The Artist November 2020

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incorporating ART & ARTISTS
First established 1931
ISSN 0004-3877
Vol.135 No.12
ISSUE 1088
WELCOME
from the editor
Publishing Editor:
Sally Bulgin PhD Hon VPRBSA
Want to comment on something you’ve read, or seen?
Deputy Editor:
Email me at theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or visit our
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01778 395174 elcome to our November issue. We start our main features with our In
Commercial Manager Conversation with Paul Riley on pages 14–17, who although familiar to regular
Neil Miller
Advertising sales: readers for his teaching articles in The Artist and courses at Coombe Farm in
Jayne Notley 01778 391189
jaynen@warnersgroup.co.uk
Devon, his journey from aspiring teenage artist to full-time professional may
Advertisement copy: be less well known. These career insights will interest readers at all stages of their creative
Sue Woodgates: 01778 392062
suewoodgates@warnersgroup.co.uk
development, as will his thoughts on the value of demonstration-led teaching, abstracting
Online Editor: from the figurative and his mantra never to pin yourself down to a particular style. Paul’s
Dawn Farley
constant experimentation and refusal to be pigeon-holed as an artist is inspirational for
Design:
Brenda Hedley everyone who enjoys trying new subject matter, media and techniques.
Accounts: Similarly, another regular and esteemed contributor to The Artist, Amanda Hyatt, believes
01778 391000
creditcontrol@warnersgroup.co.uk that an artist should be fluent in all painting media. She encourages students to explore
Events Manager: them all and to handle them with a common set of thought processes, skills, methods
Caroline Griffiths
and tactics. Primarily a watercolour painter, Amanda has discovered that her watercolour
Subscription orders
should be sent to: The Artist subscriptions, techniques can be applied successfully to working in oils, and on pages 22–25 she
Warners Group Publications, The Maltings,
West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH.
encourages readers to follow her demonstration and try painting in oils alla prima.
Tel: 01778 395174 By contrast and in the spirit of encouraging readers to try painting a wide range of
Annual subscription rates (13 issues):
UK – £47.20 (includes Northern Ireland);
subject matter, using different approaches, styles and media, we also include features by
EC member countries – E67; Tim Gustard and cover artist Jesse Lane, demonstrating their respective approaches to
USA – $80 (air freight); Canada – $92 (air freight).
All other countries £57 (air freight). Payments photorealism. On pages 18–21 Tim shows how he brought the glazed ceramic figures from
by credit card are taken in sterling at £57.
Foreign currency prices include bank charges. the famous tales of Jemima Puddle-Duck and Peter Rabbit to life in acrylics, while Jesse
Periodicals postage paid at Rahway, NJ. US Lane’s portrait demonstrations on pages 30-33 shows how coloured pencils can be used to
subscribers only: Send address corrections to
The Artist, c/o Mercury Airfreight International create exquisitely detailed realism.
Ltd, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001
As the autumn and winter arrive and the days get shorter, be inspired too by our articles
News-trade distribution by:
Warners Group Publications plc. Tel: 01778 on painting winter sunsets in watercolour (pages 35–37), the colours to choose and mix
391000 All material copyrighted; reproduction
forbidden without permission. Publication to capture the glory of autumn trees (pages 47–49), how to capture birds in flight against
of an article or inclusion of an advertisement
does not necessarily imply that the publisher
an autumn sunrise (pages 50–53) and how painting at dusk can be so rewarding (pages
is in agreement with the views expressed, or 42–45). If this encourages you to do the same, be guided by the practical advice from Marie
represents endorsement of products, materials
or techniques. The publisher does not accept Antoniou (pages 58–61) to help get you started on painting an evocative night scene.
responsibility for errors, omissions or images
received in good faith. Finally, don’t miss Sarah Edmond’s article on how Instagram is changing the art world
artist is published every four weeks by (pages 62–63), which underlines just how important social media is for today’s artists and
Warners Group Publications plc and is printed
by Warners Midlands PLC, The Maltings, Manor how it has been such a force for good in helping to counter the loneliness of the lockdown
Lane, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH. restrictions.
Enjoy drawing and painting with The Artist over the coming weeks and, as always, do
please let us know your own stories – we love to hear from you.
artist Warners Group Publications,

The Maltings, West Street, Bourne,
Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH. Tel: 01778 395174
www.painters-online.co.uk
THIS MONTH’S COVER Sally Bulgin Publishing Editor
Let us know what you think at

• theartistletters@tapc.co.uk
• www.painters-online.co.uk/forum
Jesse Lane Hypnosis, coloured pencil,
1320in (3351cm). • www.facebook.com/paintersonline
See pages 30 to 33 • twitter.com/artpublishing
www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 3

22 58
CONTENTS 47
FEATURES 22 Tonal oils, alla prima 47 Autumn trees
Try painting oils alla prima with thinned Julie Collins suggests some colour mixes
14 A life in the frame washes, watercolour-style, for energised results, to help capture the glory of autumn trees in
Paul Riley talks to Susie Hodge about his career says Amanda Hyatt watercolour
as an artist and tutor, and the development of
Coombe Farm Studios 26 Kitted out for the coast 50 Birds on the wing
Peter Cronin recommends some basic Becky Thorley-Fox advises on strategies for
62 How Instagram is changing preparations that will ensure your safety capturing birds in the air and feeding in groups
the art world and result in a successful watercolour when and demonstrates a painting of geese against
This month Sarah Edmonds looks at how to painting at your local coastline an autumn sunrise
use Instagram effectively, from boosting your
sales to increasing your online presence in a 30 Photorealism in coloured 55 Watercolour in the rain
way that suits you pencil For John Owen, a watercolour painting trip
Follow Jesse Lane as he shows you how to to the Adriatic coast defined wet-in-wet as
PRACTICALS create photorealist portraits using coloured
pencils
literally applying wet paint to rained-on paper.
Undeterred, he decided to enjoy himself and
18 All figured out learn from the experience
Tim Gustard demonstrates how to bring 35 Paint a sunset in watercolour
glazed ceramic figurines to vibrant life in Paul Talbot-Greaves demonstrates how to
acrylics make light work of a winter sunset in five easy
stages 55
14 38 Oil paint you’ll want to buy
Alan Bickley puts Jackson’s Artist Oil Colour
through a workout to show you just how well
these highly pigmented, buttery oils perform,
with a price that won’t empty your wallet
58 Painting a night scene
38
Don’t be put off painting a night scene –
Marie Antoniou has some great advice to get
you started and to make the bright lights glow
42 The power of the nocturne

Robert E Wells explores intensified narratives PLUS THIS MONTH
by painting at night-time, both en plein air and
in the studio, to draw viewers’ attention, as he
6 Your views 9 The Art World
demonstrates here 66 Exhibitions 68 Opportunities
4 artist November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

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34 Subscribe to The Artist, save money and  Kathy Barker
enjoy free delivery direct to your door demonstrates how to
paint a self-portrait from
65 Save money on discounted practical art life, in oils
books from our online bookshop
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 PLUS
� Adebanji Alade shows how to paint successfully from
71 Try our Studio membership FREE and photos of places you haven’t got time to paint in situ
enjoy a host of online benefits � Try line and wash techniques in pen and ink with advice
from Milly England
� Paul Weaver reveals how to create the effects of distance
EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS using aerial perspective and accurate tonal values in
watercolour
� Paint the night sky in oils with Becky Thorley-Fox
PLUS
� How to create and use videos to help market your work and
Ken Howard OBE, RA David Curtis ROI, VPRSMA Haidee-Jo Summers services, by Sarah Edmonds
studied at Hornsey School has won many awards for his en ROI, RSMA
of Art and the Royal plein air and figurative paintings has won many awards for her � Liz Seward demonstrates the new colours in the Luminance
College of Art. He is a
member of the NEAC, ROI,
in both oils and watercolours.
He has had several books
plein-air and alla-prima oil
paintings. She is an elected
range of coloured pencils
RWS, RWA and RBA. He published on his work as well as member of the Royal Institute
exhibits extensively and
has won numerous awards.
DVD films, and exhibits his work
extensively.
of Oil Painters, the author of
Vibrant Oils and also has a
DVD with the same title.
And much more! Don’t miss out:
our December issue is on sale from October 30

YOUR Email theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or write to The Editor,
VIEWS LETTERS, EMAILS AND COMMENTS

The Artist, 63/65 High Street, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6BD
Please note we may have to edit letters for reasons of space
STAR LETTER and contributed to the escape effort by

forging documents for all escapees to use.
Lockdown postcards He also joined other artists who had been
I am a freelance art writer working with contemporary artists to showcase captured by the Germans and they started STUD
and celebrate their work online, weaving it into an art historical and thematic an art school in the camp, which would ARTW
context on an Instagram account: @thewunderkammerof_lilye. have been a great relief of boredom.
Since lockdown I have been running a postcard challenge on my Instagram I was 71 in February, which is a little late
page. I ask artists around the world to send me an original postcard, drawing or in the day to come to painting and I only
painting. I have been unbelievably touched by the response, by the messages wish that Ley was still here to help as his
I have been sent and by the artwork I have received. Each postcard has carried real love was watercolour. Maybe he is
human generosity and watching from afar.
warmth in a time of Stephen Hughes, by email
distance and isolation. The
collection is a precious Perfect viewing material
record of such a dark Thanks for writing about Channel 4’s
and difficult time, and Grayson’s Art Club In your Ed’s Welcome
worthy of being shared. (September 2020 issue) You are spot-on
They are all displayed in your appreciation of the programme.
on my website: www. I thought it was a real joy: Grayson
thewunderkammeroflilye. Perry’s compassion, his humour and his
com/gallery-of-wonder relationship with his wife were so positive
at that crucial time.
Lily Lacey-Hastings, by email
I do wish there could be more TV like
this, especially during the forthcoming
winter when we will feel the restraints of
Covid conditions more acutely.
Josephine Yeaman Safely Graze, oil, 46in Sue Sharp, by email
(1015.5cm). One of the postcards on Lily’s
Instagram page In praise of Jenny Aitken
I have subscribed to The Artist for over a
This month’s star letter writer will receive a Sennelier year, during which time I have gained so
portable watercolour palette, worth £29.95. much from the articles, especially from
those by Jenny Aitken.
In February of this year I attended
Jenny’s demonstration for Leven Art
Student economies An artist in the family Society. I sat two metres from her easel
I read with interest Alan Vernon’s I have recently subscribed to The Artist and was able to watch every move she
letter regarding the doubtful use of and my first magazine (October 2020) is made with her brush. Jenny is full of
hardboard as a support for oils (Your full of interesting articles, which is just enthusiasm for nature and for painting,
Views, September 2020 issue). I recalled what I need to improve my watercolour which is very encouraging and inspiring.
a memory from years ago, when I was techniques. I started painting in March She is an excellent tutor who explains very
a student at the Glasgow School of Art. this year as the grandchildren were off concisely what she is doing and why. Her
We were impoverished students and, the visiting list and I could leave my art colour mixing is done with amazing speed
being unable to afford canvas, we used materials out without fear of attack! It and accuracy; many of us found that we
hardboard offcuts for all our paintings. has been a very pleasant, if frustrating, need to practise and perfect the method
The trick was to treat these boards with experience – but that drives me on that Jenny uses for matching colour,
a variety of primers, always making sure further. which is to hold the loaded brush up to
to paint a huge cross of primer, corner to We have plenty of pictures in our reference (or the scene), and which I find
corner on the back. house to influence me as my wife’s so useful.
I can recollect students carrying huge uncle was Ley Kenyon, a professional Rob Willett, Saltburn-by-the Sea
homework paintings up the steep hill to painter who had articles published in
the art school, often having to improvise The Artist. One article, about illustrated You can watch Jenny Aitken demonstrate
a wheelie system in order to carry them. book covers, was published over the her techniques in videos made exclusively for
These large pieces were all executed on September, October and November Painters-Online Studio members. If you’re not
hardboard and I don’t recall any warping 1952 issues and another in March 1991 already a member, you can take advantage of
or buckling. Needs must, I suppose! covered Ley’s life as an artist. our 30-day free trial at https://www.painters-
Myra Gibson, by email Ley was in the Real Great Escape online.co.uk/membership/freetrial Ed
Subscribe at www.painters-online.co.uk or telephone 01580 763673

Become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/paintersonline. Follow us on Twitter@artpublishing
6 November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk
Nov letters copy tweaked.indd 6 15/09/2020 15:37

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ART
& ACTION
Making Change in Victorian Britain
17 November 2020 - 14 March 2021
Pre-booking required for timed admission
wattsgallery.org.uk | Guildford, GU3 1DQ
Thomas Kennington, The Pinch of Poverty, oil on canvas, 1891. Coram in the care of the Foundling Museum, London.
THE ART WORLD
NEWS, INFORMATION AND ONLINE EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD
compiled by Jane Stroud
p Max Angus Lapwings, four-block linocut, 8311½in (20.5329cm)
The Natural Eye 2020

The Natural Eye exhibition is the highlight of the year for the applicants’ work can be seen in the annual exhibition – held
Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA). The society, which held its at the Mall Galleries in London – alongside work by members
first exhibition in 1964, became a registered charity in 1990 from the UK and across the world and a selection of work by
and, to this day, its aims remain unchanged: ‘to generate an non-members chosen from open submission.
appreciation of and delight in the natural world through all
forms of fine art, based on representing the world’s wildlife.’ The Natural Eye 2020 is at the Mall Galleries, The Mall,
In addition, the society raises awareness of the importance of London SW1, from October 28 to November 8.
conservation, supporting and promoting other conservation Open daily, 11am to 5pm; until 7pm on Thursdays
and wildlife charities in their arts-based objectives. Its bursary October 29 and November 5 and closing at 1pm on the
schemes also help young artists to develop their knowledge final day. Booking is required. The exhibition is available to
and skills in wildlife art by providing awards of up to £750 view online now at www.mallgalleries.org.uk
towards art materials, travel and education. Successful bursary To find out more about the society go to www.swla.co.uk
www.painters-online.co.uk November 2020 9

p Take One Picture 2020, The National Gallery, London
TAKE ONE
PICTURE 2020 Take One Picture at the National Gallery, London is
an annual exhibition that focuses on one painting in its
collection, which it has invited primary schools nationwide
to study and respond to creatively. This year Men of the
Docks, by American artist, George Bellows (left) is the
chosen work of art. Painted in 1912, the wintery river
landscape in New York looking towards the buildings of
Lower Manhattan, was chosen for the wide range of themes
from 20th century social history it inspires – cityscapes
and skyscrapers, immigration and opportunity, horses
used as workers and, of course, the workers themselves.
Responses from the students included a study of the
lives of immigrants by Year 5 students from Mab’s Cross
Community Primary School in Lancashire, which involved
them imagining someone who had made this journey to
America and writing letters home to family and friends,
using creative ways to decorate both the letters and the
envelopes. Year
4 students from Downshall Primary School in Essex
focused on the horses and explored more about working
animals today. See all the work produced in Take One
Picture at the National Gallery’s Sunley Room, from
November 16 to January 31, 2021. Find out more at
p George Bellows Men of the Docks, 1912, oil on canvas,
45363½in (114.53161.5cm)
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
w
ARTclubs
l The North Weald Art Group will be holding its
annual exhibition of paintings, prints and mixed-
media works at the Denbies Art Gallery, London Road,
Dorking RH5 6AA, from November 17 to 22. Stringent
precautions are in place at the gallery and you will be
required to wear a face covering. The gallery is open
daily from 10am to 4pm. For more information go to
www.northwealdartgroup.org.uk
t Molly Verity Molly’s Garden,

oil pastel, 16323in
(40.5358.5cm) at the North Weald
Art Group’s annual exhibition

STILL
SUMMER
The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition
originally planned for June 9 to August 16 has
been rescheduled and will now take place from
October 6 to January 3, 2021, maintaining the
unbroken 252 year annual tradition of the Royal
Academy’s Summer Exhibition. Buying a ticket
for the show supports the exhibiting artists as
well as the not-for-profit work of the RA. Tickets
can be transferred or refunded up to the day.
Call the box office on 0207 300 8090. Pre-booking
is essential. Buy your ticket and find out more
about the exhibition’s often turbulent history at p Installation view of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2019 at the
www.royalacademy.org.uk Royal Academy of Arts, London
Lost Drawings
Over 100 newly discovered drawings by the
Japanese artist Hokusai have been acquired by
the British Museum, London. Formerly owned
by the collector and jeweller Henri Vever, the
drawings were made for a book called Great
Picture Book of Everything and are thought to
have been in a private collection in France since
their last publicly recorded sale at auction in
1948. All 103 drawings are now available to see
on the British Museum Collection website at
www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search
t Katsushika Hokusai’s recently discovered

drawing of Cats and Hibiscus
u Margaret Eggleton Into the Light,

watercolour, 11311in (28328cm).
This year the Croydon Art Society will
be holding a virtual exhibition, from
November 16 to January 16, 2021.
Go to www.croydonartsociety.org
t Madeline Hawes The Coffee

Shop, mixed media, 18314in
(46335.5cm) at the Wokingham Art
Society’s virtual exhibition in what
would have been its 25th anniversary.
Go to https://youtu.be/gtYl_Tr-tKo

p Raphael Christ’s Charge to Peter,
c. 1514, offset from a drawing in red chalk
over stylus from the Royal Collection Trust
© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

RAPHAEL
Prince Albert’s Passion
THE LIGHT BOX
Chobham Road,
Woking,
Surrey GU21 4AA
☎ 01483 737800
www.thelightbox.org.uk
Rescheduled from May, Raphael: Prince Albert’s

Passion has been organised by the Light Box in Surrey
to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death
of Raphael. The exhibition tells the story of Prince
Albert’s passion for Raphael, which began shortly after
he first encountered the Renaissance master’s work in
Italy as a young man.
Inspired by what he saw, in 1853 the Prince Consort
started to compile an ambitious collection of over
5,000 reproductions of Raphael’s works, including
prints and photographs, which became known as
the Raphael Collection. This important art historical
resource is held in the Print Room at Windsor Castle,
and forms a record of almost every work the artist
created. In his search, Prince Albert used the most
up-to-date methods of the day to make copies of the
images, including photography, engraving, wood-block
printing and lithography.
The Raphael drawings in the Royal Collection are
at the heart of the exhibition, many of them made
in preparation for major commissions. In addition to
these drawings there will be photographs, a rare 17th
century tapestry version of one of the cartoons and
several Raphael-inspired artworks Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert purchased or commissioned and gifted to
each other as birthday and Christmas presents.
Raphael: Prince Albert’s Passion can be seen

at the Light Box Gallery, Woking, Surrey, from
October 3 to January 31, 2021. Pre-book your
timeslot at www.thelightbox.org.uk

IN CONVERSATION
A life in the frame

Paul Riley talks to Susie Hodge about his career as an artist and tutor, and the
development of Coombe Farm Studios
invited – largely in Scandinavian
W
hen Paul Riley was 15 aspects of the design process and the
years old, the Royal discipline of time constraints. countries where there is a tradition for
Academy accepted one ‘Practically everything fascinated watercolour painting. I work anywhere
of his works for their me. People, the landscape, both land and have done so by invitation or taking
Summer Exhibition. At that time he and water, flowers. I love when colour students all over the world. I like to
was the youngest painter to have work is vivid and when muted, and I love work outdoors, but am also lucky that I
exhibited at the RA. ‘Both my parents abstracting. I am conversant with most have a large, dedicated, well-lit studio,
were painters, so I was born to it. I materials: oils, watercolour, acrylics, a printmaking room, a pottery and a
listened in to all the conversations pastels and so on. I probably prefer oils workshop.’
my parents had with fellow artists and and watercolours. Each are so different Paul’s way of teaching is very
was fascinated. At the age of four I was – therein lies the fascination for me.’ demonstration led. ‘When I went to
already painting in oils and, from a very art college I never saw a tutor paint.
early age, I was entering competitions Coombe Farm I considered that a kind of fraud.
– small events at first, then more major In 1983, Paul and his wife Tina opened Students deserve more. Anyway, I love
ones. The Eagle comic had an annual Coombe Farm Studios in Dittisham, to paint and would find it hard to watch
competition that I entered until finally, I Devon, after converting it from a others have all the fun. Some people
won the major prize – a trip to Russia in rundown pig farm. ‘The main barns might consider that this method will
1959. When my painting was accepted are studios; the adjacent barns are only produce imitators. Okay, perhaps
for the RA Summer Exhibition I gained a accommodation. Over the years, we in the beginning, but people are very
lot of publicity, which was frightening to gradually updated and improved much individuals with individual traits.
say the least.’ the facilities and now the business They rapidly branch out once they have
is run by my daughter Lara and her the methods and techniques I have
Vivid and muted colour husband Martin. I still retain a working- taught them, without which they are
After graduating Paul started a studio teaching relationship, but without the floundering. Therefore, I both teach and
in Merthyr Tydfil, where he painted stresses and strains of the day-to-day paint.’
slag heaps and pit headgear. ‘I slowly organisation.
developed and starved – I needed ‘Tina and I organise the painting trips
Preparation and pre-planning
to earn money, so worked as a abroad, which might be one or two Paul pre-plans his own paintings
draughtsman for several architectural over the year and are very enjoyable. carefully. ‘I used to just look at
practices, which helped me to learn I also teach local groups abroad when something and commence painting. The
results were invariably shallow. Now I
nearly always prepare. I do a thumbnail
sketch or several, meditate a little, then
carefully transfer my image from the
drawing. I consider the pre-planning
stage as possibly the most exciting,
the painting the most sensual. When I
sketch, however, I go on instinct, then
if I want to use it for a painting, I adjust
and develop.’
w p.16
t Water Lane, oil on hardboard, 23¾335½in

(60390cm).
‘This is the painting that was accepted for
the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Aged
15, I was then the youngest painter to be
accepted since Landseer, which caused quite
a stir in the media. The image was considered
Social Realism at the time. Needless to say, I
didn’t know what that meant! The bulk of the
painting was done with a palette knife.’

t River Dart Reflections, oil on canvas,
391/43391/4in (1003100cm).
‘I am beginning to work more abstraction
into my landscapes, both in watercolours
and in oils. Abstraction for me is a kind of
distillation of the figurative. I like to play
with the juxtapositions of form, tone, colour
and textures, thinking of new ways of
depicting them. The compositional aspects
are in constant flux, since each and any
mark seeks its counterbalancing partner. It
is also an opportunity to contemplate one’s
mood, seeking for those elusive elements
of atmosphere, time, light and the ever-
changing seasons. It’s an endless process that
will keep me painting forever!’
q Patchwork Fields, woodcut laid on

lightweight paper, 303261/2in (76367cm).
‘The original of this is a particularly large
oil, full of patterned textures, painted in the
Mont Ventoux area of France. I really enjoy
the process of woodcuts, and I decided to
experiment by trying to produce a multi-
coloured image with only one block.’
p Coffee Break, watercolour on Saunders

Waterford Not, 141/2311in (37328cm).
‘My mother taught me to draw and paint
the figure, and she was a genius at it, having
been taught at the Slade in the halcyon days
of Professor Randolph Schwabe. I was given
to understand that drawing from life was the
best discipline ever, and every opportunity
should be grasped. Painting the nude in
watercolour is notoriously difficult – the
colour is subtle and the light elusive. To
obtain character at the same time is almost
impossible, hence the massive challenge.’

IN CONVERSATION
‘Pre-planning is all to do with viewer think I just dived straight in. dwell unnecessarily on one area, that
composition. My objective as a Interestingly, I still plan, even if the approach would put the whole painting
painter is to use a specific language to image is a simple one involving only out of balance. Painting is a balancing
communicate my feelings and passions two or three objects. This is because act.
about a particular subject. First, I their disposition can be a sophisticated ‘Image size is a complex issue;
establish the “what” of an image, be it a process. By the way, I relish planning! sometimes a very small image can
flower, a head, a cathedral or a triangle. ‘I paint all kinds of subjects, using seem huge, whilst a large one the
Next I consider the “where” in the many media with numerous different opposite. Size can relate to the
image. This takes some thought as it’s colour variations. I don’t want to circumstances under which it is being
not an arbitrary process. I then decide be limited or restricted in any way. painted. It can also relate to mood. I
how big it’s going to be. After that, I My preferred media are probably do occasionally like to paint large as it
organise all the other players to draw watercolour, with oils and pastels close gives the impression of being in your
the viewer’s eyes towards the centre of behind. My favourite tools are brushes own landscape, and you can indulge in
interest, noting the way edges intersect of many kinds – all natural hair, and I grand gestures. However, I think I most
the image format. That’s roughly the have favourites, all capable of a specific enjoy being able to produce something
organisation of the forms in an image. touch. I adore brushes! They are that that is intimate, passionate and huge
I then play with the colour and tonal electric interface between the mind and in a relatively small format. There are
aspects, followed by considering how the image surface.’ always storage issues too!
much detail to incorporate. All this ‘I paint pretty fast. On average, the
must be done whilst maintaining a Balancing act most time spent on any one image
spontaneous feel that may make the ‘When I am painting a picture, I am would be two to three days. Mostly
living it. It is a special period in time it’s two or three hours or less for a
q Still Life with Imagination, watercolour and must be relished. However, one watercolour. Often I will return to an
on Saunders Waterford Not, 203271/2in picture does not necessarily say it all. image to add, subtract or readjust.
(51370cm). Invariably, I need to do several versions I generally like to leave an image
‘I adore flowers, as did my father, who taught to explore the idea. Periodically I wanting. I rarely consider an image
me how to paint them. I have used flowers have a binge and have maybe ten or finished as such. The obsession with
and still life to experiment in numerous ways more images on the go at once. This is finishing can often result in the picture
with colour and composition. This work was sometimes necessary with watercolours being overworked and lifeless – best to
seminal in my development. The flower in the as they need to dry before additional stop and have a drink, come back later
middle, a camellia, was painted as in Sumi-e work. Working feverishly this way is and see if anything stands out to be
brushwork.’ huge fun, but quite exhausting. I don’t rectified. If not, leave well alone.’

Style, competitions and some conscious, some subliminal. p Autumn Field, watercolour on Saunders
exhibitions In my writings, I refer to a coterie of Waterford Not, 300gsm, 221/23301/4in
Paul’s paintings are full of colour and painters who I admire; now it is more (57376.5cm).
life. The influence of Chinese and philosophies that stimulate me, most ‘I am constantly experimenting and refuse to
Japanese art is evident in his fluid of which I don’t understand but it is be pigeon-holed. Watercolour can be a very
brushwork and lightness of touch. interesting.’ flexible medium and I still surprise myself
‘People often talk about how to develop Paul always works for himself. ‘I only with what’s possible. Here I have used a cyclic
a style. This is something used by the work to commission if it interests composition with echoes in the tree shapes.
media and dealers. A style is something me, otherwise I would find it too For added drama, I incorporated black ink.
they can market and use as a label to constrictive. Competitions are fun for This contrasts with the delicate watercolour
attach to an individual. As individuals kids, but I wouldn’t do it as an adult. washes.’
we are in a constant state of flux, forever For me, the results are arbitrary and
evolving. To pin yourself down to a only reliant on the judges’ taste. I am
style is to asphyxiate the oxygen of your often asked to judge competitions, but people stand with their backs to the
creativity. Paint anything, anyhow, any my reply is “only if everyone gets a paintings, enjoying the party! I am now
way! You will be more fulfilled – but prize” as I consider everybody’s effort lucky in that my son Mark owns a gallery
probably poorer! I like moving in and to be precious. Needless to say, I’m not and is therefore “my dealer”, showing
out of realistic, abstract, naïve and the invited so much now! the work in Dartmouth and at art fairs
surreal, just because, as a painter, I can. ‘I have exhibited widely in the UK, around the country.’
‘Creative people are a synthesis of Europe and further afield and I’ve What about the future? ‘I tend not
those before them. I am fully aware enjoyed the experience. For me, private to think too far ahead as I am very
of many influences on my work, views are terrifying, especially when busy with the now – painting, writing,
teaching, family and hobbies. All one
can ask for is reasonable health and the
brains to keep being creative. I hope in
the future I can still maintain a sense of
humour!’ TA
Paul Riley
studied at Kingston Art School of Art and
is the lead tutor at Coombe Farm Studios.
He has written instructional books on
 ‘These are two images watercolour and exhibits, teaches and
for my Himalayan series on lectures in the UK and abroad. He is a
vertigo. I am in the living regular contributor to The Artist.
room of my new house, www.coombefarmstudios.com
www.coombegallery.com
which I designed and is
www.paulrileyart.com
known as “The Shed”!’

p Not even the mention of sage and onion
made her suspicious, acrylic on board, 73/437in
All figured out

(20318cm).
The most difficult and the most satisfying
painting of the series, the richness of the
colour of the fox proved a challenge
Tim Gustard demonstrates how to bring glazed

ceramic figurines to vibrant life in acrylics
W
Tim Gustard hen, a couple of months work of several artists. When making a
has a BA in fine art. As well as numerous before a solo show at painting of one I think it is important to
solo shows, his work has been selected Beckstones Art Gallery, my be authentic in our work and be faithful
for exhibition at the Royal Academy of wife suggested I paint a to all that the original artists created.
Art and with the Royal Institute of Oil Beswick figure of Jemima Puddle-Duck I paint these smaller pieces on 100
Painters, the Royal Institute of Painters in standing on the eponymous book, I per cent rag board; it’s extremely stable
Water Colours, the Royal Glasgow Institute, said ‘Don’t be silly, that’ll not make a and at least twice as thick as the paper I
the Royal Scottish Society of Watercolour painting’. ‘Trust me’ she said, ‘It’s spring, use so I don’t need to stretch it. I stick it
Painters and the Royal Scottish Academy. put some snowdrops in the background, down on a piece of MDF with gum tape
Keep up to date with Tim by following him
people will love it’ So I did, and I could while I’m painting, prime it with one or
on Facebook or his Facebook page: Tim
Gustard Fine Art.
have sold it 30 times, so popular was it. two coats of acrylic gesso and then sand
A figure such as this is, in essence, the it lightly with flour paper.

PRACTICAL
The elements the paint and dabbing it all off, keeping the brightest candle on the cake; the
The book used for the painting Now Lad a tissue in my left hand. The sheen ‘foxy whiskered gentleman’ has every
(page 21) is a very tatty early copy, well emphasised the richness of the colour. intention of roasting and eating her but
over 100 years old, has been exposed Peter is modelled quite differently, she just thinks he’s a very kind fellow.
to the sun and been very well read. the ‘grass’ on the base almost growing Her friends eventually save her but not
The left-hand model of Benjamin was up his legs and with much deeper her eggs, which he’s been ‘guarding’. I
modelled in the late 1950s; the model modelling on the fur. There was a little painted this on a modern edition of the
of Peter is from the late 1990s. I couldn’t bit of refection on the book from each book, which provided opportunities for
find a contemporary model of Peter figure; I kept it very subtle but it also lots of shine on the dust cover. The fox
that didn’t have him eating carrots stops the figures from floating above is an older model than Jemima and very
and I wanted interplay between the the book rather than standing on it. rich in colour; it’s difficult to get right
characters. The situation doesn’t appear Peter’s eye was a problem, it looked a but it’s very rewarding when you do.
in the book but I feel the more mature bit scary so I changed the colour to that I’m not sure how many more of these
Benjamin has looked at Peter’s bag and of Benjamin and changed the position, I’ll paint but as an exercise it was quite
assumed he’s on his way back to Mr as well as the shape of his nose. a steep learning curve, fraught with
McGregor’s to steal more carrots – he’s The painting of Jemima and the fox problems to overcome. As artists, even
saying ‘Now lad, where are you off to?’ (left) is called Not even the mention of sage ones that have been doing it as long as
After creating the background I and onion made her suspicious. Jemima is I have, we are learning every day; if we
painted the book and the table. a very trusting creature and not quite aren’t, then we are not artists. TA w
Although brown in colour, the book has
an almost purple tinge and sheen, so
after painting the basic colour I glazed
and glazed to get the dusty old-age
look of it. The real fun started when
painting the edges of the pages and
the lovely tatty edges of the spine. I
don’t normally like doing lettering, to
my eyes it never looks right and I’m
never wholly satisfied but this was
much easier. Having painted it to look
impressed in the spine I then aged
it with black, ultramarine and raw
umber, dabbing it off with my finger as I
applied it, then catching the light on the
impressions with a little off-white.
Painting the models

When drawing the figurines there is no
room for error so I began with a centre
line – without that it’s easy to make
them look as though they are leaning.
I then blocked in the figures – on a
dark background this takes up to three
coats – making sure the drawing was
still tight. Once you’ve painted too far
into the background it’s very difficult to
paint over it without it being noticeable,
so keep your brush tight to the pencil
lines. I brought Benjamin to life first.
To make him look authentic I picked
out the modelling and reproduced
the brushstrokes of the artist who
painted the figurine, most of which was
done with a Winsor & Newton series
7 miniature brush, size 000. As with
painting a portrait, the eye is critical,
get that wrong or in slightly the wrong
place and it’s ruined. I picked it out
early so that if I got it wrong I could
paint over it and do it again – and I did.
With the face finished, the light in the
eye almost brings it to life. There’s a
lot to be said for dabbing off excesses
of paint with the middle finger, which
I did as I worked on the jacket; I seem p Jemima, acrylic on board, 81/437in (21318cm).
to do it automatically, almost applying This was the first painting in the series

ACRYLICS
DEMONSTRATION Now Lad
MATERIALS t STAGE ONE

l Museum quality 100 per cent rag A red ochre ground was
mountboard glazed with multiple thin
layers of black, ultramarine
l Mirror
and burnt umber to give a
l Gesso ground ‘black’ background that,
l Winsor & Newton series 7 sable under scrutiny, does still
brushes sizes 000, 00, 2 and 000 have the warmth of the ochre
miniature showing through. Having
l Sterling Acrylix series 201 brush completed the table and the
book, I drew the figures in
l 2B and 3B pencil
pencil, very precisely
l Derwent soft art eraser (black)
l Ruler
l Winsor & Newton Professional Acrylic
paint: black, ultramarine, cobalt blue,
burnt umber, raw umber, raw sienna, t STAGE TWO
burnt sienna, red oxide, azo yellow, I blocked in each section of
quinacrindone magenta, diarylide the figures with underpaint,
yellow, pyrrole red, alizarin crimson, using a similar but paler tone
perylene green, phthalo green, to the finished colour. Once it
titanium white and mixing white was quite dry I rubbed away
the pencil lines with my trusty
l Liquitex Gloss Varnish
black Derwent eraser
p STAGE THREE p STAGE FOUR

Starting with Benjamin, I found it easier to work up from the base. The catches The inside of the facing ear was in shadow but also a lighter
of light that give form and the gloss of the glazed figurine needed to be painted colour. I solved this with cobalt blue to make it slightly
over several times, the white seemed to sink in, or become slightly transparent cooler and to recede. The sheen on the jacket was created
– to get that shine it needed to be solid and opaque. The jacket was blocked in by hundreds of tiny brushstrokes of Winsor & Newton mixing
with a mix of black and quinacridone magenta, the edges picked out where the white, glazed with a thin glaze of the magenta and black mix
light seemed to make it glow

PRACTICAL
p STAGE SIX
Peter’s eye had been causing a problem so I worked on it
again, changing the colour and position
p STAGE FIVE
Starting from the bottom
of Peter, I recreated the
modelling of the grass and
his lower fur. There was a
lot of light catching the
jacket and tail, and this
helped to bring the tail
forward and give shape to
the figurine
Top Tips
l Use a black box
or curtain
l Have the
background ready
l Draw the outline
precisely
l Be selective
l Use small brushes
l Use a mirror
l Have a damp tissue
handy
u FINISHED
PAINTING
Now Lad, acrylic on board,
73/4363/4in (20317cm).
Two coats of Liquitex Gloss
Varnish brought out all the
colour and modelling and
sent the background back
where it should be

?????????
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. She
has three DVDs, available from APV Films,
the latest of which is Tonal Watercolours
(www.apvfilms.com) and her book
Watercolour: Tonal Impressionism is available
from Amazon. Amanda tutors workshops
and painting holidays, for details
http://amandahyatt.co.au
t Canterbury Cathedral, oil, 113/43153/4in

(30340cm).
Canterbury Cathedral is an astounding
place. I walked around slowly in my usual
gobsmacked state of complete sensory and
visual overload and, of course, wanted to
paint it when I got back home to Australia.
This painting was done in the alla-prima fast
method of oil painting with a reduced palette
and the need to capture the light, which is a
difficulty when there is very little coming in
from an external source. But the light at the
far end cast exactly the right amount in the
right place
Tonal oils, alla-prima

Try painting oils alla-prima with thinned washes, watercolour-style,
for energised results, says Amanda Hyatt
I
’m a watercolour artist first and palette and the chiaroscuro method of over-fiddled as many oils can.
foremost but I also paint in oils. creating high contrast. The techniques My demonstration is of The Southern
Historically the two media are I use to control watercolour painting Cross Railway Station in Melbourne,
supposed to require different are also applied to alla-prima oil Australia (pages 24 and 25). It is a truly
techniques but I find my techniques painting. Alla-prima means painting magnificent modern structure built in
for painting in watercolour can also be wet-in-wet quickly in one go. I paint 2006. I travel into Melbourne by train
applied to painting in oils. In actual fact these oil paintings in under an hour- these days to avoid the traffic. When
it’s the envisioning of what you want and-a-half with minor correction, as I I step out on to the platform I’m met
to achieve with your painting that is do with watercolours. with a vast visual display of a wave-
more important. Whether painting in like overhead expanse of sky-high
watercolour or oil it usually comes down Confident and energised roofing supported by an undulating
to knowing what not to do rather than Painting in oil is traditionally a skeleton of beams and curves. From
what is correct to do. ‘dabbier’ and ‘gooier’ way of applying the upper level where the image for
paint whereas watercolour relies on this demonstration painting was taken,
Five steps the flow of the medium. But if you there is an overwhelming and fantastic
I have written previously about my ‘Five paint oils quickly with a deliberate view of the machinations of the station.
Steps to Watercolour’ to explain tonal and confident brushstroke, an The dynamism of the trains coming in
impressionism in this medium. Because energised and vibrant painting can and out is enthralling and no, I’m not
capturing the light is my main aim, I am be achieved without it looking too a trainspotter. It is a very stimulating
a tonal painter, using a reduced colour laboured, non-spontaneous and scene and calls to the artist to paint it.

PRACTICAL
My Five Steps to
Watercolour, which can also
be applied to alla-prima oil
painting
1 The COMPOSITION of the painting
must be worked out first, remembering
that not everything in the scene has
to be painted. The initial draw up and
layout need to be balanced.
2 The COLOUR palette needs to be
thought through, realising that you do
not have to be true to the colours of the
image. Many oil painters rely on colour
to do all the work; they don’t use dark
colours like sepia, black and indigo and
use primary colours with a lot of white
to create a less intense contrast. The
old adage is certainly true that ‘tone
does all the work and colour gets all the
glory’. I only use colour for highlights or
for lightening a darker area.
3 The TONAL foundations need to be
laid and this means laying in the dark
tones first. I like dark tones so much
that I often never go back into them.
4 The LIGHT that I aim for in my work
can be captured by a dash of white or
simply by leaving the canvas or primed
board white. Thin areas of paint also
give a sense of light, even with oils. I
never paint on a dark colour or burnt
sienna-primed board. I paint directly p Having a Guinness at Gogarty’s, oil, 93/438in (25320cm).
onto a white gessoed board. This allows After a workshop in Ireland I was walking past Gogarty’s Pub in Dublin, where two gents were
the painting to be more dynamic but having a Guinness. Of course they let me take a photo and I couldn’t wait to paint them, just for
it is more difficult because there is no fun. This time I used a lot of that painters’ anxiety-causing colour, green
underpainting. An empty white board
for some people is intimidating but I
find it inviting, fresh and encourages
spontaneous creativity. Very much like
when a watercolour artist stands before
a white sheet of watercolour paper.
5 I finish and PULL THE PAINTING
TOGETHER with highlights, dots and
dashes in primary colours and check,
by viewing the painting in a mirror,
that it is balanced and falls in line with
my ‘Five Steps’. If there is something
wrong with your painting you will know
instantly by seeing it in reverse in the
mirror. You will know that one of the
steps has been left out or mishandled.
u Chinoiserie, oil, 113/43153/4in (30340cm).

This painting was done in the alla-prima
method, blocking in the very dark tones first
and then highlighting with subdued colour
combinations. It was done without any
medium and relied only on turps as a thinner.
All my previous paintings used a standard
level 4 thickness medium to allow some
minor flow to occur
TA11p22_25_AmandaBETTER.indd 23 14/09/2020 13:44

ALLA-PRIMA OILS
AMANDA’S TEN MY OIL PAINTING AREA

TOP TIPS As you can see I use whatever is going,
plus old dog food bowls, stubby holders,
1 Painting in oils is messy – I wear disposable wrenches for getting tops off paint,
gloves and an old shirt. Make sure your room
scissors to cut tubes in half when only one
is well ventilated.
end will squeeze. I always use cheap, flat
2 Try painting on a white background to
synthetic hardware shop craft brushes. I’m
begin with. Don’t be afraid of the white base
notoriously spontaneous and irresponsible
but use the free gift of the white to allow
you to understand where the light areas will with equipment so I prefer to throw away
be. the brushes after they harden up beyond
rescue and also throw out the mixing
3 Try flat synthetic brushes in a range of
different sizes from 1in to ¼in width. They board that looks like a sheet of hardened
can be used on the side, for linear work or for goo after a couple of weeks because I never
large flat areas. wipe away paint. Sometimes I’m surprised
4 Reduce your colour palette. Everything can to find myself dipping into a solidified jam
be mixed from the basic colours ultramarine biscuit or a long abandoned cup of coffee.
blue, viridian, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson, I’m constantly amazed, though, at how
raw sienna, white, sepia and black. Have orange keeps itself damp and dangerous
a few tubes of highlight colours such as and phthalo blue can get on everything –
cadmium red and yellow, orange and purple. if I dare to use them
Your biggest tube should be white. Use
titanium white, which I think is safer.
5 Try painting from a black-and-white photo DEMONSTRATION Southern Cross Railway Station
in blacks, greys and white. Then go over
some of the darker parts with some lighter,
coloured tones and keep the highlights until
last. Keep some of the darks dark. MATERIALS
6 Keep reminding yourself not to lose the � Art Spectrum oil paints:
light, make sure you know where this should black, white, raw umber,
be. You can wipe off paint for this and then burnt sienna, cadmium
paint white or off white directly on to that yellow, cadmium red and
spot again. Dark paint won’t happily go on ultramarine blue.
lighter paint without creating a colour you � MDF primed with gesso
don’t want. For example, painting sepia onto
� Renoir flat synthetic
white will only make a swirly looking mess.
watercolour brushes
The reverse is also true. Don’t overdo the use
of white mixed with everything. You will lose � Art Spectrum odourless
tone and contrast as everything will be the turps and Liquol
one tone. medium
7 Try to keep track of the layers of paint
you apply. It’s easy to keep dabbing it on
but it will end up looking like an impasto or My reference photo
textured painting, which is thick and nearly
craft-like but does not apply to my method.
Impasto paintings are well liked and
colourfully decorative but my oil painting
technique is more traditional.
8 For my sort of painting I truly believe
that capturing the light and the contrast
produced is vital. If you overthink something
and begin to fiddle I can promise you that
you will muck it up. It’s best to admit defeat,
wipe off the bad bit and do it again with
fewer strokes. Keep the dark areas thin.
9 Don’t forget every stroke matters. It’s just
that too many of them will take away from
the ones that count.
10 An artist should be fluent in all painting
media, not just one. An artist is a total
creative no matter what media is used.
Explore all the different media – watercolour,
oil, pastel, charcoal and others – and your
innate curiosity and need to create will lead
you from one to another. You will find that
you will handle the different media with a p STAGE ONE
common set of thought processes, skills, I used a foam brush from the local hardware shop to brush in a mixture of black, burnt sienna
methods and tactics. and raw umber, leaving the white area bare. I used an old board that had been previously
painted on so the gesso had an off-white greyish tinge

PRACTICAL
p STAGE TWO
I emphasised the darker areas with black mixed with raw umber,
especially where the diagonal line up of the trains needed to be
defined
u STAGE THREE
Some burnt sienna and scratched-out lines were added to the
roof and figures were added to the platform, with the focal
figure on the right being placed for maximum effect
FINISHED PAINTING
Southern Cross Railway Station, oil, 113/43153/4in (30340cm).
Some highlights were added in cadmium red, ultramarine blue and cadmium yellow. The roof was completed and white highlights and reflections
were added. The painting was not wiped out nor corrected but a balancing game between colour, contrast, detail and highlights was played out
during the whole process. This is the main aim of tonal alla-prima oil painting

?????????
t Dunraven Bay, watercolour, 9313in
(23333cm).
An on-site painting on a calm, featureless
day. Notice the lack of detail in both cliffs and
beach
wise to paint with a colleague and to

keep your mobile phone fully charged.
Inevitably coastal painting involves
a certain amount of walking and the
joy of using watercolour is its economy
of equipment. All my equipment fits
into a rucksack – I keep my hands free
for scrambling. If it is possible to paint
within striking distance of the van then
I may use my waterproof fishing brolly
and stretched paper on boards rather
than pads, etc. Equipment should
be proportionate to the distance you
expect to hike. The weather dictates
your equipment too. On rainy days I
Kitted out for

set out with a water-soluble pencil, old
pieces of watercolour mount board and
a small brush.
Best aspects
the coast
Before setting out it pays to put some
thought into the type of subject matter
that you will be chasing. The two main
considerations that affect my choice of
location are tide and weather. If I want
cliffs and it’s a sunny day I may pick out
Peter Cronin recommends some basic preparations a headland and catch the sun at the
right time of day to give shadow and
that will ensure your safety and result in a successful form to its structure. On an overcast
watercolour when painting at your local coastline day I may choose a position that gives
me receding headlands and aerial
recession. In rain, wet beaches might
appeal. So knowledge of weather,
T
tide and topography can help locate a
here is definitely something subject quickly and reduce the agony of
magical about coastal scenery subject chasing.
and its allure will be different for Don’t be afraid to rearrange certain
each artist. It can also be among elements for the sake of composition
the most challenging subject matter to but do make sure that you are able
paint en plein air due to the nature of the to change shadows, etc, accordingly,
terrain and its often exposed nature. to suit the new aspect or it will not
In this article I shall share my tips and read correctly. I will often move a
working methods and for making the cloud formation or include a boat from
most of your local coastline. another part of a harbour if it benefits
Peter Cronin Working safely
me to do so.
is a council member of the Royal
Society of Marine Artists, the Pure Working on the coast presents potential Working on site
Watercolour Society and the Royal hazards but so does working in the Wind and hot sun are not conducive
Watercolour Society of Wales. His book mountains and on city streets. A to fresh clean watercolour washes. It
Pure Watercolour Painting is available sensible approach to tides, mud and is difficult to paint with any medium
from our PaintersOnline bookstore, cliffs goes without saying. My stretch in strong wind and using an easel
price £15.99 (http://bit.ly/3cw1AUX) of coast has the second highest tidal becomes impossible, even if you weigh
and he tutors various painting breaks range in the world with up to 40ft it down with rocks and I have seen
and courses throughout the year. between high and low tides, so it canvases turn into a kites! The solution
www.petercronin.org absolutely races in. For this reason a is to seek shelter behind any large
sprained ankle could result in serious boulders (not against the cliff) or to
consequences. Remember too that it’s use a sketchbook and secure the pages
much easier to be sure footed if you are with bulldog clips. The sun is easier to
not laden with excessive equipment, so manage as we simply need to shade our
travelling light is a safety issue. It’s also picture in some way. If I cannot position
TA11p26_29_Peter Cronin.indd 26 10/09/2020 11:42

PRACTICAL
the sun behind me, I clip a shade to the failure rates are high too. It makes a lot p Nash Point Lighthouse, watercolour,
easel. When it rains I paint from inside of sense therefore to check the weather 9313in (23333cm).
the van if possible, otherwise I use a and work in the method that is best When this lighthouse was still manned,
fishing umbrella or resort to sketching suited to the day. Sometimes I spend I stopped off to ask about tide times. The
with a water-soluble pencil. a lot more time producing sketches lighthouse keeper consulted the local
Whatever I paint, I always like a title, which, just like a watercolour, must newspaper – very professional
which may be as simple as ‘sunlight capture the original inspiration and feel
on the cliff’ or ‘recession’. It serves to of the scene. I then use these along with
remind me of the reason I stopped at any photographic reference to produce travels from the top to the bottom of
the spot, the mood of the day, and to a finished painting in the studio. the board. I may start on dry paper if
avoid the distraction of excessive detail, The other thing that I try to do in the I want to retain some whites with hard
which is an easy trap to fall into with studio is to improve the composition edges, as here, or I will wet the whole
rocks and pebbles. The first big washes to enhance the particular mood that sheet for a totally soft-edged start, or
should be enough to achieve the title I want to portray – as I did with the because it’s a warm day and I want to
and then it’s just enough details to demonstration painting on pages 28-29. slow the drying down enough to get the
make the shapes ‘read’. I always start with an overall wash that wash on the paper. TA w
I always want to go home with the
‘title’ and will overwork a watercolour
that’s not going well with yet more
washes, pen, or gouache, just to get the
mood. I can then use this in the studio
for a bigger, fresher watercolour. It’s
great if they ‘come off’ on site but the
important thing is to gather information
and to learn.
The role of the studio

For me, working on location is an
enjoyable and vital part of the creative
process. The satisfaction and feel of
the successful paintings is sublime but
u Storm Sky Col Huw, watercolour, 9313in

(23333cm).
A quick on-site sketch was the source material
for this watercolour. The use of a limited
palette and some masking fluid for the sea
highlights achieved the desired result

WATERCOLOUR
DEMONSTRATION Changeable Day, Cwm Nash
My first thoughts were what do I want to say and how am I going to
enhance the message of a moody changeable day, with light on the
sea and cliff. In the photograph, left, which acts as a general reference
for shapes, colours, etc, the sea looks dramatic yet the cliff and beach
are quite flat. The sketch (below) is my way of getting to know and/or
improving the composition. This one was made on the beach and the
15 minutes or so that it took gave me an opportunity to study the cliff
structure
MATERIALS
� Canson 300lb Rough paper
� Daler-Rowney watercolour tubes: ultramarine blue, cobalt
blue, burnt sienna, raw sienna, cobalt violet, ultramarine violet
� Brushes: large mop, Escoda Perla sizes 16 and 8
p STAGE ONE
A light pencil drawing was made on Canson 300lb Rough paper; this
is when I construct the composition. A lot of the time I can sort this
by intuition, but I may well work up a small compositional sketch to
help if I am unsure. In this case the drawing is slightly different from
both the sketch and the photograph. My hope is that it is a good
p STAGE TWO
Working on dry paper I designed the cloud shapes by placing the sky
combination of well-placed shapes
with a full wet mop brush of ultramarine and cobalt blue. I then worked
underneath and into this edge with a mixture of muck left around the
palette supplemented with ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, being
careful to preserve some hard white edges. A bead of this murky liquid
dropped down the board (inclined at approximately 30º) and was
brought down the paper with a smaller brush to form the horizon. It
passed through the cliffs and local colours were dropped into its wet
wake – raw sienna, cobalt blue and cobalt violet. As the area below the
cliffs was dry paper I took the bead and dry-brushed the sea with quick
horizontal strokes of the sky colour. I then dampened the foreshore,
again by bringing the bead down and dropping basic grey mixes into
the damp paper at various strengths
t STAGE THREE
When the painting was totally dry I placed the blue-grey shape of north
Devon with a sufficiently pale wash to make it appear distant. I let this
dry and placed a slightly stronger version of the wash to represent the
distant headland at Nash Point

PRACTICAL
t STAGE FOUR
To develop the cliffs I started from the
topmost headland and ran the wash
down the rear grassy bank and through
the nearer cliffs. Finally I suggested
the dark vertical faces of the wave-cut
platforms and ran a glaze over the
foreground and beach. This was done to
make the bits of first wash in the cliffs and
the white paper of the sea shine more
u STAGE FIVE
With the cliffs dry once again I added as little detail as possible
to make them ‘read’. The darks for the caves and rock fractures
were added using ultramarine violet with burnt sienna as well
as ultramarine blue in a very lost-and-found fashion, which
avoided plastering the cliffs with black lines. Darks were also
added to the front of the wave-cut platforms
q FINISHED PAINTING
Changeable Day, Cwm Nash, watercolour, 9313in (23333cm).
The beach varies from tide to tide so I placed larger rocks
and bits of wave-cut platform in the foreground, rather than
pebbles. Birds, posts and a bit of dark spatter completed the
painting

?????????
Jesse Lane
is a leading coloured pencil artist
whose portraits have won many
awards. He is a signature member of
the Colored Pencil Society of America,
and a member of the Portrait Society of
America and the International Guild of
Realism and teaches workshops across
the US and online.
www.jesselaneart.com
C
oloured pencil is a relatively
new art form that is slowly
making its presence known in
the greater art world. Coloured
pencils are not just for drawing, they
can be lightly layered to create rich,
seamless transitions in hue and value.
The fine point is an excellent tool to
create tiny features, like hairs, pores
and wrinkles; it’s capable of creating
exquisitely detailed realism.
I create portraits so realistic that
viewers question if they’re looking at
a photo or a painting. Many people
are surprised to learn my pieces are
created with the humble coloured
pencil. Through photorealism, I convey
p Riptide, coloured pencil, 30320in (76351cm)
emotions, telling stories of private
moments and creating a sense of
intimacy between the art and the
Photorealism in viewer.
Before drawing Hypnosis (page 33) I
did a photoshoot with my wife, Kinsey.
As she put her hands around her
coloured pencil face, I placed her hair to surround her

hands, creating a circular composition.
I kept the framing tight to focus on
her expression and convey the most
emotion. I then edited the photo in
Photoshop and created a plan for my
Follow Jesse Lane as he shows you how to create image. I strengthened the contrast in
her face and eyes and lessened contrast
photorealist portraits using coloured pencils in the hair and shoulders.
I start each drawing with the focal
point, which is almost always the eyes.
This lets me know if anything else I

PRACTICAL
u Abyss, coloured pencil,

28339in (71399cm)
BELOW RIGHT
Adrenaline, coloured pencil,
40327in (101.5366.5cm)
q Labyrinth, coloured
pencil, 29323in
(73.5358.5cm)
add competes with my focal point for

attention. I use a grisaille technique
when creating skin tone, which means
I shade in my values first and add
colour afterwards. It can be challenging
to begin, but it becomes easier once
you’ve established your palette for the
skin. I work my way out from the eye up
to the forehead because it’s a big open
patch of skin that lacks the detail of the
rest of the face. I think of the forehead
as a big, coloured swatch to test out the
colours and textures for the rest of the
portrait. Having the forehead rendered
first makes it easier to tackle the rest of
the face. TA w

COLOURED PENCILS
DEMONSTRATION Hypnosis
 Reference photo
MATERIALS
� Derwent Lightfast 100 Set of
coloured pencils q Reference photo after
� Strathmore Bristol Board 500 Series Photoshop
Vellum 4 Ply
� Craft knife
p STAGE ONE
I began with the eye, colouring in an area of pure black, such as
the eyelashes or the pupil of the eye. This created strong contrast,
drawing in the viewer’s attention. I then added a white highlight
close to the pure black area – such as the highlight in an eye or the
white of an eyeball. When I start with the full range of contrast,
it’s easier to judge my values, which is essential when creating
realism. As I moved onto the iris, I used light strokes that fan
outward from the pupil. Notice the inside of the iris is lighter,
while the outer edge is darker. This edge is also a little soft. Like p STAGE TWO
the pupil, the lashes are black. The eyeball is shaded like a sphere, Working out from the eye I drew the forehead, rendering in shades of
with the highlight echoing out of the iris to increase the intensity beige, brown and tan. Notice the forehead is darker on top and as it goes
of the eye’s gaze. The lashes cast a shadow that’s dark on top and under her hair and how the skin between the eyes is slightly darker. As I
fades out below. I use warm tones in this area to contrast the cool coloured in the tones, I left some of the white specks of paper showing. I
blue in the eyes, making the eyes pop made my strokes as smooth as possible, using a light pressure at this stage.
Next I added colours like pink, peach, yellow, purple, green and orange.
To capture the general colour of her skin I lightly layered in large blocks
of colour then began to apply smaller spots of colour to give the skin a
more splotchy, natural look. I added some stippling on the forehead to
create the suggestion of pores. The eyebrow was drawn smooth at first,
then texture added on top. The colour of the brow is the same as the skin
tone in shadow. This makes the hairs of the brow look dense, with less
light between them. The bottom third of the eyebrow is black to push
contrast, the eyes emerge from a pocket of dark for a dramatic effect. I then
added hairs with pencil strokes around the edge of the eyebrow. Finally, I
scratched in highlights using a dull blade so as not to tear into the paper
 STAGE THREE
The nose and cheeks followed the same process as the forehead: values first
and colours second. There’s a lot of yellow in the highlights on the cheeks and
nose. The edges of the white highlights on the face were broken up with light
splotches of yellow and pink. The cheeks roll into shadow and become black
around the edges

PRACTICAL
u STAGE FOUR
Working down the face, the skin tone begins to become less
saturated and slightly darker. The top edge of the upper lip is soft,
the lower lip has a more distinct edge, especially in the middle, as
the lower lip begins to protrude outward. Notice the series of sharp
white highlights on the lower lip, which give the lip a slightly wet
appearance. While the lips are mostly pink, I used a fair amount of
brown, orange, purple and grey to give them a natural look. There is
more purple and brown in the shadows. The mid-tones have orange,
and the highlights are pink and grey. The corners of the mouth are
darker as the skin begins to curl in around the mouth
q FINISHED PAINTING
Hypnosis, coloured pencil, 13320in (33351cm).
For the hair, the goal was to build large masses then break them into
smaller and smaller pieces until they looked like hair. First, I coloured
the black areas then began to block with light brown and dark brown.
The initial stage of this is very blocky. Then I added spiky points to the
edge of the dark-brown shapes. These start out large, capturing the
general shape of the hair, and become smaller and more detailed until
they are single pencil strokes. I also went into the light-brown areas
and triangular points with a chocolate pencil to break up any large
p STAGE FIVE areas of hair. To give the hair the finest texture possible, I used a dull
The hand is dark around the outer edge so I coloured in all the black knife to scratch in thin highlights – the longer the scratch, the longer
first, which helped to establish the values on a greater scale. I used the hair. I went back between the scratch marks with a sharp Mars
the grisaille technique, beginning with values first and adding colours black or chocolate pencil to make small lines to create little pockets of
second. The fingers became darker away from the face – I used more shadow throughout the hair.
sepia in the darker areas of the skin tone and also used Mars black, Finally I decided to revisit the eyes, adding green and yellow. I think
nightshade and forest in the darkest parts of the hands and wrist. This this softened the image, bringing down the colour contrast and
helped to integrate the skin tone with the surrounding area of black making the eyes jump out less and appear more gentle

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PRACTICAL
Paint a sunset in
watercolour
Paul Talbot-Greaves demonstrates how to make light work of a
winter sunset in five easy stages
the picture. I worked on a piece of shapes and pushes them back into the
Saunders Waterford 140lb (300gsm) distance.
Rough, which is a lovely cotton paper When the shadow wash had dried,
with a great useable texture. The first I began building the structure of the
thing I did before painting was to clean rocks. For the more distant shapes I
my palette. I don’t always do this but used French ultramarine and cadmium
in this case, some clean fresh colours red, adding neat cadmium red and
Paul Talbot-Greaves were imperative for painting the sky. I Winsor lemon into the flare of the sun.
works in watercolour, acrylic and oil also squeezed out new colour to ensure I worked quite quickly using a size 2
and teaches courses, workshops, and there was no contamination from other mop brush and switching to a size 4
demonstrations to art societies throughout colours in my palette. I began in the mop brush in the bigger foreground
the Midlands and the North of England. sky area, continuing the colours as a shapes. Here I introduced burnt sienna
He can be contacted by email:
pale wash over the remainder of the to French ultramarine, mixing them
ptgart@outlook.com or through his website:
painting. loosely on the paper to generate
www.talbot-greaves.com
colourful darks.
Building colour
Adding depth
S
unsets are notoriously difficult The second part of my painting process
in watercolour because the builds the colours, shapes and values of When the colours were dry, I set about
colours and subdued light the scene. Sometimes this can be quite adding further depth and shape to
can lead to a muddy finish a quick, immediate process and other the rocks using thicker paint, which
if you don’t approach the subject times it may take a few layers before exploits the drag brush effect. With
meticulously. For my sunset here I have moving on to part three. This painting more washes of cobalt blue and alizarin
chosen a winter theme because the required a number of layers in order crimson I darkened some shadows and
snow adds interest, colour, light and to keep the freshness and light in the created further shapes in the snow. I
contrast. colours. splashed clean water into my washes to
I added some background detail make colours run and form interesting
First wash before the shadow wash, using the fine patterns then finally sprayed the sun
I began as I usually do with a pencil point of a size 2 squirrel mop brush. and scrubbed the soft light back into
sketch to place the main shapes in This technique helps to soften the the rock to blur the edge a little more. TA w

?????????
DEMONSTRATION Winter Sunset Across the Rocks
MATERIALS
l Support: Saunders Waterford 140lb (300gsm) Rough
l Watercolours: cobalt blue, Winsor lemon, alizarin crimson,
French ultramarine, cadmium red
l 6B pencil
l Brushes: sizes 2, 5 and 6 squirrel mop
p STAGE ONE
I drew out the scene using a 6B pencil on a piece of Saunders Waterford
140lb (300gsm) Rough watercolour paper. As always, my pencil was
intended as a guideline, not an outline
p STAGE TWO
I used clean colours, brushes and lots of clean water to create the sky.
Even a slightest contamination of colour can mess this up. I began
by wetting the area around the sun with clean water and with a size
6 squirrel mop brush, then immediately applied flowing washes of
Winsor lemon around it, adding alizarin crimson to make an orange
elsewhere. At the top, I added cobalt blue and brought this down to
meet the orange and let them fuse together. I continued with a very
weak wash of alizarin crimson and Winsor yellow over the remainder of
the painting and left it to dry
p STAGE THREE
I mixed some cobalt blue with my lemon and
crimson and, using a small size 2 mop brush,
I sketched in the distant field patterns and let
them dry. I added some background detail
before the shadow wash, using the fine point
of a size 2 squirrel mop brush. This technique
helps to soften the shapes and pushes them
back into the distance
u STAGE FOUR
With a size 5 mop brush I washed cobalt blue
and alizarin crimson over the foreground and
distance, leaving behind some highlights on
the rocks

PRACTICAL
t STAGE FIVE
Working spontaneously, I added the rocks
in a dark value, leaving snow patches here
and there. To create depth, I used French
ultramarine with cadmium red in the distance
and French ultramarine and burnt sienna in
the foreground
q FINISHED PAINTING
Winter Sunset Across the Rocks, watercolour on
Saunders Waterford 140lb (300gsm) Rough,
11315in (28338cm).
I brought the painting to a close adding
further dark to some shadowed sides of the
rocks with thicker paint. I added more shape
and dimension to the snow and finished by
softening the light flare of the sun into the
highest rock

PRODUC T REPORT
Oil paint you’ll want

to buy Alan Bickley puts Jackson’s Artist Oil Colour
through a workout to show you just how well these
highly pigmented, buttery oils perform, with a
price that won’t empty your wallet
I
was delighted when asked to review compromising on quality – they are strong vibrant colours, which is what
Jackson’s Artist oil paints; in actual simply great value for money! I tested most artists look for.
fact, I’ve been using them alongside them on a number of supports using a We often hear the term ‘buttery
my regular oils for some time now, variety of brushes, as well as painting consistency’ used when describing oil
and have often made reference to their knives. The texture stands up to knife paints, but this paint really does tick
superb qualities on the PaintersOnline painting superbly, enabling you to all the boxes on that score. They mix
forum. Good quality paint, combined create bold impasto marks; it will also so well with a palette knife, so if your
with decent brushes, are essential to leave expressive brushmarks on the preference is to work in thin layers, or
me as an artist. paint surface if that’s your style of thick impasto, this paint does the job.
As well as both small and large tubes painting – it’s certainly mine, as I often
of paint I was really pleased to receive like to adopt a painterly approach to Smooth
a couple of Jackson’s Handmade Linen my work. If your style of painting is Jackson’s Artist oils are both luminous
Boards; these have a superb fine- to introduce glazing and scumbling and vibrant, as well as being permanent
grained surface that I was excited to techniques, these paints are perfect! and lightfast – looking back at some of
try out for my demonstration painting Jackson’s first launched this range my earlier paintings using these paints
(pages 40-41). I found the Jackson’s in 2007. There is an extensive choice I can certainly endorse this. They look
Handmade Linen board on MDF an of 51 colours, which should cater for as fresh and vibrant as when I painted
excellent support to paint on, very most artists’ needs. The branding has them.
sturdy and with a superb fine grain – I’m changed a little since then, with a clean These oils have a much smoother
now using them for the majority of my well-designed modern look, and a test consistency than some of my more
landscape paintings. strip of the actual paint colour taken expensive brands, and gave a really
from the same batch that filled the tube good consistent coverage without
Great quality and value – a helpful touch! They are available having to add loads of medium, and
I’ve tried most of the oil paints in a in 60ml and 225ml tubes, with titanium a little really does go a long way. I
similar price range over the years, white also being available in the more mainly use the indirect method when
and I’m in no doubt that Jackson’s economical 1ltr and 2.5ltr tins. Made painting landscapes in the studio, so
paints are in a league of their own. from high-quality pigments and refined I start by thinning down my paint with
They’re economical but there is no linseed oil, with no fillers, these are turpentine during the first few layers,

PRACTICAL
gradually introducing oil to the final p Grey values

stages. Their texture is smooth and When I want to mix
consistent enough to use straight from a range of warm and
the tube if you prefer the direct method neutral greys, one of my
of painting, and you won’t need to add favourite combinations
very much medium to your tubes. of complementary
To sum up my experience of using colours is Jacksons’s
Jackson’s Artist oils, I find these Artist oil rose madder
paints are every bit as luminous, quinacridone and
vibrant, permanent and lightfast as phthalo green, plus a
Jackson’s claim them to be. They are a touch of titanium white
thoroughly good, competitively priced, to control the value. Even
professional quality paint that lives up in a greyscale, Jackson’s
to your expectations – they definitely oil paints exude a certain
don’t disappoint! If you haven’t tried quality
them yet, give them a go, I’m confident
that you’ll be as impressed as I was. TA
Paint and palette
p The Lane to Jalon Village, Jackson’s Artist oil paints on canvas board, 193/43233/4in (50360cm).
A studio painting, my reference was a series of plein air oil sketches that I had completed last year in Spain. Painted in layers, some heavier brush
work was applied at the final stage, adding just a touch of linseed oil 

PRODUC T REPORT
DEMONSTRATION Secluded Cornish Cove
MATERIALS p STAGE ONE p STAGE TWO

I worked on a linen board that Jackson’s I further strengthened the main tones,
l Jackson’s Artist Oil Colour: unbleached kindly supplied. It’s a while since I’ve not being too accurate at this stage,
titanium white, mixing white, yellow painted on linen, so I was interested to see then began to block in some of the cliff
ochre, raw umber, cadmium yellow, the results. I applied a thin underpainting face rocks and beach areas. A few strata
cadmium orange, light red, Prussian of yellow ochre then sketched out the main lines were loosely drawn in on the rock
blue, cobalt blue, King’s blue, rose details of the composition using a Jackson’s formation, the darkest tones on the rocks
madder quinacridone No.2 Black Hog round and a mix of cobalt were established. I then scrubbed in the
l Brushes: Jackson’s Black Hog round blue thinned with refined gum turpentine. horizon line and dropped in my lightest
sizes 2 and 4; flat Nos. 2 and 6, Jackson’s I wanted to make sure that the horizon line tone on the rock face, a mix of unbleached
Shiro hog size 12. was level, so I used my T-square for accuracy. titanium white with a hint of yellow ochre.
l Refined gum turpentine, cold-pressed Once I’d established the composition, I I had established my lightest tones, mid-
linseed oil blocked in the main tonal areas using the tones, and darkest tones. This would serve
l Jackson’s Handmade Board: Universal same thin mix of cobalt blue as reference for my tonal range
Primed Fine Linen on MDF board
Evening on Doxey Marshes, Jackson’s Artist oil paints on canvas board, 71/23191/2in (20350cm). Completed using just a painting knife.
Jackson’s Artist oil paints mix up to a great consistency that is absolutely perfect for knife painting

PRACTICAL
‘Jackson’s Artist oils are both luminous and vibrant,

as well as being permanent and lightfast’
u STAGE THREE
For the sky and sea area, I used a
mixture of mixing white, cobalt
and King’s blue, with a hint of
yellow ochre. The slightest hint
of rose madder quinacridone was
also added to the sky. Variations of
these colours were mixed on my
palette and introduced to some
of the cliff face and foreground. I
darkened the furthest mass of cliffs
and reflections in the sea with a
strong mix of Prussian blue and rose
madder quinacridone, toned down
with mixing white. I didn’t attempt
to finish any one area, but worked
across the whole painting
u FINISHED PAINTING
Secluded Cornish Cove, Jackson’ s
Artist oil paints on Jackson’s Linen
Board, 153/43193/4in (40350cm).
I worked over much of the previous
layers, leaving some areas to show
through. I always prefer to build
up my paintings in layers, working
from dark to light, and adopt the
fat-over-lean rule. This helps me to
develop my work gradually, making
adjustments to the composition,
colour and tonal values as I progress.
As a final touch, I loosely indicated
some yachts in the distance, a few
boats and figures on the beach, plus
a couple of moored yachts by the
jetty
TA11p38_41_Jacksons.indd 41 14/09/2020 13:48

occur. This reaction can trigger deep
The power of and often very personal emotions

that help to form a bond between the
viewer and subject matter, which may
explain why personal experience can
the nocturne
mould vastly different responses from
the same work. This capacity can be of
particular use to the nocturnal painter,
as many of us have a subconscious
primordial fear of the dark, and what
may be conceived as what lies within.
Robert E Wells explores intensified narratives Narrative
by painting at night-time, both en plein air and It would be unusual for me to start a
painting with the intention of relaying
in the studio, to draw viewers’ attention, as he a specific narrative. There may be
demonstrates here a general idea that comes to mind,
but I am always careful not to look
contrived. My preferred method of
T
here is no reason why painting to stimulate a critical response from the working is to allow the subject to
evening and night-time subjects viewer. evolve at its own pace. It is the process
should be any harder to develop The ability to establish an emotional of paint application that dictates its
than those painted during the response from the viewer is a great own direction and eventually its own
day. There may be increased practical attribute. Works that have a particular identity. Much of the work is filtered
considerations to overcome – location, striking or enigmatic effect can activate through sketchbooks. Ideas and
available light and personal safety are what is known as the ‘default mode motifs collected in this format may
examples of this. However, the benefits network’. This is a trait that, as far as take months or even years to receive
of intensified depth, mood and the use science knows, is unique to the human attention, but they are always there as a
of incomplete but suggested clues to brain and it simultaneously allows form of reference. My immediate family
drive narrative can be a powerful tool outward and inner contemplation to are used as models and appear on a

PRACTICAL
FAR LEFT
Moonlight Mile, oil on panel, 18314in
(45.5335.5cm).
Our home is in a small village on the edge of the
South Downs National Park. This painting focuses
on the effect of the full moon and high wind that
are often associated with the cliff formations
around the notorious Beachy Head. Although
beautiful by day the area has a foreboding
presence at night, which can be both compelling
and overwhelming
LEFT
Canal Towpath Leeds, oil, 636in (15315cm). Robert E Wells
Much has changed in my hometown of Leeds since is a member of the New English Art
I left home in the 1980s. I came across this setting Club and the Royal Society of British
by accident as I had already set up an easel to Artists. He has exhibited widely and
concentrate on an old bridge spanning the canal won many awards and his work can
be seen in public collections. His
(see demonstration painting on pages 44-45).
book, Robert E. Wells in Perspective,
This view became more compelling as the solitary
is available from
streetlight punctured the gloom, which briefly www.robertewells.com
illuminated the passing commuters on their way or Amazon
home
regular basis in sketchbooks and studio

paintings, as they usually accompany
me to locations that are of potential
interest to me. I find it useful to visit
such sites on more than one occasion
and at different times of the day to
record the changing effect of weather
and lighting. The contrast in conditions
can be dramatic, and they offer multiple
opportunities for the direction the work
should take. I find that returning to the
scene at night can be highly rewarding
as the increased dominance of shadows,
reflections and artificial lighting can
transform a view beyond recognition
and help focus the eye on a smaller
target of interest; this in itself triggers a
potential narrative or hook line.
My demonstration painting (pages 44
and 45) was an interesting project. The
challenge of working quickly between
5pm and 9pm made it vital to adopt
a flexible but determined approach.
I accepted there would challenges p Chiara with Grey Blanket, oil, 14310in (35.5325.5cm).
associated with the rapid change of My daughter Chiara likes to accompany me on visits to the Downs. She usually takes an old
light, but rather than seeking solutions blanket as protection from the elements and sits in quiet contemplation, watching dusk fall as
to them I allowed the layers of paint the first lights appear along the coastline below. She has featured in many of my studies in the
to resonate a sense of depth, which early evening light. On this particular evening the light had faded to such an extent that we
eventually gave the painting its own had to use the torch from her mobile phone to illuminate the left side of her face as well as the
identity. TA leading edge of the blanket in order to highlight the contrast of the shadows w

OILS
DEMONSTRATION
Canal Bridge, Leeds and Liverpool Canal
 STAGE ONE
5pm, 28 August; overcast but mild
The location was chosen as it had several strong features. This included
the water, reflections, contrasting shadows, street lighting, pathways and
human presence, all of which had the potential to create interest and a
possible supporting narrative. The easel was positioned on the right-
hand path facing the bridge, and the canvas was primed with an ochre/
light brown wash. At 5pm the light was still strong, which enabled key
decisions to be made regarding proportions and tonal variations
MATERIALS
� Primed canvas 14318in
(35.5345.5cm)
� Short flat hog brushes, sizes and 6
and 8; sable brushes sizes 6 and 8
� White spirit
� Oils: burnt umber, French
ultramarine, cobalt blue, yellow
ochre, cadmium yellow, cadmium
red, ultraviolet
p STAGE TWO
6.30pm
With a basic underpainting
in place it was easier to deal
with the deteriorating light,
and to start adapting to the
changing emphasis of the tonal
variation. By this time the water
reflections were increasing in
prominence and the sky was
starting to show the first real
signs of darkening
 STAGE THREE
7.30pm
The shadow contrasts were
increasing rapidly, the water
and tones under the arch were
darkening but a strong light
was beginning to appear on
the corner of the bridge. This
helped prevent the painting
from becoming too dark, too
quickly

u STAGE FOUR
8.30pm
The daylight had almost disappeared and it was
becoming increasingly difficult to paint. However, there
was a series of illuminated posts nearby that allowed
painting to continue. The streetlights had become
the most dominant feature, influencing the entire
composition. It was important to record information
about their effect on shadows, water reflection, and the
front illumination of the bridge. At first, I was concerned
for my personal safety as my vantage point was a little
isolated, but to my surprise the path next to the canal
had become busier as the night approached. My son,
who was with me at the time, was dressed in a hoodie,
which combined with his height offered a feeling of some
protection. At some point I realised he had become a
permanent feature, which added a sense of scale to the
foreground, which raised the question that maybe the
dynamic between him and the figure across from us could
provide the basis for a possible narrative. Eventually it
became impractical to continue, but I was comfortable
enough that it would not require much further work in
the studio
p FINISHED PAINTING re-evaluation and provide a fresh overview almost straight away. The figures were indeed
Canal Bridge, Leeds and Liverpool Canal, oil on of the work so far. The obvious weaknesses central to the balance of the work and created
canvas, 14318in (35.5345.5cm). seemed to be the unstableness of the bridge a heightened tension that was not originally
A few days passed before I was able to and that the colour palette had also become intended. A few other minor tweaks were
continue with the painting in the studio. It a little bit ‘noisy’. Both were easy to correct added before the painting could be classed
was important to have a break to enable and in doing so the painting settled down as finished

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MODIFYING COLOUR: 12th of 13
Julie Collins
studied painting
at the University of
Autumn trees
Reading. She is an
associate member
of the Society of
Women Artists
and won 1st prize for watercolour at the
Royal West of England Academy of Art
exhibition in 2019. Her work is exhibited
widely in the UK and her sixth book, Julie Collins suggests some colour mixes to help
Colour Demystified will be published in
November 2020. www.juliecollins.co.uk capture the glory of autumn trees in watercolour
T
rees are one of my favourite the rich colours of this season is to way to learn about autumn colours.
subjects and the autumn begin by painting some autumn leaf Although it’s more difficult to paint
season is such a treat because studies. About 20 or more years ago, I outside, do go out and look at the
the colours we can use in our visited RHS Wisley during the autumn autumn trees and work out how you
paintings are so beautiful. The structure with the specific intent of collecting would replicate the colours that you
of trees is most attractive to me during as many autumn leaves as possible. see. As I live in the New Forest there
the winter but each year I’m amazed I walked around all morning with a are many autumn tree scenes for
at autumn colours. During the autumn huge bag and large pieces of blotting which I can explore colour palettes
the foliage takes on so many beautiful paper to keep the leaves safe while during this fantastic season. Each
shades of yellow, orange, red, red- I collected them. I still have this palette I discuss here is warm and rich
brown, orange-brown and purple. collection of leaves and, even though and I will explore ways to modify your
An easy way to start learning about they’ve faded now, it was a good colours for a fresh autumn painting.
THE AUTUMN COLOUR MIXES CHART 1

Experiment by using one red, one yellow and one blue. Here I used Winsor red, new
COLOUR PALETTE gamboge and French ultramarine blue to create 24 colours that can be used for autumn
There are numerous colours that trees. Starting with a pure colour, very gradually add another colour and aim for 8–10 mixes
you can use for your autumn palette. in each row
Although I’m listing a lot of possible
colours here, you really don’t need Blue-red
that many. As you can see from
the colour mixes charts, a lot can
be achieved with a limited palette
of only four or five colours and
modifying them by spending time Red-yellow
mixing.
Earth yellows: raw sienna, yellow
ochre, gold ochre
Brighter yellows: new gamboge,
Yellow-blue
cadmium yellow, Indian yellow
Earth reds: light red, Venetian red,
brown madder, perylene maroon
Brighter reds: permanent alizarin
crimson, cadmium red, scarlet lake,
COLOUR MIXES CHART 2
Starting with a mix, for example a yellow red (new gamboge with Winsor red), gradually add
Winsor red blue and see how many colours you can mix using this method
Oranges: cadmium orange, Winsor Colours used:
Yellow-red French ultramarine,
orange Winsor red, new gamboge
Purples: dioxazine, shadow violet,
caput mortuum violet, moonglow Yellow-red
Browns: burnt sienna, burnt gradually add blue
umber, raw umber, brown ochre,
magnesium brown, Vandyke brown, Red-blue
sepia
Quinacridones: gold, deep gold,
Red-blue
burnt scarlet, sienna, burnt orange gradually add yellow

WATERCOLOUR
q AUTUMN TREES 1 COLOUR MIXES CHART 3

Here I focused on the structure and To mix as many autumn colours as possible, start with one colour and very gradually
composition of autumn trees and used add another. These are Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolours
autumn colours in the background to Pure colour
suggest the foliage rather than painting any
Burnt sienna –
defined leaves. To create white areas, mask
gradually add
out before you begin painting. I mixed the
Indian red
colours for the background and applied
the paint wet-into-wet, making sure the
watercolour didn’t dry out at all as I wanted Light red – gradually
the granulation to create the texture that add cadmium red
you can see here
Quinacridone gold
– gradually add
Indian red
Raw umber –
gradually add light
red
Colours used:
Trees: French ultramarine blue, Indian red
and burnt umber, with a tiny amount of
indigo and sepia
Background: Indian red, burnt umber and raw
sienna
COLOUR MIXES CHART 4 p AUTUMN TREES 2

As in Autumn Trees 1, I focused on
These are Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolours
the structure of the trees and the
Pure colour colours in the background. Again,
Cadmium orange – the background was painted wet-
gradually add quinacridone into-wet and then a second layer of
gold the red area was painted when the
underlayer was completely dry. The
Quinacridone sienna – white areas were created by masking
gradually add quinacridone out before painting
burnt scarlet
Colours used:
Quinacridone burnt scarlet Trees: sepia, French ultramarine blue
– gradually add permanent and burnt umber
alizarin crimson Background: raw sienna, cadmium
red, light red and French ultramarine
blue
Raw sienna – gradually add
quinacridone sienna

p AUTUMN TREES 3 p AUTUMN TREES 4 Colours used:
This is a freehand tree study that was painted with a very I painted the blue background
limited palette and no drawing; the rough surface of the first and masked out the white
paper helps create the texture here. It’s important to have areas. The darks for the tree
all the colours and mixes ready before you start this, as trunks and foliage were mixed
French Indian Quinacridone Cadmium
this means that you can concentrate on painting in a lively using Indian red and French ultramarine red scarlet yellow
and expressive style rather than having to stop and worry ultramarine blue blue
about running out of paint, or which colour to use next
Colours used:
Quinacridone gold, Indian red and Vandyke brown
Colours used:
Daniel Smith
Colours used: French
ultramarine
blue
Burnt sienna
Phthalo
turquoise Quinacridone
sienna
Burnt yellow
ochre
Quinacridone
burnt scarlet
p AUTUMN TREES 5 p AUTUMN TREES 6 Italian burnt

sienna
Here I used only two colours and modified the A limited palette of four browns/yellows can be
quinacridone burnt scarlet by altering the tone and complemented by using a blue such as French
leaving white areas in the painting ultramarine blue
Colours used:
Phthalo blue
u AUTUMN TREES 7 Quinacridone

It’s a good idea to begin by painting a gold
single autumn tree. I lightly sketched the
horizon line, the position of the tree and
took care with the width of the tree trunk. Quinacridone
I didn’t draw the branches or foliage as sienna
I wanted the paint and colours to do
the work here. The sky and ground were
painted first – using one layer of paint.
Sepia
The tree was painted using three layers
of wet-into-wet paint. I allowed each one
to dry before beginning the next so that
I could assess where I needed to add the New gamboge
darks in the foliage and branches

OILS
Birds on the wing

Becky Thorley-Fox advises on strategies for
overhead and to hear their calls. As the
capturing birds in the air and feeding in groups days shorten it becomes even more
and demonstrates a painting of geese against an important for us to get out and absorb
the limited daylight. The colours in
autumn sunrise the landscape are warmer, richer and
more nuanced. The low sun creates
C
apturing flight can be one of a beautiful light quality with long
the most daunting and difficult shadows in the morning and evening,
aspects of portraying birds, yet the perfect setting for observing birds
this is where they truly come in flight.
into their own. To paint a bird moving Large flocks pose such wonderful
freely through the air poses a number of opportunities to observe bird shapes.
challenges. A bird in flight continually Behaviours are often repeated due the
adjusts to balance as it moves, so there sheer volume of birds. This gives you
are the problems of foreshortening, the chance to observe new details and
light and shadow placement and a form interesting light effects that otherwise
in constant motion. might be missed. Capturing birds in
a scene such as Gull Flocks in Ploughed
When to study birds Fields (below) is a great way to begin
It can be difficult to find opportunities painting birds in flight. An impressionist
Becky Thorley-Fox to study birds in flight with the naked approach to painting is more forgiving
is a plein-air artist. She exhibits eye. Binoculars provide a wonderful and prevents you from becoming too
regularly with the Society of Wildlife opportunity to focus in on the feeling absorbed and distracted by details too
Artists. For information on where to see of being airborne – you lose your early on. It is best to work instinctively,
and purchase work, and to sign up to ‘grounded’ field of view and become to feel and convey the movement
her newsletters to receive the latest immersed in their world of flight. and rhythm of flight, capturing the
news and updates, visit Autumn and winter are the perfect simple motion in a few brushstrokes.
www.beckythorley-fox.co.uk time to study birds in flight as birds Studio paintings allow for more time to
gather in large numbers for survival, contemplate a scene and I can consider
to migrate or to roost and to feed. It aspects that I’d left out due to time
is uplifting to see a flock of geese fly pressures and fleeting light conditions.
p Gull Flocks in Ploughed Fields, oil on primed paper,

31/235in (9312.5cm).
This thumbnail study is based on observations of flocks
of gulls feeding in the freshly ploughed fields in Cheshire.
The gulls glowed a lovely cool blue against the golden
evening light and the warmly-lit soil, hedges and trees
behind the gulls created a warm/cool colour temperature
contrast. The trees help to create a pleasing composition
by breaking up the repetitive horizontal layers of the p Gull Flocks in Ploughed Fields, oil on primed paper, 638in (15320.5cm).
foreground fields. Watching the gulls fly in to land from I liked the way this study broke up the horizontal layers with the gentle slope to the
the neighbouring field in the distance also presented fields and the diagonal edge to the background tree line. The light shining through
different flight lines that could be used to guide the eye in in the top-right corner draws the eye in and gives a greater sense of depth. It is
my composition design important to set the stage and create space for your birds to move through

PRACTICAL
Exercise 1 Wing and flight study Greater

I recommend beginning with larger, longer-winged birds Lesser secondary Alula primary
coverts
as they will be easier to observe and draw. Film footage coverts
provides a fantastic source as you can slow down or pause Medium secondary
coverts
wing movement, which will help build up your knowledge
and understanding of flight. I also recommend introducing Greater secondary
yourself to the basic physics of flight and then to observe coverts
birds in motion, looking at the structure, function and
behaviour of wings as they move through the air.
Try producing a series of sketches of the various wing Scapulars
positions of a bird in level flight from film. This knowledge
will quickly help you to retain visual information for when Primary feathers
you make drawings from life. Bird wings in flight may be
imitated with your own arms to help you imagine the feeling
of being airborne and moving on invisible air currents. If you Secondary
bend your hand back at the wrist, your thumb represents the feathers
alula (feathers used for breaking and slowing down) and your Tertiary feathers
fingers the primary feathers. The bird’s ‘elbow’ is between the
secondaries and tertiaries.
Basic shapes and groups of feathers on a goose wing
Exercise 2 Field sketches

Begin your field sketches with a shorthand approach
with simple lines that represent the body and wings.
As you progress, look for the basic shapes, angles and
Primaries Primary coverts foreshortening. Aim for catching the feel and rhythm of
birds in flight without worrying about details at this stage.
Alula Often there are repeated patterns within flocks and similar
Lesser under flight positions recur as birds are flying in the same plane
coverts and direction. Don’t worry if you don’t quite finish a sketch.
Tracing lines to indicate a bird’s flight path is a helpful way
Secondaries of illustrating a flock’s
movement through
Greater under the air. This is useful
coverts when planning a
composition for a
later painting in the
studio
Simple loose
sketches
Exercise 3
Goose template with
fold line
Cut out a basic bird shape and fold
along the dotted line in order to create a
crude model of a soaring goose. I learnt
this from wildlife artist John Busby. It is
a really helpful tool and memory aid to
recreate the flight pose to show how the
wings were behaving. It helps to clarify
wing foreshortening and how shadows
fall on the wings
Goose flight positions viewed Loose oil

with a model made using sketches on
watercolour paper primed paper

?????????
p Wigeon Flock, oil on primed paper, 6310in overlooked the Traeth Glaslyn North Wales The wigeon seemed to move as one unit. I
(15325.5cm). Wildlife Trust nature reserve. I stood on looked at the overall shape of the flock and
This was a magical moment I came across the edges of the damp reeds to watch the direction the individuals moved in, quickly
on my way home from a day out plein-air evening light as it set over the estuary. This marking down simple directional lines for
painting on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. was a very rapid study as the light effect the wings and bodies, looking for dashes of
I had pulled into a layby where I discovered was brief and dramatic. I watched a flock of colour and areas of high contrast as they were
a small hide down a very short path. This wigeon fly by, the light catching their wings. caught by the sunlight
DEMONSTRATION Colours of Autumn Take Flight
p Thumbnail composition study, oil on

board, 436in (10315cm).
I was experimenting with three geese at this
p My plein-air
point, and flight lines of background geese.
reference painting. Using my field sketches and photographs I
This 8312in rapid planned to develop this painting by adding
plein-air oil painting the geese in flight as seen whilst painting on
of the reedbeds along location. The sky and hills in the background
the Dyfi estuary was take up two thirds of the canvas, I liked the
made as the sun rose feeling of openness and light, allowing space
over the hills. The for my foreground geese to move into
colours appeared so
vibrant as the first t Goose oil sketch on primed paper.
rays of light touched Next, I made oil sketches on varnished paper
the scene of the geese in flight. My brushwork followed
the shape of the bird and direction of the
feathers to best convey the form as it moved
through the air

PRACTICAL
q STAGE TWO
I worked on the image as a whole so that I could judge
the colour and value relationships as I painted. I often
paint in the distant areas of the background first and
work towards the foreground, which helps to create
more depth as marks overlay and come forward. There
was a lot of moisture in the air, creating a beautiful soft
haze over the foothills of Snowdonia
p STAGE ONE
In the studio, I mapped out the large shapes in my scene with
light brushstrokes, attempting to maintain the early morning
light and airy atmosphere. I wanted to be sure I was happy
with the position of the foreground geese as they flew into
the landscape, leading the eye into the scene. I adjusted
them a few times by washing them off with odourless solvent
until I was happy – I wanted the bottom-left goose to be
semi-camouflaged as it emerged from the reeds, which were
still in shadow at that point. I decided I preferred two geese
rather than three, as it gives the painting a less crowded feel
p FINISHED PAINTING
Colours of Autumn Take Flight, oil on linen, had quickly drenched the landscape in its is slightly lighter and more muted in values
8312in (20.5330.5cm). morning brightness, lighting up autumn’s and colour to create a sense of distance and
In the final stages I was trying to find a fiery hues. Lastly I worked on the foreground movement. For the studio painting I worked
balance of marks and textures to convey geese: I wanted them to appear both airborne on oil primed linen, which gave the scene
the movement and light I experienced and and forward of the scene whilst remaining a soft quality that suited the feel of the
captured in my plein-air scene. The sun a part of the landscape. The second goose morning

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How to paint
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AUTUMN LANDSCAPES
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9
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Watercolour Watercolour
TOP SIX TECHNIQUES MY PROCESS

These techniques are fun, creative and therapeutic – and great for beginners.
Masking fluid Karen Rice

I love using masking fluid to reserve light areas. It was so effective in Karen is an artist and teacher, who paints
the dandelion painting, as it allowed me to be free with large washes. mainly in watercolour and acrylics. See more
(see opposite for the finished painting.) of her work and catch up on her latest
1 I used masking fluid, salt and spattering techniques to create this fun news by viewing https://www.youtube.com/
5
dandelion painting. Once the masking fluid had dried naturally, I painted karenriceartchannel; and visiting https://karenrice.
issues
wet-in-wet washes using just three primary colours then, when the surface artweb.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/
became damp and no longer wet, I sprinkled sea salt evenly on the paper karenriceartchannel/ Find videos of how Karen
surface and spattered creamy paint to create wonderful textures. completed all the finished paintings in this
2 Once dry, the salt created beautiful light-textured effects, giving
the appearance of wildflowers.
article on her YouTube channel.
STEP-BY-STEP
LINE & WASH
Natural sponges
I love to use sponges to paint foliage, for trees especially. First, I wet my sponge
for only
then wring it out so that the sponge is damp. I mix creamy mid to dark-tone
washes and start with the mid- 1 First stage I paint large light washes wet in wet, making sure
tone, pressing gently onto the I have masked out any light areas that I need to reserve. I then paint
watercolour paper then I sponge more mid-tone washes with creamy paint, damp into wet, then
the darker tone damp into thicker paint, damp into damp, to build up tonal values. Using damp
damp. It really is quite effective. paint enables you to create more defined shapes with soft edges.
How to paint
You can sponge wet in wet This is because creamy paint doesn’t travel like wet paint. Wet paint
also by wetting the paper first, blends seamlessly with surrounding washes.
then sponge as above. You will
£5!
achieve lovely soft edges that 2 Following stages Once my painting is dry, I often work wet
give the impression of distant on dry, softening and blending hard edges (a characteristic that
trees. happens when you paint wet on dry). I’m always mindful of not
losing the light in the painting, overworking and creating too many
flowers & gardens

Twigs mid-tones. As my painting develops, my marks get smaller and
I use twigs to paint branches darker. I save the smallest marks and darkest darks until right at the
and grasses and even draw with it. I find them easier than a Rigger to end of the painting process and I give it one last spatter.
use and they feel secure, especially if you suffer from shaky hands! I find
it best to mix a little well of paint as this makes it easier to load the twig.
COLOURFUL IDEAS
Salt
to draw your world
I use salt all of the time in my paintings, because it creates light and texture.
I recommend painting mid-tone washes then waiting a few minutes for your
NEW WATERCOLOUR
11>
paper to be damp – not wet – then sprinkle the salt evenly. Give the salt time
to work and you should hopefully see some nice results.
Six imaginative
Plastic cards techniques to try
770024 071195
Make sure your paint is creamy

and wait until the paint is just
damp then swipe with the side
of the card, which will lift off
the paint to create the look of
rock. If the paint runs back on
AUTUMN LANDSCAPES
itself, wait a little longer then Colour-mixing ideas,
lift off again. You may need to
practise this, but it’s fun! You composition & more
can also lift off paint using the
9
tip of the card to create the

look of grasses and textures.
Spattering
I use a small brush fully
loaded with wet paint to TIPS
spatter. I make sure that
areas I don’t wish to have
tiny spots of paint on are
l
l
Use the back of an old painting and
paint small to loosen up and have fun.
If using salt, once your painting is
This is a Direct Debit promotion only. After the first 5 issues
covered with kitchen towel. dry, brush it off with kitchen towel.
I hold the brush firmly
towards the bottom of
the brush and tap the
l Allow your watercolour to dry
naturally. Sometimes a hairdryer
stops the techniques from reaching
the subscription continues quarterly at £9.99, saving over
middle of the brush firmly. their full potential.
It’s so much fun to do and
creates wonderful textures. The finished painting Dandelion, watercolour on Saunders Waterford Cold-pressed 140gsm paper, 6½x9½in. (16x24.5cm) 1/3rd on the shop price. You are free to cancel at any time.
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PRACTICAL
Watercolour in the rain

For John Owen, a watercolour painting trip to the Adriatic coast defined
wet-in-wet as literally applying wet paint to rained-on paper. Undeterred, he
decided to enjoy himself and learn from the experience
D
uring an autumn trip to allowing pigments to infiltrate wet-in- p Parasols, watercolour on Saunders
Slovenia I experienced more wet directly on the paper. The results of Waterford 300gsm Rough, 101/43133/4in
violent thunderstorms, high the former are fairly predictable; those (26335cm).
winds and torrential rain than of the latter chancy and nerve-tingling. A figure in red next to one in green ‘pushed’
sunshine. The unpredictable weather Using neat paint on dry paper will by diagonals of thick cobalt blue and lavender
cornered me into painting my gut allow for maximum tone with minimum drive the eye into the picture, drawing the
reactions instantly without worrying spreading – paint fed into a wet white ground lines towards the black café
about the outcome and somehow that wash creates hazy, flowing marks and tables. The repeated triangular umbrellas
was a relief. I couldn’t go wrong – every lost edges. As damp paper dries it stabilise the eye, the hard red shadow line
attempt to paint a ‘picture’ was a duel promotes harder, found edges and an accentuating their shape and whiteness
and any result was an achievement. increasing control of detail. Stroking,
spraying or dribbling on water, blotting
Wet-in-wet versus flat washes or even washing the drying paper and fast to connect with the place, to get
Painting with watercolour is a logical scraping off dried paint produces a vast the dialogue started and my emotions
process. The equipment needed is range of random negative marks. up and running, to respond but not to
compact, cheap and quickly set up. dominate. I set up my easel as the rain
There are essentially two techniques: Strategy suddenly stopped. The bright sun cast
overlaying pre-mixed flat washes or I decided on a strategy: every attempt a hot shadow on a background wall
would be a learning experiment. I would and shouted red. The well-washed air
reduce each impression to its bare showed up every trace of colour, even
essentials, use the biggest brushes in the shadows. I started on the façade
and a minimum of brushstrokes, let with four mop strokes of yellow and
go of caution, paint as fast as possible burnt sienna; concentrated alizarin
and leave ‘mistakes’ uncorrected. crimson and burnt sienna created the
Negative self-criticism was banned and shadow at the corner and the illusion
I would stop applying paint as soon as of a wall angle. Pure ultramarine blue
John Owen momentum slowed. Finally I was on windows offered a cool foil to the red
lives in Upper Austria and runs his own holiday and come what may I was going shadow – each reinforcing the energy
gallery in Freistadt. In 2010 the Leopold to enjoy it! of the other. The subject dictated that
Museum in Vienna bought his work for For Parasols, a first attempt at this pure primaries and black would best
the exhibition ‘Tomorrow’s Masters’. new location (above), I used a small capture the strong light. Immediately I
www.owen.at sheet, simple shapes, a limited colour started seeing tones as colours – if I lock
palette and loose brushwork. I painted in on a hue my eyes are automatically

WATERCOLOUR
u Downpour at Piran Harbour, watercolour
on RWS Rough paper, 300gsm141/4321in
(36353cm).
I started the sky with a large squirrel mop
loaded with yellow ochre, immediately
feeding in reds and blues onto the almost
vertical paper. Repeated strokes of yellow
ochre, alizarin crimson, burnt sienna and
ultramarine created the building. The rain
bleached out evocative ghostly images.
Background trees established the dissolving
roofline and pushed the sky back. The road,
seen as a broken line of unpainted white
paper, visually links the land to the light
reflecting off the sea. I added full-strength
cool pigments with an Escoda Perla to isolate
and connect the reflecting edges of the boats
to the harbour light. Turquoise, ultramarine
and black fuel the cold wet mood
MY PAINTING KIT gamboge, Winsor yellow, pyrrole
� My home-made easel is a plywood ‘table’ orange, burnt umber, burnt sienna,
drawn to it elsewhere. Yellow and white with holes for two tins; it slides onto the legs neutral tint, cobalt turquoise
express sunshine; mid- and dark tones of a camera tripod. An adjustable head and light, permanent alizarin crimson,
I see as red and blue. Black supplies sliding clamps hold a light plastic board onto quinacridone magenta, Winsor blue
maximum contrast to make light and which I tape RWS 300gsm Rough or Saunders (green shade), phthalo green (blue
colour accents sing. Waterford 300gsm Rough watercolour paper. shade), titanium white; Daniel Smith:
At Piran harbour (top right) I stood � Paint: Winsor & Newton Artist’s Quality cadmium red hue; Holbein: French
under an archway as heavy rain and watercolour in tubes: yellow ochre, new ultramarine, cobalt blue, lavender.
blasts of wind blurred the building � Caran d’Ache 3B clutch pencil.
and boats into a moving mass of light
� Brushes: Alvaro Castagnet squirrel
and dark brushstrokes. How much
mops; Rosemary & Co or Raphael
detail do we need to describe reality?
Kolinsky sables, sizes 8 and 14; Escoda
Here raindrops washed out forms and
Perla synthetics, sizes 10, 12, 14, 16;
granulating textures replicated the
Pro-Arte swordliners.
atmosphere far better than my brush
could. Intuitively our imagination � Trowel palette knife, craft knife,
supplies the missing links. Two locals paper tissues, spray bottle; cotton
remarked: ‘Your picture captures cloth, masking tape, shopping trolley,
exactly what we felt as we watched you stool, portfolio for paper, umbrella.
painting. May we buy it?’ TA
DEMONSTRATION
I Gesuati, Venice
Venice is a two-hour boat ride from
Piran. Here the early evening light
illustrates two mutually reinforcing
extremes: sharp staccato brushwork
played off against wet-in-wet runs.
One identifiable shape or effect
stimulates the viewer’s mind to
interpret the whole
t MY REFERENCE
PAINTING
I Gesuati, Venice, watercolour
on Saunders Waterford Rough,
300gsm133/43101/4in (35326cm).
Painted on the spot, this exudes more
languid emotion than my studio
attempt. The natural light, mood,
smells, sights and sounds influence my p STAGE ONE
reactions in subtle but very decisive A loose drawing from a low viewpoint
ways. The motif constantly feeds me positioned the façade high up on my paper.
facts; in the studio my memory is just a Dilute yellows described the warm light but I
poor relation to reality left untouched paper for the brightest lit parts
TA11p55_57_John.indd 56 10/09/2020 11:49

PRACTICAL
t STAGE TWO
The roof was painted with a pointy
Escoda Perla and alizarin crimson/
burnt sienna and I continued
downwards with more ultramarine
content. The temperature and tone of
the shadow hues directly influenced
the sensation of brightness. I picked up
fresh pigments for each stroke, which
altered the mixture slightly and when
mingling wet-in-wet on the paper they
appear to retain more life. I drew with
the brush as I would with a pencil.
When I sketch I think of the pencil as
a brush
u STAGE THREE
I stroked in lower-toned alizarin
crimson/burnt umber on the left-hand
building to focus attention on the
church façade, then washed this down
and wondered how to carry on
p STAGE FOUR
By squinting I could see the mass of figures walking towards
me as silhouettes against the illuminated background. I
alternated between adding pure paint and spraying to make
water run down freely until I was happy with the abstract
‘feel’ that emerged
u FINISHED PAINTING
I Gesuati, Venice, watercolour on Saunders Waterford
Rough, 300gsm, 133/43101/4in (35326cm).
The studio attempt was finished with a few dashes of red to
anchor the eye

?????????
Marie Antoniou
teaches drawing and painting, privately
and in adult education classes. She
exhibits widely, including with the Society
of Wildlife Artists and the David Shepherd
Wildlife Artist of the Year, and has won
many awards. For more information, see
www.marieantoniou.com and
www.pics4painting.com
Malborough Night Café, acrylic, 24320in

(61351cm).
I was attracted to the cosy warm glow of
this scene. I kept a minimal palette, cool
colours for the exterior and warm colours for
the interior, which reflect on the pavement
outside. A very limited amount of white was
used in this scene. I opted to showcase the
strength of colour and strong contrast to
illuminate the lighting in and around the
café, while using dark colour tones on the
outer edges, which helps to frame it and
draw the viewer into the centre. Expressive
brushstrokes have also been used
Painting a night scene

Don’t be put off painting a night scene – Marie Antoniou has some great
advice to get you started and to make the bright lights glow
Why aren’t night scenes more
A
rtists are often drawn to winter evening and noticed a mass
capturing light in their work, popular of light belly shapes of sanderlings
more commonly through In my own experience of teaching (wading birds) along the water’s edge.
sunsets or scenes that painting, most people initially veer In my haste I used my camera phone
showcase strong shadows, which towards subjects that are lit up by to capture the scene without realising
naturally enhance daylight. I love day and not by night. During the day, the flash was on; initially it shocked me
the sparkly lights of the city at night. colours are heightened in subjects such and the birds, but they quickly returned
Bridges and buildings lit up at night are as landscapes, street scenes and still and I took a number of photos while
beautiful. My GCSE project at school life and details are clearer. Painting ‘the they were peacefully huddled along the
was based on this theme. At school I dark’ is certainly trickier and requires a shoreline, it was a magical moment and
became fascinated with paintings by bit more thought. the flash on my phone is constantly off
Edward Hopper such as Nighthawks, now.
Automat and New York Movie. His use of Practicalities • Work with you’ve got: lack of light
warm colours to depict artificial lights Of course, practicalities also come into can mean that photos aren’t incredibly
Illuminated his subjects. Meanwhile, play. Painting down a dark street or clear but you should have enough
Van Gogh’s depiction of night scenes in under a street lamp is definitely not information to be creative with.
paintings such as The Starry Night and practical or advisable. But capturing the • Plan: Gather photo references – there
Café Terrace at Night was an eye-opener scene is not impossible. are many light festivals and times of
in terms of how marks and strong • Your camera is probably your best the year when lighting becomes an
colours can be exploited to make the tool for capturing night scenes art in itself, so plan to take advantage
painting expressive, impressionistic • Be prepared for the unexpected: of these events, as some only come
and colourful. I was walking along the seafront one around once a year.

PRACTICAL
• Photographing at night is difficult sky, creating a halo of its own. Look at response is to break things down into
and you may not always capture what interiors too, how they look from the simple shapes and colour, identifying
you want, so make mental or written outside at night – a cosy restaurant warm and cool colours present in
notes on colours, atmosphere etc, surrounded by the darkness with warm the scene. Unless you are painting
anything which you can use at a later glows of light always look inviting. in black and white, painting a night
stage in your painting. Once you have made your scene is the closest you will come
• If you don’t want to go outside, observations, make some decisions on to using your darkest and lightest
consider interior scenes. Play around what appeals to you the most. People colours together in their purest form.
with different light sources or set up are attracted to subjects that make You need your darkest colours to
a still life under interesting lighting the process enjoyable. Don’t shy away enhance your lightest colours and
conditions. from night scenes as the challenge is vice versa. One of the main pitfalls of
• Mixing and matching colours might really worth it, you will realise just how using dark and light colours together
prove problematic in the dark; my much colour actually gets used once is that they can become muddy if
solution would be to paint a night you start painting. mixed and what’s key to creating the
scene during the day. glow that artificial lights have is to
• Look at other artists and how they Clean colours keep your colours clean. Ways to do
portray the subject I don’t have any black in my palette for this are:
night scenes and my white hardly gets • Keep two separate palettes and
Observe used at all. All dark and light colour mixing trays, one for warm colours
Really look and see how lights feature paints are used as neat as possible to such as reds, yellows and oranges
in the environment. Whether you are get the richness from the paint. Artist- including white, and one palette for
in a town or more rural areas, lights quality paint has a higher pigment the cooler colours – blues, greens,
will feature somehow. Observe how content so is better for light colours purple and so on.
they reflect off people, buildings and such as reds, oranges and yellows; • Use separate mixing trays for the
trees, at how different those things when applied over dark colours, they warm and cool colours also.
appear at night compared to how are opaque enough to dominate the • It might also be helpful to keep
they look in daylight. Look at whether dark colour underneath. Alternatively, separate brushes for dark and light
the lights are hard and glaring or a little white can be used to make light colours. Note that brushes should
soft and colourful. If you are in a colours a bit more opaque. Note that also be just damp and not flooded
rural area overlooking a town from a too much white mixed in with light with water as this will wash away
distance, you can see the halo of light colours can dull them. colour pigment and create muddy
surrounding the area. Take notice of When confronted with a busy mixes, which is the main thing to
the moon and how it illuminates the complicated scene, my initial avoid when painting a night scene. TA
DEMONSTRATION London by Night

I’ve chosen to paint
this London night MATERIALS
scene – there is a
l Acrylics: cadmium yellow,
lovely variety of
cadmium orange, burnt sienna,
stark lights in pretty
deep violet, process magenta,
colours. Capturing
cadmium red, phthalo green,
the glow that
cerulean blue, white
artificial lights create
at night is key. l Kitchen roll
l Canvas size: 20324in
l Liquitex brushes, 3in, 2in and 1in
t STAGE ONE p STAGE TWO

I started with a base colour Using the same brush and not cleaning
of process cyan, burnt it, I dipped it into deep violet and
sienna and white, creating process magenta; this darker mix
a blue, then laid down naturally dominated the warm colours
a pure mixture of burnt already present on the brush. I filled in
sienna and cadmium the upper section, starting with the left-
yellow with a 3in brush hand side; as I moved onto the upper
in the lower half and left- right-hand side of the canvas I dipped
hand side of the canvas my brush into some cerulean blue,
which lightened the dark tone w

ACRYLICS
p STAGE THREE
Adding deep violet and a clean 2in brush I looked at the darker
shapes against the sky and in the ground and figures and lay
them in loosely
p STAGE FOUR
Once the paint had settled down and dried, I used cadmium
yellow and cadmium orange to lighten up the figures on the
left and randomly lay some of the same colour within the
ground. Varying the amount of yellow or orange tones helps
to separate areas within the scene, the yellow will create
some light areas while the orange bias may tone it down
t STAGE FIVE
The wheel on the left is a combination of process magenta
and cadmium red, a glow of colour that I used in a few other
areas, including the red of the traffic light; for the green I used
a mix of phthalo green and cerulean blue. Deep violet and
cerulean blue was also used for a building shape behind the
wheel
‘I don’t have any black in

my palette for night scenes
and my white hardly gets
used at all’
u STAGE SIX
Here I began to pick out the shapes of figures that help form
other figures in the scene – filling in gaps. The initial darks
were a good indicator as to where figures or objects fall in
relation to one another

PRACTICAL
u STAGE SEVEN
I brought out shapes, including bollards, with
colours used in previous steps. For darks it
was deep violet and burnt sienna, for lighter
areas, cadmium yellow and burnt sienna, The
bollards pick up some of the vibrant light
reflections in the distance, so I just reapplied
some of the colours I used in Stage 5
q FINISHED PAINTING
London by Night, acrylic, 20324in (51361cm).
Once everything had dried I placed a few
highlights in and around the figures to help
bring out their shapes as well as some of the
objects in the scene. A little white was added
to heighten the colours already used and
make them glow and sparkle

A R T I S T S I N A D I G I TA L W O R L D: 3R D O F 5
How Instagram
Sarah Edmonds
is changing the
art world
works as the Marketing Manager
for Pegasus Art and as 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. She is currently studying
with the London Fine Art Studios
This month Sarah Edmonds looks at how to use
www.sarahedmonds-marketing.com Instagram effectively, from boosting your sales to
increasing your online presence in a way that suits you
S
ocial media has changed some of the greatest art attractions in of #artistsupportpledge founded by
everything. A heightened need the world, galleries and institutions that Matthew Burrows and, just lately,
to connect and collaborate, were always too far away, until now. #artforcharitycollective conceived by
coupled with the innate Art should be seen and felt and yet painter Lucy Kent. Young collectors are
creativity and curiosity of artists has there is something deliciously thrilling happy to buy online (they’ve always
resulted in a proliferation of social about having the global art network at shopped this way) and support each
media initiatives and successes of late. our fingertips. Having ‘Tea with Julia’ other, finding strength in numbers and
Global crisis aside, the art world has (Julia Peyton Jones, ex-director of online communities.
used social media as a real force for The Serpentine Gallery, now Galerie The exposure social media offers
good and it’s been incredibly exciting. Thaddaeus Ropac) via Instagram live today’s artists and organisations was
The art community is quickly finding a is one example of the unprecedented not available to past generations, yet
home in the online world and continues access to art insiders. one can imagine a wildly ambitious
to grow and evolve. In the past year 80 Picasso using Instagram to promote his
per cent of millennial art buyers have What does this mean for paintings, ceramics and prints, with live
purchased online using Instagram.* artists? demonstrations and achingly glamorous
You can now sell your work online to an posts of his bohemian life.
Art at home enthusiastic new audience. Exclusive A strong social media following gives
In recent months there has been a West End galleries still have their place, you credibility to both buyers, galleries,
meteoric surge in the pursuit of arts but it’s exciting to see a younger and potential collaborators or sponsorship.
and crafts and social media has played braver crowd taking over Instagram and Galleries are actively searching
a huge part in making it accessible to encouraging a whole new generation of Instagram for new artists alongside film
everyone. IGTV and Facebook Live collectors. stars and influencers. To quote Vogue
have made it possible to follow ‘live’ There have been countless magazine, ‘Today artists use Instagram
art classes while Stories has shown us creative initiatives springing up, as their own virtual art gallery, playing
behind closed doors and welcomed including the viral runaway success both dealer and curator while their fans
us into private studios we would never become critics and collectors.’
have seen before. Watching Jonathan Are you worried about selling out?
Yeo in his shed-come-studio painting ‘One can imagine Don’t be. As highlighted in our Case
portraits via FaceTime whilst streaming Study with Georgina Potter (right),
on Instagram has been fascinating. a wildly ambitious Instagram is a tool to be used in
Social media has allowed us all to Picasso using whichever way suits you – in her case,
see the process behind the finished she has built a community of supportive
paintings – doors that have always been Instagram to promote fellow artists around her. Keep control
shut are now being opened.
The fine art world has shrugged off
his paintings, ceramics of your brand and copyright (watermark
your images) and embrace the
its expensive coat and is an altogether and prints, with possibilities of networking – there are
lighter, more entertaining beast. The
big hitters of the art world have quickly
live demonstrations regional and national Facebook groups
and communities that offer amazing
found ways to keep us close – virtual and achingly support. Learn the tools you need
life drawing at the Royal Academy,
virtual tours of the Uffizi. Many outside
glamorous posts of to use social media effectively (did I
mention hashtags?) and enjoy it – it’s a
the city have travelled ‘virtually’ to see his bohemian life’ portal for opportunity. TA

PRACTICAL
Case Study
Georgina Potter
Q Do you sell work directly from
Instagram? (Artist Support Pledge?)
A When I first started out with Instagram
I felt that I had a lot of enquiries but no
sales, however since the Artist Support
Pledge this year, I feel that online buying Q How important are Stories for you? signed up to Instagram and started having
confidence has shot through the roof A I love using Stories as a sideline to my posts. a look around.
and people are much more likely to They mean I can post extra content that shows Prior to this my work was sold through
enquire with a view to buying. Many of who I am as a person, my life and my thought galleries and the only feedback I ever
my sales are now either via Instagram or processes. Many followers do love to engage received was whether a painting sold or
are through clients that have found me with me and the Stories are a fabulous way of not. When work came back I painted over
through those outlets. breaking the ice. They are also great for videos it, assuming it wasn’t good enough, so
and progress shots and I now post videos as many paintings were destroyed during that
Q Do you advertise via Instagram or
much as I post on my feed. time as I had no way of knowing whether
Facebook?
they were okay. Since using Instagram this
A I have recently placed a few adverts Q What difference has it made to your business? has changed completely.
through Facebook, which automatically A Instagram has completely transformed my Instagram has also brought me many
link through to Instagram, also therefore business. I was fairly late to the Instagram fabulous friendships with people who are
covering a huge range of people. Both game, compared to others. Prior to that I just like me – passionate about art – and it
adverts have created sales for me had felt very lost and lonely in my art, having has opened up my work to thousands more
direct from my website, so they have moved from a large art studio in London in people and given me a community that I
proved worthwhile. However, timing is 2011 to the middle of the countryside on my lost when I left London. I absolutely love
important: adverts placed at the start of own. Early in 2018 I was questioning whether I the inspiration and ideas I get from seeing
the summer holidays, for example, are wanted to keep painting and was considering other artists’ work and I love the excitement
not going to be so successful. You need giving up, but I decided to have one last push when someone comments on one of my
to know your market and judge when and really throw myself at it in all ways, so paintings.
you feel it might be most engaged with
your subject matter.
Q How many times do you post per day/
per week and do you have a particular time p Georgina Potter Gin with
that works better for you? Clementines, oil on board,
A I started by posting every day on 8310½in (20327cm)
Instagram and although it can be
immensely satisfying to get immediate t Georgina Potter Beach, Low
responses to my work, I now feel that I Light and Sun, oil on board,
get the best response if I post every few 11¾311¾in (30330cm)
days. I have a business Instagram account
that lets me know when my followers are
most engaged – it tends to be between
6pm and 9pm. I worry that I will bore my
followers if I post too much and, although www.georginapotter.co.uk
I paint quickly, these days I like to think
Instagram@georgina
about things a bit longer before I put
potterartist
them online; I’ve made a pact with myself
to only post paintings that are 110 per
cent, to keep the quality on my feed. *Gotham magazine

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EXHIBITIONS
GALLERY OPENING TIMES AND EXHIBITION DATES CAN VARY; IF IN DOUBT PHONE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
Mall
Galleries
p Chris Bennett The Girl on The Moon, oil, 27½335½in (70390cm) from the annual exhibition by the Royal London
Institute of Oil Painters at the Mall Galleries, London, from November 25 to December 6
British Surrealism; featuring ☎ 020 3879 9555 Artists; until October 10. David Tress: Landscapes;
LONDON 70 works by British artists
who contributed to the
www.southbankcentre.co.uk Minerva 2020;
contemporary art from
November 4 to 27.
Everyday Heroes; free open-
Bankside Gallery Surrealist movement, air exhibition celebrating key Japan, October 14 to 17. National Gallery
48 Hopton Street SE1. including Francis Bacon, workers in a series of art and The Natural Eye 2020; Trafalgar Square WC2.
☎ 020 7928 7521 Leonora Carrington, Henry poetry commissions, works by The Society of ☎ 020 7747 2885
www.banksidegallery.com Moore, Paul Nash and many until November. Wildlife Artists, October 28 to www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Art in the Time of Corona; more, until November 1. November 8 (see page 9). Titian – Love, Desire, Death;
works by members of the Jonathan Cooper The New English Art Club; until January 17, 2021.
Royal Watercolour Society, Estorick Collection of 20 Park Walk SW10. annual exhibition, Artemisia; October 3 to
October 2 to 31. Modern Italian Art ☎ 020 7351 0410 November 11 to 22. January 24, 2021.
RE Original Prints 2; 39a Canonbury Square N1. www.jonathancooper.co.uk Royal Institute of Oil Sin; exploring the concept
Royal Society of Painter- ☎ 020 7704 9522. Rebecca Campbell: Painters; annual exhibition, of sin in art across the
Printmakers, www.estorickcollection.com Gardeners’ World; November 25 to December 6. centuries,
November 5 to 22. Italian Threads: MITA until October 17. October 7 to January 3, 2021.
Textile Design 1926-1976; Messum’s
Dulwich Picture until January 17, 2021. Mall Galleries 12 Bury Street, St. James’s SW1. National Portrait
Gallery The Mall SW1. ☎ 0207287 4448 Gallery
Gallery Road SE21. Hayward Gallery ☎ 020 7930 6844 www.messums.com St. Martin’s Place WC2.
☎ 020 8693 5254; www. Southbank Centre, www.mallgalleries.org.uk Steve Des Landes; ☎ 020 7306 0055
dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Belvedere Road SE1. Royal Society of Marine October 7 to 30. www.npg.org.uk

BP Portrait Award 2020;
available to view online. CHICHESTER STOW ON THE YORK SCOTLAND
Osborne Studio Gallery
WOLD
Pallant House Gallery
Belgravia SW1. 8-9 North Pallant. Fosse Gallery York Art Gallery EDINBURGH
☎ 020 7235 9667 ☎ 01243 774557; The Manor House, The Square. Exhibition Square.
www.osg.uk.com www.pallant.org.uk ☎ 01451 831319; ☎ 01904 687687 National Galleries
Reigning Cats and Dogs; Drawn to Nature: Gilbert www.fossegallery.com www.yorkartgallery.org.uk of Scotland
studies, sketches and White and The Artists; Nicola Slattery – Stories Views of York & Yorkshire; ☎ 0131 624 6200
portraits of creatures great until November 15. Without Words; including work by L.S. Lowry, www.nationalgalleries.org
and small by Michelle An Outbreak of Talent: October 4 to 24. J.M.W. Turner and John Piper, The Scottish National
Pearson Cooper, Bawden, Marx, Ravilious, Louis Turpin and Mick Rooney to mark the reopening of the Gallery, National Gallery of
October 21 to November 21. and Their Contemporaries; RA – Two Views; gallery. Also on show, Modern Art and National
until November 1. November 1 to 21. Your Art Gallery: Painting Portrait Galleries have now
Panter & Hall Chosen by You!; reopened. Book tickets to
A Life in Art: The Muriel
11-12 Pall Mall SW1. exhibition featuring works
Wilson Bequest; explore their collections.
☎ 020 7399 9999 until November 29. WAKEFIELD from the collection chosen
www.panterandhall.com through Twitter polls that Queen’s Gallery
Susan Ryder: Looking The Hepworth ran for a week in July. There Palace of Holyroodhouse,
Through; first solo show in GUILDFORD Wakefield will also be further paintings Canongate; www.rct.uk
four years, Gallery Walk. on show from the collection ☎ 0303 123 7306
October 1 to 16. Watts Gallery ☎ 01924 247360 chosen by the Friends of York Eastern Encounters;
Down Lane, Compton. www.hepworthwakefield.org Art Gallery as well as new 400 years of South Asian
Royal Academy of Arts ☎ 01483 810235 Bill Brandt / Henry Moore; acquisitions and some of the paintings and manuscripts,
Piccadilly W1. www.wattsgallery.org.uk until November 1. curator’s favourites. until January 31, 2021.
☎ 020 7300 8000 Art & Action; exploring
www.royalacademy.org.uk strategies by British artists
Gauguin and the to explore inequalities,
Impressionists: November 17 to March 21.
Masterpieces from the
Ordrupgaard Collection;
until October 18. OXFORD
The Summer Exhibition;
October 6 to January 3, 2021. Ashmolean Museum
Pre-booking is essential (see Beaumont Street.
page 10). ☎ 01865 278000
Tracey Emin/Edvard www.ashmolean.org
Munch: the Loneliness of Tokyo: Art & Photography;
the Soul; until November 22.
November 15 to February
28, 2021.
PENZANCE
Tate Britain
Millbank SW1. Penlee Gallery &
☎ 020 7887 8888 Museum
www.tate.org.uk Morrab Road, Penzance.
Turner Prize 2020; ☎ 01736 363625
until January 3. www.penleehouse.org.uk
Turner’s Modern World; Newlyn School Interiors;
featuring major works from bringing together work by
around the world, the Newlyn School of Artists,
October 20 to March 7, 2021. including Walter Langley,
Stanhope Forbes, Elizabeth
Tate Modern Forbes and Frank Bramley,
Bankside SE1. until November 14.
☎ 020 7887 8888 Osborne
www.tate.org.uk Studio
Andy Warhol; SHEFFIELD Gallery
until November 15. London
Dóra Maurer; Millennium Gallery
until January 24, 2021. Arundel Gate.
Bruce Nauman; October 7 ☎ 0114 278 2600; www.
to February 21 2021. museums-sheffield.org.uk p Michelle Pearson Cooper Let it Bee, oil on paper, 15¾319¾in (40350cm) from
Zanele Muholi; Lines of Beauty: Master Reigning Cats and Dogs at the Osborne Studio Gallery, London
photographs, November 5 Drawings from Chatsworth;
to March 7, 2021. showcasing over 50
highlights from the
Devonshire collection,
REGIONS until November 1.

WOKING IRELAND WALES
SHERBORNE The Lightbox
DUBLIN
BATH Chobham Road. CARDIFF
Jerram Gallery ☎ 01483 737800
Victoria Art Gallery Half Moon Street. www.thelightbox.org.uk National Gallery National Museum
Bridge Street. ☎ 01935 815261 Raphael: Prince Albert’s of Ireland Cathays Park.
☎ 01225 477233; www.jerramgallery.com Passion; marking the 500th Merrion Square. ☎ 0300 111 2333
www.victoriagal.org.uk Carry Akroyd: Inland; wildlife anniversary of the death of ☎ +353 1 661 5133 www.museum.wales
Toulouse-Lautrec and the landscapes, October 10 to 24. Raphael, featuring drawings www.nationalgallery.ie The gallery has reopened.
Masters of Montmartre; Nicholas Hely Hutchinson; from the Royal Collection, Murillo: The Prodigal Book tickets now via the
online exhibition only until oil still lifes and landscapes, October 3 to January 31, 2021 Son Restored; website to explore the
the gallery reopens. November 7 to 21. (see pages 12 and 13). until January 10, 2021. collection and exhibitions.

OPPORTUNITIES & COMPETITIONS
Check out the latest competitions to enter and make a note of important deadlines
work will go on show at the When: To have your work Successful applicants will have
Sending-in days Bankside Gallery, London early considered for the award, you an opportunity to exhibit work in
in 2021. must enter the New English Art Chelsea, London and the chance
Parkinson’s Art Club’s annual exhibition. Dates to win numerous awards.
Competition 2020 When: The deadline for entries is
for the 2021 exhibition are still to
November 1. When: The deadline for entries is
Details: The Parkinson’s Art be announced. Check at
December 31.
Competition is open to any Contact: Full details are available www.mallgalleries.org.uk/call-
artist over the age of 18 with at www.signatureartprize.com for-entries Contact: Full details are
an association with Parkinson’s, available at https//www.
including people with Society of Painters The Hesketh Hubbard londonbiennale.co.uk/apply-for-
Parkinson’s, family, friends, carers, in Water-Mixable the-biennale-2021/
Drawing Bursary
medical and support staff. This Oils Inaugural Open Details: The Hesketh Hubbard
year the theme is Movement. All Competition 2020 Art Society offers three free
New English Art
media are accepted. Details: The newly formed Scholarships 2020
year-long membership bursaries
When: The deadline for entries is Society of Painters in Water- to current art students or young Details: Two scholarships are
November 1. Mixable Oils is inviting entries artists that are between the awarded annually by the NEAC
to its inaugural open painting ages of 18 and 30 at the close and enable recipients to attend
Contact: Full details are available
competition with both amateur of submissions. Each bursary all classes and workshops run
from www.parkinsonsart.co.uk
and professional sections. Entries recipient will be able to attend by the New English Education
must be in water-mixable oils weekly life drawing sessions at Programme free of charge. The
Royal Institute of Painters and can be entered into four the Mall Galleries free of charge scholars are encouraged to visit
in Water Colours (RI) categories: landscape, seascape, starting from January 2021. They New English artists in their studio
Details: Annual open exhibition portrait/figurative, and still life. will also get the opportunity to environments and develop an
featuring the best in modern The competition is free to enter. exhibit their work at the society’s informal mentoring relationship
and traditional contemporary Online entries only. annual exhibition at the galleries with at least one member. A
watercolour painting. When: The deadline for online towards the end of the year. bursary of £250 is offered to each
Watercolour or water-soluble entries is October 31. Sessions take place on Friday recipient to help with materials
media all accepted, including evenings and selected Monday and other costs. All artists over
watercolour, acrylic, ink or Contact: Full details available evenings between 6 and 8.15pm. the age of 18 can apply.
gouache (excluding water- at https://www.spwmo.org.uk/ Mentoring and support for each
competition/ When: The deadline for portfolios
soluble oils) painted on paper or student will be provided at the to be delivered to the Mall
paper-based support. Download beginning of the bursary period. Galleries, London is October 31
full terms and conditions from
When: The dates for 2021 are to and November 1, 10am to 5pm.
www.mallgalleries.org.uk
The annual exhibition takes place
Opportunities be announced. Keep checking at Contact: Full details are available
at the Mall Galleries, London in www.mallgalleries.org.uk/call- at www.mallgalleries.org.uk/call-
for-entries
spring 2021. FBA Futures for-entries/artist-opportunities/
Details: FBA Futures is an new-english-scholarships-2020
When: The deadline for entries The John Busby Seabird
is still to be announced. Keep annual exhibition, held at the Drawing Course Bursaries
checking the website for Mall Galleries in London, that Rome Scholarship
up-to-date information. showcases the best in new Details: The Society of Wildlife Details: The Royal Society of
figurative paintings, drawing, Artists offers three bursaries British Artists’ Rome Scholarship
Contact: Mall Galleries as above. sculpture and printmaking by for places on The John Busby is open to artists who live, work
outstanding art graduates. Seabird Drawing Course. In 2020 or study in the UK and who are
Royal Society of Miniature this was a week-long course in aged 35 years or under. The
Painters, Sculptors and Contact: To have your college’s June at seabird colonies around award offers four weeks at Sala
Gravers BA, MA or Diploma students Dunbar and the Firth of Forth. Uno – a prestigious gallery and
Details: In view of the current considered by the selectors, ask The bursary provides £550 per international arts centre in the
situation the organisers have the college to send information person, allowing £375 for the heart of Rome, accommodation
made the decision to cancel the about their final degree show to course fee and the remaining in a self-contained apartment
2020 exhibition. Next year will be press@mallgalleries.com or send £175 which is paid shortly before situated in a walled garden
the society’s 125th anniversary their degree show catalogue by the course to use either for boat in the grounds of the gallery,
exhibition. Dates are still to be post to Futures, Mall Galleries, trips or accommodation. studio space, two meals per day
confirmed but entry forms will be 17 Carlton House Terrace, London When: The dates for 2021 are provided at a nearby restaurant,
available in 2021. SW1Y 5BD. still to be announced. Applicants return flights to Rome and £1,000
need to email an application prize money.
When: Entry forms will be There will also be an
available to download from June Hermione Hammond form along with images of recent
artwork including sketches and opportunity to exhibit work at
2021 from www.royal-miniature- Details: The Hermione Hammond the RBA’s Rising Stars exhibition
society.org.uk Drawing Award is a £2,000 award fieldwork. The deadline for the
2020 bursaries was early January. held in Mayfair London in late
for emerging artists to encourage spring/early summer.
Contact: For up-to-date
the practice of contemporary
information visit www.royal- Contact: As soon as they are When: Applicant’s work, which
representational drawing,
miniature-society.org.uk confirmed full details, terms and must be figurative, may be
awarded at the New English Art
Club’s annual exhibition at the conditions and details of the painting, drawing, printmaking
The Signature Art Prize Mall Galleries for drawing by 2021 bursaries will be available or sculpture. Six images of recent
Details: The Signature Art Prize is an emerging artist aged 35 or from www.swla.co.uk work, together with a completed
open to artists currently studying under. Acceptable media include application form will need to be
and recent graduates from an pencil, pen, ink, charcoal, Conté, London Art Biennale 2021 submitted. Dates for 2021 are
arts-based degree within the past pastels, oil pastels, sanguine or Details: Applicants are invited still to be confirmed. Check the
three years. The prize is open to printmaking and mixed media to the 5th edition of the London website for details at
all UK as well as international pieces where draughtsmanship is Art Biennale. Entries are invited www.mallgalleries.org.uk/call-
artists. An exhibition of selected in evidence. from artists all over the world. for-entries

THE ARTIST’S DIRECTORY OF COURSES, MATERIALS & SERVICES
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Inspiration from The Artist archives

Since our first issue was published in 1931 we have developed a huge
resource of practical help and advice, tips and information from past
features, which we invite today’s readers to enjoy on our website at
www.painters-online.co.uk. To access this great content from past issues
of The Artist,
tist go to the links below each of these highlighted features
Making light work Ways with

As the days shorten, watercolour
Diana Miller welcomes Follow G J Blockley’s advice in this
the chance to draw the feature from our October 1970 issue
curtains and turn on and enjoy incorporating line and wash
the lights. In her feature and watercolour techniques in your
from our October 2000 paintings https://bit.ly/33bhsKa
issue she explains how
she takes advantage Out and about with Carel Weight
of artificial light when Learn more from this great master
painting a still life in about his personal approach and
watercolour recommendations for painting outside in
https://bit.ly/2PbeRrj this feature from our October 1950 issue
https://bit.ly/30aV4i4
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PaintersOnline editor’s choice
Meet this month’s editor’s choice winner from our PaintersOnline gallery
p Emma Cawston Sheldon, oil pencils and Pan Pastels, 12316in (30.5340.5cm)
E
mma Cawston is a British- unique experience. Using my art, I get I can’t wait to immerse myself in
based professional wildlife to encapsulate those moments. creating more ocean-based pieces.’
artist specialising in coloured ‘Sheldon (above) is my first ever ocean- Emma exhibits in galleries and
pencil realism. Although Emma based artwork. I was inspired by scuba exhibitions all over the UK and
has always been interested in painting diving in Australia. Creating this piece plans to host her own exhibition in
and drawing since childhood, it wasn’t meant a lot to me for many reasons, not 2021. She is currently working on an
until she was working on conservation only to challenge myself on a technical African collection, starting with seven
projects in Kenya that she realised level, but also to capture the siren elephants. For more information about
the beauty of the native wildlife. ‘I elements of the ocean.’ Emma’s work, find her on Instagram
always loved animals and wildlife,’ she WIN £50 TO SPEND AT JACKSON’S!
Raising money for charity plays an @emma_cawston or Facebook
writes. ‘Growing up I would spend a lot important role in Emma’s work and 25 @emmacawstonart TA
of time outside admiring the wildlife per-cent of the sale of this painting went
and living in the Welsh valleys offers to the Oceana charity to help marine To upload your own images to our
plenty of inspiration, but Kenya offers conservation. ‘I sell limited edition online gallery, with an opportunity of
up something else. Witnessing wild Giclée prints of my work and donate being selected as the editor’s choice,
lions, giraffes and elephants is truly a proceeds to conservation charities. visit www.painters-online.co.uk

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WATERCOLOUR • OILS • ACRYLICS • COLOURED PENCILS & MORE!

THE PRAC TICAL MAGAZINE FOR ARTISTS BY ARTISTS – SINCE 1931

pencils to create � Paint your local coastline

a photorealist � We review Jackson’s

portrait capturing autumn trees

ACRYLICS WATERCOLOUR OILS

The sketchbook and journals from Royal

artist Warners Group Publications,

THIS MONTH’S COVER Sally Bulgin Publishing Editor

Let us know what you think at

www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 3

58 Painting a night scene

42 The power of the nocturne

4 artist November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

NEWS & OFFERS

www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 5

VIEWS LETTERS, EMAILS AND COMMENTS

STAR LETTER and contributed to the escape effort by

Subscribe at www.painters-online.co.uk or telephone 01580 763673

6 November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

Nov letters copy tweaked.indd 6 15/09/2020 15:37

p Max Angus Lapwings, four-block linocut, 8311½in (20.5329cm)

The Natural Eye 2020

www.painters-online.co.uk November 2020 9

t Molly Verity Molly’s Garden,

10 November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

www.royalacademy.org.uk Royal Academy of Arts, London

t Katsushika Hokusai’s recently discovered

u Margaret Eggleton Into the Light,

t Madeline Hawes The Coffee

www.painters-online.co.uk November 2020 11

12 November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

Rescheduled from May, Raphael: Prince Albert’s

Raphael: Prince Albert’s Passion can be seen

www.painters-online.co.uk November 2020 13

A life in the frame

invited – largely in Scandinavian

t Water Lane, oil on hardboard, 23¾335½in

14 artist November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

q Patchwork Fields, woodcut laid on

p Coffee Break, watercolour on Saunders

www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 15

16 artist November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 17

All figured out

Tim Gustard demonstrates how to bring glazed

18 artist November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

Painting the models

www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 19

DEMONSTRATION Now Lad

MATERIALS t STAGE ONE

p STAGE THREE p STAGE FOUR

20 artist November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 21

t Canterbury Cathedral, oil, 113/43153/4in

Tonal oils, alla-prima

22 artist November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

u Chinoiserie, oil, 113/43153/4in (30340cm).

www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 23

TA11p22_25_AmandaBETTER.indd 23 14/09/2020 13:44

AMANDA’S TEN MY OIL PAINTING AREA

24 artist November 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk

www.painters-online.co.uk artist November 2020 25

wise to paint with a colleague and to

Masking fluid Karen Rice