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incorporating ART & ARTISTS
artist
First established 1931
ISSN 0004-3877

WELCOME
Vol.138 No.9
ISSUE 1123
Next issue on sale August 15 (digital)
& August 18 (print) 2023
The Artist magazine is published 12 times a year. from the editor
Editor: Sally Bulgin PhD Hon VPRBSA
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Milhazes, widely recognised as one
subscriptions@warnersgroup.co.uk of the leading abstract artists
working today (on show in the
S Beatriz Milhazes O Diamante, 2002, acrylic on canvas, 98½x150in
DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION Turner Contemporary galleries until (150x381cm) ‘la Caixa’ Foundation Contemporary Art Collection.
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Photo Vicente de Mello. © Beatriz Milhazes Studio
Nikki Munton +44 (0)1778 391171 September 10, 2023; or if you’re
nikkim@warnersgroup.co.uk
Printed by Warners Midlands plc unable to visit, you can view examples of her work on the internet). I was bowled over by her
large-scale, vibrant, colourful paintings, full of joyful exuberance and energy, revealing the
influence of Matisse, Sonia Delaunay and Kandinsky, amongst others.
The exhibition is the perfect size, not too extensive to make the experience overwhelming,
The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily but large enough to display the evolution of her artistic approach and processes,
those of the editor or publisher. While every care is taken to
ensure that the content of the magazine is accurate, neither chronologically, in five separate rooms. In her early paintings Milhazes used collage and her
the editor nor publisher assumes responsibility for any
omissions or errors. The editor reserves the right to edit copy. ‘monotransfer’ technique, which she continues to use today, in which she draws and paints
Sharing may be encouraged in many aspects of life, but
when it comes to original material, you have to be wary her own motifs before transferring these to her canvas. Describing her artistic process as a
of copyright. By all means, copy the project, artwork or
demonstration for your OWN PLEASURE, but no part of this ‘chain reaction’ to new colours, elements, motifs or influences, one of my favourites, O Leme
magazine may be published, reproduced, copied, or stored
in a retrieval system without the prior permission in writing (2002) shows the influence of Bridget Riley in Milhazes’ inclusion of vibrant stripes of colour
of the publisher. Even where permission is gained, it’s still
courteous to credit the original source and the designer. Any layered with concentric discs and alternating colours, creating a kaleidoscopic effect typical
activity used to benefit commercially from the magazine is
not permitted. of Riley’s optical abstractions. Collages including found materials from her everyday life and
By respecting copyright, you ensure that we, as
publishers, can continue to provide you with the content you travels, such as sweet and chocolate wrappers, branded packaging, tissues and silkscreened
want. To read more about how you can navigate this tricky
area, visit our website: papers all feature in later works, creating the sense of a kind of personal journal.
www.painters-online.co.uk/information/copyright
For any further queries relating to copyright, contact The use of circles is integral to the dynamism of Milhazes’ layered compositions, which are
CraftPortfolio@warnersgroup.co.uk and state your query is
related to The Artist. skilfully balanced but still with a sense of spontaneity and movement. She incorporates
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advertisements, the publisher cannot accept responsibility natural forms in her work, reflecting her interest in how nature is portrayed in the decorative
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is implied in respect of any product mentioned herewith. and applied arts and, in evoking the natural world, her beautiful paintings, like nature, have an
The Advertising Standards Authority exists to regulate the
content of advertisements. Tel: 020 7429 2222. enriching and restorative effect on the viewer. This is breathtakingly epitomised by the Sunley
Prizes, gifts or give-aways offered in competitions might
be substituted with ones of similar value. Unless otherwise Window installation O Esplendor, which frames the view from the gallery entrance hall to the
stated, all competitions, free samplings, discounts and offers
are only available to readers in the United Kingdom. Full coastal view beyond, transforming the space with colour and light in a similar way to Matisse’s
terms and conditions are available on our website at
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to date prices.
Meanwhile, and as always, this month’s artist-contributors have helped to pack this issue with
more inspiration, demonstrations, ideas, tips and techniques to help improve your confidence
and draw and paint successfully in all media. If there’s anything missing, let us know and we’ll
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Sally Bulgin Editor
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 3
Contents
FEATURES
3
14 Patterns in nature 22 Have no fear  Fast and fluid
IN CONVERSATION Susie Hodge talks Try something new and push your own Improve your skills and confidence with
to Lucy Clayton about her distinctive boundaries with Jo Quigley as she shows Neil Whitehead as he offers advice to those
watercolour technique how to tackle a complicated London street new to working outside in line and wash
scene in acrylics
 The power of email 4 The world of grey
newsletter marketing 2 Painting in the middle of town In the second of five articles on capturing
Sarah Edmonds discusses how Graham Wands demonstrates why painting special effects in your paintings, Jenny
e-newsletters can help build your urban landscapes in watercolour is much Aitken explores the colours and strengths
community of supporters more than just painting buildings and of grey in oils
people
3 Dare to be an artist! 4 Creating an aide-memoire
Mike Barr shares his thoughts on why the 3 Capriccio rediscovered sketchbook
impressionist painter has the best chance Kevin Scully introduces us to his basic
James Willis takes us on a voyage of
of capturing mood and atmosphere in their lightweight kit for drawing and painting en
discovery as he puts together his own
work plein air
modern-day capriccio

PRACTICALS 3 There’s nothing like it! 5 Be yourself

18 Loosen up
In the first of four articles on loosening up
in watercolour Tom Shepherd focuses on
looking for the shapes in your subject
In the final part of her drawing series, Clare
It may be fraught with hazards, but
Lord sets some exercises to help us to find
Amanda Hyatt shows us why there’s
our own drawing language
nothing quite like painting watercolour
en plein air
5 Building textures
Explore the possibilities of using a textured
ground with Barry Herniman as he shows
us how to paint the textures of buildings in
watercolour

 Reignite the spark

Enliven your watercolour painting with
Steve Griggs’ simple steps to kick-start
your creative focus

6 The artist’s eye

Mark Langley shares his techniques for
creating realistic coloured-pencil drawings of
architectural subjects from photographs

4 Going big with colour

18 Robert Dutton reviews the new Derwent
Inktense XL Blocks
 

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Paint en plein air
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in your
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PLUS THIS MONTH our community
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Capture the
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0 Directory of inspiration!
8 Your views !

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9 The Art Explore the keys to

loosening up your technique
How to paint complex
subjects with confidence
Try urban sketching to
improve your skills 

World 1 Art Box

4
summer 8 Opportunities
painting 9 Highlights SHOP OUR
competition from The Artist’s ART BOOKS
 Exhibitions October issue P Discover our
top book picks and
EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS
THIS MONTH’S COVER David Curtis
enjoy 20% off with
ROI, RSMA
has won many awards for
free UK delivery
his en plein air and figurative
paintings in both oils and
watercolours. He has had
several books published
on his work as well as DVD
films, and exhibits his work
extensively.

Haidee-Jo Summers
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ROI, RSMA
has won many awards for
EMAILS & DOWNLOAD
her plein-air and alla-prima
oil paintings. She is an
A FREE ART GUIDE
elected member of the
Lucy Clayton Spider Crab No. 9, ROI, the author of Plein
watercolour and ink on paper, 17¼x26in
(44x66cm). See pages 14 to 17
Air Painting with Oils and
Vibrant Oils and also has a
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 The Artist is the UK’s best practical art magazine for aspiring amateur
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YOUR VIEWS
LETTERS, EMAILS AND COMMENTS
Art courses
As a subscriber to your excellent magazine
I want to encourage readers to consider
doing courses as advertised in your
magazine. I did this four years ago and
have not looked back. I am now studying
online with a well-known Florence
academy. Your magazine still inspires me
to take time out and paint some lovely
pieces just for pleasure, like my version
of macaroons and raspberries (right). See
more on Instagram @wardpaulart76
Paul Ward, by email
Urban sketching
It appears I have made a faux pas in regards
to the accreditation of certain images in
my article, One drawing at a time, The Artist
August 2023. The drawing accredited to
Mario Linhares was in fact by Tom Zahradka
founder of USK Prague. I'm showing the
image of Naples by Mario Linhares (below)
and the image by Tom Zahradka (right) to
make clear the distinction. Apologies to
both brilliant artists, it seems I'm human!
Paul Riley, by email
T Mario Linhares is from Portugal and is
one of the founding fathers of USK back in
2009. He is a professor of drawing yet likes
nothing better than sitting or standing
and just sketching the world around him.
This image was done in Naples in 2021
Subscribe at www.painters-online.co.uk or telephone 01778 395174
Become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/paintersonline. Follow us on Twitter@artpublishing
Email theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or write to The Editor, The Artist, Warners
Group Publications, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH
Please note we may have to edit letters for reasons of space
S Paul Ward, Macaroons and Raspberries, oil
on board, 8¾x11in (22x28cm)
S Tom Zahradka is from Prague and is
the founding member of USK Prague. Tom
was inspired to form a USK chapter as a
result of a year's study in England where he
sketched with Urban sketchers London. This
sketch (below) is one of several in his strong
journalistic style done on a recent trip to
Opava, northeast of Ostrava
This month’s star
letter writer will receive
a Sennelier portable watercolour
palette, worth £29.95 (rrp)
STAR LETTER
The joy of painting
It must have been a difficult decision as
to which letter to award the star letter
in your August edition: Gretta Lee's
inspiring cycle tour letter or Mark David
Hatwood's letter about how stuffy some
galleries feel. I would like to know where
his galleries are or his website address
as I would love to visit a gallery like this
if I was in the area. I paint for the joy
of creating pictures and also to relax. I
was late taking up this hobby but find
I'm now getting so much out of it. Like
many of his customers I know what I like
and don't try to look for a statement in
every work of art. Has Turner's Haywain
got some deep meaning or is it just
a great picture? I don't pretend to
understand some of the modern art that
appears now but I would not criticise
people who like it as it's each to their
own. What I do criticise is the people
who look down on you if you can't see a
hidden meaning that perhaps isn't there
in the first place. I have to thank my late
mother-in-law for helping me get into
painting and drawing. Because we lived
with her, she used to watch the soaps on
tv and I had to find something else to do
while they were on!
Anthony Southerington, by email
Mark David Hatwood owns The Harbour
Gallery, 8a The Quay, Portscatho, Cornwall
TR2 5HF; www.theharbourgallery.co.uk
THE ART WORLD
NEWS, INFORMATION AND ONLINE EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD
compiled by Jane Stroud

S Richard Parkes Bonington Venice: the Piazzetta, c.1826, pencil and watercolour on paper, 6¾x15in (17.5x22cm), from the Wallace Collection

Turner and Bonington: Watercolours from the Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection This autumn presents an ideal opportunity to see the work of two of our greatest
watercolour painters, JMW Turner and Richard Parkes Bonington, as they are brought
Hertford House together at the Wallace Collection, London for a new series of free displays following
Manchester Square the installation of a new display space at the museum this summer. The one-room
London W1U 3BN display includes ten works by each of the artists. The exhibition invites visitors to embark
on a journey from the Yorkshire Dales, where Turner made frequent visits throughout
 020 7563 9500 his lifetime, to the splendours of Venice, and the coves of Normandy. ‘The theme of the
www.wallacecollection.org display is travel; in the sense of finding captivating views whether within the confines of
September 20 to April 21, 2024 one’s own country or through exploring other countries,’ explains Dr Lucy Davis, curator
at the Wallace Collection.
Turner and Bonington: Watercolours from the Wallace Collection can be seen at the
Wallace Collection, London W1, from September 20 to April 21, 2024.
Art Fair EAST
Art Fair East is an annual event founded in 2015 by Norfolk-based
artists Will Teather and Brian Korteling, which takes place this
year in St Andrews Hall, in the heart of Norwich city centre, from
December 1 to 3. The fair attracts thousands of visitors to the city
and has become a key meeting point for art lovers and buyers.
Artists and galleries are invited to take part in this event, with
applicants accepted on a rolling basis until the event is full. To apply
and for more information visit www.artfaireast.com

X Ellis King in her studio. Ellis will be exhibiting at this

year’s Art Fair East for the first time

Painting in
PENN
The 18th annual Painting in Penn event can be seen at St
Bartholomew’s Church, Penn, Wolverhampton WV4 5JB, on
September 2 and 3, bringing over 200 paintings together
in the Church Hall as well as demonstrations by well-
known artists. A marquee selling materials from a local art
supplier, and refreshments will also be available. For more
information email Ron Mottram at ron@rjmottram.co.uk
W Judy Issitt Urban Landscape, watercolour, 13x17in (33x43cm) at
this year’s Painting in Penn

Caran d’Ache
Pastel Pencils
The Caran d’Ache pastel pencils from Jakar have
received a makeover, with a new formula that
includes a natural plant-based binder that improves
the quality of the leads. The pastels are 100-per-
cent vegetable-based and the new formula reduces
the weakness of the leads by 20-per-cent, which
improves the sharpening. The high quality of the
shading, powdering and colour of the pastel pencils
remains unchanged.
The pastel pencils are available in 84 assorted
colours, individually, priced at £4.50, and in boxes of
12 (£52.99); 20 (£84.99; 40 (£169.99); and 76 (£354.99)
as well as a luxury wooden box with 84 colours
(£465.99). For more information visit
www.jakar.co.uk
 The Artist
WINNERS
Tadworth Art Group
Congratulations to Judit Matthews who has won The Artist
Award at the recent Tadworth Art Group exhibition for her
painting Wildlife Creatures (right), and receives a free digital
subscription to The Artist magazine. Judith writes: ‘It may sound
silly but the main reason I created this picture was that I have
been looking for a metallic watercolour paint brand that has a
good covering, and doesn’t show streaks. On my last trip to the
USA, I was delighted when I found Fine-tec pearlescent paints
at an affordable price. So, I bought the set and, on my return to
the UK, I came up with the plan for this painting. I really enjoy
drawing wildlife and I wanted to capture them in all four seasons
using a very limited colour palette, so the metallic paints can
really sing. I used a dip pen with Indian ink for the drawings then
I painted the moon in bronze and bold colours, the background
with indigo and ultramarine and, finally, added some shadows S Judit Matthews Wildlife Creatures, pen and wash with pearlescent
with an indigo and purple watercolour mix.’ gold and bronze glazes, 27½x19¾in (70x50cm)

National Acrylic Painters’ Association

Artist, Fiona Moatt has been awarded
The Artist Award at the annual National
Acrylic Painters’ Association exhibition
(NAPA), held in the Wells Museum and Art
Gallery in Somerset in April, for her beautiful
painting, Entangled (left). Fiona, who wins a
year’s free digital subscription to The Artist,
writes:
‘As an artist who lives on the Isle of Wight
close to the picturesque beaches of Colwell
and Freshwater Bay, I am naturally influenced
by the surrounding, diverse coastline for my
work. The technique that I have developed
involves painting paper with acrylic before
applying it to the canvas or board to form
a collaged base. Further layers of paint
and paper are then added to create a
sense of depth and texture. Entangled is a
painting of an untamed, coastal hedgerow
depicting twisted undergrowth and chaotic,
interwoven foliage with a contrasting calm
sea beyond. The acrylic-painted collage
process was used for this piece with smaller
cut-outs of paper applied for finer detail.’
To find out more about NAPA visit
www.napauk.com

W Fiona Moatt Entangled, acrylics and collage,

19¾x19¾in (50x50cm)
Essence
of Nature
LAING ART GALLERY
New Bridge Street
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8AG
 0191 278 1611
www.laingartgallery.org.uk
until October 14

Essence of Nature: Pre-Raphaelites to British Impressionists at

the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle provides a rare opportunity to see
paintings by leading artists from the Pre-Raphaelite, Rural Naturalist and
British Impressionist schools together, focusing on each of the groups’
different approaches to British landscape painting. Beginning with
the Pre-Raphaelites the exhibition features works by artists including
William Holman Hunt, John Ruskin and William Dyce whose ideal of
‘truth to nature’ is reflected in their work, such as Ruskin’s study Spray
of Dead Oak Leaves, and his view of the mountain at Mer de Glace,
Chamonix, France, which he painted in situ.
Turning away from the hyper-realism of the Pre-Raphaelites, leading
Rural Naturalist painters, such as George Clausen and Henry La
Thangue continued to paint on the spot, but strove to capture the
character of rural landscapes, without the strict adherence to realism.
British Impressionist painters, including Wynford Dewhurst, Henry
Scott Tuke, Ethel Walker, Philip Steer and John Singer Sargent see
the focus shift once again to capturing momentary effects of light and
colour. The exhibition includes work by artists from the Newlyn and St
Ives schools, such as Laura Knight, Lamorna Birch and Elizabeth and
Stanhope Forbes who took their easels to beaches, cliffs and riversides.
‘The exhibition features many important pictures lent from national
and regional collections,’ writes Julie Milne, chief curator of art galleries
at Tyne & Wear archives and museums. ‘The inspiration for the show
came from the Laing Art Gallery’s own outstanding collection, and the
exhibition allows these significant pictures to be seen in a national
context. Additional loans from other Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums’
collections are also included.’
The exhibition continues until October 14. The richness of the
exhibition will repay several visits, so look out for multi-visit tickets.
Find out more at www.laingartgallery.org.uk or on Instagram and
Twitter @LaingArt Gallery and Laing Art Gallery on Facebook.

W George Henry Picking Bluebells, 1920-1936,

oil on canvas, 19¾x23½in (49x60cm)
IN CONVERSATION
Patterns in nature
Susie Hodge talks to Lucy Clayton about her distinctive watercolour technique and
how her experience with textiles has enabled her to think in layers and patterns
S Spider Crab No. 9, watercolour and ink on
paper, 17¼x 26in (44x66cm).
‘This painting was inspired from finding
fragments of spider crab shells at the beach and
I was curious about what a whole one would
look like as I’ve never seen one in the wild. It
has No. 9 in the title, as my husband asked when
I had almost finished it why I had painted the
number nine on it?’
Lucy Clayton
lives in Kent with her husband and two
children in their early 20s, and they have
three cats. She enjoys gardening and likes
to go hiking with her husband and friends,
mostly around Kent, Sussex and the South
Downs. Lucy loves dancing and does a tap
class twice a week, which she says is very
friendly with lots of laughter, and it’s a great
form of exercise.
I
nspired by food, sea life and
nature, Lucy Clayton works in
watercolour with a blotted line
technique. In 2021 she won The
Artist Magazine Award at the
Royal Society of Marine Artists for her
painting Spider Crab No. 9 (above). Lucy
recalls always enjoying drawing and
making things as she grew up in South
London. ‘I was very fortunate to attend
schools where teachers encouraged art.
I remember especially at primary school
we drew pictures in maths and English
to accompany our written work and it
was always my favourite part of a lesson.
Growing up, however, I didn’t realise
that you could do art as a career until my
O-level and CSE choices.’
Colour in layers
‘After O-levels, I went to Croydon College
and studied BTEC general art and design.
It was a great course and, as well as
having a good introduction to a variety
of techniques including printmaking,
photography and sculpture, there was a
strong emphasis on developing drawing
and painting skills. We spent weeks
working through different exercises that
involved life models and still-life set-
ups with painted bottles. I am naturally
attracted to pattern and this got me
interested in textiles, so I studied for a
degree in textiles at West Surrey College
of Art and Design. It was a very technical
course and as well as experiencing
a variety of weaving and printing
techniques, we also learnt how to mix
dyes, thread a loom and create repeat
patterns by hand. I specialised in screen-
printed textiles and I think that has had
an influence on my watercolour painting,
as I approach it in a methodical way and
imagine the colours as layers.
‘After leaving college, I temped in a
customer services office for a chain
of department stores, before working
as an art technician in a local college.
X Kippers for Tea, watercolour and ink on paper,
29½x 23½in (75x60cm).
‘The idea for this painting came from a pair of
Craster kippers I’d bought in a local farm shop. We
were going to eat them for lunch, but the colours
and patterns contrasting with the plastic bag
made me think they would make an interesting
addition to my paintings about looking at food in
containers.’

There, I had the opp ortunity to take

on a demonstrator role in some of the
sessions and that led to becoming a
part-time lecturer in art and design. I
stopped teaching to raise my family, and
unfortunately this coincided with a long
period of my life dealing with slipped
discs and chronic leg and back pain.
About eight years ago, I had a spinal c ord
stimulator implanted and this has helped
to control the pain and enabled me to
regain a better level of fitness and quality
of life. Since the implant, I began drawing
again and producing art on a more full-
time basis. I find sitting or being in one
position for too long difficult, so I tr y to
move around every 20 minutes or so and
listen to music as a distraction.’

Colour, pattern and texture

‘I’m inspired by patterns, texture and
colour. I’ve always enjoyed observing
subjects and the way they grow or are
made. I especially love being by the sea
and looking into rock pools or walking
along the strand line to see what has
washed up. The smells and textures of
subjects are very evocative and remind
me of people, places or moments in my
life.
‘My style is still evolving, depending
on the subject and the materials I’m
using at the time. My pencil drawings are
more detailed compared to my charcoal
‘I always naturally think of happy or good memories,
sketches that are looser and less linear. especially around my seafood paintings as they are
A few years ago, I started to paint in
watercolour and still feel each painting
associated with family holidays at the seaside’
is a learning experience. I enjoy the
challenge of planning how to paint in my local fishmongers so that I could it would probably be practical to work
layers to describe the forms, tones and observe it close up. on more than one image, I’m quite
patterns. So, colour, pattern and texture ‘In general, my compositions are very methodical when I’m working on an idea
most attract me to a subject and then simple, often with a lot of space around or painting and like to see it through to
that makes me think about a moment or the subject, a shallow depth of field and a the end in one go.
a place. I always naturally think of happy focus on the colour, patterns and anatomy The size of my work varies from
or good memories, especially around my of the subject. It’s not something I aim for, approximately A1 down to A4 and,
seafood paintings as they are associated it just feels balanced and gives the subject depending on how detailed they are,
with family holidays at the seaside. The space to breathe.’ each can take from one to four months to
idea for painting Spider Crab No. 9 for complete.
instance, came about as I always find Working process ‘Before I start, I often do rough
fragments of these crab’s shells on the ‘I always work on one painting at a time. thumbnail sketches to plan a composition
beach, but had never seen a complete I don’t have a lot of room at home and and generally I do a pencil drawing first
one. For this painting, I bought one from use our dining room as a studio. Although so that I can make a tracing to print
IN CONVERSATION
with ink and to understand the tones
or patterns of a subject when I come to
paint it. The painting stage is more fluid
as I can’t always predict how it will look.
When I began painting Kippers for Tea
(page 15) for instance, I started off trying
to paint a fragmented pattern to describe
the surface of the fish, but as the painting
developed, I decided to print some of
the original drawing marks to describe
the scales as it balanced with the darker
tones.
‘Crustaceans or shellfish keep quite
well in the freezer or fridge, so I can
create detailed drawings over a few
days. But because fish perish, I do some
quick sketches, often in charcoal, and
use photographs that I scale up to create
a larger image. I always stage and work
from my own photos as it’s important
to me that it’s my own composition and
vision. After I’ve taken photos, we always
have the fish for dinner as we enjoy
cooking and trying new recipes.
‘Printing with drawing ink using Andy
Warhol’s blotted line technique creates
interesting marks that add a textural
quality to my work that I can’t achieve
through drawing with ink. The blotted
line technique is a form of mono-printing
using drawing ink and tracing paper.
Beginning with a drawing, I transfer the
image onto tracing paper. This sheet is
then hinged with masking tape onto a
piece of watercolour paper. Next, using a
dip pen and waterproof ink, I follow the
lines on the underside of the tracing, flip
it over and print. It’s a gradual process
that gives interesting and unexpected
marks, adding texture to my work. My
favourite quality of watercolour is its
translucency and the way you can add
layers to describe tone, shape and form. I
also like the way colours bloom together
and the hard edge you sometimes get
after a wash has dried.
‘There are always certain colours
that appear in my paintings, including
French ultramarine, cobalt blue, yellow
ochre, cerulean blue, cadmium red,
cadmium yellow pale and perylene violet.
Depending on the subject I will introduce
new colours, for example, for Top to Tail
(above), I needed an orange, but mixing
it wasn’t the right shade, so I used Winsor
orange, and with Mackerel (right), I found
indanthrene blue worked really well as
my usual blues were too warm.
‘When it comes to finishing a
watercolour painting, there‘s a tipping
point when it can start to lose its vibrancy
or look overworked. If I start to get close
to that point, or I think I’m at a stage
where I might go wrong, I stop, close the
W Top to Tail, watercolour and ink on paper,
23½x 23½in (60x60cm).
‘The jewel-like oranges and blues were what first
attracted me to painting sardines. They have
delicate silver skin on their bellies that contrasts
with the smooth deep blues on their backs. My
main experience of eating these fish is from a tin
and I wanted to keep that top-to-tail pattern of
how they are packaged in the composition. I like
the rhythm and curve of how their bodies are
pressed together.’
door and come back to it the next day to
see if it looks ok and works as an image.
It’s not until I’ve had some space from
looking at a painting or seeing it framed
that I then think it’s all right. I still see all
the flaws, but it becomes its own thing as
I’m not comparing it to the actual subject
or reference photo. Also, I find with
each painting or drawing, it’s a learning
experience and has new challenges or
skills to develop.’
Influences and communication
‘I admire many artists, including Quentin
Blake. I still have my childhood copy of
The Witch’s Cat by Harwood Thompson
that he illustrated and especially
love his expressive fluid line and his
characterisations. I love the bold beautiful
compositions of Georgia O’Keeffe and
how she enlarges her subjects, abstracting
the shapes and forms – they become
like landscapes and make me feel like
I’m peering into another world. A more
recent influence has been the illustrative
work of Andy Warhol and his blotted line
technique. My favourites are the drawings
he created for the Wild Raspberries
cookbook, and I love the way he
combines the textured printed line with
bold shapes, colours and compositions
that are a reminder of Victorian recipe
illustrations.
‘I sometimes enter open exhibitions and
competitions. A few years ago, I entered
the Society of Graphic Fine Art Open
exhibition and was amazed that my work
was accepted and then the following year
I was invited to submit a portfolio and
was successful in my application to be
a member. I now regularly exhibit with
them in their open and regional shows.
In 2021, after having a few unsuccessful
open exhibition applications, I entered
the Royal Society of Marine Artists on
the very last day, as I thought perhaps
my work would suit the exhibition,
and was absolutely thrilled to not only
be accepted, but also to be awarded
The Artist Magazine Award for my
watercolour and blotted line painting
Spider Crab No. 9. It was wonderful to
be awarded a prize and it has given me
confidence in my work and to continue
exploring a subject matter I’m fascinated
by.
‘I occasionally work to commission,
especially if it’s food- or fish-related
and one of my favourites and most
technically challenging commissions
was to paint a native lobster as it had
incredible patterned blues. The client and
I communicated by phone calls and email,
and I sent update images of the painting’s
progress.
‘I mostly use Twitter and Instagram
to keep a sort of visual diary of work in
progress and to advertise exhibitions or
events. I’m never sure how effective they
are in terms of sales but I have met lots of
lovely people that I perhaps would never
have had contact with.’ TA
S Mackerel, watercolour and ink on paper,
32x 27½in (81x 70cm).
‘I find the colour and patterns of mackerel
fascinating; their iridescence was quite a
challenge to capture. One of my favourite
childhood memories was going out to sea,
mackerel fishing with my family in Barmouth.
We caught quite a few fish and cooked them back
at our campsite. I don’t know if that was the first
time I had eaten them, but I do remember how
delicious they tasted.’
1ST OF 4
Loosen up
In the first of four articles on loosening up in watercolour, Tom Shepherd
focuses on shapes and encourages us to edit out irrelevant details
A
re you spending hours
on a painting, trying to
get it just right, and yet
you’re still unhappy with
the result? In spite of your
best efforts do your paintings seem too
stiff, too tight? Many painters I meet and
teach are chasing that elusive loose result
that looks so free and easy. I’ve spent a
number of years pursuing it myself and
am happy to dissect my approach over
the course of these four articles.
First up though, a definition. Why?
Because if we have an idea of what we’re
chasing we might have a better chance
of catching it. The sentence below is
a description of loose painting. It was
originally a definition of ‘painterly’ from
another source, but over the years it
has evolved and changed to be more in
keeping with watercolour (partly because
I can never remember the original
quotation exactly!) Here it is as I use it:
‘A patchwork of shapes, washes and brush
marks which jigsaw together to give the
illusion of our subject.’ I love this simple
sentence; it says so much. Not only does
‘A patchwork of shapes, washes and brush marks which jigsaw
together to give the illusion of our subject’
This sketch illustrates how I
am thinking of this subject
in terms of shapes. The
finished painting shows how
this translates to a loose and
lively painting. Notice one
large shape of shadow from
the wing, into the body and
tail and under the neck; while a
few medium shapes of light on
the back, head/neck and other
wing provide interest. The single large shape
holds this painting together, giving me
complete freedom to be bold and splashy,
knowing the underlying structure makes
sense of it all
it hint at how we use the medium; it
helps us observe our subject, guides our
thinking as we paint, and finally points to
the criteria for a successful painting.
Over the course of these four articles we
will refer to the language of this sentence
whilst I walk you through what I call the
primary principles of watercolour. These
principles provide the foundation of any
good painting, and act as a launch pad
to take your watercolours in whatever
direction you wish to go – in this case
they act as the keys to loosening up.
Paint shapes not things
The first principle and the focus of this
article is shapes. Of course we need to
acknowledge and be sensitive to our
subject, but in observing, analysing and
painting any subject, learning to look
for and paint shapes is key to developing
loose paintings. It is the principle on
which we build everything else. Shape
may refer to the overall shape of an
object or area, but it can also be the
smaller shapes that make up an object
or part of our subject. These shapes may
S Sketch for Quetzal
Bird, pencil, 4in
(10cm) long
X Quetzel Bird,
watercolour, 12x16in
(30.5x40.5cm)
be differentiated by a visible physical
boundary, a change in colour or by a
change of tonal value. A change in tone
accounts for the majority of my shapes
and we will dive much deeper into tonal
values in the next article.
I always attempt to break a subject
into big, medium and small shapes. It is
crucial for a successful design to identify
the armful of large shapes that provide an
underlying structure. A further handful
of medium-sized shapes add depth and
interest. Smaller shapes is just code for
detail. It is important to be selective with
these smaller shapes and understand that
they are only decorations on top of the
larger ones.
There is no need to obsess over the
shapes – it’s not an exact science, but it
does encourage a way of thinking that
can be beneficial. The key here is that
the large shapes underpin the painting.
If they remain intact as the painting
develops it will have a strong design.
This is all very well but the big question
is, ‘how does it help to loosen up our
painting?’.
 PRACTICAL

S Sketch for Leopard, pencil, 4in (10cm) long

Firstly, we have simplified our subject.

By looking for large shapes we are editing
out irrelevant details that can swiftly
tighten up a painting. Secondly, large
shapes give us the freedom to create
flowing washes and bold brush marks as
long as the overall integrity of that shape
remains. A good way to check this is by
looking at the painting from a distance,
taking a photo, squinting, or blurring
your eyes. If a shape holds together, you
are well on your way. If there is too much
contrast, however, or fragmentation of
different tones and textures so the shape
falls apart visually, then the underlying
large shapes holding the design together
also disintegrate. The real excitement
comes after we have painted what feels
like a collection of abstract shapes, then
sit back and get some distance, and
they really do jigsaw together to at least
loosely represent our subject.
S Leopard, watercolour, 15x 22in (38x 56cm).
This is an example of a painting that could easily have fallen apart and become far too
complex. When we use the sketch to analyse the underlying big shapes, along with a few
medium sized ones, we can see how they are holding the design together. This allowed me
to be exuberant with the markings, the colours and the wet-in-wet work
Tom’s tips for loosening up your watercolour paintings
O Focus on looking for and painting simple shapes, asking yourself whether the shape is
in light or shadow, then mix the right paint consistency accordingly (more watery for
lights, milky and creamier for shadows).
O Start with big simple shapes, paying attention to the underlying structure they create;
then medium shapes to build depth; and finally a few smaller shapes to add detail and
interest.
O Within each of these shapes keep your washes clean and fresh, and leave the
watercolour to do its thing. In short, don’t fuss. Trust the process and trust the medium.

S Sketch for Street Scene, pencil, 4in (10cm) long

X Street Scene, watercolour, 12x16in

(30.5x40.5cm)

Another potentially complex scene, the

sketch here is very simple, made up of just
four large shapes: sky, ground, left-side
building and right-side building. I knew that if
I kept these shapes intact, I could be creative
with the way I painted it
WATERCOLOUR

DEMONSTRATION Watermelon
Let’s put all this theory into practice
with a painting of watermelons.
This demonstration is taken from an
upcoming full-length video tutorial
available in my online watercolour school
www.schoolofwatercolour.co.uk
The subject is the perfect example of
clearly visible shapes – large, medium
and small – which provide a solid
underlying structure allowing us to let
loose with the paint

S This little sketch gives you an idea of how I S STAGE ONE

MATERIALS
O Paper
Baohong Master’s Choice 140lb
(300gsm) 100-per-cent cotton,
Rough watercolour paper,
12x16in (30.5x40.5cm).
O Brushes
Escoda Ultimo mop size 18,
synthetic squirrel hair.
Rosemary & Co Red Dot collection
size 1 mop, synthetic sable.
Rosemary & Co Series 304 size 3/0
round.
O Colours
Daniel Smith watercolours:
Prussian blue; French ultramarine;
pyrrole red; quinacridone red; and
aureolin yellow.
Holbein watercolours: lavender
(heavy opaque colour).
O 2B pencil.
carved up the subject. The overall shapes of each
part of the painting were simple yet accurate,
both in proportions and placement. They were
then broken tonally into simple areas of light and
shadow
I started with a light drawing using a 2B pencil
and mapped out the larger shapes. There
were a few extra lines to separate light and
shadow areas. Resisting the addition of detail
to the drawing kept me focused on painting
big simple shapes. Using a fairly watery mix of
aureolin yellow, I dropped in bits of orange and
quinacridone red of the same consistency as I
went. Keeping all the colours flowing together
and light, I quickly moved around the painting,
saving plenty of white areas of the page for
highlights, as well as to keep things lively
W STAGE TWO
Continuing with the same watery mixes I chose
to leave the shadow shapes of the slices as the
white of the page for the time being. When I
come to painting the shadows, this will keep the
reds translucent and glowing.
I was careful to keep colours separate around
the light yellow-green undercoat of the
watermelon skin. Too much red running into this
could have killed the vibrancy of the green. I then
left it to dry fully

S STAGE THREE S STAGE FOUR

Next I worked on the skin of the watermelon. With a milky consistency of aureolin yellow
I mapped out those beautiful abstract markings. Once I was happy with that, I dropped in
increasingly creamier amounts of aureolin mixed with Prussian blue for a soft green. Doing
this on top of the damp yellow gave me some lovely soft edges and merging colours.
The skin was the most complex area of the painting. Because I painted it first, I felt
comfortable painting other areas more simply. It gave me the confidence to stick with
painting shapes, not things, because one area looked successful already. Painting with an
extremely simple (yet accurate) milky wash of aureolin and quinacridone red, in varying
amounts to create visual interest, I worked on the shadow shape of the first slice
Using a red mix to give a pinker hue, I tackled the other
slices in the same way, taking note of the simple shapes and
how within them the colour was free to do its thing, creating
soft variation. Whilst these shapes were still damp, I made
the consistency of the mixes creamy and started to drop in
small dark shapes, and then even smaller darker shapes for
the seeds. I also added a few marks of opaque lavender to
hint at the lighter inner skin on each slice
 PRACTICAL

X STAGE FIVE
It was time for some background – or we could call it the big
shape that will tie the whole painting together. Starting with a
milky mix of mostly Prussian blue plus a touch of quinacridone
red and aureolin yellow to subdue it, I mapped out the big
dark shape. I carefully began to use the negative shape of the
background to trap the light on the edges, and further refined
the positive shapes of the watermelon. Within this largest shape
I allowed the watercolour the freedom to do what it wanted; I
didn’t try to control it. Trust the shapes and trust the medium!

Conclusion
I hope this demonstration has helped you discover how to go
about observing your subject in a way that is conducive to
painting with more freedom. You can be less concerned about
detail and making it perfect, and more focused on creative
expression. This approach can give you the courage to tackle
any subject by simplifying it, and most importantly leave room
for excitement and fun, two elements which will elevate your
paintings to the next level.
S STAGE SIX Next time we will dive deeper into working with tonal values,
Whilst this large dark shape was still damp, I which can significantly help us to loosen up our watercolours.
dropped in even thicker, creamier mixes of rich
darks – Prussian blue with a touch of quinacridone
red and aureolin yellow. I let this mixture soften
into its surroundings. Again, don’t try to control it;
drop it in and leave it, so it doesn’t get overworked.
Using a similar mix of quinacridone red as before,
I finished painting in the top of the large slice. I
wanted to create subtle variations in tone and colour
for interest. Providing these variations were not too
glaring, the shape held together. This is the key to
painting shapes. I wanted variation within the washes
in each shape for visual interest, but not so much
contrast that they became lots of separate shapes

Tom Shepherd
kicked off his art career using graffiti pens to
draw bright and colourful custom artwork on
guitars, but the infinite variety of subjects, and
the endless possibilities of other media was
always beckoning him. Subsequently daring
to pick up a brush, his encounter with more
traditional media, opened a world of imaginative
inspiration. Now, with watercolour very much at
the forefront, Tom loves the challenge of tackling S FINISHED PAINTING
a wide variety of subjects. Find out more at Watermelon, watercolour, 12x16in (30.5x40.5cm).
www.schoolofwatercolour.co.uk
Except for a few finishing strokes (small shapes), the painting was working well. It’s very easy to go
Email: tom@tomshepherdart.com
Instagram: overboard at the end by adding too many little details and clever touches. Avoid the temptation to add
tomshepherdartist/@tomshepherdartist the same amount of detail everywhere. Keep it very simple and slowly consider every brush mark. If you
are at all unsure, it’s best to stop

Have no fear
Try something new and push your own boundaries. Follow Jo Quigley’s simple
steps to tackle even the most complicated subjects without fear
P
erhaps all artists like to
work within their comfort
zone, repeatedly painting
familiar subjects they have
become good at. I don’t mean
to imply that you shouldn’t paint what
inspires you; in choosing to specialise
in one area there is no doubt that you
will improve your expertise and develop
your artistic style. However, it can be
worth questioning how and why we opt
for a particular artistic path: because of
a conscious choice, because of other’s
expectations, or perhaps because it’s the
safest option. It can be scary tackling
a subject you are unfamiliar with and
that you feel is perhaps beyond your
capabilities, but always playing it safe
can limit your progress as an artist. If
you have found yourself shying away
from complicated subject matter, then
following these simple steps might help.
1: Consider the proportions of
your surface
As the well-known saying goes ‘by failing
to prepare you are preparing to fail’,
which is especially the case when dealing
with complicated subjects. When time
is in short supply and inspiration takes
us, we could be forgiven for wanting to
capture that subject or scene as quickly as
possible on whatever surface is to hand.
However, taking a few moments to check
that the proportions of your surface are
the same as your reference can save you
from difficulties down the line.
If you work from your own
photographs, you can input the exact
dimensions of your canvas and crop your
image to suit with a simple image editing
program. Always make sure to work on a
copy and save the original, lest you need
the cut information later. This also allows
you to make quick and easy decisions
about what works best compositionally. If
you are working from a printed image the
simplest way to check your proportions
are correct is to place your image in one
corner of your canvas and draw a line
diagonally through to see if it meets
the opposite corner of the canvas. If the
corners are positioned on this line, then
the proportions will be correct, if not then
W Millennium Stroll, acrylic,
24x 24in (61x61cm)
Jo Quigley
studied Fine Art at Winchester School of
Art and Kingston University. She taught
and demonstrated painting for many years
but now paints full time. Jo exhibits and
sells her work in galleries throughout the
UK and abroad.
www.quigleyarts.co.uk
you may have to add to either the height
or width of the source material (above).
2: Knowing where to start
When confronted with a lot of visual
information choosing where to begin can
be difficult; at the top, on the left or in
the centre and work out? The smallest of
errors at this stage can lead to a knock-
on effect and result in you running out
of space or having space to fill, both of
which will impact the effectiveness of
your composition. So, the first marks you
make are arguably the most important as
they lay the foundations for the painting.

My tip for the best place to begin is
to identify any horizontal or vertical
lines. The most obvious would be the
horizon line if visible, but it could be the
corner of a building, a tall tree, the edge
of a pavement, or a roof line. Having
established your reference and canvas are
in proportion, then any line or element
on the photo will be the same ratio of
the canvas. For example, if the horizon
line is quarter of the height in the photo,
then it will be a quarter the height of the
canvas. Similarly, a building that occupies
a third of the reference, will also occupy a
third of the canvas. Keep it simple, either
halves, thirds, or quarters. For example,
a line could be slightly over half the
width or just less than a quarter. In my
experience most people are reasonably
good at estimating this. Don’t overdraw,
placing too many lines can become
confusing, just a few lines in the right
place are better than many in the wrong
place.
3: Dealing with perspective
and angles
I don’t think there are any subjects
that strike fear as much as those that
involve perspective, however references
that involve complex angles shouldn’t
be avoided. Whilst some theoretical
knowledge of perspective is beneficial,
if not just to have an idea where lines
are likely to converge on the horizon
(vanishing points), there are much
simpler ways to deal with those tricky
angles.
Firstly, an angle can be compared to
a horizontal or vertical line, which you
can check is true by looking to the edge
of your canvas (if you can’t find one you
can always imagine one). You can now
estimate an angle, for example is it at ten
degrees, 30 degrees or 45 degrees? (below)
Alternatively, imagine an angle as the
minute hand of a clock; is it at five past,
quarter past or 20 to the hour? (above).
Angles can be difficult to get right
because our logical brain knows that
certain lines (for example that of a roof
or the top of a window or door) are in
fact horizontal if we were to view them
straight on, however perspective makes
us see them differently. Trying to take
these lines out of context, concentrating
on the fact they are just a mark of a
certain length and position, can help us
replicate them with greater accuracy.
4: Consider spaces, not objects
It might sound strange but try not to
think too much about what it is you are
painting. As previously mentioned, the
brain can deceive us, as it has spent its
lifetime creating a visual language to
help understand and describe to others
what an object looks like. Attempting
to ignore any preconceptions you have
about a subject can be hard and does take
practice but try to think of everything as
a shape that has a certain height, width,
value, and colour. Use any vertical or
horizontal lines to help position shapes,
for example the height of a person in
comparison to a doorway. It’s important
to mention negative spaces, those that
appear between objects. These should
be viewed with equal significance in that
they are also of a particular size, value,
and colour. Switching your attention to
the gaps between elements will often
expose any mistakes.
5: Setting the tone
When it comes to painting, tone is more
important than colour, as it describes
space, depth, and form. A painting
without it will appear flat. When you
have a lot to deal with in terms of subject
matter then simplifying tones to the
PRACTICAL
lightest and darkest values and just a
couple of mid-tones can make things
easier. When I am painting, I continually
ask the question: is it lighter or darker
than the thing next to it? If you struggle
perceiving values, then consider painting
in black and white first and then going
over with colour afterwards. Converting
your source material into greyscale can
also help.
6: Limit your palette
When it comes to colour, the choice can
be overwhelming. Most artists favour
certain colours but limiting your palette
can make the decision process much
easier. It can also help to create an overall
feeling of harmony; too many colours can
confuse the eye making an image appear
incoherent. When selecting pigments,
first evaluate your image and note what
colours are important. Consider what
you would use for these first and what
you might add to them in terms of
complementary colours to create neutrals
or greys. Consider how you organise
paints on your palette. For example,
placing cool colours on one side and
warm on the other, since being familiar
with where colours are can make mixing
a much simpler task.
7: Save the details till last
It can be tempting to jump into the
details, especially if you enjoy painting
them, but adding them too soon can
be a mistake. Spend too much time
on details and you will be less inclined
to make changes, something that you
should be prepared to do throughout,
given we all make mistakes. Limiting
detail to the foreground or specific
areas of interest is a way of drawing
the eye to what’s important in your
composition. It’s surprising how good the
imagination is at making up information
in certain areas based on how we treat
focus points. Whether you are a realist
painter or someone who prefers a more
impressionistic approach, either way
details are best left to the end.
Painting can be seen as a puzzle or set
of problems to be solved; it can appear
daunting at first but when broken down,
every subject is a series of shapes, each
with a certain value and colour. The more
complex the image, the more pieces there
are. Spend time getting the first pieces
positioned correctly and the smaller
pieces should just fall into place. Z
ACRYLICS

DEMONSTRATION St Paul’s from Watling Street

S REFERENCE PHOTO S STAGE ONE S STAGE TWO

I worked from a photograph of one of my favourite
views of St Paul’s – the magnificent dome framed
perfectly by the buildings on Watling Street. It is
a scene packed with visual information involving
both perspective and people, two intimidating and
supposedly difficult subjects. The following steps
show my approach to tackling this complex scene
I began by drawing any long vertical lines. I selected one on Having divided the canvas
each side marking the furthest edge of the buildings in the into a few areas, I filled them
foreground, then two slightly shorter lines to denote the in using a neutral palette of
end of the street. Next, I drew four diagonal lines marking to titanium white, unbleached
the top and bottom edges of the buildings using the edge titanium, cobalt blue, and
of the canvas to estimate the angles. Two horizontal lines neutral grey. The aim was to
marked the base and middle of St Paul’s in the distance cover the canvas at this stage
as well as to establish the
initial tonal values

MATERIALS
O Loxley 3D canvas.
O Derwent 4B sketching pencil.
O Assorted brushes.
O Liquitex soft body acrylic paints:
titanium white; unbleached titanium;
neutral grey; Mars black; cobalt blue;
red oxide; phthalo green (blue shade);
raw sienna; Naples yellow; cadmium
yellow; alizarin crimson.
W STAGE THREE
With the main areas of tone
determined, I returned to
the drawing, repeating
the process in stage one to
further divide each space. I
placed enough lines to give
me a guide but not so many
that they became confusing

W STAGE FIVE
Before going any further with
the foreground, I focused my
attention on the distance.
I added local colour and a
suggestion of architectural
S STAGE FOUR details, conscious that the
Taking inspiration from the building on the left, I viewer’s imagination will
added red oxide and phthalo green (blue shade) ultimately make up much
to my palette as well as alizarin crimson, cadmium of this information. Using
yellow, raw sienna, Naples yellow, and Mars black. the existing buildings for
Keeping the painting loose I blocked in the basic comparison I could now judge
colour of each building in the foreground and, at the the height of the dome of St
same time, I added the darkest and lightest values Paul’s in the distance
 PRACTICAL

S STAGE SIX S STAGE SEVEN

A key part of why I like this scene is the signage, which creates interesting
shapes that punctuate the space. These could now easily be positioned using
the existing framework as a guide. Edges were sharpened in the foreground
and additional details were added to St Paul’s
Including figures in a scene can add life but getting them wrong can have
an adverse effect. I estimated the height of each figure against one of
the verticals. Note the head height of each figure was roughly the same. I
marked two points at the top of the head and the bottom of the feet and
drew between them, to ensure the scale was correct

S STAGE EIGHT
Using the existing colours on my palette,
the basic shapes of the figures were
blocked in. I took the decision to reposition
the figures in the background and changed
the coat colour of one of the figures on the
right to create greater balance

X FINISHED PAINTING
St Paul’s from Watling Street, acrylic,
24x 24in (61x61cm).
Finally, it was time to add those all-
important details – the text on the signage
boards, and some further embellishments
to St Paul’s. A suggestion of cobbles and
paving slabs helped create interest in the
foreground, completing the scene
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

Jo Quigley
Painting in the City

SJo Quigley Late Summer Trafalgar Square II, acrylic, 30x48in (76x122cm)
 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

SJo Quigley Summer in the City II, acrylic, 24x30in (61x76cm)

WATERCOLOUR

Painting in
the middle of town
Painting urban landscapes is much more than just painting buildings
and people. Graham Wands demonstrates how to capture the atmosphere
of a busy city in watercolour

Graham Wands
is a Scottish artist working in the heart
of the Angus countryside. Born in Irvine,
Ayrshire in 1959, Graham cannot remember
a time he didn’t draw and paint. Later,
having moved to the Scottish Borders, he
taught art for a while at local community
venues and sold work in local galleries. In
1995, and married with a young family, he
moved to Perthshire where he eventually
opened his own studio, painting, teaching
and selling work. Graham now works mainly
in watercolour form Glamis Gallery in Angus,
exhibiting paintings here and in other
galleries around Scotland.
C
apturing an urban scene
in watercolour is not just
about painting the buildings
and people, but trying to
convey the impression of
movement, hustle and bustle as well as
the rhythm of the traffic around you.
It’s about people hurrying about their
business while the shadowy buildings
look on.
When I walk among the buildings of a
town or city, I find myself looking up at
the roofs and chimneys of the buildings,
noticing the shapes they make, and
the spaces these shapes create, almost
abstract in nature. On ground level I
search for the shadows cast by everything
from aerials to signposts, as well as where
streets meet and people rush by. Very
often I create my own shadows where
needed to give interest, atmosphere or
balance to a painting. It’s not so much
about trying to give an accurate depiction
of the scene, but the general feeling of
being in there amongst it all. For the
same reason I would suggest to anyone
painting an urban scene not to get too
stuck on getting the colour accurate
either. Rather use colour freely to give
atmosphere, warmth or simply to convey
how the scene makes you feel.
Creating balance
The buildings will dictate the composition

S Shoppers, Dundee, watercolour, 15¾x 27½in (40x 70cm)


and shapes that attract the eye of
the viewer. They, combined with the
shadows, real or created, give balance
between the large shapes and the small
shapes. Pulled together properly, these
give the whole painting interest, balance
and sound structure. I like to use a
large mop bush as much as possible as
they hold a lot of water but come to
a satisfying point, and only swap to a
smaller brush near the completion of
the painting where small details are
needed. I try to avoid too much detail,
preferring an impressionistic feel. This
is particularly helpful when it comes
to painting the figures inhabiting your
landscape. They can appear in and
out of shadows, they can cast shadows
and, because they are moving, they
can be painted in a vague way, while
still remaining true in proportion.
For example, height, head-to-body
ratio, length of leg, and angle of the
overall body, depicting purpose to their
movements.
Sometimes, as in the pictur e Shoppers,
Dundee (left) the buildings can be just
a vague backdrop to what is going on
S Market Stalls, Dundee, watercolour, 25¼x 35¾in (64x91cm)
GRAHAM’S TOP TIPS
O Draw out a good composition
thinking about large and small
shapes, and making sure perspectives
are correct.
O Shadows on buildings are a very
useful tool for giving the painting
interest and balance.
O Mix colours lightly letting the
individual colours in the mix hold
onto their integrity.
O Decide on your colour palette before
putting brush to paper.
O Don’t get bogged down with detail.
Try using a large mop brush for as
much of the painting as possible.
O When painting figures in an urban
scene, try to keep head heights the
same regardless of how near or
far away they are. Size, not height,
defines distance.
O When you find yourself starting to
fiddle with your painting, stop. It’s
finished!
O Enjoy creating. Mistakes can’t be
made. It’s your painting.
PRACTICAL
in the foreground. Here, the shoppers
and the traffic are creating the shadows
and the reflections that shape the
composition. The wet-on-wet technique
provides distance contrasted against
the dry brush used on the building on
the right-hand side of the painting. This
contrast, which is also used with the
trees, helps to set the buildings in the
background, right back. No detail on
these buildings was needed other than
shape. The odd splash of colour and
splatter of paint to add a busy feel and
the painting was finished.
The shadow running diagonally across
the bottom of the painting prevents the
viewer’s eye dropping out of the bottom
of the painting. I also find it useful, as
here, to add overhead wires as a way
to keep the viewer’s eye concentrated
around the centre of the scene. The few
splashes of red in the centre achieves the
same effect. One more point to note when
painting a scene full of people is that
when viewing them at head height, the
tip of the head should be the same height
throughout, regardless of how close or far
away it is from you. Z
WATERCOLOUR

DEMONSTRATION Dundee City Centre

W REFERENCE PHOTOGRAPH
The scene in this demonstration is quite complex so I
kept the initial drawing as simple as possible

T STAGE ONE
On a sheet of watercolour paper, I drew a line just above the centre for my buildings
to sit on. I then loosely drew the shape of the buildings, making sure the perspective
was correct at this stage. I placed the chimneys where I wanted them, and also drew
in the angle of the steps leading
to the bottom of the left-hand
building. These lines helped
to draw the viewer into the
composition. Finally, I sketched
in one or two figures, paying
MATERIALS particular attention to the main
O ShinHan PWC premium figure on the right of the picture.
watercolour paints: yellow I then marked in areas to be
ochre; cobalt blue; burnt sienna; left white around the centre of
horizon blue; permanent red; the painting. I never use masking
permanent magenta; lavender; fluid in my paintings through
neutral tint; titanium white. choice, but if you would prefer to
use it, that’s fine
O Bockingford Not cold-pressed
250lb (535gsm) paper.

X STAGE TWO
I applied a wash of yellow ochre and indigo, working from the top
of the paper downwards. About halfway down, I mixed in a wash of
burnt sienna and indigo, being careful not to mix too much, keeping
the colours reasonably separate so that they mix on their own on
the paper. I left white areas in the centre of the painting for my
pedestrians, signs on the shops, and an umbrella, and a white patch
was left on the far building, but again, this was loosely done.
After leaving a light patch on the right, lower part of the scene,
I added another wash of indigo and magenta at the base of the
painting, being careful to dry off the tape along the bottom to avoid
water marks rising on the lower wash. While the paper was still wet,
spots of permanent red were dropped in on mixes of magenta and
burnt sienna in the centre left. Finally, a warm red mixed from cobalt
blue, yellow ochre, and permanent red was added, when the paper
was dry, for the shadows on the buildings and across the centre
of the painting, again being careful to leave the white areas free
of paint to create interest. I splashed some water on the paint on
the steps to make it run down into its reflection and added a little
definition to the chimneys on the far buildings

W STAGE THREE
I wetted the paper with a gentle spray and deepened and strengthened the
area on the left above the steps with a mix of burnt sienna and magenta with
less water. The colours were allowed to mix on the damp paper. Then, while the
paper was still wet, I added a mixture of cobalt blue and neutral tint to define
the central area where the shops were, letting the dark colour run into the
shadows on the buildings. All the time I was trying to keep my work as loose as
possible.
I touched up some of the red spots by dropping in a stronger, less watery red.
Once the paper was dry, I started to pick out some of the figures with neutral
tint and cobalt blue for the bodies, and burnt sienna and yellow ochre for the
heads. I think it’s important at this point to stress how crucial it is to allow the
paper to dry completely at various stages of the painting, otherwise there
would be no variation between the hard and soft edges that make watercolour
painting so distinctive.
The steps along the front of the painting were worked on now with a mix
of neutral tint and magenta, to keep them dark but not flat. I also dropped
in a spot of clear water on the paint on the steps again to create interest and
reflection. Here and there on the shops on the left behind the figures I dashed
in some rough marks in horizon blue and some lavender, remembering to be
as vague and loose as possible
X STAGE FOUR
I gave more definition to the
foreground, adding splashes
of lavender and cobalt blue.
Above the steps I painted
splodges of horizon blue,
yellow ochre and magenta
and gave all a light mist of
clear water from my sprayer
to soften the whole area. With
a mixture of neutral tint and
magenta (and practically no
water) I dry-brushed in the
figures in this area. Finally,
using the same colours, with
a dry brush, I painted in the
paving and reflections below
the steps to create contrast
to the wet-on-wet technique
on the right-hand side of the
painting

T FINISHED PAINTING
Dundee City Centre, watercolour, 16½x 22¾in (42x 58cm).
I added windows on the buildings with a flat, dry brush containing a mixture of lavender and neutral tint. I painted in the trees in the front of the buildings
and the far right in the same way, with a smaller, thin brush. The figure moving from left to right was painted quickly and without fuss, as is the reflection, all
done with a dry brush. This added balance to the composition. A few more splashes of red and horizon blue, along with the odd streetlight, pulled the whole
painting together. Finally, I used titanium white to define figures and directional lines on the road
COMPOSITION

Capriccio rediscovered
James Willis takes us on a voyage of
discovery and fantasy as he puts together his own
modern-day capriccio
James Willis
is an award-winning artist, art historian and
author from Hertfordshire. He has a life-long
interest in buildings and architecture, which
often feature in his work. He is a popular
tutor and lecturer and enjoys helping
people find their creativity. Working in oil
and watercolour he enjoys sharing creative
experiences with his groups. James has
held solo shows in London and exhibited
widely, most recently at North Hertfordshire
Museum. His work is in private and public
collections in this country and abroad. This
year he is leading a painting group to Italy,
running a summer school in Hitchin and
regular Zoom and live classes;
www.jameswillisart.co.uk

P
aintings of buildings
have been around for a
while! They came into
prominence in 17th-century
Holland where painters
such as Vermeer began to explore their
surroundings as subjects for their work.
The following century, Antonio Canaletto,
arguably the most famous painter of
architectural scenes, brought the genre
further into the spotlight and paved
the way for the cityscape. Amongst
the ways buildings were presented on
canvas or paper was as a capriccio –
fantasy arrangements of buildings, real
or imagined, which were put together
through a combination of study,
knowledge and creativity.
My interest in painting complex
architectural scenes started when I was

W Garden City, watercolour, 29½x19¾in

(75x 50cm).
This is a capriccio of the architecture from
Letchworth Garden City, much of it in the
Arts and Crafts style. Individual studies made
on location during the pandemic have been
rearranged in a vertical plan where texture and
colour have equal importance to draw the eye
round the picture. Even the trees at the top are
part of that journey and help integrate nature
with the architecture, the intention of the early
Garden City architects at the beginning of the
20th century

working at Sir John Soane’s Museum
where I was lucky enough to have access
to that amazing collection of architectural
drawings, paintings and models. It
opened my mind to the possibilities of
painting buildings and, as the collection
has amongst its treasures capricci by the
remarkable watercolour artist Joseph
Michael Gandy as well as etchings by
Giovanni Battista Piranesi and impressive
paintings by Canaletto, how could I not
be inspired?
My recent rediscovery of the capriccio
coincided with an introduction to
one of my neighbours, the celebrated
architectural artist Carl Laubin. Carl
has spent his career developing his
architectural capriccio-type of paintings,
which have been widely admired since
the 1980s. I had not met Carl before, but
having been introduced to each other
in 2019, we discovered that we had lived
200 feet apart for nearly 30 years! We are
now firm friends and have spent many
hours discussing painting, architecture,
perspective and ways in which these
elements come together in the capriccio.
This feature describes some of the
PRACTICAL
aspects of putting together such a
composition and my process of drawing
and painting them from start to finish. To
begin with, I found looking through old
sketchbooks useful for deciding how light
and shadows define buildings. I favour
strong light effects so that the form of the
building can be easily understood but I
also found the effects of aerial perspective
interesting where the range of tonal
contrast is reduced in the distance. These
features play an important part in the
capriccio to create a sense of drama and
give the illusion of depth.

DEMONSTRATION Capriccio Veneziana

W Here the palest layers were added to tint

the paper in warm and cool areas and begin the
distant shapes of buildings in a narrow range of
colours and values

T In this detail the background buildings were

washed in one layer before the sky was added.
This was because the reserved paper of the sunlit
roof would be the lightest area and the sky added
later to enhance it. The first colour washes for
the foreground architecture were added next to
begin to build up the composition Z

S STAGE ONE
I decided to use sketches of buildings made on my many trips to Venice as a starting point for my
Venetian capriccio. I chose those which had interesting and contrasting shapes and colours as well as
the classic forms of Venetian campanile and houses. All the material, therefore, was gathered before
I started to rearrange it into a design. The capriccio form is a good one to try as there are no formal
restrictions as to the content, scale or even the proportions the artist need use. In my initial design
sketches, I tried several arrangements of the buildings, moving them round the sketch until I was happy
with the overall contrasts of shape and scale. This took some time and, of course, there is no right or
wrong way to do this; the final choice is entirely in the hands of the artist. For me, the main idea was
to create a pleasing arrangement of familiar buildings but with unfamiliar juxtapositions. These make
the viewer look again and explore the individual features in more detail, something I discovered when
preparing capriccio paintings for an exhibition last year.
Next came the use of shadows and light to unify the composition as well as adding a sense of drama.
I aimed at a certain consistency but with a little artistic licence here and there for picturesque effect.
Once the planning was complete, I laid out the detailed drawing on paper in readiness for the paint

X STAGE TWO
This composition is formed of three layers: background with the towers and campanile, middle distance
with contrasting buildings, and a foreground with the well cover, courtyard and suggestion of water
and pavement. The design is intentionally wobbly to suggest the city, which itself is sinking into the
lagoon. I also wanted some features of Venice that appear in my sketchbooks so I included the well
cover from San Gregorio, a half-made Venetian mask hanging out to dry, mooring posts and the lion of
St Mark imported from the gateway of the Arenale
COMPOSITION

X STAGE THREE
Once the drawing was made on the
watercolour paper I added some
pale washes, more to tint the paper
than provide specific detail. They
were kept irregular and free and
help distinguish warm and cool
areas in the light. The colouring
was raw sienna and cerulean. They
are hardly noticeable in the end
result but they peep through into
the lightest areas and set the key
for the picture.
For the distant buildings, I
remembered the effects of aerial
perspective I had observed when
out sketching on location. A
subdued palette and narrow tonal
range gave the best effects and I
focused on keeping the mixtures
as close in tone as possible without
losing the identity of the hue. This
would later push this layer of the
composition back as the stronger
tones of the foreground were built
up. Here I introduced violets with
the siennas and cerulean bringing a
cooler distant colouring in a narrow
range of values.
Working from the distant buildings the first areas for the light were added in warm colours S Gradually more detail was added and the
across the design to begin to distinguish the local colour of the stone or brick. These were not medium tones laid in to define the sense of
necessarily uniform, and some reflected colour was dropped in whilst the first wash was wet to space. Less tonal contrast was required in the
modulate the effect and, on occasion, blend one area into another, losing the edges in the corners distance with the bigger contrasts between light
to avoid the whole looking too geometric and dark starting to appear at the front

W STAGE FOUR
I decided to frame the left-hand edge of the
picture with some dark buildings that are
intended to throw the lighter foreground
architecture forwards. This is a traditional effect
in a picturesque landscape where a dark tree or
buildings was used to frame the view beyond; a
device also used by the great capriccio painters
of the past. The darker tones and colours were
added later over this mid-tone layer painted to
define the shape of the area in the first instance.
Gradually, as more details were added and the
darker areas, such as the window spaces or cast
shadows, were painted, the spatial effect of the
design became more obvious. This stage took
the longest as there were a lot of windows and
arches to fill in! It’s often difficult to see ahead at
this stage in a watercolour painting where the
full tonal range has not yet been explored. It can
often look flat and washed out, but patience and
experience will allow you to build up your design
towards the complete picture of light and shade

W The details were more defined in the

foreground. Areas such as the ‘fringe’ on top of
the Ca’ d’Oro were masked out using masking
fluid to preserve the delicacy of the design, while
the areas around it were painted
X STAGE FIVE
In some areas I decided to reserve the unpainted paper as highlights to bring a sparkle
to the painting and contrast with the dark areas. The tower towards the background on
the right-hand side shows this clearly. Much of the foreground architecture in the light
makes use of the first pale washes I laid down to tint the paper but some areas, the
crenelated ‘fringe’ above the Ca’ d’Oro for example, were masked out using a fine brush
and masking fluid at the beginning before the washes were laid. If detail is particularly
fine, I find it easier to use the masking fluid but for larger areas I tend to paint round
a reserved shape to leave the paper clean. The masking fluid was rubbed off after the
whole painting had dried.
For the shadows, especially as a lot of the architecture is very pale in colour and
almost white, I used a blue-mauve mix with a little neutral tint. This is consistent
throughout the painting to unify the design and you will notice I dropped in warmer
colours where light reflected into the shadow. It prevents the shadow looking flat and
can connect the colour scheme between the light and shadow areas

T FINISHED PAINTING
The final layers were tiny details and shadows to add definition to the foreground and
a few light washes added here and there to gently transition between areas or add a
layer of warm or coolness to balance the picture. The emerald green areas represent
the canal water with its reflections but, as this is a fantasy, I attempted to blur the
areas together so reflection, shadow, surface and water are sometimes ambiguous.
Making a capriccio allows an artist to explore a fantasy world of buildings, and
sometimes figures and animals (which were aften added to animate a scene under the
term staffage). I can see no reason why a capriccio should not comprise of any theme;
it is up to the artist to compose the elements to their creative satisfaction and have a
lot of fun doing so
S The lightest facets of some buildings were left unpainted.
Here the cupola and roof of a campanile demonstrated the
contrast between dark areas and the reserved paper
T Capriccio Veneziana, watercolour, 21½x 29½in (55x 75cm).
The final capriccio included several familiar Venetian buildings
as well as many taken from my sketchbooks. They were arranged
in a picturesque tangle and some were leaning as they do in real
life. Smaller details such as the Venetian mask left out to dry were
added to bring a sense of activity to the composition amongst the
towers and facades of my imaginary city

There’s nothing like it!
It may be fraught with hazards, but Amanda Hyatt shows us why there’s nothing
quite like painting watercolours en plein air
Amanda Hyatt
has been a professional watercolour artist
for 40 years and has won many awards.
Primarily a watercolourist, she also paints in all
other media. Her style is alla prima, capturing
spontaneously the mood, magic and light
of the subject with confident and minimal
brushstrokes. She is also a judge, a leading
teacher in the medium and a member of
the prestigious Twenty Melbourne Painters
Society. She has four teaching DVDs with
APV Films and her book Watercolour: Tonal
Impressionism is in popular demand. Amanda
leads international en-plein-air painting
workshops. Find out more at
https://amandahyatt.com.au
P
ainting en plein air, directly
from the view in front of you,
is rewarding, educational,
difficult and fascinating. It
is not a copying-a-photo-in-
a-studio situation. It is painting reality
right in front of you in the atmospheric
conditions you are in at that moment.
Painting inside, in a studio, is safe, warm
or cool, comfortable, with nice seating
and food and drink readily available. You
can take your time in relative comfort.
Painting outside is often not comfortable
but it is so much more beneficial in
that it teaches you how to really handle
watercolour.
Painting outside is painting in the
elements so allowances must be made for
anything that turns up like drizzle, rain,
wind, hot sun, no shade, pests, insects,
crowds of onlookers, noise, and my
personal pet hate, tripping over things
and everything falling in the dirt. Or
knocking over the table with everything
on it. Or spilling the water container all
over the painting. Or bugs crawling across
Amanda painting in the rain at
Port Arthur, Tasmania. Note, the
paint running off the paper and
the inability for the painting to dry.
Consequently, the painting was
done wet-in-wet and didn’t dry for
some time afterwards
the sky wash you’ve just done. Actually,
thinking about it, quite a lot can go wrong.
But it’s fantastic! As long as you are
prepared. Essential items include a
lightweight aluminium field easel if
you paint standing up, a table, seat and
then your usual painting items (brushes,
paint, palette and paper). Extras usually
include plenty of water, towels, insect
repellent, sunscreen lotion, a hat,
sunglasses, backing board, duct tape (for
when you discover that the leg has come
off your easel and you need to attach a
stick); a multi-tool and screws to fix the
easel when the essential screw pops out
and gets lost in the grass; bags that can
be filled with sand or rocks which can
then be attached to the aforementioned
easel if there is an approaching cyclone;
a raincoat, umbrella and dog for extra
emotional support and encouragement
and to catch blowflies.
When painting en plein air there is
less time to think about your mistakes
or get bogged down with indecision.
The surroundings can change rapidly.
 PRACTICAL
Skies may cloud over and the light is
lost. The paper may dry quickly if it is
hot and sunny or slowly if it’s overcast,
humid and muggy. If the paper dries
quickly then you are able to paint faster
but may need to re-wet some areas if
you want a softer effect. On the other
hand if the paper is very slow to dry
(and there won’t be a hairdryer handy),
then you may inadvertently keep adding
more and more dilute paint and end up
with a muddy mess that is not resolving
anything you are trying to achieve. If
this is the case then it is best to just paint
wet-in-wet, because the paper is already
loaded with water, you really only need
to have thick paint on your brush to dab
into the wet paper. If the day is really S Waterlogged at Port Arthur, ten-minute watercolour painting, 20x 29in (50x 74cm)
dank then wet-in-wet is really all you
can hope for. The result will be a softer to do. You will be more spontaneous, you are painting in. I teach a lot of
image with less harsh edges than you get not bother with so many details and international en-plein-air workshops and
painting onto a dry painted area. not worry about mistakes because you I often hear students who are fearful at
Because the atmospheric conditions do are grounded in the immediacy of the the beginning say: ‘oh that worked well’
often change, what you set out to paint moment and relishing the joy of happy and are very happy with what they have
is often not what you end up with. That’s accidents. These cause you to realise achieved, not realising that en-plein-air
exactly how you learn to advance your that you are handling everything quite watercolour painting is one of the most
painting. You will quickly learn what not well considering the difficult conditions difficult forms of art you can do.

DEMONSTRATION Regent Street, Looking North Towards the Brisbane Ranges

MATERIALS
O Lefranc & Bourgeois aluminium field
easel.
O Baohong cold-pressed 300g Rough
torchon paper
O Daniel Smith watercolours: Indian
yellow; sepia; burnt sienna;
ultramarine blue; cerulean blue;
perylene green.
O Brushes: ½in and 1½in Hakes; Neef
oil painter’s bristle fan brushes (Nos
2 and 6); Montmartre ½in synthetic
flat brush.

The subject for my en-plein-air painting

is Steiglitz’s main street, Regent Street,
looking north towards the Brisbane Ranges
in Victoria. Steiglitz is a ghost town but
still has a few occupied historic residences,
including the last remaining (non-operating)
hotel and post office, as well as the heritage
classified courthouse, draper’s shop and
two timber churches. Steiglitz came to life
when gold was discovered there in 1853. It
was a thriving township, in the middle of a
forest, with 12 hotels and 2,200 residents
including 200 Chinese prospectors, many
buried in the Steiglitz cemetery. It lasted
until 1857 and today the sites of buildings
S REFERENCE PHOTO
are commemorated with plaques, mullock
heaps from the mines and the old Cobb and
Co depot (Australia’s equivalent to Wells
Fargo stagecoaches).
My view down Regent Street in 1853 would
have included shops and buildings along
each side of the street down to the creek at
the bottom. I set up underneath a 170- year-
old apricot tree that was once in the front
yard of a shop. An amazing surviving relic in
Australia’s harsh environment. What inspired
me to paint from this spot? The sky and the
distant hills, the old draper’s shop and the
sheer ambience of being in such a historic
place. I wanted to capture the serenity, the
silence except for the birdsong and the light
and soft muted tones of this verdant part of
the Australian landscape. Z
 X STAGE THREE
Beginning with the sky, I wetted parts of it with
clean water then painted blue (ultramarine blue
and cerulean blue) into the dry areas and a grey (the
previous blues plus some sepia) into the wet areas,
making sure I left some dry white paper areas for the
top of the clouds. The hills were painted with a mixture
of cerulean blue, sepia, burnt sienna and perylene
green, changing the emphasis of various colours so it
wasn’t uniform all over, but varied in the colour of the
foliage. I washed in the road with Indian yellow and
the left-hand side foreground with a combination of
Indian yellow, sepia and cerulean blue

S STAGE ONE
I set up my easel, table, seats, dog (optional) and painting necessities
under the old apricot tree, in the shade

X STAGE TWO
I began drawing in situ. Not a lot of detail was included but I positioned
the major parts and made sure it was balanced. This included placing
the horizontal vanishing point (far end of the street) lower than the
middle of the sheet. It should be placed at thirds or fifths, so I placed
this at about two-fifths up from the bottom of the sheet with the
top of the hills at three-fifths up the sheet. I placed the draper’s shop
approximately on the right-hand side Golden Third position. It was
important to keep the painting balanced. I show this in more detail in
my video Watercolour: Tonal Impression (APV Films; www.apvfilms.com)
where I explain my Five Steps To Watercolour process

AMANDA’S TOP TEN TIPS

1: If you have never done en-plein-air
painting then it’s worth considering trying
it. It has multiple benefits, such as getting
you out of the house, improving your art
and getting social again after the past few
years of upheaval to our lives. You can paint
in your own front or back yard. There is
always something you can paint, anywhere,
even if it’s just a quick pen and wash of your
dog or the pot plants. The trick is to make
it interesting by looking where the light
is falling, finding the shadows, looking at
the depth of tones, using your own colour
choices. Not just copying but thinking about
creating a piece of art.
2: Don’t worry about the weather unless
there is a cyclone. I’ve painted in the most
unappealing conditions: in a bus shelter in
Plymouth; in rain at Port Arthur (page 35); in
42oC in Italy (must admit a few of the group
stripped off and jumped off the jetty into the
crystal blue water); in deserts; through café
windows.
Sometimes the conditions are what makes
you paint a better painting because you
think quicker. Old adages are so true such as
‘you never know ’til you have a go’ and my
favourite from Mary Poppins ‘well begun is
half done’.
3: If you are involved in the next step of
painting away from your home it’s a good
idea to be able to access the back of your
car as a seat, shade and mini bar. Backing
up to your vista and having the car handy
provides a form of comfort.
4: Be prepared. There’s nothing worse than
forgetting to bring things. You don’t have to
bring the kitchen sink but remember this is
en-plein-air painting and you are not inside
your comfortable studio.
5: If you do forget things, I’ve found
that if you set up near civilisation, a café
will provide sustenance and water and
conveniences. Trees or awnings will provide
shade. Ledges will provide seating. And
people passing by will always provide their
opinion!
6: If you are ready for the bigger en-plein-air
painting holiday adventure then it’s always
advisable to contact the workshop artist
who is usually aware of the locations you
will be painting in and can inform you of
what to bring.
7: En-plein-air painting allows you to
progress your art by putting you ‘in the
moment’. The subject matter will reveal
itself to you after something grabs your
attention. You may remember something
you saw a while ago and decide to go back
and paint it.
8: En-plein-air painting is very ‘in the
moment’. Atmospheric conditions change
rapidly. What captured your attention in
the beginning may not be the same after
an hour. I’ve had situations where halfway
through a painting a truck has pulled up in
front of the scene.
9: Another old adage is that ‘if you keep
doing the same thing and getting the same
mistakes then you won’t get anywhere’.
Well this doesn’t happen with en-plein-air
painting because you are painting as a
reaction to the immediacy in front of you.
You will make mistakes but you move on and
the mistakes you thought you made have
either disappeared and are now irrelevant,
or have become interesting parts of the
painting, adding to your learning about
‘what not to do’.
10: There is a visual difference between
studio paintings and en-plein-air paintings.
En-plein-air paintings are looser, memorable,
spontaneous, dynamic, exciting and often
have been done in exhilarating conditions.
They are rarely repeatable. That’s exciting.
 PRACTICAL

S STAGE FOUR
I added the trees on the left with a combination of sepia, perylene green,
cerulean blue and burnt sienna in various strengths (or tones)

S FINISHED PAINTING
Regent Street, Looking North Towards the Brisbane Ranges, watercolour, 18x 24in (46x61cm).
I darkened the vanishing point at the end of the street, added some shadows, touches of grass, branches and road dirt, and decided to stop while I was
ahead. It’s always very tempting to keep fiddling but my experience from the past 40 years of painting is not to. Put the brush down! The painting took 45
minutes and that’s enough time to have been bitten by a few mosquitoes, trodden in an ant’s nest, tripped over the dog’s rope, walked into a spider’s web
and kept an eye out for snakes
LINE AND WASH
Fast and fluid
Improve your skills and confidence by painting with other urban sketchers.
Neil Whitehead offers advice to those new to working outside in line and wash
U
rban sketching is a hugely
popular worldwide
movement that
encourages collaboration
and the development
of individual styles. As urban sketchers
observe and draw on location, capturing
the landscapes and the surroundings of
where they live and travel, sketches are
shared online, one drawing at a time.
I am an urban landscape artist and
urban sketcher. I’ve always liked to draw
urban scenes and love how architecture
can tell the story of our surroundings.
‘It’s important to keep your work, to provide a
running commentary on your art’
S My preferred sketchbook is a
Moleskine A5 sketchbook. The compact
size is perfect for urban sketching and
easy to store once back at home
X My customised tripod works well as
a field easel that can be adjusted to sit
flat and can also be angled
Spoilt for choice, growing up near
central London, the history of the urban
landscape has always fascinated me. The
hustle and bustle of crowds, the history
that runs through the ancient church
spires, the majesty of medieval domed
roofs, modern shopfronts framed with
Victorian architecture and the sleek
modern feats of engineering that outline
the ever-changing urban skyline. This
mesh of architectural styles seen around
our cities and towns deeply satisfies
my artistic motivation and my artistic
development.
Sketching in a group is a great
experience and good for building
confidence (often the nemesis of those
starting out) and helps dilute the stress
of the public peering over your shoulder
when sketching! Solitary sketching can
also be a very satisfying experience. By
sketching buildings and streetscapes,
artists create a record of the city’s
architecture and design. Over time, these
sketches can serve as a visual history of
growth and development.
I’m a fast sketcher and painter, I like to
simplify complex scenes to bring about
new artistic interpretations. My lines are
quick and smooth and often continuous.
My colour use is rapid – using lots of
water and no holding back with pigment
and contrast. Somewhat unconventional
to most classic watercolourists, who will
build up with three of four layers of darks
and lights, I like to paint once and leave
bold areas of the white space to allow the
work to breathe. Negative (white) space
will become one of your greatest tools.
I use strongly pigmented watercolours
to achieve this, predominantly using the
Inktense paint pans from Derwent mixed
with a couple of Winsor & Newton tubes.
Sketchbooks and setup
What to look for in sketchbook? My
preferred sketchbook that works well
on location is the A5 range of Moleskine
watercolour sketchbooks. These have
100 (200gsm) pages that are thick,
super absorbent and very capable of
handling lots of pen, water and pigment.
The compact size is perfect for urban
sketching and once finished they are nice
and easy to keep on the bookshelf. It’s
important to keep your work, to provide
a running commentary on your art. No
matter how experienced you are, it’s
healthy to chart your changes and have
a personal reference guide to techniques
and styles that worked well or perhaps
didn’t.
 PRACTICAL

SETTING THE SCENE

S Dividing your view up into nine
squares and placing the key areas of
interest at the intersections creates
visual depth and allows the eye to
wander and explore the scene
O The rule of thirds A core practice in photography and the
reason why camera viewfinders and mobile phones come
equipped with a viewing grid is the ability to slice up the scene
into nine squares or three vertical and horizontal sections. I
adopt the same method when sketching and painting. Placing
the key areas of interest at the intersections creates visual depth
and a fuel for the eye to wander and explore the scene.
O Perspective With this skill and way of seeing in your mind,
it’s time to add perspective into the equation. Perspective
needn’t be a scary thing; it’s our friend, creating depth, interest,
and realism. It can come in many forms, and ranges from one-,
two-, three- and four-point perspective. A fundamental skill to
architects, most urban landscape artists use just one- or two-
point perspective. In one-point perspective, the rectangular
planes of the building, including the windows and doors,
appear to converge towards a single vanishing point on the
horizon line. In two-point perspective, the rectangular planes
appear to converge towards two vanishing points.
O The vanishing point or where it all leads A very identifiable
aspect of my work is how I place the vanishing point in the S I place the vanishing point in
sight lines of my rule of thirds. This is a very conscious decision the sight lines of my rule of thirds
and provides a natural journey for the eye to travel, pause and to provide a natural journey for
explore. the eye to travel and explore

Sketching setup is a very important
consideration. Sketching whilst
uncomfortable will rarely deliver a fluid
and relaxed result. Sometimes a good
bench will suffice, although I tend to
draw better standing. I have customised
a tripod to work well as a field easel that
can be adjusted to sit flat and also be
angled.
Sketching fast
I work fast. My sketches usually take
around ten or 15 minutes maximum
when working around A5/A4 size. If I
spend too long sketching, I naturally
start to add too much detail and lose any
rhythm. The best way to encourage a fast
sketch is to draw with a single line. The
challenge is to keep the pen in constant
contact with the paper. One of the main
benefits from a continuous line-sketching
method is that it encourages focus on the
overall form and structure of the subject,
rather than allowing time to get bogged
down in the details. It’s a technique I
use to free up my arm and to kickstart
rhythm in my artwork. By eliminating
the need to lift the pen or pencil off the
page, continuous line sketching allows me
to capture the essence of the subject in a
more intuitive and expressive way.
I like to apply finishing touches to the
sketch, such as the hint of p eople. A
simple head and body shape immediately
S Encourage fast sketching by drawing with a
single line. This keeps you focused on the overall
form of your subject and stops you getting
bogged down in the details
helps bring the sketch to scale and adds
more movement. As per the scene itself,
however, don’t get too caught in the
people detail. Practise sketching people
and you’ll soon start to begin capturing
the essence of a figure and naturally
begin to sketch faster.
Sometimes I like to start the sketch by
mapping out the vanishing point and
the overall scale on the page in pencil.
This is a handy way to make sure you’ve
made room for the sketch (including sky
and foreground) on the page, plotted
the basic lines of perspective and to add
some guidelines to any key verticals. Use a
kneadable putty rubber to remove pencil
marks without damaging the watercolour
paper surface.
Adding watercolour
Once the sketch is done, we can unleash
the colour, either on location or later via
a reference photo, and give our pages a
wash of life and some new interest. This is
the chance to deliver some further artistic
licence and personality to the scene. I
work with a limited palette, which helps
reduce the possibility of muddying the
painting and overwhelming the sketch. A
lesson learnt through failure, many times.
I naturally start with a bold sky, quite
often using a phthalo blue Winsor &
Newton tube colour applied with a thick
mop-style brush. I keep the brushstrokes
vertical to encourage some natural drips
and to align to the vertical orientation
of my sketch. Not all the sky is painted.
The sporadic coverage starts to bring
about the expressive nature of the line-
and-wash technique. The sky might be
influenced by your mood; I like to think
of the painting as a visual diary. Quite
often my skies are green and orange and
quite often I let the sky spill over into the
buildings. This is a very conscious decision
and adds another twist to lay rhythm and
fluidity to the final work. Z
LINE AND WASH

I start with a bold sky

applied with a mop
brush, keeping the
brushstrokes vertical
to encourage natural
drips. I make sure I
leave some areas as
white paper to keep
the work expressive

The remaining scene is done with a
similar mindset: vertical brushstrokes, lots
of water to encourage drips and plenty of
speckles to create movement. Notice how
I like to leave a defined aspect of white
space. This bold edge helps define the
foreground and background. I make sure
to add darker elements to areas in the
foreground, such as doorways, pavement
details, people, and so on. This can be
done by reworking the pen over the
almost-dry paper (this often draws out a
lovely darker ink) or by using a smaller
brush.
Once the paint is dry and the reworked
lines are nice and dark, I like to add a few
final accents of colour to brighten the
scene and evoke more of the movement.
Typically I will pick out some of the
brighter colours from the scene, perhaps
yellow or reds, and offer up small areas in
colour fineliner, felt tip or in watercolour
with a fine brush. Resist the temptation
to work in too much detail at the end.
When you start looking for more to add,
it’s generally a sign to stop and move on
to the next sketch. The sketch should
be about observing your surroundings,
being rhythmic, artistic, and fun. Fill
that sketchbook and find the fuel for
your own style. There are hundreds of
urban sketchers on Instagram, Pinterest
and Facebook that can help deliver the
inspiration that every artist requires.
Neil Whitehead
is an award-winning urban landscape artist
originally from London, now living in Taunton,
Somerset. His fast and fluid style of expressive
and continuous line in ink, watercolour and
acrylic is all about speed, rhythm, expression
and space, inspired by the urban space. ‘I
gain my inspiration from the fusion of historic
and modern architecture, framed by listed
buildings, historic shop fronts, archways
and spires. My art is all about rhythm and
expression, not a photographic representation
but an original and artful take on the energy
and colour of our towns and cities.’
TA

S X Keeping the brushstrokes vertical and

using plenty of water, encourages speckles S Notice the amount of white space that is
and drips that add movement left. Darker elements, re-worked with pen on
almost-dry paper, were added in the foreground
 PRACTICAL

S Here is the final spread in my sketchbook, showing the two line and wash sketches

NEIL’S TOP TIPS

O A common oversight I have experienced from the many urban sketching
workshops I’ve run is simply forgetting to leave enough space for the sky
to feature and for the sketch to have space to breathe.
O A cut-out cardboard frame can work wonders to limit what you see
in a scene. I have used this technique at many sketching workshops
especially when deciding on a final composition where it’s very easy to
become overwhelmed by the scene and the detail on show.
O Don’t get caught in background detail: whatever is nearer you is more
likely to be seen in more detail. Resist the temptation to get stuck in the
background detail as this will cause an imbalance if the foreground is not
equally as detailed.
O Add movement to the scene by simply flicking light splatters of paint
from your brush. The unplanned outcomes here can really help diffuse
strong areas of colour and hint at the idea of movement in a scene.
O Use plenty of water. With the sketchbook slightly angled, any drips will
naturally flow downwards and add to the visual commentary that the
scene is vertical.
O When sketching with a single line, make sure to vary the line weight by
altering the page pressure. These subtle changes are very visible.
O Don’t be consumed by windows. The more you observe urban scenes the
more you’ll see just how many windows there are. Use them as a measure
for scale but resist the temptation to draw every windowpane and sill S Don’t paint every window you see. Use them instead as a
detail; just give a hint. measure for scale
 PAINTERS
artist  O N L I N E

Tim Fisher Evening Light,

V

Bamburgh, acrylic on board,

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 2ND OF 5
The world of grey
In the second of five articles on capturing special effects in your paintings,
Jenny Aitken explores the colours and strengths of grey in oils
G
etting a strong contrast
in lighting is a lot trickier
in colour than it is in
monochrome. Using just
a single colour and white,
we can gradually lighten the colours
around our lightsource, until finally
we use pure white. However, in colour,
temperature and greys get involved.
Illusionary sunlight always needs these
Jenny Aitken
has been painting professionally for over
20 years, and exhibits across the UK. She
tutors workshops and demonstrates to art
societies throughout the UK. Jenny can be
contacted by email: jen@jennyaitken.co.uk
or through her website
www.jennyaitken.co.uk
S Sea Palling, Norfolk, oil on canvas, 15¾x19¾in (50x40cm)
greys to be convincing. We might know
that a white circle in a flat blue sky is the
sun, but we won’t feel it! Have a look at
your contre-jour photos and in real life: a
bright sun both desaturates and warms
the area around itself. This goes for its
reflections, too.
The painting of Sea Palling, above, is a
particularly grey scene, but look how the
temperature and chroma of the colour
changes the further it is from the light.
The nearest sea is blue/green, the shadows
dark and cold. The colours in the splash
of light are warm greys, leaning towards
orange, pink, and browns. If I had painted
just those highlights onto a blue-green
sea, with cold shadows, the light would be
much less convincing.
Observation
We take so much of what we see for
granted, without analysing why things
look the way they do. We summarise
in our descriptions, without noticing
that there is much more complexity to
colours – blue skies, blue seas, yellow sun,
green grass, white clouds. This is why I
love to paint outside as much as possible,
or at the very least, stare and try to mix
colours in my mind. It can be a revelation
to discover the actual colours of things.
When I paint a sunny blue sea, I hardly
ever use ultramarine. It always seems to
match more closely to a mix of phthalo
green, purple and white, with mixes of
red/sap greens in the close waves. It will
always be different.
Sometimes the photos we work from
are very blue, with black shadows and
not a lot of colour information. I find it
useful in the studio to warm the image
digitally, and work from a screen. It is
worth bearing in mind that if your source
image is blue and white, your painting
may end up a little monochromatic and
duller than you would like. Try to make
basic colour notes when you take the
photo, or if you don’t have those, find a
similar photo with more information to
work from alongside. Z
OILS

Yellow + purple = + white Phthalo green + cadmium red = + white

MIXING GREYS
The mixing chart here shows some simple ways to mix a grey;
(brown is also a grey; it’s just a warm version). A basic grey is a
Scarlet + sap green = + white
mix of the three primaries: red, yellow and blue; or put another
way: a mix of complementaries, the opposites on the colour
wheel. I have added a white to each mix, showing colours similar
to those in the Sea Palling painting.
Any grey you produce can then be cooled or warmed, simply by
Ultramarine + orange = + white adding a little more blue or red to the mix.

DEMONSTRATION Cresswell Crags

MATERIALS
W REFERENCE PHOTO O Oil paints. I used the
I painted here at Cresswell Crags following colours, but
recently, so had knowledge of the similar will do: titanium
colours as well as the photograph to white; bright yellow lake;
work from. It is amazing how studying scarlet; ultramarine; and
the light in an area will affect your sap green.
interpretation of the photo
O Synthetic flat ½in brush.
O Solvent.

W STAGE ONE
I turned my board upside down, in
order to see shapes and colours more
easily. Starting with a distant grey I
found in the background trees, mixed
from yellow and purple, with a bit of
white, I sketched in the scene very
thinly

S STAGE TWO S STAGE THREE

I added sap green to the grey mix, for some of the water. Vertical Having got my eye in on the colours, I turned the photo up the right way. I
brushwork gave the impression of a reflective surface added some thin phthalo green and scarlet mix for the darker area of river,
using the paint thicker for the darks on the bank
 PRACTICAL

W STAGE FOUR
I thickened up the colours in the woodland, varying my greys according
to what I observed. I used a mix of scarlet, sap green and white in places,
adding ultramarine to the mix to cool and darken it. I deepened the
greens on the bank, farthest away from the sun, on the right

S STAGE FIVE
For the green path, I used a thicker yellow, sap green, white and a touch of
scarlet for warmth. The cherry has orange leaves growing, so I added this in as
a base colour before adding the lighter blossoms. It’s tempting to paint them
white, but this would have interfered with the brightest white of the sunlight,
so I added a tiny dot of scarlet and yellow to the white to dull it

S STAGE SIX
I used the corner of the flat brush to apply the
blossom and any small details. Adding a touch
more scarlet to the blossom mix, I pasted this
thinly into the area where the brightest light
would be, blending with the edges

X FINISHED PAINTING
Cresswell Crags, oil on board, 9½x11¾in
(30x 24cm).
For the finishing touches I added thick white
to the centre of the pink area, with a few blobs
either side. If you find this mixes with what’s
underneath, just wipe off a bit and add the white
again. The canvas will be stained pink so it will
still work. Once I’ve nearly finished, I always step
back to evaluate what is missing. It’s usually that
my darks aren’t dense enough. I strengthened
a few of these, added a few salient tree trunks
in the distance and then called it finished. This
is sometimes the hardest part of a painting –
knowing when to call it done. For me, if it is
telling me strongly about what I loved when I saw
it in real life, then I’m there. No need for anything
to be neatened or tidied
SKETCHING

A selection of sketchbooks where a

number of different media have been
used including an HB pencil, coloured
pencils, black marker, gouache,
and watercolour. Unfortunately,
the excellent Roberson watercolour
sketchbook in the image is no longer
available

Creating an
aide-memoire sketchbook
Keeping a sketchbook can be enjoyable and memory enhancing as well as a
tool to improve your drawing skills. Kevin Scully introduces us to his basic
lightweight kit for drawing and painting en plein air
as your travels. You don’t have to be and the places you have inhabited are

T
he word ‘sketchbook’ is
restricted to simply drawing and painting recorded in chronological sequence. It
simply a convenient label
what you see; it can be an expression of doesn’t have to be regimented, but if you
that we use for a book in
your particular thoughts and feelings are the kind of person that likes a degree
which many things can be
at a certain place at a certain time. A of order it can be used to document
recorded and inserted, and
sketchbook is a personal thing and if your life in sequence. It can be treated
where they remain, bound between two
you wish, it can be for your eyes only, in the same way that a camera records
covers. You can use a sketchbook in a
a storage chest of thoughts, memories, memories of your life and travels, or as
number of ways: as a travel journal, a
and self-reflection. It can be a place an extension of photographs that you
diary, a place for experimentation, and
where to the outsider, certain apparently take. A camera is restricted in that it
as the basis for finished work. One of its
unconnected things come together. It cannot record things in the same way
uses can be as an aide-memoire to your
doesn’t have to be beautifully organised that your senses can. It can’t record the
everyday life and experiences as well
and prepared for presentation, and there feel of warm sand between your toes,
doesn’t have to be a beginning or an end. or the fragrance of a rose, or the rain on
Nor does it have to be finished. It is a your face. These things can be noted in
document where visual thinking exists, your sketchbook, and they can also make
and an extension of that which connects a physical appearance. Sand might be
your eye, your heart, and your brain. trapped in the corners of the binding,
If you wish, your sketchbook could be dried bougainvillea may be pressed
treated as a diary where your thoughts between the pages, and evidence of rain

S Before you venture out into the

unknown world of plein-air sketching, it
might be a good idea to get some practice
in by sketching something in your home.
This sketch was created with a simple HB S To remind yourself of the names of colours and how they look when diluted you can paint them
pencil and a few watercolours together with their position in your paintbox. You can also write in the names beside them
 PRACTICAL

MATERIALS
O A sketchbook or two. In this
article I have used the following:
Saunders Waterford watercolour
hardback sketchbook, 140lb
(300gsm) Not surface, 9¾x11in W This page contains a
(25x 28cm); Clairefontaine spiral- compilation of different
bound watercolour sketchbook, road signs from different
140lb (300gsm) Not surface, 8x8in places in Greece. The
(20x 20cm); Daler-Rowney hardback black pen drawing of
sketchbooks A4 and A5; and the rocky mountainside
Seawhite spiral-bound hardback suggests the kind of
sketchbook A5. terrain where the ancient
O Graphite pencils, HB and 4B. and faded bottom sign
was spotted, in an area
O Waterproof pens, sizes 0.3 and 0.5.
where a lot of the locals
O Synthetic watercolour brushes sizes have weapons and use
2, 5, 8, plus a 1in flat brush. the road signs for target
O A water brush if you like to use them. practice
O Watercolour paintbox with built-in
palette.
O Pencil sharpener.
O Putty rubber.
O Container for water.
O Viewfinder.
O Two bulldog clips.
O Tissues, or kitchen towel.
O A lightweight, fold-up stool is useful.
O A bag for carrying your materials.

now appearing as smudged streaks across

your watercolour landscape. There might
be stains of crimson where some red wine
has been spilt whilst painting outside a
trattoria in Tuscany. All of these things
will remind you of where you were, and S Travels in Greece. Here I have made a collage of various receipts and tickets accumulated on painting
perhaps who was with you at the time holidays to Greece. I have added some broad strokes of colour reminiscent of the colours of the sea and
with far more intensity than several sky, together with some olive branches
photos taken with your phone that you
may rarely look at again, if ever.
As opposed to taking photographs, KEVIN’S TOP TIPS
which can be fired off in seconds, the O When working en plein air, don’t overburden yourself with too many different media.
process of calmly observing something Keep things simple.
that has captured your interest and then
O Choose just one or two elements to be the focus of your sketch. Just because it’s a
taking the time to record it will bring sketch, it doesn’t mean you have to do it at break-neck speed. Take your time and enjoy
back memories far more intense and the process.
meaningful than a few images taken by
O If you’re using a soft graphite pencil, you’ll need to eventually fix the drawing to
a camera with little thought involved in prevent it from transferring to the opposite page of your sketchbook.
the process. Your sketches don’t have to
O Starting with simple, small-scale drawings and paintings, will prevent you from
be works of art, in fact they can be just including too much detail.
a few well-chosen lines that capture the
O Squinting at a scene helps you to determine the lightest and darkest areas, eliminating
essence of your subject matter, but if you
much of the unnecessary clutter.
want to take things a stage further they
O If you choose a busy spot to paint from be prepared to be pestered by curious passers-
can be carefully drawn or painted images
by. This might be something that you don’t mind, but if you find it intrusive the best
in their own right, to live forever between
way to avoid too much attention is to wear earphones whilst working. That way you
the covers of your sketchbook. can pretend that you can’t hear what anyone is saying. They will soon get bored and
eventually wander off.
Starting out
O If you like to have a neat border around your sketch you can create one by applying
So, where do you start if you’ve never low-tack masking tape. Don’t leave the tape on for too long though, as it might tear
really used a sketchbook in earnest your paper when it’s removed.
before? Well, not necessarily at the

S This sketch of an abandoned boat focuses on the fierce sunlight that has created
very dark shadows and bright highlights. The combination of cool colours in the
highlights and warm ones in the shadows reinforces the sensation. I can still sense
the experience of painting this scene and vividly remember the mid-afternoon heat,
my immediate surroundings, which consisted of rocks and various bits of debris. I can
also remember with fondness my conversation with a fellow painter
S This page showing a simple sketch of a stone wall and
buildings in Otranto, Puglia, Italy, shows how drawing on
paper that’s too thin, allows the image on the reverse of the
page to be partly visible. An effective way of rendering the
complicated pattern of stone is to balance the areas of detail
with some plainer sections, so that the eye travels around
the drawing rather than being bombarded with too much
information all over

beginning! That first pristine white page that familiar with the names of colours,
can be rather daunting, and even now I why not use one of the pages in your
sometimes start a few pages in from the sketchbook to paint samples of them and
front of a new sketchbook. Things don’t name them. You can even paint them in
have to be in any particular order, so you situ in your paintbox.
can start where you like. From some quarters, we’re urged to
If you’ve never painted outside of the use a sketchbook every day, and for a
confines of your own home, working en lot of people this comes naturally so
plein air can seem a little daunting, so get they’re quite happy to do it. For some,
a little practice in first. Start by sketching however, it might seem like being told to
anything that takes your fancy. It might do homework, and although it’s true that
be a vase of flowers, a sleeping pet, or the more you practice drawing the better
the view from a window. If you haven’t your drawings will become, I would
done much painting before, and aren’t suggest that you do it
when you feel
like it.
If you begin with
the notion that
your sketches are
just for yourself it
relieves some of
the pressure. So,
take your time,
find a quiet and
comfortable spot
and begin by
deciding what it
is that you want
Some sketches made at a camel market in a remote village in Morocco. In certain countries taking a
photograph of people or drawing them can provoke a confrontational response. Either that, or you
will be asked for money for the privilege. I made a series of quick and discreet sketches of the traders
with their backs to me. The camels had no problems with me drawing them though and seemed quite
happy to pose. The sketches were produced within a brief time limit, which meant that I only had time
to record the essential gestural pencil marks. The pages are stained with some drops of the sugary, mint
tea served from one of the makeshift tents in the field
to sketch. It’s very tempting when you
first encounter the great outdoors to try
to include everything you see before you.
Simplicity is the keyword, so just focus on
one or two elements that would make a
pleasing composition. It might be a tree
with an old barn behind it, or a bridge
over a stream. Don’t be too ambitious, but
if you’re happy with your sketch perhaps
you can add a bit of colour? You don’t
have to paint everything and don’t be
tempted to start painting every blade of
grass, or every leaf on a tree. Concentrate
on the main shapes in your composition,
and providing your sketch is reasonably
well drawn, it will take care of itself.
You don’t have to restrict yourself
to just drawing and painting in your
sketchbooks. If you like travelling you
could add small mementos of your travels
such as bus and train tickets, receipts, and
anything else that you’ve acquired on
your trip. On these pages you could add
relevant notes and sketches. There are
no rules regarding what you can or can’t
do, so your sketchbook can be filled with
anything you want.
If you want to include a couple of pages
as a memento of a trip, you could start
by gathering together the bits you’ve
collected and paste them, or parts of
them into your sketchbook and add
some notes about the places you visited
together with a few sketches. This will act
as a great reminder of your travels as well
as an attractive layout.

X You might want to record a slightly wider
vista in your sketch, and this one has been spread
across two pages of this watercolour sketchbook.
This image has been drawn with a water-soluble
graphite wash pencil, and some tonal variation
was then added with application of water in a
few areas
Materials
Drawing and painting materials are
a matter of personal choice, and the
possibilities are endless. You might like
to use graphite or coloured pencils,
watercolour markers, watercolour pencils,
water-soluble crayons, coloured pens,
gouache, and so on. Soft pastels aren’t
especially practical because of their
fragile nature, but pastel p encils, and
particularly oil pastels are more robust.
Some people like to use a paintbox with
watercolour pans, but I prefer the kind
that allow you to squeeze paint into wells
from tubes. As these paints are moister
than those supplied in pans it’s not
necessary to keep re-wetting them. They
are also more useful if you want to mix
up a reasonably large amount of colour
for a wash. I always use Artists’ quality
paints in a fold-up paintbox.
The materials you choose to work with
are up to you, but I would recommend
those you are familiar with rather than
something you have never used before,
especially when you are painting en plein
air. Initially, keep your materials to a
minimum, partly for practical carrying
reasons, but also having too many
different options can cause confusion and
indecision. A couple of bulldog clips to
hold your sketchbook’s pages in place are
W No sense of chronological, or
geographic sequence has been
attempted in this sketchbook.
The sketch produced at the
summer retreat of a Skopelos
family is in direct contrast to
that painted from a jetty in
a Norwegian fjord with rain
cloud approaching over a group
of typical waterfront houses.
Both hold different, poignant
memories. Whilst painting the
former, the owner of the house’s
daughter produced a glass or
two of homemade raki from
the kitchen cupboard to help
the morning’s painting along.
In the latter, I dopped a brand
new, very expensive sable
watercolour brush through the
boards of the jetty, never to be S A simple watercolour sketch using a minimal number of
seen again colours. The result is a quietly atmospheric scene that reflects
the atmosphere of the day that we spent painting there. Detail is
suggested without really painting any
essential when sketching outside, as even awful that you never want to look at it
the gentlest of breezes can cause havoc again, you can always carefully remove
with paper and paint. the offending page with the aid of a
A collapsible water pot is a practical scalpel or craft knife without damaging
addition to your sketching kit, as well the spiral wire binding.
as a small fold-up stool. Sometimes a As there are no rules that apply when
bench, or a wall is not quite in the right using a sketchbook en plein air, there are
the position for your chosen viewpoint. no rules to be broken! TA
A viewfinder or ‘View Catcher’ is a useful
gadget for helping you decide on your
composition. It allows you to frame
a chosen view in a variety of formats:
square, landscape, or portrait.
If you are just sketching you should be
aware that choosing a pencil that is too
soft will result in the graphite transferring Kevin Scully
onto the opposite page, and that if you trained at Wimbledon School of Art
and spent many years as an illustrator in
are working on paper that is too thin, any advertising and publishing. He has written
drawing or painting will show through on several books on painting and runs workshops
the reverse side of the page. and painting holidays in the UK and abroad.
Later this year he will be taking groups to
If you are feeling nervous about Ithaca in Greece, and Kerala in India. See more
making a mess in an expensive hardback of his work on www.kevinscully.co.uk
watercolour sketchbook you might On Instagram @kevinscullyart
On Facebook
consider a spiral-bound version. If you https://www.facebook.com/kevinscullyartist/
feel that you’ve created something so
5TH OF 5
Be yourself
Develop a drawing language by allowing your
dawings to become an expression of yourself. In the
final part of her drawing series, Clare Lord sets some
exercises to help us to find ourselves
T
he more you draw, and
the more you focus on the
process of drawing, rather
than on the end result, the
more your work will become
an expression of yourself. Removing
the pressure of creating a ‘masterpiece’
gives you the freedom to play with new
approaches to the business of mark
making in response to what is seen. This
final article in my series on the basics of
drawing will explore how, having cast off
your judgemental self, you can develop
your drawing so that it becomes an
expression of yourself, your beliefs, values
and view of the world. In other words, it
can describe how you see things.
What, you may ask, is meant by ‘the
process’ of drawing? I believe that it’s
more than just the action of doing it, the
moving of the hand on the paper. For me,
the process involves all the thinking and
Portrait of Clare by Daisy, pencil, 11¾x9¾in
(30x 25cm).
One of my drawing class students was seven
when she did this portrait of me further to a short
lesson on using line and tone. I was glad she saw
me as smiley!
‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how
to remain an artist once we grow up’
Pablo Picasso
decision making around artistic choices
that were explored in my earlier article.
These choices include: what to draw, how
to draw it, how long to take, what drawing
tool to use, how to use it, whether to use
line or tone or a mixture of both and
whether to use colour or a mixed-media
approach.
Let’s start with the first of those – what
to draw. The choice of what to draw is
often driven by practical things such as
where you are, how long you have, and so
on, but this doesn’t mean that you don’t
still have important personal choices
Clare Lord
is an artist and teacher. She was a finalist in
Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year in 2021.
A retired headteacher she teaches art at her
local village hall in Staffordshire.
The class is called Everyone Can Draw and
welcomes students of all ages and abilities.
Instagram @clarelordartist
I decided to use a pen for
this drawing because I felt
it would encourage me
to work quickly and time
was limited. Also the pen
allowed me to describe
the darkness of some
areas of the scene, leaving
a sense of light coming
through the window.
W St Chad’s Church,
Stafford, pen, 15¾x11¾in
(30x40cm).
I chose to draw the other
artists in the church rather
than the beautiful altar as
this seemed to capture the
feel of the day
to make. It’s about making a conscious
choice of what you, personally, are drawn
to (no pun intended!). At a recent art class
in our local village hall I asked people
to take their sketchbook outside for a
wander and focus on being thoughtful in
their choice of subject matter. Afterwards
we were all very struck by the differences.
Some people embraced the countryside
view while some chose to draw a pile
of old garden machinery. Others looked
beyond the immediate view to draw
surrounding buildings, while one person
drew the other people drawing!
 PRACTICAL

The challenge of life drawing always encourages

self-expression. This charcoal drawing, below, was
part of a series of five-minute sketches designed to
help us get warmed up and hone our observation
skills. I chose charcoal as it is a medium that
enables speedy creation of tone, which works with
a minimal level of detail to create the form.

S All Saints Church Milwich, Staffs, pencil, 11¾x15in (30x 38cm)

S Stacy, Life Drawing, charcoal, 11¾x9¾in (30x 25cm)
In the same way this drawing of our local church, here in Milwich, Staffs was not from
the most obvious viewpoint. The message here on the gravestones reflected what I
wanted to say about the place being within the community, as did the inclusion of the
nearby house. I had more time for this one and it was a warm summer’s day so I chose
to use a 3B Blue Staedtler pencil, which allowed me to create a largely tonal drawing
describing the details of the brickwork and windows as well as the gravestones and
their important message.

CLARE’S MATERIALS
O Blue Staedtler pencils B – 8B.
O Derwent Graphik Line Maker.
O Derwent tinted charcoal.
O Derwent Inktense.
O Uni-ball PIN fine line pen.
O Cretacolor oil pencils.
O Conté special carbon pencil.
O Rexel Cumberland Derwent drawing pencil.
O Daler-Rowney smooth heavyweight paper.
O Bockingford traditional watercolour paper.
O Winsor & Newton 100lb drawing paper
(220gsm).

I find that I am constantly discovering new and

exciting ways to create drawings. Inspired by
a visit to an exhibition of the work of Dürer I
experimented with a combination of a dark
drawing pencil, and a white crayon, using these
to draw my hand holding a pencil.The result led
My Hand, pencil
me to try using a mixture of coloured and white and white
crayons when next attending my portrait class. It crayon, 11¾x8in
was interesting to try using the white to describe (30x 20cm)
the impact of light on the subject. Z
DRAWING

EXERCISE TO TRY
Use a white drawing tool alongside whatever dark
crayons you have to draw your hand. You could try
several versions from different angles. As always
observe the tone but this time, use the white crayon to
create the lightest areas.

‘Drawing is like making a

gesture with the advantage
of permanence’
Henri Matisse
X Portrait in Sepia and White,
Cretacolor oil crayons, 10½x9½in
(27x 24cm)

When working in the studio one has even more control over the
business of artistic choice. Setting up a still life is a good example
of this, the starting point being the decision about what objects to
choose. Whether drawing or painting, it is important to consider the
scale, colour/tonal values and theme which may give the objects
a sense of connection. I recently put this collection of recycling
together as the basis for an oil painting. It was challenging but fun
to find a selection of such untraditional objects for a still life. When
choosing the objects I thought about size, colour and how light
would impact upon them.
Having chosen the objects it was then a matter of arranging them
in a way that created a visually pleasing composition. In this instance
I went for a triangular composition with the eye being drawn up the
beer can and round the bottle to the orange of the baked beans. I
liked the colour combination of the pink cat-biscuit container, the
cerulean blue chocolate box and the French ultramarine of the cloth
at the back. The resulting oil painting had a lively feel.

EXERCISE
TO TRY
Try keeping an eye
out for interesting-
looking recycling
over a few days and
then experiment with
combining them in
different ways until
you find a composition
that appeals to you.
Almost no need to
draw it, but have a go!

X Recycling Still Life, oil on

board, 19¾x 29½in (50x 75cm)

S Derbyshire Stone Wall, watercolour
and sepia pen, 11x15in (28x 38cm)
Using even more colour, I
have recently found that I
enjoy working into a loose
watercolour wash with either
pen or pencil. I apply the
watercolour with a very large
soft brush, allowing the colours
to flow and mingle. Once this is
dry, I then work into the colour
with my chosen tool.
The picture above shows
the variety of mark-making
involved. I try not to be driven
by the position of the colour
and to use the pen to describe
the form. In this instance I chose
a sepia pen as it seemed to
relate to the tones within the
wall as well as the foliage.
Given the level of detail it will
not surprise you to hear that this
one was from a photograph and
took some time to complete.
The same technique can be
used from life, as this quick
description of spring flowers
(left) shows. There is a sense of
the life of the plant intimated
through the movement of the
pen.

EXERCISE TO TRY
Take your sketchbook and pencil to a room in your house or
garden where you don’t usually sit. Find yourself somewhere
to sit, or stand, and take a long quiet look around you. Using a
viewfinder, if you have one, choose a view that appeals to you
and draws your eye. Give yourself a limited time to make a sketch
of the view. Repeat the exercise in another room. Try to be aware
of what draws your eye and what you like about it.
I try to always be conscious regarding my choice of what to
draw and find that using a viewfinder helps me to decide and
also to seek out the beauty in the ordinary which is something
that means a lot to me.

The business of drawing is an endless joy. Our enjoyment of

S Primulas, watercolour and pen, 7x6in (18x15cm)
it comes from its ability to absorb and relax us because of the
challenges it presents. Crucial to this is our focus on the process
and all that it involves. Choosing to draw is about choosing to
allow yourself to express how you see and feel about the visual
world. As such it is a true gift.

Building textures
Barry Herniman
organises and tutors painting holidays
and breaks at home and abroad. He is
available for workshops and painting
demonstrations plus Zoom sessions for
art clubs and societies. His new book,
Sketching Outdoors: Discover the Joy of
Painting Outside, has just been published
by Search Press and is available from our
online bookshop at bit.ly/ARTIBOOKS.
Barry’s Cloverleaf paintbox is available
online at cloverleafpaintbox.com
If you would like to go on Barry’s
mailing list, email him at
bazherrflick@gmail.com or visit
www.barryherniman.com
Explore the possibilities of using a textured ground
with Barry Herniman as he shows how to paint the
textures of buildings in watercolour
O
ver the years I have led
painting holidays to
some wonderful and
delightful places and
during that time I’ve
come across many lovely old buildings
in varying degrees of neglect and
disrepair, just begging to be captured
in paint. In this article I will focus on
some of those lovely textures and show
you how to get the best out of your
watercolours.
The lovely Portuguese town of Tavira
is awash with all manner of delightful
W Still Standing, Tavira,
Portugal, watercolour
on Schmincke rough
watercolour ground,
9¾x9½in (25x 24cm).
This balcony right on the
water’s edge has obviously
been undermined over
the years by the river that
runs through the heart
of Tavira, but it is still
standing. I did this painting
as a demonstration for my
painting group to show how
to utilise the super texture
of this watercolour ground
buildings and last year I took a group
there for a few days painting. With all
these building textures around me, I
decided to do my demonstration on a
watercolour ground from Schmincke,
which really brings the textures to life.
This rather unique product comes in a
variety of different formats including
fine, for a smooth working surface;
rough for a textured surface; and
transparent for overpainting a coloured
base. I tend to favour the rough and
apply it with a palette knife quite
randomly to get maximum texture.
 PRACTICAL

EXERCISES Painting on the rough ground

S EXERCISE ONE S EXERCISE TWO S EXERCISE THREE

Before you start painting, try out this quick
exercise to get the feel of this unique and unusual
surface, as it really isn’t like anything I’ve painted
watercolours on before. The paint consistency
is central to getting the best out of the ground.
Making your mixes too watery will literally slide
off the surface as I have shown here
Using the same ultramarine and orange
colours as before, this time mix a much
creamier mix that adheres better to the
rather ‘slick’ surface. You can also see
where the paint has not sunk into the tiny
indentations on the surface
After drying the paint with a hairdryer
this is how the colours turned out. Be
sure the colours are bone dry before you
move to the next stage

W EXERCISE FOUR
With exactly the same mix as before
lay another wash over the first one
and watch how the colours jump off
the page. You can see the original
colour wash around the edge

X EXERCISE FIVE
That is how it looked when dry. Have
a go for yourself and try out some of
your own techniques on this exciting
ground!

DEMONSTRATION Tavira Doorway

TIP
Because of the very rough nature
of the ground I would advise you
MATERIALS not to use your expensive kolinsky
O Schmincke rough sable brush when painting on this
watercolour ground. surface, just in case it dulls that
lovely point!
O Schmincke Horadam
watercolours: Indian yellow;
orange; madder brown;
cobalt blue; ultramarine;
cobalt turquoise;
manganese violet; and
madder red dark. W STAGE ONE
Before starting, I primed a piece of
O Brushes: round brushes,
mountboard with a layer of Schmincke
Nos 6 and 4; rigger No 2. rough watercolour ground using an old
O Varnish brush or similar. varnish brush to give me some extra
O Mountboard.
texture. You will notice that I removed the
tables and chairs from the drawing and
O HB pencil. added more texture to the wall in their
place
WATERCOLOUR

S STAGE TWO S STAGE THREE S STAGE FOUR

Starting with a fairly creamy wash of Indian Moving to the right I painted the grey With that same grey mixture of cobalt blue,
yellow with a touch of manganese violet and window surrounds orange and manganese violet, I used my No 8
cobalt turquoise, I painted in the exposed brush and scraped some colour over the rough
stonework in the wall surface of the block path

S STAGE FIVE
I began working into the door where the red
paint has weathered away leaving the grey
undercoat showing through
S STAGE SEVEN
S STAGE SIX It was time to get the rigger out
Here you can see the underpainting with all the main areas and, using a nice creamy mix, I
established with their basic colours. The main addition is the red started to paint in the shadow
door, which I painted with madder red dark and a hint of blue areas of the window

W STAGE EIGHT
I was dying to get to
grips with this red door!
I painted in the shadow
area with a mix of madder
red dark and a touch of
ultramarine

X STAGE NINE
By adding just a few
darker areas to the mix,
the painting started to
come together. The next
step was to start zoning
in on specific details
 PRACTICAL

WSTAGE
ELEVEN
Back again with the
rigger, I pulled out
some of the detail in
the blockwork path

S STAGE TEN
With a predominantly blue/brown mix I use my No 4 brush and
painted in the darker areas around the exposed stonework

W STAGE TWELVE
I overlaid another red wash to
the door, painted in some of the
green bush and strengthened
up the textures in the lower part
of the wall. I was on the home
straight

X STAGE THIRTEEN
Using my No 4 brush and a mix of
cobalt blue, orange and manganese
violet, I started to carve out the
shadow areas in the stonework

S STAGE FOURTEEN
With my rigger and a strong mix of brown/blue
I added the darkest accents to the stones

X FINISHED PAINTING
Tavira Doorway, watercolour, 9¾x9½in
(25x 24cm).
Adding darker details here and there really
brought the painting to life. Notice how I have
added them to the slats in the door, cracks in the
plasterwork, dark shadow greens in the bush,
and so on
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 PRACTICAL

Reignite the
spark
Enliven your painting with Steve Griggs’ simple steps
to kick-start your creative focus

E
arly in an artist’s career, we
are encouraged to develop
a painting style to create a
consistent body of work. It
is good advice, and helpful
when establishing a painting niche or
approaching galleries for representation.
Over time, however, particularly for the
seasoned artist, that style can become
dry and repetitive. Unless we choose
to push ourselves to learn new ways
of communicating feeling, mood, and
emotion, we can find ourselves in an
artistic rut. Not only do we feel it when
we paint, those who see our paintings can
feel it as well. What do we do when we
don’t want to abandon the painting style
we worked hard to establish, but we must
do something to revive the spark and
feeling in our work?
For a creative kick-start, I encourage
you to try out these relatively simple
approaches to both value and focus. Even
if you don’t find yourself in a creative
desert, try these strategies to enliven your
paintings and give yourself a creative
boost.

‘You get to
create reality and
tell the story you
want to tell’
X Antidote to Confusion, watercolour on paper,
14x10in (35.5x 25.5cm).
This plein-air painting came from a standard
landscape scene – pretty, but fairly typical. By
changing value and focus, I transformed an
ordinary scene into one with an interesting focal
point and colour

Z
2ND OF 5

Using the reference photo, I mapped out

the simple shapes (Box A) and assigned
comparative values to each shape from
lightest to darkest (Box B). With Daniel Smith
graphite grey watercolour paint, I completed
the value baseline (Box C) by creating a In Boxes D, E, and F I rearranged the values, exchanging lights and darks, creating different
thumbnail sketch. value patterns, which suggests different moods in each thumbnail sketch

STEVE’S TIP FOR

CHANGING MOOD
AND FOCUS
Mood
O Using a reference photo, identify the
simple shapes in the scene.
O Assign comparative value to the
shapes, moving from light to dark.
O Create small thumbnail sketches,
rearranging the values.
O Examine the thumbnail sketches,
noticing how the changed value alters
the mood or feeling of the scene.
O Paint a small sketch using colour to
emphasise the rearranged values.
O Apply the changed value pattern to
a painting and see how it changes
the mood from the original reference
photo.
Focus
O Using a reference photo, identify the
subject you want as the focus.
O Determine what elements of the photo
to eliminate, alter, or abstract in order
to sharpen the focus.
O Consider changing from the obvious
focus to something more obscure
such as a group of people in a city or a
single tree near a lake.
 PRACTICAL
Focus
Remember, you get to interpret the
scene however you want. You get to
create reality and tell the story you
want to tell. You can leave elements in,
remove them, or add others that aren’t
actually there. This is your opportunity
to explore feelings and experiences and
communicate them within your painting.
What about the subject of your painting?
How can you manipulate the story by
changing how your subject relates to the
painting? Consider isolating the subject to
put more focus on it, perhaps abstracting
the background to further emphasise the
subject.
I encourage you to try these strategies
and have fun with them. Finding new
ways to approach your paintings can add
a new dynamic to your work, perhaps
connecting you with your art in a new
way and connecting your viewers on a
different storytelling level. As artists, we
can sometimes get locked into saying
things in just one way. If you want to
expand what you are trying to say in your
paintings, consider how you are using
value and focus to enhance your unique
painting style and add a different mood
or feeling to your work.

STEP ONE
A good place to begin is with your source
material, either as a reference photo or on
site when painting en plein air. This is where
an idea presents itself. Sometimes trying to
replicate the scene exactly can be dull or
uninspiring. Altering the value and/or focus,
however, can breathe new life into your
painting, with interesting results. Try it out
and see what happens! S In the Mood, watercolour, 14x10in (35.5x 25.5cm)

STEP TWO STEP THREE

The easiest way to start seeing value
differently is with a reference photograph.
Start by looking at the scene in your
reference photo and noticing the simple
shapes and their associated values as I have
done, top left. Establish a baseline for the
values, by detailing and mapping the lights
and darks in the photo. Next, rearrange
those values, swapping darks and lights
and noticing how the altered values create
different mood and feeling.
W Colour Study, watercolour on Arches paper,
10x8in (25.5x 20cm).
I chose one of the rearranged thumbnails (Box D)
and painted a colour sketch based on the value
pattern. At this point, I’ve departed from the
reference photo, creating a new dynamic
The reference photo has within it an
inherent mood. If you choose to artistically
alter the values, it will change the scene
to afternoon or nighttime. Perhaps it will
alter the mood to reflect an impending
storm or, alternatively, if the photograph
shows twilight, or clouds rolling in, you can
change the story by creating clear skies and
sunshine. You can further enhance your
value study by adding colour, particularly
unexpected colours that change the feeling.
STEP FOUR
Using the information you garnered from
experimenting with value, apply it to a
painting, and see how it changes the mood,
emotion, and feeling. Try different versions
of the same painting, applying the various
value patterns.
Steve Griggs
is a Colorado artist best known for his
loose watercolour painting style. Steve
has won an abundance of awards for his
paintings and has been the invited juror for
numerous state and national exhibitions.
A series of his instructional videos are
available through Epiphany Fine Art and
Kara Bullock Art School. He is a popular
workshop teacher and hosts his own online
classes. Steve’s paintings can be seen on
his website, as well as at Mirada Fine Art
Gallery in Denver; Twisted Fish Gallery in
Elk Rapids, Michigan; J Petter Gallery in
Douglas, Michigan; and Five 3 Gallery in
Laguna Beach, California.
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

KEEPING FOCUSED
Steve Griggs

SSteve Griggs Missed You at the Station, watercolour, 10x14in (25.5x35.5cm).

‘In this painting, I opted to synthesise the scene down to just the human element. Rather than
include objects that would tell the viewer the scene is taking place at a train station, I excluded
everything but the human figures. As the name implies: “because so many people were present,
I missed you at the station. I was looking for you, but I couldn’t find you in the crowd”. The story
is strengthened by sharpening the focus.’
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

SSteve Griggs Larimer Street Crossing, watercolour, 10x14in (25.5x35.5cm).

‘The inspiration for this painting was a bustling section of a city. My objective was to capture
the energy of the city by focusing on people crossing at a busy intersection. To accomplish this,
I expanded the space the people occupied and simplified the buildings, darkening them and
changing the native colour. I excluded cars, buses, and extraneous elements, focusing primarily
on the people.’
COLOURED PENCIL

The artist’s eye

Mark Langley shares his method and techniques for creating realistic
coloured-pencil drawings of architectural subjects from photographs

A
rchitectural art is a
favourite subject of mine
and I particularly like the
interaction of light with the
architecture, whether that
be reflections or shadows. Using coloured
pencil can be very rewarding. It is no
less effective than pastel, watercolour or
oils in getting the illusion from light you
want, but it enables very tight control
for an accurate result. I love to use the
medium like this with architecture. After
oil painting, returning to coloured pencil
feels like coming home, and I can really
appreciate its effectiveness.
I have always loved detail and crafting
a drawing to be something interesting
and considered. It should be accurate
and realistic but not a simple copy of a
photograph; there should be something of
the artist’s eye in the drawing.
DEMONSTRATION
Window onto Doge’s Palace Courtyard
To demonstrate my techniques, I am drawing a
Venetian window viewed from within the Doge’s
Palace, Venice. This drawing depicts the window,
with the view beyond visible outside, and a more
subtle view through the slightly transparent
blind looking at the play of light and shade
through the window and the blind.
REFERENCE PHOTOS
I work from photographs due to the time taken over
these drawings and because it enables me to be
absolutely accurate in proportions. The source photos
are my own, taken with an SLR camera during a visit
to Venice. I love to take photos wherever I go, and I
have developed a quick eye and awareness of what
might make a nice piece of artwork later. I believe
that photography can be used in an experimental way
similar to sketching to develop your eye.
I loved this window out onto the courtyard. It was
attractive on its own, but the added interest of the
light and the blind made it stand out. I took multiple
photographs to give me adequate source material
including one standard exposure to capture the view
outside and other pictures that were over exposed
to show the inside of the room. It is crucial to obtain
all the images you might need at this stage before
conditions change. I use Photoshop to lighten some
photographs so that when printed I can see all the
details, and refer to a more subtle on-screen version to
see the tones in greater clarity

MATERIALS
O Drawing board I work on a drawing
board working up from the bottom where
my sliding ruler sits as a convenient
resting place for pencils. My sweet spot for
comfortable working is about 30 to 45cm
from the bottom of the board.
O Paper I use quality cartridge paper or
Bristol board that is about 250gsm.
O Pencil An F or HB graphite pencil is used
to outline the drawing before adding colour.
Other than the outline this demonstration
drawing contains only coloured pencil,
although historically I have also used
graphite pencils to add darker tones as well.
O Coloured pencils My colour pencils are
Caran d’Ache Supracolor II soft. I occasionally
supplement my main set with pencils
from other brands such as Faber-Castell or
Derwent depending upon availability. A
good-quality coloured pencil can be built
up colour on colour with increased pressure
and saturation and can be as striking as
paint. The better qualities are essential to
get a great soft blend and line. I don’t use
white pencil or similar, over paper that needs
to stay white, I would simply leave that part
of the paper untouched so the white of the
paper can show through.
O Eraser I like Staedtler or Derwent erasers
for removing unwanted marks on the paper.
I normally keep at least one edge of the
eraser sharp for accurate corrections by
cutting it with a craft knife.
O Sharpener Steel sharpeners are essential.
I don’t like knife-sharpened tips on pencils
as I want a predictable sharp point that
won’t snap. A blunt pencil can be useful for
shading and blending, but it is important to
get a good point for detail.
O Ruler For measuring out and scaling-up
from photos I use a ruler that can also be
used for straight lines on the drawing. If
using a ruler for a straight line, I would work
delicately to avoid a hard dark line.
 PRACTICAL

S STAGE ONE S STAGE TWO

I don’t undertake any preliminary sketches, but I do start with a carefully
drawn outline. This is essential for an accurate final piece. I developed my
own method of preparing the outline and transferring the measurements,
measuring key points from the sides, top and bottom of the image. On this
occasion I scaled up by two times from my main source photo
When I begin adding colour I pick an interesting feature as the start point,
something that draws me in. I don’t work top to bottom or left to right, I
work out from a central point, which prevents rubbing or smudging. I lean
on a spare piece of paper to protect the drawing

W STAGE FOUR
Carefully drawn perspective is needed
when working from photographs.
I had to divide the window up
properly and redraw both sides
more than once to get the
angles right. You can never just
measure off a photograph and
expect it to work perfectly.
While I aim to get this right at
outline stage, I find when I start
to add colour it often reveals
a need for small adjustments.
Rotating the paper sometimes
makes you see things differently,
and I often work with the paper
rotated 90- or 180- degrees
S STAGE THREE
The four archways visible beyond the window, are interesting for the
curves that are mirrored in the rest of the drawing. I applied a simple
range of earthy colours of stone and brick, and carefully tidied the
edges of this outside view with appropriate colours for the blind and
window frame. I moved the blind up a little from the photograph to
show more of the arch tops, working from other photographs I took in
the palace to get this correct. This was the fiddliest bit, the little shot
of detail that makes you want to go inside the drawing and look out
the window. Once the drawing was started, I went with the flow, next
structuring in the window edge with its illumination or shadows. There
is little if any light showing from behind the glass and the room interior

MARK’S TOP TIPS

O Make sure you have got a good selection of photographs to
work from.
O Don’t be afraid to measure the proportions out and redraw
until everything sits accurately with perspective.
O Start from the focal point of the drawing and work out.
O Rotate your paper; it avoids smudges and helps you check
perspective. S STAGE FIVE
O Use good quality art materials. Once I had drawn in the shutter, ensured that it was correct and the
O Keep colour pencils sharp. It helps when you blend colour perspective was right with the six panes of glass with leads, I moved on to
pencils and cover white paper well. the fun of the reflections. Here the colour needed to be more muted than the
O Take your time. It can be slow work building colour for a view it’s mirroring. I worked my way up the left then right side making the
realistic result but enjoyable. lead reflect a slight tint of orange and brown. I rotated the paper to check my
perspective before colouring each tricky bit to check everything sat well
COLOURED PENCIL

S STAGE SIX S STAGE SEVEN

The blind came next. Using a delicate hand pressure and light grey with
a hint of other colours I lightly laid down where there are creases in the
fabric. As I went up the blind, I found it useful to rotate the paper sideways
again. The curved shapes are easier to do when your hand can naturally
work a curve, working with your anatomy by rotating the paper. In the
middle of the blind, I liked the hint of the window leads behind the
shadows and the wooden frame
The woven texture was picked out by subtle vertical and horizontal lines of
grey then by adding other colours, such as the light blue, pink and peach.
I loved the effect where the light caught the visible elements and tried to
make sure that this was shown clearly. This was the bit of the drawing that
was most enjoyable to me. I kept working, adding the shadows and hints
of colour, before making the edges of the blinds harder and darker to set
off the glow in the middle. By contrast the window frame needed darker
browns and greys to make this area very definitely darkened

S STAGE EIGHT X FINISHED

The wall surrounding the window
was in shadow, so I drew muted
shades of the brown frame and
orange/terracotta wall. It was nice
to keep the shadowy details vague.
The brightest colour this drawing
could project is white paper. I
needed to let the window leads and
blinds bring out light and be blurry
to equal out the effect of the dark
room, to allow the crisp details to
sing and create energy that comes
from the window
PAINTING
Window onto Doge’s Palace
Courtyard, coloured pencil,
14¼x8in (36x 20cm).
Drawings like this are time
consuming and require
attention to detail and
patience. I estimate this
drawing has taken me about
20 hours not including
preparing photos or any
breaks, and it was done over
approximately two weeks

Mark Langley
is an award-winning artist based in Derbyshire,
best-known for his highly detailed and realistic
pencil drawings of architecture and animals. Mark
trained and worked as a graphic artist before
starting a business producing animal portraits,
architecture and landscapes in colour pencil. He is
a member of the Guild of Railway Artists and has
has won awards at exhibitions with the Society
of Equestrian Artists, the Buxton Spa Prize and
the Derbyshire Open. Mark exhibits regularly at
galleries and art events in the Midlands and sells
his work worldwide. See more of Mark’s work
on his website www.mark-langley.com or via
Facebook and Instagram.
 LIVE PAINTING
WEBINARS
ENGLISH BEACH SCENES WITH MARILYN ALLIS
All webinars begin at 11am (UK time) Tickets: £15

Shimmering water in Using strong lights against People really aren’t scary
watercolour strong darks for impact Wed 29 Nov
Wed 27 Sept Wed 25 Oct

WATERCOLOUR PORTRAITS WITH LIZ CHADERTON

All webinars begin at 11am (UK time) Tickets: £15

Tonal portrait Monochrome portrait Line-and-wash portrait

Wed 13 Sept Wed 11 Oct Wed 22 Nov
• Mixed-media portrait Wed 13 Dec • Layered portrait Wed 17 Jan

EXPLORING PASTELS WITH ROBERT DUTTON

All webinars begin at 2:30pm (UK time) Tickets £15
First impressions
Tues 17 Oct JOIN ROBERT FOR A PASTEL MASTERCLASS ON 21 SEPTEMBER!
The pastel masterclass is your chance to work on a much larger scale, with lots of layering
Autumn glow
and expressive mark making.
Tues 14 Nov
The emphasis of the workshop is expressive loose layering building depth in the painting
Winter fields with aerosol fixative (any brand) and lots of different pastel techniques in combination.
Tues 5 Dec
Season’s change
Tues 23 Jan 2024 ‘I’m really looking forward to creating another great
Getting to grips with greens series of webinars, plus a new masterclass, for artists
Tues 20 Feb 2024 of all skill sets, this autumn.’ Robert Dutton

BOOK TODAY
TO BOOK
SCAN ME

bit.ly/PaintersOnlineWebinars

Sarah Edmonds
is the marketing manager for Pegasus
Art and gallery manager at Art
Cotswold. She lives and breathes art
by promoting artists, writing about
art, consulting, selling and painting
herself. Sarah studied a short course at
the Slade School of Fine Art followed by
a degree in marketing and has worked
in the industry ever since;
www.sarahedmonds-marketing.com
E
mail marketing is still going
strong. It’s one of the most
cost-efficient and direct ways
to communicate with your
audience but there’s been a
change of tone in recent years. Post
pandemic, brands (and individuals)
have realised that an authentic voice
that resonates and is relevant to their
customer is the one that sells – or
rather ‘connects’. Sales bombardment,
offers or pushy newsletters won’t
wash anymore and are soon
unsubscribed. These days it’s much
more about community, networks
and collaboration.
We are much more discerning about
what we open in our inboxes aren’t
we? We don’t like being spammed.
But when the right newsletter hits
the right moment: it’s pure gold. I
look forward to reading informative
blogs, ordering from independent
shops and feeling connected to
inspiring artists. Newsletters can
really turn my day around! As a long-
term, relationship-building strategy,
newsletters can become a really
powerful tool.
So, if you don’t send a regular
newsletter, but would like to, I
wholeheartedly recommend it. Build
a community of like-minded people
and supporters and give something
back. Send them special invitations
and free packs of postcards and in
return you’ll nurture loyal subscribers
who love what you do. According
to McKinsey researchers, you’re
40 times more likely to get new
customers from email marketing than
from Facebook or Twitter. So what’s
stopping you?
THE ARTIST’S LIFE: 9TH OF 12
THE POWER OF
EMAIL NEWSLETTER
MARKETING
Sarah Edmonds shows how e-newsletters can help
build your community of supporters and become a
powerful long-term tool
SARAH’S TOP TIPS WHEN STARTING A NEWSLETTER
O Be persistent Building a list takes time
and persistence. Be clever about collecting
contact details wherever you go and by
directing social media followers to your
website, for example. It won’t happen
overnight!
O Make it easy Try to make it as simple as
possible to subscribe on your website, via a
Pop Up, social media biog link or QR code.
Ideally subscribe using one click.
O Niche is good Remember, your list doesn’t
have to be huge – in fact, a smaller list of
attentive subscribers is far more worthwhile.
Building a healthy and engaged database,
organically, is the best way.
O Give back It’s much more fun if this new
‘relationship’ is a two-way street. Think about
the added value that you can offer, such as
sharing information, tips, insider knowledge,
honesty, and the odd freebie or discount. Tell
them a bit about yourself. After all, we are all
inherently nosey and your subscribers are
no different. They want to know about you,
your process, how you make a living, how
you make it work – share a bit of that with
them. You are creating a special relationship
between artist and collector, like our case
study, Gill Bustamante, who sends free packs
of postcards to her customers: ‘It’s nice to
give something back rather than fishing for
sales all the time.’
O Quality not quantity It’s definitely a good
idea to send newsletters consistently, but
only when you’ve got something relevant to
say. Subscribers like to know when to expect
your next newsletter (is it fortnightly or does
it land on the first Friday of every month?)
but don’t be held to it.
O Automations are good So you’ve
sent your newsletter, now what? I love
automations and think it’s a really neat and
efficient way of making everyone feel heard.
‘Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter,
I’d like to invite you to my next exhibition.’
Managing their expectations also means
you’ll get less unsubscribes.
O Find your voice Who are you writing to
and what do you want to share? Finding your
authentic voice is key to building trust. Are
you passionate about nature, green issues or
painting plein air? Tell your own unique story.
O High quality Try to include the most
interesting and visually exciting content
you can muster – it keeps the quality of
your artwork and proposal high and will
keep your readers engaged. If you don’t use
Photoshop, try Canva or A Design Kit apps
for easy graphics. If you’re using Mailchimp,
it will resize images for you. Content could
also include film, links to longer blog posts
or podcasts, exhibition invitations and recent
collaborations. Keep the words concise and
genuine, not forgetting the ‘Forward to a
Friend’ button.
O Ask a question Try asking a question in
your newsletter title, or within the content.
This opens up the conversation and makes
people think. As Gill says, ‘too many people
are already trying to be interesting without
being interested’; it’s nice to turn the tables!
O Conclusion Make your newsletter your
own. Let it be an extension of your own style,
your own brand. Ultimately, newsletters
are about sharing ‘News’ and updates
from a creative friend rather than a pushy
salesperson!
 PRACTICAL

CASE STUDY:
GILL BUSTAMANTE
Q: What are the benefits of newsletter
marketing for your business?
A: It is an excellent way to stay in touch
with people and send them news of latest
artworks, exhibitions, features, special offers
etc. Especially good if, like me, you mostly
sell online and so don’t often meet buyers
face to face.

Q: How often do you send newsletters?

Are you strict with your schedule or is it
just when you have some relevant news
to share?
A: I send them once a month as that is
enough to keep people informed without
becoming annoying. I mostly show my Gill Bustamante
new paintings but sometimes have other paints large landscapes and seascapes in oils inspired by the Sussex landscape. ‘This is
news or show sketches or videos or photos where I go walking somewhere rural, look at and absorb the things I see and experience,
from my walks or to promote my favourite and then come home and try to capture an ‘echo’ of the place from memory, including
causes a little. I also offer free prints or any wildlife I may have seen.’ Gill completed a fine art degree in Brighton in 1983.
cards sometimes as it is nice to be giving
something rather than just keep fishing for Find out more at www.gillbustamante.com
potential sales. https://www.instagram.com/gill.bustamante.artist/
https://www.facebook.com/GillBustamanteArtist/
Q: Is your aim to sell, communicate, share https://www.pinterest.co.uk/gillbustamante
news, other? And in what order? https://www.youtube.com/c/GillBustamante
A: My aim is to keep people who have
bought my art previously interested in
possibly buying more and to engage those
who are just interested so that one day
they may buy something. I recently sold
a painting to a man who had been on my
mailing list for ten years and his wife finally
bought him a painting! It is good to simply
try and interest people without being pushy.
I basically don’t want to do to other people
what I don’t like being done to me.

Q: Tell us about your tone of voice when

communicating with your audience.
A: I am matter of fact and friendly and treat
people with respect and interest. I prefer to
hear about them than to talk about myself
as too many people are already trying to be
interesting without being interested. If you
listen to people and are genuinely interested
in them, you are far more likely to have them
keep coming back.

Q: How do you add value to your

customers?
A: I do include helpful links, offers and blogs
occasionally but the prevalence is telling
stories about the inspirations behind my
artwork as people do love to know this. It
is easy to do, as I love what I do and that is
what people respond to – especially those
who have similar respect for nature and the
environment and the spiritual nature of life
which I promote in my artwork.

X The Truthseeker, oil, 40x40in (101.5x101.5cm)

Exhibitions
GALLERY OPENING TIMES AND EXHIBITION DATES CAN VARY; IF IN DOUBT PHONE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
LONDON
Dulwich Picture
Gallery
Gallery Road SE21.
 020 8693 5254
dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
Berthe Morisot: Shaping
Impressionism;
until September 10.
Mall Galleries
The Mall, SW1.
 020 7930 6844
www.mallgalleries.org.uk
DSWF Wildlife Artist of the
Year 2023;
September 11 to 16.
National Gallery
Trafalgar Square WC2.
 020 7747 2885
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
After Impressionism:
Inventing Modern Art;
until August 13.
Paula Rego: Crivelli’s
Garden; exploring the
relationship between
Rego’s painting and the
15th-century altarpiece that
inspired it, July 20 to October
29. The Credit Suisse
Exhibition Frans Hals;
September 30 to January
21, 2024.
Royal Academy of Arts
Piccadilly W1.
 020 7300 8000
www.royalacademy.org.uk
Royal Academy Summer
Exhibition 2023;
until August 20.
The Young Artists’ Summer
Show 2023; (Clore Learning
Centre), until August 13.
Image of the Artist; self-
portraits by current and
recent Royal Academicians
from the last 50 years,
until December 31.
Tate Britain
Millbank SW1.
 020 7887 8888
www.tate.org.uk
The Rossettis; the radical
Rossetti generation,
until September 24.
Tate Modern
Bankside SE1.
 020 7887 8888
www.tate.org.uk
Hilma af Klint & Piet
Mondrian;
until September 3.
Capturing the Moment; a
journey through painting
and photography,
until January 28, 2024.
The Wallace Collection
Hertford House, Manchester
Square W1.
 020 7563 9500
www.wallacecollection.org
Portraits of Dogs: From
Gainsborough to Hockney;
until October 15.
REGIONS
BATH
Holburne Museum
Great Pulteney Street.
 01225 388569
www.victoriagal.org.uk
Painted Love: Renaissance
Marriage Portraits;
until October 1.
BERWICK-UPON-
TWEED
The Granary Gallery
Dewar’s Lane.
 01289 330999
www.maltingsberwick.co.uk
Anne Redpath and her
Circle; until October 8.
BIRMINGHAM
RBSA Gallery
4 Brook Street.
 0121 236 4353
https://rbsa.org.uk
Back to Nature; landscapes
from the RBSA collection,
July 27 to August 26.
CALVERTON
Patchings Art Centre
Oxton Road.
 0115 965 3479
www.patchingsartcentre.co.uk
TALPOpen 2023;
until August 13.
CHICHESTER
Pallant House Gallery
9 North Pallant.
 01243 774557
www.pallant.org.uk
Gwen John: Art and Life in
London and Paris;
until October 8.
COMPTON VERNEY
Compton Verney
Warwickshire.
 01926 645500
www.comptonverney.org.uk
Audubon’s Birds of
America; featuring 41 prints
from the metre-high book of
North American bird species
by John James Audubon
(1785-1851), until October 1.
DEDHAM
The Munnings
Museum
Castle House.
 01206 322127
www.munningsmuseum.org.uk
Munnings: Colour and
Light; until October 22.
EASTBOURNE
Towner Eastbourne
Devonshire Park, College
Road.
 01323 434670
townereastbourne.org.uk
Barbara Hepworth: Art and
Life; until September 3.
FALMOUTH
Falmouth Art Gallery
Municipal Buildings,
The Moor.
 01326 313863
www.falmouthartgallery.com
The Legend of King
Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite
Love Story; touring from
the William Morris Gallery,
London, until September 30.
GUILDFORD
Watts Gallery
Down Lane, Compton.
 01483 810235
www.wattsgallery.org.uk
Reinvented: The Art of
Upcycling; celebrating work
that makes the best use of
things artists find,
until September 3.
Formations: Fiona
Millais and Lucy Lutyens;
combining painting and
sculpture, inspired by the
landscape
September 7 to October 29.
MARGATE
Turner Contemporary
Rendezvous.
 01843 233000
www.turnercontemporary.org
Beatriz Milhazes: Maresias;
until September 10.
NEWCASTLE
UPON TYNE
Laing Art Gallery
New Bridge Street.
 0191 278 1611
www.laingartgallery.org.uk
Essence of Nature: Pre-
Raphaelites to British
Impressionists;
until October 14.
OXFORD
Sarah Wiseman Gallery
40-41 South Parade.
 01865 515123
www.wisegal.com
Emily Powell: The
Fundamental Importance
of Nature; solo exhibition
featuring work inspired by
nature and animal narratives,
until July 1.
PENZANCE
Penlee House Gallery
Morrab Road.
 01736 363625
www.penleehouse.org.uk
Lamorna Colony Pioneers;
major exhibition,
until September 30.
SHEFFIELD
The Millennium
Gallery
Arundel Gate.
 0114 278 2600
www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk
Dutch Flower Paintings:
Exploring Art in Bloom;
from the 18th and 19th
centuries, until September 17.
SHERBORNE
Jerram Gallery
Half Moon Street.
 01935 815261
www.jerramgallery.com
Summer Selection;
featuring work by gallery
artists, until August 31.
STOW ON THE
WOLD
Fosse Gallery
The Manor House, The
Square.
 01451 831319
www.fossegallery.com
Summer Exhibition of
Gallery Artists;
until August 28.
IRELAND
DUBLIN
National Gallery of
Ireland
Merrion Square.
 +353 1 661 5133
www.nationalgallery.ie
Lavinia Fontana:
Trailblazer, Rule Breaker;
until August 27.
It Took a Century: Women
Artists and the RHA (Royal
Hibernian Academy);
until October 22.
SCOTLAND
EDINBURGH
Scottish National
Gallery
The Mound.
 0131 624 6200
www.nationalgalleries.org
Grayson Perry: Smash
Hits; covering 40 years of
his career, the exhibition
features pots, prints,
sculptures and tapestries,
July 22 to November 12.
Scottish National
Gallery of Modern Art
75 Belford Road.
 0131 624 6200
www.nationalgalleries.org
Alberta Whittle: Create
Dangerously; (Modern One),
until January 7, 2024.
Decades: The Art of Change
1900-1980; (Modern
Two), until January 7, 2024.
Decades: The Art of Change
1900-1980; (Modern Two),
until January 7, 2024.
 Castle
House,
Dedham
S Alfred Munnings Tagg’s Island (The Models’ Day Out), 1920, oil on canvas, 35x50in (89x127cm)
from Munnings: Colour and Light at The Munnings Museum, Castle House, Dedham

ART SOCIETIES
Bothwell Art Club
Exhibition at Bothwell Parish Church
Centre, Main Street, Bothwell G71
8EX during the village scarecrow
festival on Saturday September
16, 10am to 5pm and Sunday
September 17, 11.30am to 5pm.
Bushloe Art Society
Annual exhibition at Cherry Lane
Glee Garden Centre, Foston Road,
Countesthorpe, Leicester LE8 5QP,
from August 12 to 28.
Cartmel Art Society
Summer exhibition at Cartmel
Village Hall, from August 11 to 13,
10am to 4pm daily.
Clevedon Art Club
The 65th open exhibition at
Clevedon School, Valley Road,
Clevedon BS21 6AH, from August
19 to 28, 10am to 5pm daily;
www.clevedonartclub.co.uk
Cookham Arts Club
The 81st annual exhibition at Pinder
Hall, Cookham Rise SL6 9EH, from
August 15 to 27, 10am to 6pm daily;
closing at 4.45pm on final day.
Guild of Wiltshire Artists
Autumn exhibition at the John
Bowen Gallery, Malmesbury Town
Hall SN16 9BZ, from 1pm on
Friday September 8 until Thursday
September 28, 10am to 4pm daily;
www.guildofwiltshireartists.com
Highcliffe Art Fellowship
Exhibition at the Methodist Church
Hall, Lymington Road BH23 5EG,
from August 2 to 15. Open 10am to
4pm Monday to Saturday; 1 to 3pm
on Sundays.
Kendal Art Society
Exhibition at Stricklandgate House,
Kendal LA9 4PU, from August 12 to 19
(excluding Sundays), from 10am to 5pm.
Lawrence Art Society
Annual exhibition at Devizes Town
Hall, St. John’s Street, Devizes SN10
1BN, from August 3 to 5, 9.30am to
5.30pm; closing at 4.30pm on final day;
www.lawrenceartsociety.co.uk
Milford Art Group
Golden anniversary exhibition at
All Saints Church Hall, Church Hill,
Milford SO41 0SQ, from July 30 to
August 12. Open daily, 10am to
5.30pm; from 11am until 5.30pm on
Sundays; closing at 4pm on final day.
Molesey Art Society
Annual open-air exhibition at the
towpath by Molesey Lock on the
August Bank Holiday, Sunday and
Monday August 27 and 28. Open
daily, 10am to 5pm;
www.moleseyartsociety.co.uk
North Cotswold Arts
Association
Summer exhibition at the New
Warwick Hall, Burford OX18 4RY,
from August 28 to September 2,
10am to 5pm daily.
Plymouth Arts Club
Summer exhibition at the
Leadworks, Rendle Street, Plymouth
PL1 1TP, from August 16 to 20.
Open from 10am to 4pm daily;
www.plymouthartsclub.co.uk
The Post Office & BT Art Club
The 116th annual art exhibition at
St Sepulchre’s Church, 10 Giltspur
Street (Holborn Viaduct), London
EC1A 9DE, from Tuesday September
5 to Friday September 15. Open
daily, (excluding Saturdays and
Sundays) from 10am to 5pm.
Romney Marsh Art Society
Celebrating 65 years, exhibition at
the Marsh Academy, Station Road,
New Romney TN28 8BB, from July 28
to August 12, 10.30am to 4.30pm.
Sherburn in Elmet
Exhibition of paintings, crafts and
cards for sale at Church Fenton
Village Hall, LS24 9RF, on September
16 and 17. Open daily, from 10am
to 4pm.
Solent Art Society
Exhibition at the Royal British Legion
Centre, 155 High Street, Lee-on-
Solent PO13 9BX, from August 19
to 28. Open from 10am to 5pm daily;
www.solentartsociety.co.uk

To submit details of an exhibition for possible listing here,

email Jane Stroud at jane@tapc.co.uk
 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

CASE STUDY: Gill Bustamante

by Sarah Edmonds

SGill Bustamante Nature’s Harmony (with birds), oil, 40x40in (101.5x101.5cm)

 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

SGill Bustamante The Truth Calls, oil, 40x40in (101.5x101.5cm)

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

Working from
PHOTOGRAPHS
In this abridged extract from her new book, Painting Abstract Nature on Canvas,
Jane Betteridge uses photographs as the basis for her painting of a foxglove

N
ot only do I work from
my imagination and
sketchbooks, I also work
from photographs. For
me these are a back-up to
feed whatever information you may have
absorbed whilst out sketching or what’s in
your imagination. When trying to paint in a
more abstract style, you need to pick out the
main elements from the photograph, then
represent them on the canvas with as little
detail as you can.
To do this, study the photograph (left)
and identify the shapes, forms, colours
and movements you can see. Here, the
photograph is mainly green leaves and
surrounding foliage, but it’s the foxglove
flower heads that I want to focus upon. To
ensure they take centre stage, I make a note
that the pink should be made more of. In
the finished paintings, you’ll see that the
pink area covers the majority of the canvas
surface, and that I’ve also used line and
shape to develop and draw attention to the
flower heads, while leaving the greens soft
and unresolved.
The light on the end of the bell-shaped
petals stood out to me, along with the
shadows behind the part of the petal that
curled back – so these were the parts on
which I focused.

O TIP
The best way to identify the main
shapes – those that really matter – is
to half-close your eyes. Start painting
in the areas of your reference
SReference photograph photograph that stand out when
viewed in this way.
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

FOXGLOVE PAINTINGS
I try out lots of different techniques and
record them in my sketchbooks. When I
approach a new subject, I often flick through
and see how particular techniques might
bring out the nature of the subject. Here I’m
using plastic food wrap to create texture
suggestive of foliage.

X Placing plastic food wrap over wet paint is

a fairly well-known technique in watercolour
circles, but there’s a reason for that – it’s very
effective in producing an interesting semi-
random background. The process works just
as well on canvas as on watercolour paper, and
simply involves laying down clean food wrap
over the wet paint. Where the wrap touches
the surface, the paint gathers. You can leave it
purely random, or use your fingers to adjust
and direct the wrap, then leave it to dry

W A twist I’ve added to the technique is to cut small holes into the plastic
food wrap once applied, and then to ‘inject’ more paint, granulation
medium, inks – or all three! – directly onto the wet surface using a pipette.
The additional paint, ink or medium will travel along the folds and reach
other parts of the painting. This gives you more control over the effect, but
retains an element of randomness
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

The colours and shapes I’m concentrating on remained the same as both
exercises – compare the results. Which evokes the photograph more? Which
do you prefer? Once you’ve got the key elements of the photograph fixed
in your mind, you can keep building your skills by trying this exercise again
with more techniques. Note that the paint will take longer to dry, so don’t
rush. Leave it overnight, then carefully lift away the wrap to reveal the results.

SJane Betteridge Foxglove 1, watercolour on canvas, 11¾x11¾in (30x30cm)

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE • DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

SJane Betteridge Foxglove 2, watercolour on canvas, 8x8in (20x20cm)

Painting Abstract
Nature on Canvas
Explore watercolour and mixed-media painting on
canvas with Jane Betteridge in her new book, Painting
Abstract Nature on Canvas, which includes short practical
exercises and step-by-step projects.

Painting Abstract Nature on Canvas by Jane Betteridge.

Published by Search Press on July 31, £17.99; available
from bit.ly/ARTIBOOKS
 UK ART SHOPS Support your specialist art retailer by purchasing
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Stockists of: painting, drawing and
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offers. Stockists of: a wide selection
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and Seawhite.
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Tel: 0238 0339444 and more. and many more.

 Art products to help you develop your skills

NEOPASTEL
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Unwind with watercolours, allowing
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Taking fifty of Matisse’s most iconic works
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Often compared to the artist Georgia O’Keeffe,
Rosie Sanders’ botanical paintings lie at the
extreme end of botanical art. They exude
dynamism and sensuality in every brushstroke
and their richness of colour sets her apart from
her contemporaries. This book showcases her
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Accomplished artist Jean Haines shares her
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Shop now: bit.ly/ARTIBOOKS SCAN

*These books are subject to availability and priced correctly at the time of publication. ME
Geographic restrictions may apply.
 DARE TO BE
Mike Barr
is a Fellow of the Royal South Australian
AN ARTIST!
Society of Arts. He has won over 80 awards,
including 17 first prizes. You can find
Mike Barr shares his thoughts on the power of
more of Mike’s work at
www.mikebarrfineart.com
impressionism and why the impressionist painter has
the best chance of capturing mood and atmosphere

O
f all the paintings styles
that are in the world today,
I believe that impressionism
is the most powerful. When
the Impressionist of the 19th
century were labelled as such, it was not
a friendly description. Their work was
regarded by many as unfinished and rough,
and such a departure from the traditional
ways was not accepted with open arms.
Impressionism, though, was just the right
word to describe the work and today the
tradition continues with artists standing
upon the shoulders of those early pioneers.
The unfinished look of much impressionism
is the key to its power because it invites
participation from the viewer. That obscure
passage in a painting calls for further
investigation and we add to it without even
thinking.
So much can be said with so little through
impressionism. In fact, more can be said with
a simple moody piece than a canvas full of
detail. A painting crammed with focused
detail all the way through, says that the
artist worked hard to get as much amazing
detail as possible. The wonder is in the
work itself. When it comes to dreams and
memories we have of events and places, we
tend to remember the impressions. That is,
our memory of places are mentally painted
with a broad brush. Impressionist paintings
of places draw us in because this is how we
remember them in our minds and dreams.
This is why when we take holiday snaps they
almost never fully capture what we felt at
that time. Artists in particular know this to
be true. We take shots of scenes we would because we are not so much concerned S Rain at the Gallery, acrylic on canvas, 30x 30in
like to paint and have been disappointed about getting the details right. Getting the (76x 76cm).
with the lack of soul in the photographic atmosphere right is much more important Impressionism means that you can legitimately
reference. This is where the artist comes in. and it’s difficult to capture by the trace- change the colour of a scene to enhance the
It is the honourable task of artists to capture and-paint method so often used today. Our mood as seen in this painting near the Art Gallery
the feelings of a place or moment, but it’s memories of places are so bound up with of South Australia. Rain at the Gallery is quite
monochromatic to make the mood deeper
not always easy. I firmly believe that it is our how it made us feel, that any painting that
vocation to make people feel and not just just relies on visual accuracy will be found
see. wanting. We remember impressions, not the the broodiness even more intriguing and
Impressionism as I see it, is our best thousand windows in a cityscape. add the missing drama of life. Don’t just be a
chance of conveying mood and atmosphere, Exaggerate the light and the shadow, make painter, dare to be an artist! TA
ADVERTORIAL

S Yorkshire Hillside Trees and Stone, en plein air painting using Derwent Inktense XL Blocks with Inktense
Blocks and pencils on 300gsm (140lb) Hot pressed watercolour paper 20x22 in (51x56cm). Working dry,
Derwent Inktense XL Blocks are comfortably held in the hand and inspire techniques akin to soft pastel
when used directly on the paper. ‘Scumbled’ pastel effects are easy to create. Blends of one colour over the
other allow pigments to readily mix and adhere to one another in multiple layers. This technique can be
applied over coloured supports, white paper or previously applied wash areas
 Going big with
colour
Insight and review of the new Derwent Inktense
XL Blocks by professional artist
Robert Dutton
D
erwent have been busy
recently! Behind the
scenes they have been
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S All 12 Derwent Inktense XL Blocks are applied directly to Derwent Inktense watercolour paper.
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ADVERTORIAL
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S Autumn Mists above Rydal Water - The Lake District, Derwent Inktense XL Blocks with Derwent
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THE ARTIST’S DIRECTORY OF COURSES, MATERIALS & SERVICES
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FOR A DELIGHTFUL FEW DAYS
PAINTING LANDSCAPES IN
WATERCOLOUR AND ACRYLIC AT
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August 19th – 26th Watercolour
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For further information contact Steve on
Tel. 01225 868086 Email: info@stevehallartist.co.uk
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and domestic animals will not be
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When: Submissions open at to 11. Haven, Wales, from October 21
12 noon on Monday July 21 to December 20.
When: Open for submissions now
and close at 12 noon on Friday and closing at 12 noon on Friday When: Open for submissions until
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T
rees, whether capturing their essence in loose studies or including them as part of a vast
HOW TO PAINT TREES IN
Watercolour landscape, is always a popular subject with the artist. They are not the easiest subject to
sketch and paint however, and within the following pages we hope you find practical help and
is published by
inspiration to develop your skills and build confidence.
Warners Group Publications plc
www.painters-online.co.uk Paul Weaver begins with a look at the methods he uses for including trees in his landscapes,
how he simplifies the essentials and captures structure and colour through the seasons, before
Publisher demonstrating a four-step process. Julie Collins follows with loose and lively renditions in
Lucie Dawson
watercolour and ink (to prove trees are the perfect subject for this mix-media approach), while
Editors Caroline Ward-Raatikainen discusses the materials, techniques and approach she uses to paint
Dr Sally Bulgin vast forests of silver birch, pine and fir in Finland.
Ingrid Lyon

Designer
Sarah Poole
4 Put trees in the picture
Warners Group Publications plc,
West Street, Bourne,
Lincolnshire PE10 9PH
How to add trees to your watercolour
landscapes, with Paul Weaver alongside
advice on colour mixing for seasonal
foliage and simplifying shapes
4
+44 (0)1778 391000

This publication is printed

by Warners Midlands plc.
8 Plein-air impressions
Telephone +44 (0)1778 391000
Julie Collins discusses how to use
watercolour and ink for sketches and
studies of foliage, trees and winter
landscapes

12 Connections to the forest

Susie Hodge talks to watercolourist,
Caroline Ward-Raatikainen about
ON THE FRONT COVER her painting processes as she captures
Caroline Ward-Raatikainen stunning forest scenes
Plentiful lll, watercolour on paper,
23x30¾in (58x78cm) See pages
12-15

12

8
HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023 3
TREES
Put trees in the picture
Paul Weaver explains how to add trees to your watercolour landscapes,
with advice on simplifying shapes and mixing colour for seasonal foliage
T
rees and foliage are important
features for the landscape
painter, conveying a sense of
scale, distance, light and shade, as
well as suggesting location and the
season. A group of sunlit trees can
make a fascinating subject or provide
valuable tonal contrast for defining
other forms, such as buildings, rocks,
boats and people. As organic forms,
they may be more forgiving to draw
than a Venetian palace, but still
require careful observation of form,
tone and colour to make them look
convincing.
Distil the essentials
There are as many ways of
interpreting the landscape as there
are artists, from fine botanical
detail to complete abstraction.
My approach lies somewhere in
between these two extremes. With
both feet in the impressionist
camp, I look for the abstract
pattern of shapes that convey the
effects of light, while adding just
enough detail hopefully to make
sense of it all. It’s often a bit of a
4 HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023
juggling act, best summed up by
focusing on the essentials rather
than counting leaves and branches.
A single tree is a shape on its own,
while a group of trees can also be
seen as one connected shape to
help simplify a scene.
That first impression is so important.
A beautiful view or atmospheric effect
may stop me in my tracks in a second,
long before I notice any details, so
it’s important to hang on to that in
the painting. Squinting at the scene is
helpful in this respect as it enhances
the abstract pattern and makes tonal
contrast easier to define.
Basic techniques
Applying this principle of
less-is-more, the drawing, the
watercolour basics and a minimum
of materials are all I rely on, and
often complete the work with
only three or four colours and
one brush. Shape, edge, tone and
colour are the cornerstones of any
painting and once I have decided
on the subject and composition,
each element in the scene is related
to these key points and a few basic
watercolour techniques.
I see everything in the subject as a
shape. A shape can be soft, broken
or sharp in definition, light or dark
in tone and warm or cool in colour.
The essential language of watercolour
starts with the wash and the bead of
liquid it creates. This is the vehicle for
getting the pigment across the paper.
If the paper is wet, then the wash
will create soft and hazy edges. If the
paper is dry the shapes can be sharp
or broken. Sometimes a shape will
have a combination of edge qualities
throughout, so strategic wetting is
required to soften passages of colour
while maintaining sharper definition
in others.
A tree in full leaf, for instance, may
have a rough and ragged silhouette
but have soft-edged shadows within.
This dictates the painting process,
W Bright Autumn Morning, Windrush,
watercolour, 13x26in (33x66cm). A
challenging panoramic view. The trees and
bushes made a wonderful backcloth to define
the sunlit village buildings.
starting on dry paper to achieve the
broken edges, then working into the
form while it is still wet to create the
shadows.
Economy of brushwork is important.
Through trial and error I have
come to realise that every mark will
register, so when trying to convey an
impression, it’s important to make
each mark count! The busier the
surface becomes, the more cluttered
and messy the final result. James
Fletcher-Watson’s motto of ‘20 miles
into 20 inches’ is worth remembering,
as distances and the shapes within
the picture plane are reduced and
compressed, so is our perception of
detail.
When painting a mass of foliage for
example, I draw the main shape with
the point of the brush, then block in
the form with the side of the brush
and as few strokes as possible. A
little splattering with the brush or an
old toothbrush is useful for keeping
things lively and creating texture in
the foreground, but I avoid dabbing
and stippling at all costs as this simply
creates myriad marks that can make
the surface too busy. It all comes back
to that first impression and how much
information is required to tell the
story.
Seasonal structure
With spring and summer foliage,
trees and undergrowth create full
shapes with ragged edges and a
few gaps here and there. Moving
through into the autumn and
winter months, apart from the
evergreens, the foliage thins out
and eventually falls completely,
revealing the skeletal forms of
trunks, branches and twigs. This
is where the dry-brush technique
is most useful, requiring a rough
surface paper and a sensitive hand
for the best results.
Dry brushing is a contradiction in
terms as the brush is fully wet and
loaded. The key point to practise
is the pressure on the paper. By
dragging the side of the brush with a
featherlight touch across the surface,
the wash catches on the texture of the
sheet, creating directional, broken
marks. With practice, this technique
can be used to suggest the entire
skeleton of a winter tree, from trunk
to twigs, just by varying mixes and
the brush pressure.
Pine and fir trees demand a different
V Frosty Fields, Winterbourne, watercolour, 10x14in (25.5x35.5cm). A cold and frosty morning, I
was inspired by the aqua tones of the frost-covered grass, the puddles in the tractor ruts and the
receding shapes and structure of the winter trees.
approach as their foliage consists
of needles rather than leaves. Dry
brushing can be useful for trees that
are close enough to register texture
but is too much of a good thing for
trees further away. I use a controlled
wet-in-wet technique to suggest these
features, drawing the tree shape into a
damp wash with a rich mix to create
the soft-edged silhouettes required.
Palm trees make wonderful shapes
to practise economy of calligraphy
and dry brushwork; the huge leaves
remind me of giant feathers, hanging
down from the top of the trunk.
Colour
Colour is so subjective as we
all see things differently. A few
colours can go a long way and
my palette consists of a selection
of primaries, with a few earth
colours and a couple of bright
HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023
Dappled Shade,
V
Provence, watercolour,
13x18in (33x45.5cm). I
was tutoring a painting
trip on behalf of Alpha
Painting Holidays and
this glorious subject
was in the hotel
grounds! The dappled
light on the ground,
the sunlit tree and
barn on the right are
key features, so
simplifying the foliage
throughout was very
important.
accents such as cadmium orange
and viridian for good measure.
When it comes to choosing and
mixing colour, the important thing
for me is to paint what I see and
feel, not what I know.
For some reason, green is one of
those colours that can be a challenge
to interpret in the landscape. In the
summer most trees and foliage are
green, but it’s what the light is doing
that counts – that is what creates
the tones and colours we see at a
particular time of day. When in direct
sunlight, the foliage will be bright
and warm overall, but the shadows
beneath will be cool and dark. Winsor
yellow and French ultramarine or
cerulean blue make a bright spring
or summer green; cadmium yellow
creates a deeper, warmer hue. Late
summer creates darker, earthy greens
and some foliage may be starting to
5
TREES

go brown, so an earth yellow like raw DEMONSTRATION Afternoon Sun

sienna or yellow ochre will tone the
green down and make it less vibrant. SKETCH

V
Red is the complementary of green This subject had
and I will use permanent magenta or everything going for it:
alizarin crimson to make a grey-green a natural composition
for shadows or within the foliage or with strong directional
trees viewed in the distance. I may light, a good focal
also add cobalt blue directly into the point and an effective
shadow areas while still wet, using the balance of receding
cooler colour temperature to enhance shapes. I made a quick
the visual mood of cool shade. pencil sketch on the
Viridian is the only pre-mixed green spot for later reference
I have in the palette. A bright, vibrant
and staining colour to be used with
caution on its own, but when mixed
with a little alizarin crimson it calms
down immediately – perfect for the STAGE 1 W
cool grey-greens seen in the distance After sketching the main
on a misty morning. When viridian forms onto the watercolour
is mixed with burnt umber or burnt paper in 2B pencil, I wet
sienna, it makes a great start for pine the entire sheet before
and fir trees. working top to bottom
Raw sienna and burnt sienna are with a wash of raw sienna,
my base colours for autumn foliage, adding a little pink and
with accents of cadmium yellow and French ultramarine into
orange where required. Alizarin and the sky on the right.
French ultramarine with a touch of Foreground trees and
burnt sienna is ideal for the rich dark bushes were tinted with a
shadows within the leaf mass. On mix of cadmium yellow and
the topic of shadows, there is often French ultramarine, with
a lot of colour to be seen within touches of burnt sienna
their shapes, so it pays to study them near the road. A warm grey of burnt sienna and French ultramarine finished the road.
carefully. I see the shadow as a darker Everything was kept light and soft, establishing a warm, atmospheric mood.
version of the colour it is falling
across. After all, it’s the same surface,
just without the sun on it. Including
colours seen in the surrounding
sunlit surfaces helps suggest the effect
of transparency and reflected light
within the shadow.
Ultramarine and burnt sienna
produce a good range of rich darks
for the trunks and bare branches
of winter trees, while light red and
cobalt blue are useful for mixing the
subtle warm and cool greys of massed
twigs and distant belts of trees and
bushes.
When a tree is close enough to
see the structure more clearly, it’s
worth remembering that the trunk
and branches are cylinders - tubular
forms that will convey the light and
shade as well as the foliage. Painting
the entire trunk with the light tones
first, I add the shadows while the STAGE 2 V
shape is still wet to help suggest the Once everything was dry, I developed the building and distant trees. The foliage was
rounded surface. In summary, along painted wet-into-wet to model the shadows, keeping everything soft to help it recede. I
with skies, water and buildings, trees used cobalt blue and cadmium yellow for the distant trees, adding a little light red to grey
and foliage are prominent features in it down. Note how the trees define the edge of the roof. I used burnt sienna for the roof
the landscape that demand careful on the building, leaving the sunlit wall as the underpainting. The bushes along the road
observation and practice. were washed in with a warmer green, adding more cadmium yellow and burnt sienna.

6 HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023

 TREES

STAGE 3

V
The large tree on the right was added next, starting
with the foliage at the top and working down. The
foliage was treated as a mass, dry brushing the edges
to suggest the leafy structure, then working wet-in-wet
within to maintain soft shadows. I worked light to dark,
cadmium yellow and French ultramarine on the sunlit
side, then adding more blue and burnt sienna to darken
the shadows. I continued with burnt sienna and French
ultramarine for the trunk and branches. Finally, a mid-
tone green was dry brushed across the grasses by the
edge of the road.

STAGE 4 W
I added the rich dark bushes on the left, connecting them to the
shadows running across the road. The bushes were painted with a dark
mix of cadmium yellow and French ultramarine, darkening it further
with burnt sienna for the deeper tones. The shadows across the road
were a mix of light red, cobalt blue and raw sienna to warm it up, lifting
out the dappled light with a damp brush. Where the shadows hit the
grass on the right, I switched back to a darker green. Finally, I added a
few details to the distant building and wheel marks on the road with a
mix of burnt sienna and French ultramarine.
For further examples of Paul Weaver’s work
and details of his painting courses and holidays,
please visit his website at www.paulweaverart.
co.uk His website has an extensive shop with
a wide selection of original paintings for sale,
greetings cards and Paul’s bespoke, ‘Freestyle’
watercolour brush, as well as watercolour tutorial
videos to view online.

W The finished painting Afternoon Sun, watercolour on 140lb (300gsm) Bockingford Rough, 10x14in (25.5x35.5cm).

HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023 7

TREES

The perfect media

for plein-air impressions
Julie Collins looks closely at using watercolour and ink for sketches and studies
of foliage, trees and winter landscapes, with simple exercises and tips

I
always find it very beneficial to
look at aspects of any subject
separately. A winter landscape
Sketches
Two examples of sketches in ink and watercolour are shown here (below). They
can be a very complicated subject
were both painted in the landscape when I only had the intention of capturing a
but taking your time and separating
quick impression of the view and the weather. If I am very happy with my sketches
certain parts of the landscape can
they can be exhibited as finished paintings, although this is never my main
help you work up to a more complex
intention.
piece. It can be tempting to dash off
too much at once but trying out some
initial studies and then working step
by step will increase your confidence.
Painting and drawing outside is an
important part of the way I work.
I will take as little equipment as
possible with me and this includes
several sketchbooks, medium sheets
of watercolour paper, a limited palette
of watercolour paints, waterproof
drawing ink and fine drawing pen.
Sometimes the sketches are used for
reference for finished paintings but
the main purpose for me is inspiration
and the freshness I find from working
on the spot with the exciting medium
of ink and watercolour. If the weather
is inclement you may find me in a
W Example 1, ink and watercolour, 4x8in V Example 2, ink and
shelter or working in the car. watercolour, 4¾x8½in
(10x20cm). The trees were sketched with various
tones of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue and (12x21.5cm). This sketch
peat brown waterproof drawing ink. I used a was done very quickly using
dipping pen and watercolour brush. Notice how I only quinacridone gold and
allowed the ink to flood into parts of the trees, Prussian blue watercolours
creating an impression of foliage. and just one line of dark blue
ink. The main tip here is to
work as quickly as possible to
get an impression and feel of
the view. Also, you may not
need to include a lot of ink
in your painting, sometimes
one line is enough.

8 HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023

 TREES

Twigs
Twigs make wonderful subjects for practice sessions of various ink and
watercolour techniques. In a recent workshop, one of the students called
home to tell them she’d been working from twigs all day and had had so much
fun and also learnt so much. Shown here are just three ways of working with
ink and watercolour.

Twigs study 1, ink and

W
watercolour, 6¾x4¾in (17x12cm).
I prepared a flat wash in French
ultramarine blue to use as a
background. When this was dry I
painted the twig with burnt
sienna and French ultramarine
blue. I worked wet-in-wet,
thinking of the changes in tone
in the twig. When this was
completely dry I added some line
with my fine waterproof drawing
pen, size 0.3 to create some
definition and give extra life to
the subject. Take care not to be
too neat with a fine drawing pen
as this will deaden your work
rather than bring it to life. Lastly,
it’s extremely important that the
paint is completely dry before
you use the pen, as damp paper
will ruin your pen.

TwiææĬ study 2, ink and

V

watercolour, 7x5in
(18x12.5cm). I used a fine nib
dipping pen, a watercolour
brush, Indian ink and water
on HP watercolour paper.
Combining the use of the
dipping pen and brush
creates different marks with
the ink. Then, by using some
water, the red colour
separates out from the ink.
You can create very exciting
effects when working with
Indian ink in this way.

Twigs study 3, ink and watercolour, 10¼x7in

W

(26x18cm). In this example I used Indian ink, the dipping

pen and brush. I also included French ultramarine and
burnt sienna watercolours. I sketched very quickly with
the ink and dipping pen, and quickly swopped to adding
some watercolour with the brush. Notice that I was
careful to leave some white of the paper in this piece.

HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023 9

TREES

Trees
Trees are, for me, the perfect subject for ink and Winter tree, ink and

watercolour. There are two examples here but
the possibilities are endless. Try experimenting
to find which techniques and tools you prefer.
W
watercolour, 7x4in (18x10cm).
A small watercolour brush was
used with French ultramarine
blue and a touch of burnt
sienna. Working wet is
important, even when you are
using small brushes, as this
will keep your work lively.
Again, when this was
completely dry I scribbled
some detail in with my black
fine drawing pen, size 0.3.
You could try the same thing
with a dipping pen.

Autumn tree, ink and

V

watercolour, 5x4½in
(12x11.5cm). Here I only used
a brush to work with burnt
sienna waterproof drawing
ink, French ultramarine blue
and burnt sienna
watercolours. The ink has
made beautiful texture where
it dispersed into the paint.

DEMONSTRATION Winter Landscape

This is a fairly simple exercise for
you to try using a limited palette MATERIALS
of watercolour and acrylic ink Bockingford 250lb NOT surface
watercolour paper
HB pencil
Putty rubber
White wax candle
Watercolour: French ultramarine
and burnt sienna
Brown acrylic ink
Brush, stick and dipping pen

STAGE 2
W

When the previous stage is completely

dry, mix various tones of the blue and
brown. You will need mid-tones of brown,
blue and greys for the trees in the middle
distance and much darker mixes for the
trees in the foreground. Test your colours
before you begin, as the tone is extremely
important here. If the trees in the middle
distance are painted too dark, the sense
of space in the picture won’t work.

STAGE 1 V STAGE 3
W

Draw your composition lightly in pencil. Apply wax to the sides of the trees and branches When the trees are dry you can add some
to create a resist to the paint. As you can’t see the wax very well, you could try this on a more darks with watercolour and the
test piece of paper before committing your wax to the real painting. Make two pale mixes brown ink. I used a stick, dipping pen
of a combination of the two watercolours. The first should be more blue and the second and brush with an acrylic ink, which is
more brown. Again, test these to see how they dry before applying to your painting. lightfast. This is ideal for creating darks
Starting with the blue mix, apply a wash to just above the horizon line; then change to and some detail in the foreground.
the browner mix. Take care to mix enough paint to cover the whole sheet.

10 HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023

V The finished painting
Winter Landscape,
ink and watercolour, 10x6¾in
(25.5x17.5cm)
Julie Collins studied painting at the University of Reading. She is an associate member
of the Society of Women Artists and won first prize for watercolour at the Royal West of
England Academy of Art exhibition in 2019. www.juliecollins.co.uk Save money when you
buy her books from our onÿine bookshop at www.painters-online.co.uk/store
HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023 11
TREES
Connections to the forest
Susie Hodge talks to watercolourist, Caroline Ward-Raatikainen about her painting practices
‘I
used oil paints at art school but
about five years ago decided
to focus on watercolours. I’ve
taught myself how to use them, which
I’ve liked doing because it’s been –
and continues to be – a personal and
honest journey. Of course there have
also been transferable skills from
painting in oils, such as composition
and use of colour.
‘I work as much as possible en
plein air, although in Finland there
are periods when painting outside is
impossible. However, I do still like to
keep the connection with the places
I’m painting so I’m out daily on long
walks, and when it’s too cold or damp
to paint, I sketch with pencils, even
when the temperature dips to minus
20 degrees, pencils on paper work!
‘If I’m working indoors I use photos
I’ve taken, but just for quick reference.
I would much rather rely on sketches
done in situ, where my own eye and
hand decide what’s important and
what makes that time and place
special to me. If I’m working en plein
air, I often do a small sketch first,
but then I develop the composition
in pencil directly on to the work,
because just making a small sketch
larger won’t necessarily work. During
12 HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023
this time I plan what order I’ll paint
in and apply masking fluid to the
areas I’ll paint later. I don’t rush this
planning stage; I like to paint quickly
and intuitively but that’s only possible
if I’ve put in the time and work to set
this up.
‘The inspiration for my work is
always out in the nearby landscapes of
silver birch, pine and fir forests where
I live. It isn’t so much about creating
a likeness of my surroundings, but
about finding a way to connect with
it, so working en plein air is at the
core of what I do; it’s just wonderful
to be surrounded by trees.’
A reductive process
‘When I start a work, I’m trying
to encapsulate the essence and
atmosphere of the forest in that
season – in summer it may be
the warm light reflecting off
the glowing bark of silver birch
trunks, or in winter it could be
stark spaces created by heavy
snowfall on branches. The
transformation of the seasons is
dramatic and fascinating here – it’s
often hard to recognise the same
place with only a few months in
between visits.
V February, Finland, watercolour on paper,
12½x26¾in (31x68cm). ‘The deep snow can
feel like it creates negative space and shapes
between trees, so when I painted it, the
empty paper became as important as the
painted areas.’
‘I look for what I would describe
as rhythm, pattern or harmony that
emerge from what can seem like the
chaos of the forest, for example light
on branches or common colours
running through from the foreground
to the distance. While at art college,
I was often in the life drawing room,
and that rigorous disciplined process
of day in, day out observational work
taught me a lot about composition. I
now pretty much trust my instincts to
know what will work and have an eye
open for possible scenes while I’m out
on walks in the forest.
‘I rarely change the landscape in
front of me to fit an idea. However,
forests are complex spaces, and the
painting process is in some ways
reductive, so some details that aren’t
important are played down or left out.
‘I start by using masking tape to
keep a clean border around the edge
of my work to give it breathing space.
This also eliminates the need for a
mount board surround later, which I

don’t like on my works, as they seem
to enclose the pictorial space too
much. I draw fi rst, which gives me
time for observing and identifying
the main thing I’m trying to convey
and organising the order in which
I’ll paint. I use masking fluid to keep
areas of paper clean while I paint
others. Before painting, I mix and test
combinations of colours on scraps of
paper. I like to paint quickly, so the
more organised I am beforehand, the
more I can spontaneously react with
the paint to capture the atmosphere
of the place. I use the drying times
to step back and compare my work
to the scene in front of me, or to
work through any problems in a
sketchbook.’
The fundamentals
‘I prefer to work on smooth
paper, usually Fabriano Artistico
W Plentiful III, watercolour on paper,
23x30¾ in (58x78cm). ‘I chose to paint this
view because of the way the well-worn deer
path naturally draws your eye through the
forest, and I like the idea of my paintings
conveying a sense of journey.’
TREES
(300gsm) extra white, so that I
have a neutral base from which
to build texture and colour. The
largest studio works I’ve done
recently are 92x23cm, but when
I’m working en plein air, the
largest I use is 56x76cm.
‘I often mix paint with sand, so I use
a lot of resilient synthetic brushes such
as Kolibri SQI or Martisan kolinsky,
which hold the paint well and they’re
animal friendly. I do have a few sable
brushes but I won’t replace them. I
also have some old hog-hair brushes
left over from my oil painting days
and pointed sticks for making certain
V Sketch I, watercolour on
paper, 12x8¼in (30x21cm).
‘The rough texture is made
with sand in wet paint.’
Sketch II, watercolour on
V
paper, 5½x6¾ in (14x17cm)
HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023 13

V December, Finland, watercolour on paper, 16½x12in (42x30cm). ‘I love the natural
composition; the contrast of the smallness of the houses and the tall pines, epitomising how
small you can feel in the midst of the dominating forces of winter, and the way the path ties
together the foreground forest to the mid-ground houses.’
types of marks. Lastly, I have my
tool for scratching into wet paper –
a pin taped on to the end of an old
paintbrush; it looks primitive but
works well!
‘I like to mix my own colours,
so I have a large selection that I
experiment with in my studio. I’m
not particularly loyal to one brand
because different brands mix together
differently. At the moment my tin has
some Winsor & Newton, Schmincke,
Jackson’s and Daler-Rowney in it.
I use a porcelain palette to mix in,
which shows me exactly what the
colours will look like on my smooth,
extra white paper. I don’t have a set
palette, although I return to some core
colours that reflect the atmosphere of
the season. My winter palette includes
Payne’s grey, indigo, Venetian red and
14 HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023
raw umber; my spring palette has a lot
of earth colours, such as the umbers,
siennas and Van Dyke brown. I use
permanent sap green, phthalocyanine
blue and cadmium yellow light a lot
in summer and in autumn, I often use
Indian yellow, cadmium red light and
cobalt blue.’
Texture, weathering and glazes
‘I usually paint from the furthest
distance to foreground, masking
out any middle and foreground
areas I want to keep clean. I may
repeat this process a few times,
always masking those things closer
to me. After the masking fluid is
off, I work around the painting if
it needs it, emphasising shadows or
highlights which unify and bring the
work together as a whole.
‘I’m always focused on being true
to the subject in front of me, so the
emphasis is on that process – I hope
my work is always evolving and
growing. I try to paint the individual
differences of the trees. I always start
with drawing, making sure the angles
the branches come out of the trunk
and the grooves within the trunk are
true. If they’re not, it quickly becomes
unrealistic. The next thing I want
to show is the tactile qualities of the
trunks, so if it’s a rough or grainy area,
I may add sand or grit to the paint,
which will be brushed off when dry,
or if it’s a weathered area cracked with
age, I may cut or push into the wet
paper with a pin or sharpened stick
to make small bleeds. I also make
puddles of paint to show weathering,
use transparent and diluted colours to
make glazes for light on the silver birch
trunks, or use more opaque colours if
I’m painting pines in silhouette. For
the leaves, I mix colours carefully,
looking from the lightest to darkest
hues, and because I want a light
touch, I sometimes practise shapes on
separate paper before adding them to
my painting.
‘My largest studio-based paintings
can take up to two weeks, but the
majority of works painted in situ are
finished within a week. I try not to
have rules but drawing and planning
can take up to a third of the time
spent on a work. Only some of my
works make it into my portfolio for
exhibiting, and I quite often paint the
same scene twice or more, until I’m
happy with it. I usually work on one
painting at a time, but I sometimes
work on sketches of the same scene
alongside it, especially if I’m trying to
think of new ways to do things. I make
a conscious effort to step back from my
work on a regular basis, which enables
me to identify areas that work well or
that need adjusting, and that definitely
helps me to know when a painting is
finished. If I’m not sure, I’ll leave it
overnight. By the next day it’s usually
clear if it needs more or is ready.’
Pushing back boundaries
‘I’m quite eclectic and I like to keep
in touch with the contemporary art
Winter Foreshadowed, watercolour on
W
paper, 36¼x48½in (92x123cm). ‘While I was
out sketching for this large studio painting, it
seemed as though winter blew in, bringing the
first of the snow clouds with it.’
world; recently I’ve been looking
at Jenny Saville and Peter Doig.
When I was at art college I got
into the habit of looking at the
old masters regularly, there’s so
much to be learned from them. I
feel it’s important not to corner
yourself with preconceived ideas
about what you should like, but
to always be inquisitive and trust
your own judgement. I’m often
drawn to the Swedish artist Lars
Lerin’s paintings, with their
powerful atmospheres. I love his
use of contrast, such as deep darks
with luminous light, expansive
spaces with endless detail, and the
close-up with distant space. I also
admire the breadth of his subjects,
V Four Seasons; Autumn, watercolour on paper, 6½x12in (30x42cm). ‘I wanted to emphasise the
and how he treats everything with cascade of the colours, so I emphasised the fore and midground, where I kept the colours pure
equal sensitivity and seriousness, and bright, using wet-on-wet technique with the colours mixing on the paper.’
pushing back any stereotyped
boundaries of what watercolour
paintings could or should be. If I
Caroline Ward-Raatikainen grew up in Yorkshire and studied art at Saint
had to sum up why I am moved by
Martin’s School of Art, the Royal Academy Schools, and then at the Arts
his work I’d say because they seem
Academy in Helsinki. www.carolineward-raatikainen.weebly.com
to be painted from the head, hand
Save money when you buy Caroline's book from our online bookshop at
and heart; and that’s something I
www.painters-online.co.uk/store
aspire to as well.’

HOW TO PAINT TREES IN WATERCOLOUR 2023 15


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