Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i Artists & Illustrators

As a child of the ’80s, any mention of the Moomins unleashes a wave of nostalgia. The stop-motion TV series made in the late ’70s and early ’80s was a staple, bringing the fairy tale world of these eccentric, philosophical, but always kindly, characters into the living room. Moominvalley was calm, thoughtful and altogether more beautiful than anything else aimed at young folk during that gawdy decade and, frankly, a welcome respite for a quiet, bookish girl. What I never thought about was who created this magical world and why. The answer is Finnish artist Tove Jansson. And I only wish I’d discovered her fascinating life sooner. There is so much more to Tove than her famous creations: her ambition was to be a painter, something we can all relate…

Portrait Painting: How to Paint the Mouth in Watercolour Geraldine Walter Great timing. I was getting nowhere near a likeness, no matter how many times I checked reference photos… Aine Divine’s tips helped me so much. Thank you. Daily art challenge: Use a pencil drawing as the basis for a looser pen-and-wash painting Sue Petty Love the tip re using string. Thank you. Let us know what you think of Artists & Illustrators magazine and share your painting projects with us at the contacts below... @AandImagazine ArtistsAndIllustrators AandImagazine AandImagazine…

Volunteering in the arts is something I’ve done a fair bit of, and I can strongly recommend it. There are fascinating opportunities open to people willing to give time and skill to a good cause. I’ve found it has many advantages, quite apart from the warm glow of giving. Choose your post wisely and you can boost your skills and reputation. I improved my marketing, writing and public relations skills while working on an Open Studios committee, plus the bonus of building a strong network of fellow artists and arts venues came with the job. Insider access can also offer something special. I remember the thrill of having the V&A all to myself before opening time when I worked on the information desk. This autumn, I look forward to learning…

Your home and studio is in Brixton. When did you move here? We came here 57 years ago, in 1960. At the time, Brixton was not seen as a very attractive part of London. Why did you choose it? A painter and friend, Euan Uglow, saw the For Sale sign. He knew Mary, my wife, and I were looking for a house. There was the garden, and it was so much cheaper than Notting Hill where we looked before. It was also close to Camberwell School of Art, where I was teaching. What made you stay for such a long time? Outside the house, it is changing every day, and inside it gets better and better. It’s so familiar and never ceases to be good for painting. It’s like an…

To celebrate the release of Loving Vincent – the world’s first fully painted feature film about the extraordinary life and tragic death of the Dutch painter – we have teamed up with Royal Talens to give away £1,000 worth of its Dutch-crafted Van Gogh Artist Oil paints. Every frame of Loving Vincent is an oil painting by one of 125 professional artists from around the world. More than 65,000 paintings were needed to complete the work, and every image was produced using Royal Talen’s Van Gogh Artist Oil paints. Loving Vincent is in cinemas from 13 October. www.royaltalens.com  www.lovingvincent.film THE PRIZE Our great giveaway offers you 25 chances to get your hands on beautiful boxed sets of the same paints used in painting this groundbreaking film. Winners will be selected…

There can be a tendency when using pastels to rely too heavily on blending in an effort to achieve or match a colour. This can result in a dull and lifeless image. When working in paint, you can mix a colour on your palette before applying it to your support but, with pastels, you are limited to the colours at your disposal. This means, of course, you require a reasonable number of individual colours. There are a variety of ways you can match colours, including overlaying two or more different hues and blending them with your finger, torchon or tissue. For this painting, I have limited the blending to some very small areas and, instead, attempted to create a more painterly and lively image by placing both contrasting and harmonious…

1 LYNN PAINTER-STAINERS PRIZE OPEN FOR ENTRIES Have you produced an artwork you’re proud of? If so, it’s well worth entering this prestigious competition, which is one of the UK’s leading prizes for representational and figurative art – work that seeks to capture the real world. With a prize fund of £30,000 and this year judged by artists as illustrious as Ken Howard and Daphne Todd, being selected would be an impressive feather in any painter’s cap. You have until 6 December 2017 to enter up to four artworks online. www.lynnpainterstainersprize.org.uk 2 VISIT ING Discerning Eye Exhibition Catch the show of small works from 16 to 26 November at Mall Galleries, London, which features publicly selected artworks, as well as work by personally invited artists, all of which have been…

When, in the early 1950s, Charles Sutton of Associated Press needed a new comic strip artist for the London Evening News – now the Evening Standard – he found himself flying all the way to Helsinki. In the Finnish capital, he signed up a rising star of illustration, Tove Jansson, to draw her Moomins characters for the newspaper. This bulbous-nosed family first appeared in the UK in 1950 with the book Finn Family Moomintroll but, in the artist’s native land, her fictional universe had been growing in popularity for years. This success was hardly surprising. Moominvalley was a world nourished by its creator’s exquisite storytelling, compassion and artistic ability; the simple line that defined Moomintroll and his family and friends revealed an illustrator at the height of her powers. The…

WORKING METHODS I use Golden acrylic paints: I love the purity of pigments and their extensive range of colours and mediums. With the canvas on the floor, I throw thinned colours (Terracotta, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Yellow Ochre, Primrose Yellow, Lime Green, Crimson and tinted Phthalo Blue) at paintings with no image in mind, yet respecting the need for balance. Clean water is also thrown at the canvas to make the colours run and bleed. I use kitchen paper to blot and lift colour where needed. The next day, when the painting is dry, I hang it on the wall, allowing the random marks to suggest a way forward. I have a core idea in mind, but try to keep the marks open and free for as long as possible, rather…

SANDRINE’S MATERIALS •WATERCOLOURS Daniel Smith: Nickel Azo Yellow, Pyrrol Scarlet, Pyrrol Red, Quinacridone Coral, Anthraquinoid Red, Permanent Violet, Phthalo Blue Red Shade and Titanium White •BRUSHES Prolene Plus 007, sizes 000, 2, 4, 6 and 10 •PAPER Fabriano Artistico Extra White, 640gms, Hot Pressed Last winter, the far end of the garden turned wild. This was partly because I wanted to sow some wild flowers, but it was going that way anyway. I dug over the plot, but then forgot to sow the seeds so the mini-meadow was left, temporarily abandoned. In the spring, lots of little seedlings grew. I had no idea what they were, so I left them and waited for what turned out to be a dazzling and unexpected result: around a hundred giant, scarlet poppies –…

This is Molly, my brother Kenneth’s dog. I painted her as a present for his retirement and new home. The canvas is 50x60cm in water-soluble oil paint. I took up oil painting 18 months ago at the age of 68, and never thought life would be so exciting at this age. I owe it all to my benevolent teacher Chris Bennett. Hope your readers have a go with all the great ideas in your magazine no matter what their age. Share the joy. Carol Ann Coggan, Cornwall, via email…

LONDON Cézanne Portraits 26 October 2017 to 11 February 2018 More than 50 of the artist’s beautiful portraits track his changes in style. National Portrait Gallery. www.npg.org.uk Gerald Scarfe: Stage and Screen Until 21 January 2018 Little-known production designs by the well-known political cartoonist. House of Illustration. www.houseofillustration.org.uk Harry Potter: A History of Magic 20 October 2017 to 28 February 2018 To mark the 20th anniversary of the publication of the first book, see drawings by JK Rowling and illustrator Jim Kay alongside artefacts and drafts. The British Library. www.bl.uk Matisse in the Studio Until 12 November 2017 See paintings, drawings and sculptures displayed alongside the objects that inspired them. Royal Academy of Arts. www.royalacademy.org.uk Modigliani 23 November 2017 to 2 April 2018 The most comprehensive exhibition of work seen…

HELSINKI ART MUSEUM Known as HAM, the gallery features an exhibition of the artist’s life and works, with paintings, illustrations and several of her public art commissions, including beautiful frescos. It also offers a Helsinki walking guide that takes in Tove’s childhood home, the nearby park that bears her name, her schools and the family grave. It also passes the artist’s atelier and home at Ullanlinnankatu 1, which is still owned by the Jansson family and open to the public by appointment. www.hamhelsinki.fi PELLINKI ARCHIPELAGO Explore the archipelago on foot to discover and step in to the landscape that inspired Moominvalley. A walk around the woodland and coast will reveal small caves, looming trees creating dappled light and anthropomorphic rocks. KLOVHARU From Pellinki visit Tove’s private island by boat. It…

“IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO PAINT PEOPLE WHETHER THEY ARE PRINCES OR PAUPERS. YOU HAVE TO BE SHARP AND AWAKE” Why do you choose to work from life? The stimulus is the sitter, why paint a photograph? When there’s a living person, there’s life. I use my camera to take a snap of the setup and then blot it off on canvas. It’s just quicker. You can get the heads where you want, it’s a much easier way to get the size and the people in the right place. How did your studies at the British Institute in Florence influence your practice? I went to Florence when I was 18. There were just two or three of us and we were very integrated in the painter’s environment; we all spoke…

MATT S MATERIALS •WATERCOLOUR Winsor & Newton pans and tubes: Payne’s Grey, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Orange, Naples Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Gold Ochre, Winsor Red Deep, Cadmium Yellow, Winsor Yellow, Permanent Sap Green, Olive Green, Green Gold, Viridian, Phthalo Blue (Red Shade), Cobalt Blue, Cobalt Turquoise, Perylene Violet. Ivory Black, Indigo, Dioxazine Purple. Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache: Titanium White •HB PENCIL •PAPER A2 Winsor & Newton 140lb Artists’ Water Colour Paper •BRUSHES Pro Arte brushes: various sizes including 1, 3, 10, 20 and a one-inch flat Setting a challenge is always the best way to explore new techniques, materials and mediums. Instead of avoiding something because you’ve never used it before, jump in and have a go. Colour and application are pretty much the same with everything, it’s…