. I was searching through my photographs and was once again captivated by this moody sky and watery reflections. I used Schmincke Aquarelle watercolour paints and a Derwent black water-soluble pencil as they seem to portray that watery atmosphere I was looking to create. I really enjoy using water-soluble media as they work happily alongside each other so you can draw and paint simultaneously rather than one stage then the next. It’s much more freeing.’
Q Do you draw instinctively or do you like to plan? A A bit of both, definitely. In my sketchbook, I do allow myself to go off piste and play and this is often to amuse myself. With my studio work, I do make a plan but it still gets pulled away by my imagination, as soon as you make that first mark, you are in a conversation about how to continue. It is often instinctive, and sometimes I have to take a step back and leave it for a few days to see what I need to do next. Some images reveal themselves quickly and others are much more paced. Q What part does/did social media play in your daily sketchbooking? A The decision to use Instagram for daily posts was, initially, a way to prove that the daily ‘task’ has been done. However, this quickly took on a different dimension, as the followers grew and the encouragement, likes, etc boosted the momentum and
encouraged me to keep going. I then felt I also needed to show up for them and keep putting in the effort, as I really appreciated their lovely feedback. Instagram helped a lot! At the same time as doing the daily sketchbook, I had started another project painting tiny landscapes on miniature Khadi sheets. After the sketchbook year finished, I continued to paint these tiny paintings and began to post the tiny landscapes for sale on Instagram. I then posted
tiny horses too, and many have found new homes, which is very exciting – both of these collections are a direct result of doing the sketchbook challenge. You can follow Kerry Phippen on her social media channels Twitter @kerryphippen Instagram @kerryphippenart Facebook @kerryphippenart All artwork available to buy online at www.kerryphippenart.com Get in touch at info@kerryphippenart.com
Blue Roan, watercolour and pencil on Khadi paper, 232¾in (537cm).
‘One of my tiny paintings, this started from a thought about the blue roan colour of certain horse breeds, which then inspired the idea to use a blue watercolour for the pony. I then felt that it needed a friend, hence the girl character in her red pyjamas. One step suggests the next and becomes like a playful, storytelling process. I often paint and draw freehand whatever comes into my imagination.’
Next month: Fitting art around your life
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Images Kerry Phippen
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A R T I S T S’ P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E LO PM E N T: 5T H O F 6
Penny Harris Parker Harris was created by Emma Parker and Penny Harris in 1990 and it is now one of the leading visual arts consultancies in the UK. Parker Harris manage some of the most important art prizes and exhibitions in the UK and mentor artists through all aspects of their careers. To learn more about their professional development and online marketing coaching programmes, email info@parkerharris.co.uk. You can also stay in touch with Parker Harris on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @ParkerHarrisCo
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he career of an artist involves not only creating work, but running a business to generate income and fuel that production. This might be obvious, but it is often overlooked. To help you navigate the finances of being an artist, here are the do’s and don’ts of funding your practice.
DO: Diversify your streams of income Let me start by saying this: it is wise to have several income streams. The pandemic has highlighted a need to diversify. Diversification is a way of spreading your risk. As a result, you’ll have eggs in several baskets and you won’t be so reliant on one particular way to fund your work. For instance, artists who relied totally on gallery exhibitions (which sell in person to the public), most of which were cancelled at very short notice during the pandemic, found themselves either having to find alternative and creative ways of selling their work online, or to make money in other ways. And, believe me, it isn’t something that you want to have to set up in a hurry! A few other ways for artists to make money include selling work online, creating multiples, prints, or editions that might sell for lower prices (possibly attracting new audiences). Or – definitely a result of the lockdown – online workshops, either one-on-one, or classes. All of these are worth investigating.
DON’T: Be afraid of public funding Some artists’ practices lend themselves naturally to public funding. Large community engagement projects – like those delivered by Mary Branson, in our case
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Funding your practice Penny Harris looks at what funding is available to artists, and how to apply for it study, right – would be difficult to fund other than via Arts Council England, or an arts commissioning agency. But what always surprises me is how few artists even consider public funding for their practice or projects. Often, artists are put off, or intimidated by public funding. However, there is nothing to be afraid of! Arts Council England is there to help you. So why not consider them to fund your projects? As well as extensive Project Grants, Arts Council England has non-project based funds such as the DYCP – Developing Your Creative Practice. So, what does DYCP do? Quite a lot! It is a fund specifically for research and development and is open to all individual artists or practitioners. It aims to help artists take their practice to the next stage, affording them time to network, develop, travel, make new work, upskill, have mentoring, or develop ideas. There are also other national grant-making bodies listed on ACE’s website, so have a scroll through these as well.
DO: Research and network Local trusts and foundations can also be an important source of funds. So how do you get to know about them? No surprises here: the key is to do your homework, and networking. Most, but sadly not all, councils will have an arts officer. Again, they are there to help you. Look at what is happening locally – it won’t actually take much digging to discover what’s going on. Attend everything you possibly can and get to know who is involved. You will soon be able to work out who is active locally, who is funding, and then work out how you can fit in. Most of the projects that get funding are collaborations. Identify individuals, organisations or venues that you might want to work with, and start conversations with them. Have an idea or an outline, not a fully resolved project, so it can grow into
something that is owned by all collaborating parties. The stronger the support you have for your project, the more compelling the case will be for funding.
DO: Prepare your proposals We support many Arts Council England applications at Parker Harris and our advice is always to start with the budget. Dreary work, sometimes, but very important! So many artists have fabulous projects but they’re so ambitious that they are never going to squeeze into the funding available. In an attempt to get every element into the project, they spread the ideas too thin. So, our advice would be to write the budget first, work out what is feasible financially and then write the application. It is, in fact, key to understand the objectives of the individual funder, whether it’s Arts Council England or a local arts trust. It is important to consider that these organisations will have clear ideas of how their funding can enhance the arts for both the artist and for audiences. Clarity of the project is critical; be pragmatic yet creative. Being original about how to engage audiences is a very important part of creating a robust application. The stronger the idea, the easier it is. Going back to an earlier point, it is also key to have networked and, therefore, understood the potential audiences. You need to be able to demonstrate that you have identified a need for this engagement, and indeed an appropriate way to communicate and engage with the audience. An added bonus: you may also find that, in speaking to the potential audiences, it sparks off ideas and outcomes that you may not otherwise have ever considered. The key thing, again simplistic sounding but often ignored, is to be aware of what’s available. It isn’t rocket science, but it’s a long game and yes, sometimes you have to put TA the effort in. It will pay off in the end!
www.painters-online.co.uk
PRACTICAL
CASE STUDY Mary Branson Mary Branson is best known for her largescale conceptual light sculptures and installations, particularly the iconic New Dawn 2016 sculpture in the Houses of Parliament, which celebrates the centenary of the Suffrage movement and is the first permanent piece of contemporary abstract art in the Palace of Westminster. She has created light and sound works for the London 2012 Olympics, The Magna Carta Memorial at Runnymede, Royal Holloway University and Harvest a huge site specific installation at Box Hill, Surrey in collaboration with the Surrey Hills and National Trust, highlighting the plight of farmers facing climate change. At the beginning of 2019 Mary transformed Salisbury Cathedral into an ethereal construction site. Mary is an award-winning print maker, a choreographer for a number of performance and dance events, and a mentor and public speaker. She enjoys the challenge of using landscape and architecture as a backdrop to site-responsive pieces. She often works with large teams of volunteers to help her realise her ambitious uses of scale and finds the shared ownership of the community an important part of her artistic process. She has held a number of artistic residencies, including for Parliament, the British Council, Crisis, the National Trust and HM Prison service, where she led an art group for women prisoners. As many of her installations are temporary, Mary’s projects can encompass elements of performance, photography, film and sound as forms of documentation. Q How do you fund your practice? A I have two main income streams. The majority of my projects are publicly funded but I am also an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society. Since 2016, as a result of an Arts Council England grant I’ve also developed my print practice to be able to sell one-off pieces to the public. Q How do your projects come to fruition? A Since graduating I’ve built up an extensive network. It started with the local arts development officer. I put myself on the radar to get experience. It was a steep learning curve realising how much work was involved in delivering large site specific events. I learned about the value of having friends and collaborators to be involved. It gave me
www.painters-online.co.uk
Mary Branson New Dawn, light sculpture in St Stephen’s Hall, Houses of Parliament, London
Mary Branson
a blueprint of how to make in the future. It is important to keep up to date with what local arts organisations, trusts and foundations are involved with and to keep them aware of what you are doing. I also always mentor and have a mentor on my projects because I believe in a circuit of learning. Q What advice would you give for artists seeking funding for their projects. A Network: getting funding is all about knowing the people on the group who will support you. It’s all about collaboration and ACE is all about relationship building. You have to make potential funders aware of what you are doing – they can’t help you if they don’t know about you! Preparation: do your homework and start the conversations early. Talk to people about collaborating or mentoring, so that when you start writing your application you have a grounded project rather than just ideas. When you start talking it often opens up the project beyond your original ideas.
What to consider with public funded projects: when a project is funded by public money it’s important that the project is reaching new audiences and can effectively engage with them. Legacy is also very important, this might be a film, book or a tour. Budget: be honest about how much it really costs to put things on. You need to have costed it out properly and pay everyone fairly. Always cost in your time because you cannot have a sustainable practice without paying yourself. Making the application: If it’s an ACE application take the questions from the Grantium portal and put them into a Word document so that you have a very strict word count. Then send that out to other people to read to make sure it’s very clear. The first question will ask you to summarise your project; if you can’t precis the project in one sentence, then you’re probably not ready to apply. Don’t expect to be successful every time but the feedback that ACE give is excellent and you can apply again. And once you’ve been successful you have a track record.
Next month: The gallery relationship
artist June 2021
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UK ART SHOPS
Support youryour specialist art retailers by purchasing your materials Support specialist art retailer by purchasing via mail order, during the lockdown, from the shops your materials from the shops listed here listed here
FIFE
HAMPSHIRE
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
J & G Innes Ltd
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Oxton Road, Calverton,
Fife KY16 9QW
SO14 3HD
Nottingham NG14 6NU
Tel: 01334 472174
Tel: 0238 0339444
Tel: 0115 965 3479
Opening times: Monday to
Opening times: Monday to
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Saturday 9am - 5.15pm
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High-quality art materials at
Stockists of: Winsor & Newton,
competitive prices and a personal
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Upstairs @ J & G Innes Ltd
9.30am - 5.30pm www.patchingsartcentre.co.uk Stockists of: Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Derwent, Caran d’Ache, Unison, Liquitex, Old Holland, Pro Arte, Reeves, Sennelier, Canson, St Cuthberts Mill, Artmaster, Pebeo.
Lunns Art Store Ringwood, Hants BH24 1DG Tel: 01425 480347/473335
Cotswold Art Supplies Church Street, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire GL54 1BB Tel: 01451 830522 Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9.15am - 5.15pm www.cotswoldartsupplies.com
Daler-Rowney, Loxley, Sennelier, Clairefontaine and many more. Craft materials, model kits and bespoke framing service. Professional artist and tutor-owner happy to offer expert advice, with regular demonstrations and testing area.
The Art Shop 230 High Street, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 8LU Tel: 01609 761775 Opening times: Monday to www.theartshops.co.uk
SUFFOLK
Stockists of: Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, Loxley, Pip Seymour,
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Stockists of Winsor & Newton, Daler-
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Saturday 9.30am - 5pm
13, Christchurch Road,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Wednesday 9.30am - 4pm
Pan Pastel, Unison, Pro Arte, Artmaster, Hahnemühle, Pebeo.
WALES
Holidays)
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Sennelier, Conté, Paperblanks,
www.TheArtTradingCompany.co.uk
22 Market Street,
Reeves. Picture framing on site.
Stockists of: Old Holland,
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Jackson's Art Supplies
Rohrer & Klingner, Winsor & Newton,
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Liquitex and many more.
Opening times: Monday to
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Pegasus Art Shop Griffin Mill, London Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2AZ Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am – 5pm www.pegasusart.co.uk
Press, Pro Arte, Jullian Easels, Mabef.
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Saturday
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Tel: 020 7254 0077 Opening times: Monday to
Stockists of: Williamsburg, Rembrandt,
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NORTH YORKSHIRE
This is a proper shop, with friendly service, multi-buys and special offers. Stockists of: a wide selection
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Derwent, Daniel Smith, Schmincke,
Stockists of: painting, drawing and
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Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney,
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Stockists of: Pebeo, Derwent,
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Opening times: Monday to
Sennelier, Unison, Winsor & Newton,
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Thursday 9am - 6pm, Friday,
Daler-Rowney, Loxley, Artmaster,
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Opening times:
9am - 5.30pm,
Reeves, Hahnemühle, AMT Products,
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Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
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www.jacksonsart.com
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Jackson’s warehouse holds painting,
Stockists of: essential high-quality
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Holland and more.
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June 2021
Friday 9am - 5.30pm, Saturday 9am - 5pm.
Artist's Palette 1 Millgate, Thirsk YO7 1AA
of leading manufacturers, including
WEST YORKSHIRE
To discuss a listing Saturday 9am - 5.30pm in our UK Art Shops www.theartshops.co.uk Stockists of: Winsor & Newton, directory contact Daler-Rowney, Loxley, Pip Seymour, Anna-Marie on Pan Pastel, Unison, Pro Arte, Artmaster, Hahnemühle, Pebeo. 01778 392048 www.painters-online.co.uk
CARAN D’ACHE SKETCHING SET Sketching set, ideal for sketching, drawing and detailed illustrations, consisting of Grafwood graphite pencils 9B, 6B, 4B, 2B, H, and 4H leads, Grafstone pure graphite pencil 6B, Technalo water-soluble graphite pencil 3B, Charcoal pencil, 2 Grafcube RGB red and blue water-soluble graphite cubes + 3 complimentary accessories, extra-soft rubber, pencil sharpener and sandpaper. RRP £52.99 Tel. 020 8381 7000 Email.info@jakar.co.uk
JAKAR WATERCOLOUR ALUMINUM EASEL
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PASTEL REVOLUTION FROM CLAIREFONTAINE® Protects artwork for transport, storage and presentation. The liquid spray solution freezes friable pigments, such as dry pastel, graphite pencil, chalk, charcoal, sanguine etc., without blocking the surface, enabling the artwork to remain porous so other layers of pigments can be applied. This allows artists to display or transport their work without it becoming blurred or damaged due to friction, and provides the option of reworking paintings endlessly. www.clairefontaine.com
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OPPORTUNITIES & COMPETITIONS Check out the latest competitions to enter and make a note of important deadlines Sending-in days Broadway Arts Festival Open Art Competition 2021 Details: The Broadway Arts Festival Open Art Competition is open to all artists in all media, including photography, sculpture, ceramics and design makers. Up to three entries per artist, with fees of £15 for the first piece entered and £10 for the subsequent three. A top prize of £1,000 is offered plus many more prizes. The exhibition runs from June 4 to 21. Closing date: Registration now open; closes on April 23. Contact: For details and to download entry forms go to www.broadwayartsfestival. com/artcompetition/ or email competition@ broadwayartsfestival.com
Chelsea Art Society Details: Unfortunately the 2021 Chelsea Art Society Open Art Exhibition has been cancelled. The exhibition will take place in 2022 – more details to follow in the coming months. In the meantime, the society will hold an exhibition at 340 Kings Road, London, from September 6 to 19. Contact: www.chelseaartsociety.org.uk
Derwent Art Prize Details: The Derwent Art Prize is a bi-annual competition and will not be taking place until 2022. Entries will be called from this summer until early 2022. Full details will appear on these pages in the coming months. For more information in the meantime email derwent@parkerharris.co.uk
Dorset Art Prize Details: The Dorset Art Prize is free to enter and open to all Dorset residents, rewarding and celebrating art across Dorset. Various categories, including categories for young artists, allow both emerging and established artists the opportunity to showcase their work. An exhibition of selected work will take place at Poole Museum later in the year. Closing date: July 15. Contact: www.thecollege.co.uk/dorsetart-prize
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June 2021
Figurative Art Now Details: In its 60th year, the Federation of British Artists is bringing together the best of figurative art by launching a new online selling exhibition and art prize called Figurative Art Now. The organisers are seeking figurative work in a range of media including painting, drawing, sclupture, printmaking and illustration. Work should captivate the online audience of art lovers from far and wide and must have been made since January 1, 2020. Closing date: Digital entries must be submitted by June 1, 5pm. Contact: Upload images at fan.artopps.co.uk For more information go to www.mallgalleries.org.uk
Hahnemühle 2022 Calendar Competition Details: The calendar competition is open to all artists in all painting and drawing media and traditional etching techniques, as well as mixed media that has been created on Hahnemühle or Lana paper. Five entries are permitted per person. Closing date: June 30. Contact: www.hahnemuhle.com
Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter Prize Details: The prize is aimed at supporting, encouraging and mentoring emerging women painters. Each year 21 artists are chosen from a competition to exhibit at Burgh House, Hampstead in July, with a first prize awarded to a painter who has demonstrated exceptional potential to become an established professional artist. Closing date: Open for entries until June 1. Contact: www. ecclestoneartagency.com
New English Art Club (NEAC) Details: The NEAC seeks work that demonstrates excellence in both concept and draughtsmanship. Artists over the age of 18 may submit paintings, drawings, pastels and original framed prints, not photography or sculpture. All work to be submitted online. The exhibition will take place at the Mall Galleries, London, from June 17 to 26.
Closing date: Closing date for submissions is April 23, 12 noon.
Society of Equestrian Artists Open Exhibition
Contact: https://mallgalleries.oess1.uk
Details: Annual The Horse in Art open exhibition, held at Sally Mitchell’s Gallery, Nottinghamshire in September, invites entries. Check the website for up-to-date information.
Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA) Details: Submissions of paintings and sculpture are invited that involve the sea and the marine environment. Accepted media are oil, acrylic, watercolour, original prints of any media, pastels, sculpture or drawings. An exhibition of selected work will take place at the Mall Galleries later in the year; dates to be confirmed. Closing date: Upload images of work between Monday May 10 and Friday July 9, 12 noon at https://mallgalleries.oess1.uk Contact: https://mallgalleries.oess1.uk
Sketch for Survival Introducing Details: Sketch for Survival Introducing is a charitable initiative organised by Explorers Against Extinction to help raise awareness about species extinction and habitat loss while also raising vital funds for nominated frontline conservation projects through the sale of artworks. The exhibition is free to enter. One hundred selected artworks join the Sketch for Survival exhibition alongside invited artists and celebrities and are included in the end of year auction. When: Open for submissions now. The closing date for entries is June 30. Contact: Enter online at www. explorersagainstextinction.co.uk/
Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year Series 7 Details: Open to amateur and professional artists, Landscape Artist of the Year is a televised art competition from Sky Arts, which celebrates artistic talent. Artists are selected on the basis of a landscape submission artwork. Contestants take part in one of six heats at various locations across the UK and Ireland, where they have four hours to complete their artwork. Prizes include a £10,000 commission. Closing date: The closing date for entries is 12 noon on April 30. Contact: To apply visit www.skyartsartistoftheyear.tv
Closing date: July, tbc. Contact: www.equestrianartists.co.uk
The Society of Women Artists Details: The Society of Women Artists (SWA) invites submissions of fine art works including paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, engravings, lithographs and other printing techniques, for its 160th annual exhibition. The exhibition, which will be online and virtual, will run from September 21 until December 31. Prizes and awards are valued over £4,000 including the £1500 Young Artist’s Award. Closing date: Open for digital submissions until June 25. Contact: www.society-womenartists.org.uk
TALPOpen2021 Details: Organised by The Artist and Leisure Painter in partnership with Patchings Art Centre, the TALPOpen is looking for the best two-dimensional works in any media including drawing, painting, printmaking and digital artwork – from amateur painters in the Leisure Painter category and from more experienced and professional artists in The Artist category. Up to 140 selected works, 70 from each category, will be exhibited at Patchings Art Centre, in two separate galleries, Covid rules permitting, from August 21 until September 26. Prize awards worth over £13,500, include The Artist Purchase Prize of up to £3,000. Closing date: extended to June 3. Contact: Full details on pages 14 and 15. Submit entries online via www.talp.co.uk
Wells Art Contemporary Details: Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) is an open competition for visual art based in Wells, Somerset. An exhibition of selected work will open at Wells Cathedral on August 28. Closing date: May 25. Contact: https://wac.artopps.co.uk/
www.painters-online.co.uk
Lotta Teale Silver Teapot with Eggs, Afghan Vase and Local Flowers, oil on canvas board, 11¾315¾in (30340cm)
A
bout 100 years ago the world was dealing with a pandemic and, as we have been for the past year, was facing restrictions, uncertainty and panic. Between 1920 and 1921, an erstwhile soldier and politician published Painting as a Pastime, an essay on why he painted, the joy that painting gave him and how it helped with what we would now call his mental health and wellbeing. It was written, of course, by that great 20th-century polymath, Winston Churchill, a completely self-taught emerging artist at the time.
Learning to go online Today’s pandemic has transformed the way collectors buy art. Visiting a gallery, for me, as a collector, is always a delight. Partly because it gives you an opportunity to build a relationship with the gallery owner, who will be only too pleased to offer advice, opinions, tell you a little about the artist or share some of their tips on collecting or building up a collection. But those days are on hold. Instead we have had to rely on the internet and on online exhibitions. I’ve had to teach myself about Instagram, which is a good place to look at a variety of artists showcasing their latest work, and selling it directly to art collectors. I feel nervous, even as a seasoned collector, about whether or not to buy online but since the New Year I have purchased five paintings online. This is always a little risky – any collector would surely prefer seeing the painting in reality. But every artist I deal with says if you don’t like it, just return it. I have been lucky – I’ve liked them all. The paintings are by Lotta Teale (top right), Andrew Farmer ROI, Sarah Manolescue and Haidee-Jo Summers ROI. They are all oils, and all are figurative art in an impressionist tradition. I would never buy quite so many in one go. But the world is a challenging place, right now, and so many people have been touched by tragedy (my own family included) because of this pandemic. Art has been, for me, a real balm. It is quite simply a comfort, a celebration of life and my biggest enduring passion, which I’m lucky enough to be able to indulge.
Connection I started collecting ten years ago because I was celebrating an important milestone in my personal life. It was a Roger Dellar oil, and it is still one of my favourite paintings. It depicts a bright sunny day, with a crowd of people having fun at a sporting event by the water. A reminder, today, that life will return to normal, and it inspires me to remember – even in the dark times – that life is still full
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Art collecting in a time of coronavirus – Sally Middleton offers a personal view of promise, good times, solace and shared social gatherings. So what attracts me to a painting? Quite simply it is one of three things – the colours, the composition or the subject matter. But there is one other thing that is important – it has to make me feel something. This could be any variety of things – uplifted, sympathetic, moved, nostalgic, even amused. Sometimes that connection can be elusive; for example, I don’t necessarily like every painting in an artist’s exhibition, but I may adore one or two. At other times, I could buy every single painting, given the chance. Art is subjective, of course, and this is no bad thing. The best art, in my view, tells a story. It’s about a place, a time, the seasons, inspiration, and as a collector I ask myself – why did the artist paint it? What was she or he hoping to capture? Why use impasto rather than, say, watercolour – what does the use of this medium add to the painting? This is where I’ve found Instagram to be so uniquely fascinating, because the artist will frequently tell you, in their posts, a little bit about why they painted what they did, and there will be before, during and after images. These are incredibly interesting for the art collector; in the same way that you can build up a face-to-face relationship, even a friendship, with a gallery owner, you can get to build up a virtual relationship with some of your favourite artists. It’s pretty addictive! But a healthy addiction, I think. It is no exaggeration to say that I simply
could not live without art. One of the things I look for in a painting, whatever the subject matter – whether a still life, a portrait or a landscape – is the treatment of light. The way in which the artist deals with it, whether it’s believable, in a sense. But there is something more – light, in a painting, is uplifting, playful, about mood, about tonal contrast and it’s about making the colours sing. I have paintings in my collection by masters of light, including Ken Howard and Peter Brown. I have never talked to an artist about light in their paintings, but a silver teapot reflecting light, or a shaft of light falling across snow or the side of a mountain, or a sunset with shadow and a pop of exuberant colour, is a never-ending source of joy. Life has been tough for so many people, during the coronavirus pandemic. But to have a passion – and one that is so lifeaffirming – has been a source of incredible comfort, and a reminder that life will return to the time when we can visit galleries again, renew our contacts and friendships, seek out art in all the places and venues we so enjoy. Art, quite simply, endures. And will I continue to seek it out on Instagram? I think TA I probably will. For more information about selling your work online and the benefits of social media, take a look at Parker Harris Partnership’s series ‘Artists’ Professional Development’ in the February to July 2021 issues, and also Sarah Edmonds’ series ‘Artists in a Digital World’, in our September 2020 to January 2021 issues.
artist June 2021
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EXHIBITIONS
GALLERY OPENING TIMES AND EXHIBITION DATES CAN VARY; IF IN DOUBT PHONE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
LONDON Bankside Gallery 48 Hopton Street SE1. ☎ 020 7928 7521 www.banksidegallery.com They Can’t Cancel Spring; new work by members of The Royal Watercolour Society, until April 24. RE Original Prints 2021; new work by members of The Royal Society of Painter Printmakers, April 28 to June 13. Summer at Bankside Gallery; original pieces by contemporary painters and printmakers, June 18 to August 2.
Barbican Art Gallery Silk Street, Barbican EC2. www.barbican.org.uk Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty; April 28 to June 2.
Colnaghi Gallery 26 Bury Street SW1. ☎ 020 7491 7408 www.colnaghi.com Spanish Modern Landscapes; until May 21. Open by appointment only and available to view online, until June 18.
Jonathan Cooper 20 Park Walk SW10. ☎ 020 7351 0410 www.jonathancooper.co.uk Michael J Austin; new work, May 1 to 30.
National Gallery
Tate Modern
Trafalgar Square WC2. ☎ 020 7747 2885 www.nationalgallery.org.uk Sensing the Unseen: Step in Gossaert’s Adoration; extended until June 13. Conversations with God: Jan Matejko’s Copernicus; May 21 to August 22.
Bankside SE1. ☎ 020 7887 8888 www.tate.org.uk The EY Exhibition: The Making of Rodin; focusing on his early plaster work, April 29 to October 31.
National Maritime Museum Greenwich SE10. ☎ 020 8312 6608 www.rmg.co.uk Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits; exploring the changing nature of royal portraiture over 500 years, May 28 to October 31.
National Portrait Gallery St. Martin’s Place WC2. ☎ 020 7306 0055 www.npg.org.uk Closed for essential building works until the spring 2023, but you can still explore the collection online.
Osborne Studio Gallery 2 Motcomb Street, Belgravia SW1. ☎ 020 7235 9667 www.osg.uk.com Seen from the Saddle; a major exhibition spanning the career of Lionel Edwards on the 55th anniverary of his death, presented by the British Sporting Trust, until May 1. Lincoln Seligman; May 11 to June 6.
Mall Galleries
Royal Academy of Arts
The Mall SW1. ☎ 020 7930 6844 www.mallgalleries.org.uk Royal Society of British Artists; 304th annual exhibition, until April 24. Royal Society of Portrait Painters; annual exhibition, May 6 to 15. Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours; 209th exhibition, May 20 to 29.
Piccadilly W1. ☎ 020 7300 8000 www.royalacademy.org.uk David Hockney – The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020; iPad drawings, May 23 to August 1. Michael Armitage: Paradise Edict; May 22 to September 19.
Messum’s 28 Cork Street W1. ☎ 020 7437 5545 www.messumslondon.com Antony Williams; works in egg tempera, until May 7.
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June 2021
Tate Britain Millbank SW1. ☎ 020 7887 8888 www.tate.org.uk Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly in League with the Night; until May 31. Turner’s Modern World; until September 12 (see page 9).
The Wallace Collection Hertford House, Manchester Square W1. ☎ 020 7563 9500 www.thewallacecollection.org The gallery is currently closed but there’s plenty to see online.
William Morris Gallery Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow E17. ☎ 020 8496 4390 www.wmgallery.org.uk Within the Reach of All; exploring the aesthetics and legacy of The Century Guild – an influential association of artists, designers and craftspeople, May 18 to August 31.
Degas to Picasso: International Modern Masters; until June 13. Ben Nicholson: From the Studio; June 4 to October 24.
COOKHAM The Stanley Spencer Gallery High Street.
☎ 01628 531092 www.stanleyspencer.org.uk Love, Art, Loss: The Wives of Stanley Spencer; until the autumn 2021.
FIRLE Charleston Farmhouse
REGIONS
East Sussex. ☎ 01323 811626 www.charleston.org.uk Nina Hamnett; first retrospective of the artist’s work, spanning three decades, May 19 to August 30.
BATH
GUILDFORD
Victoria Art Gallery
Watts Gallery
Bridge Street. ☎ 01225 477244 www.victoriagal.org.uk Kurt Jackson: Biodiversity; paintings, sculptures and mixed-media works, until June 30.
Down Lane, Compton. ☎ 01483 810235 www.wattsgallery.org.uk In Print: 20/20 Vision; 4th annual print show, featuring 20 artists working in a diverse range of printmaking techniques, until April 25. Art & Action: Making Change in Victorian Britain; until May 23. Henry Scott Tuke; exploring the life and art of the British painter, June 7 to September 12.
BRISTOL Royal West of England Academy Queen’s Road, Clifton. ☎ 0117 973 5129 www.rwa.org.uk 168 Annual Open Exhibition; postponed until further notice, but is available to view and works can be purchased online at www.rwa.org.uk
CHICHESTER Pallant House Gallery 8-9 North Pallant. ☎ 01243 774557 www.pallant.org.uk Richard Hamilton; until June 13.
KINGSBRIDGE Harbour House The Promenade. ☎ 01548 854708 www.harbourhouse.org.uk Island Artist: Emma Carter Bromfield; colourful semiabstract coastal paintings and seascapes, until May 9. Pressing Ahead: Press Gang Printmakers; May 25 to June 6.
LIVERPOOL Walker Art Gallery William Brown Street. ☎ 0151 478 4199. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk John Moores Painting Prize; selected work by established and emerging talent, until June 27.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Laing Art Gallery New Bridge Street.
☎ 0191 278 1611
www.laingaartgallery.org.uk Changing Convention; exploring the lives and works of four women artists – Vanessa Bell, Laura Knight, Gwen John and Dod Procter, May 17 to August 21. WOW: Women Only Works on Paper; a display of over 50 watercolours, pastels, etchings and screenprints by well-known and lesserknown artists of the early 20th century, until June 19.
NORWICH Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery Castle Hill.
☎ 01603 495897 www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk A Passion for Landscape: Rediscovering John Crome (1768-1821); April 23 to September 5.
OXFORD Sarah Wiseman Gallery 40-41 South Parade. ☎ 01865 515123 www.wisegal.com Change, Transience and Harmony; solo exhibition by Nathalie Moisy, May 8 to 29.
PENZANCE Penlee House Gallery Morab Road.
☎ 01736 363625. www.wisegal.com Laura Knight – A Celebration; April 28 to September 11.
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RI Mall Galleries, London
p George Butler Militia, pen and ink, 161/23231/2in (42360cm) at the 209th exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) at the Mall Galleries, London in May. ‘The painting shows two Armenia soldiers,’ writes the artist, ‘reflecting on the implications of the 40-day war that ended just a week earlier. With Kalashnikovs and umbrella resting up against their chic wallpaper.’
SHERBORNE
WINCHESTER
The Jerram Gallery
The Discover Centre
Half Moon Street. ☎ 01935 815261; www.jerramgallery.com Vanessa Bowman, Lynne Cartlidge and Emma Haggas; April 24 to May 12.
Jewry Street. ☎ 01962 873603 www.hampshireculture.org.uk Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective; April 30 to August 18.
September 5 (see page 10). Aesthetica Art Prize 2021; work chosen from thousands of submissions from around the world, opening May 28.
IRELAND DUBLIN
STOW ON THE WOLD Fosse Gallery The Manor House, The Square. ☎ 01451 831319; www.fossegallery.com Alex Williams: Untitled Wall; May 16 to June 5. All exhibitions will be available to view online.
WOKING
National Gallery of Ireland
The Lightbox
Merrion Square. ☎ +353 1 661 5133 www.nationalgallery.ie Murillo: The Prodigal Son Restored; online exhibition. Mondrian; featuring work spanning Mondrian’s entire career. Check with the gallery for updates. Zurich Portrait Prize 2020; shortlisted portraits available to view online. New Perspectives: Acquisitions 2011-2020; including newly acquired Irish art, Western art, portraiture, works on paper and archival material, until August 2; opening date to be confirmed.
Chobham Road. ☎ 01483 737800 www.thelightbox.org.uk Bridget Riley: Pleasures of Sight; celebrating the artist’s 90th birthday, until May 16.
YORK WAKEFIELD The Hepworth Gallery Wakefield Gallery Walk. ☎ 01924 247360 www.hepworthwakefield.org Barbara Hepworth; work on permanent display.
York Art Gallery Exhibition Square. ☎ 01904 687687 www.yorkartgallery.org.uk Grayson Perry: The PreTherapy Years; touring exhibition featuring works made between 1982 and 1994, May 28 to
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SCOTLAND EDINBURGH National Gallery of Modern Art 75 Belford Road. ☎ 0131 624 6200 www.nationalgalleries.org New Arrivals: From Salvador Dalí to Jenny Saville; a showcase of the gallery’s most recent acquisitions including paintings, sculpture and films by artists such as Damien Hirst, René Magritte, Oskar Kokoschka, John Bellany, Marie Harnett and Pablo Picasso, until March 20, 2022. Check website for up-to-date information on gallery reopening times.
Queen’s Gallery Palace of Holyroodhouse, Canongate; www.rct.uk ☎ 0303 123 7306 Victoria & Albert: Our Lives in Watercolour; a touring exhibition of the collection built up by Queen Victoria
and Prince Albert, which comprises hundreds of watercolours, until September 5. Check with the gallery for opening times.
WALES CARDIFF National Museum Cathays Park.
☎ 0300 111 2333 www.museum.wales Artes Mundi 9; 9th bi-annual Artes Mundi international exhibition and prize, until June 6.
Check before you visit We advise that you check all exhibition details before making journeys as exhibition schedules are subject to change at short notice. Please keep an eye on gallery websites for up-to-date information.
June 2021
67
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Leisure Painter is the UK’s best-selling learn-to-paint magazine. It is written especially for beginners and amateur painters, and is brimming over with tutorials, demonstrations and practical advice Watercolour Watercolour
Watercolour or small? Try to make active decisions that support the reason why you wanted to paint the animal. Wouldn’t this look amazing painted life size? Perhaps I will paint it again on a metre canvas! 6 What colours does this feel like? As long as we get the tones (light and dark) right, the hue is pretty irrelevant. Remember: tone does all the work and colour gets all the glory. I usually use about six colours in a painting and
Step 8
It is easier to do too much than too little. As you approach the end you will need to be strict with yourself. I used a little white gouache to add eye lashes and spattered around the mane and nose. Once dry, I used a scalpel to scratch out (sgraffito) wisps of hair in the mane.
Part 2 Following last month’s warm-up exercises, Liz Chaderton demonstrates how to paint a horse’s head in a loose and lively way Liz Chaderton
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Demonstration Stepping into the Light The subject for this demonstration is this beauty, the photo of which comes from www.pixabay.com, which is a wonderful
Horsepower
left to avoid smudging wet work. You might want to start with the background and work forwards or work light to dark, however, I like to place a dark early. With this plan in place, sketch your composition onto the paper. I try to keep this simple and light, as I do not want it to show in my final work. I’m worked on 100 per cent cotton, NOT, 325gsm from Seawhite. The size was approximately 16½x19in. (42x48cm). LP
plan them at the beginning, rather than adding something in at the end. This will make for a more harmonious piece. For my horse, I used transparent grey, quinacridone gold, caput mortum, burnt sienna and perylene violet. I also used watercolour pencils in yellow, pink and orange. 7 Order of working. Sometimes it is worth planning the order you will work. If you are right-handed, start on the
n
Practise essential
watercolour techniques resource for artists. It has over a million photos on all subjects available to use in n Time planning will lead high resolution and without copyright issues. to a better outcome
ACRYLICS for beginners
You will need n l
n
Paint the eye first
Surface Seawhite NOT (ColdPressed) 325gsm paper, 16½x19in. (42x48cm)
H
n Watercolour orses tend to feature high on l Transparent any list of most popular animals, grey l Quinacridone gold usually just behind dogs and cats. l Gold It’s no wonder, as our relationship with l Caput mortum them goes back for many thousands of l Burnt sienna years. Horses were first domesticated in l Perylene violet Asia between 3000 and 4000BC. Back Watercolour then, horses were used mostlyn for milk pencils l Yellow and meat, before being used as the l Pink powerhouse for agriculture and transport l Orange for adventurers through the centuries.
Liz is a full-time artist, based in Berkshire. She is passionate about watercolour and enjoys sharing her discoveries through workshops and writing. Her new book Painting Animals in Watercolour is published by The Crowood Press in paperback, priced £9.99 ISBN: 9781785007873. Details of her online and in-person workshops can be found at www.lizchaderton.co.uk. Stepping into the Light,, watercolour on Seawhite NOT 325gsm paper, 16½x19in. (42x48cm)
Before you start Step
Step-by-step watercolour
SPRING BLOSSOM Watercolour & oils
1
In any animal portrait I start with the eye, on the grounds that, if I make a mess of it, I will have ruined the painting. It is better to do so at the beginning rather than the end. I do not want the eyes to look like sewn-on buttons so doing them first helps me avoid that pitfall. 1 Using a medium Round brush, I began with a dark circle of transparent grey, leaving the highlight and the eyelashes. If you are worried about these, you can mask them, but masking leaves a hard mark so I try to avoid it. 2 Now, using a clean wet brush, I painted around the eye, leaving a little of the paper dry to catch the light on the edge of the eyelid then let the paint flood out. 3 I took a damp brush and pulled out a soft highlight to make the eye appear round. I could not see the pupil, as the eye is so dark. If you can see it, you must make sure the pupil is the right shape and placement for the animal. Pupils are very distinctive – is in oblong, round or vertical?
I always spend time planning before I put paint to paper. Five or ten minutes saves a couple of hours of heartache: 1 Our aim is to find the focus. Ask yourself, what attracted you in the first place? For me it was the light on the mane and the twist of the head. Knowing your focus also helps you to recognise when you have finished your painting. If you have achieved your focus, you
Step
Step
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PAINTING PROJECTS Make photographs your best friends
2
Your reference photo for this demonstration from www.pixabay.com
1 I continued to paint the head, wet in wet, growing the wash out from the eye, continuing up the inner of canhighlights put your brush down. the ears then down to the nose, capturing the a thumbnail sketch. Where are of the nostrils. I used a larger Round brush 2 onMake this area the darkest and lightest areas? How am to stop me fiddling. to achieve them? Can I use the 2 Once the face was not too wet, I spatteredI ingoing gold and of coat. thirds to achieve a harmonious caput mortum to start forming the markingsrule on the
06>
GROW YOUR SKILLS Illustrate buildings in line & wash
composition and are there any tricks, such as leading lines or colour contrast, I can use to encourage the viewer to look
3
1 Leaving the sunlit mane as white paper, I where painted Ithe want them to look? slightly shadowed area in gold, sienna and perylene violetI include what is really 3 How can then lay Clingfilm into the damp wash. I moved it around needed and leave out the unnecessary? to follow the contour of the neck and let it dry in place. How can I allow ambiguity and use the 2 I painted the back leg and belly while it dried. These art of suggestion? What can I simplify? were simple shapes, as I did not want them to detract All the grasses, though lovely, are from the face. The markings were suggested wet in wet.
A little time planning will lead to a far better 35outcome www.painters-online.co.uk
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a distraction. The tail and mane on the far side of the head are also a distraction so I will leave them out. Can I soften edges or use negative painting? To capture the light on the mane, I will need to use negative painting for sure so that leads me onto the background. 4 Plan for the background at the beginning, not the end. I don’t usually put in a recognisable background, preferring the focus to be on the animal. I know I will need a dark area to capture the light on the neck. 5 What scale and format? The danger of using a pad of paper is that every painting ends up the same size and proportions. Do I want to go square, rectangular, large
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artist June 2021
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PaintersOnline editor’s choice Meet this month’s editor’s choice winner from our PaintersOnline gallery
H
ungarian-born, Judit Matthews, is an illustrative artist living in Surrey. ‘After leaving school,’ she writes, ‘I came to England in 1994 as an au-pair in my gap year. I met Jim, who is now my husband and have two children, Harry and Emma. ‘My work has a unique look with lots of detail in an illustrative style. I get my inspiration from paper-cutting artists and my Hungarian heritage, which is rich with folk art. I enjoy painting animals but not in a conventional way. The starting point for this picture was a sketch of a pheasant I did on Dartmoor a few years ago and using my imagination for the setting. I begin with a detailed pencil drawing, then go over my lines with a dip pen and Winsor & Newton black Indian ink. Once the ink dries, I rub out my pencil lines and start painting using watercolours. I try to use a limited palette, mostly sticking to four or five colours. To finish, I add collage using patterned or textured papers, such as Japanese washi paper or wallpaper – sometimes even wrapping paper. ‘I enjoy drawing natural, organic forms and use them as pattern. I also paint whimsical, quirky pictures with animals, creating a story narrative and love to draw seaside pictures and illustrated maps. I have taken part in several group exhibitions and have also had a couple of solo shows. In 2000 I took part in Channel 4’s Watercolour Challenge and I won the Surrey Life magazine’s Landscape Painter of the Year competition in 2017. My work has been accepted to the annual exhibition of the Society of Women Artists and the Society of Graphic Fine Art. I have also illustrated a couple of children’s books by the wonderful author, Tina Talbot. The Daring Droplets’ Diary teaches children about the water cycle and pollution. We received a lovely letter
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June 2021
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Judit Matthews Foraging Pheasant, ink and watercolour, 15¾315¾in (40340cm)
from David Attenborough to encourage us to teach children to protect our planet. The other book is titled The Wilful Wildflowers and the Golden Petal; www.survivalsupersquad.co.uk ‘I am a member of the Tadworth Art Group. We have two exhibitions each year – in May and November. I am also planning on taking part in the Surrey Artists’ Open Studios in June. My work will be available to see at the Ferrers Gallery in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, The Reigate Pop Up in Reigate, Bourneside Gallery in Dorking, the Corner Gallery in Carshalton, Wildwood Gallery in
Bookham, and at the AppArt exhibition in Godalming in July. ‘I run art classes in my home studio as well as online classes, plus I do demonstrations for art groups.’ Find out more about her work at www.juditmatthews.artweb.com www.facebook.com/judit.matthews and at www.instagram.com/juditmatthews TA
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1931– 2021
90 TH
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We’ve selected these key monthly events of 1931, below, to inspire your entries FUTURE CHALLENGES
artist & PaintersOnline In association with
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
COMPETITION To celebrate The Artist’s 90th year, we invite all artists to join in with our series of monthly challenges, hosted on our website at www.painters-online.co.uk. Simply draw or paint an image in any media, inspired by some of the key events that took place during 1931, the year of our launch. Each monthly winner will receive a voucher worth £50 to spend on art and craft books from Search Press and the opportunity to see their work featured online and in our magazine.
MAY 1931 Empire State Building opens in New York. YOUR MAY CHALLENGE: Paint a NYC or any other iconic city scene.
JUNE 1931 Salvador Dalí opens his second solo exhibition at the Pierre Colle Gallery in Paris. YOUR JUNE CHALLENGE: Be inspired by the Surrealists to paint from your imagination
JULY 1931 Trans African railway in use. YOUR JULY CHALLENGE: Paint an African scene, which could feature wildlife or simply a typical African landscape.
AUGUST 1931
Yangtzee river floods in China. YOUR AUGUST CHALLENGE: Paint a scene featuring or inspired by water.
SEPTEMBER 1931 RCA Victor introduces the LP record YOUR SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE: Create a design for an album cover.
APRIL 1931Artist Bridget Riley is born in London.
YOUR APRIL 2021 CHALLENGE:
Focus on colour and/or paint in the style of artist Bridget Riley FOR FULL DETAILS AND TO ENTER OUR APRIL CHALLENGE GO TO
http://bit.ly/3icuMTU TWO OF THE ENTRIES FROM THE MARCH ISSUE THEME OF SILENCE
OCTOBER 1931 Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould debuts. YOUR OCTOBER CHALLENGE: Have fun and draw a cartoon character.
NOVEMBER 1931 Maple Leaf Gardens opens in Toronto. YOUR NOVEMBER CHALLENGE: Paint an autumn garden scene.
DECEMBER 1931 New York’s Metropolitan Opera broadcasts an entire opera over the radio. YOUR DECEMBER CHALLENGE: Paint on the theme of, or an image inspired by music
An Uninhabited World by Jenny Harris
Taiga, Tiger, by Margaret Mallows
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