Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2018 i Artists & Illustrators

In my experience, detailed and ambitious new year’s resolutions – the “scale Mount Everest by March” kind – are rarely worth making. But it is natural to want to reflect and refocus at this time of year. I, like many others, find small, sensible changes reap greater rewards, and can add up to a major lifestyle overhaul. For artists, a switch as simple as using a different brush, colour or subject can be the impetus for an exciting new direction. Take Sally Muir (page 18) as an example. Somewhat spontaneously, she started a Facebook project to post a painting of a dog every day, which has grown into the kind of success story she could never have imagined. If you’re in search of fresh challenges, turn to our ‘New Year,…

1 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS The institute is looking for the best contemporary watercolour and water-media paintings for its annual exhibition of how artists are using this age-old medium. Upload a maximum of six paintings online before noon on 5 January 2018 and your artworks will be in with the chance of being hung alongside members at the exhibition at Mall Galleries, London, in April. www.mallgalleries.oess.uk 2 LEARN Lanyon’s Landscapes Course Learn the secrets of contemporary landscapes with artist Liz Hough, inspired by the work of Peter Lanyon. Taught at St Ives Painting School and on locations around the area, this three-day course, starting on 22 January 2018, is ideal if you want to loosen up your approach. www.schoolofpainting.co.uk 3 DISCOVER Salon Series: Impressionists in London Head…

“I JUST THOUGHT ONE EVENING, ‘THIS IS WHAT I WILL DO,’ AND STARTED THE NEXT DAY” When Sally Muir teaches her dog-drawing workshops, she pins paintings of man’s best friend around the room to inspire her students. “I am always trying to elevate the status of dog paintings,” she says. “People laugh at it a bit.” But as the walls of her workroom attest, a long line of the world’s greatest artists have committed them to canvas, from Velázquez to David Hockney’s dachshunds and Lucian Freud’s whippets. That there is a place in our hearts for our domestic companions depicted in art became clear to Sally when she started her ‘Dog a Day’ project a few years ago. Her undertaking to post a daily painting on Facebook soon grew into…

1 Draw the things you want and don’t worry what people think. The greatest work comes from the freedom you get when you’ve shaken the shackles of expectation. 2 Painting from life isn’t like a photograph but rather a million photographs you’re taking with your eyes at once. You get a sense, rather than a snapshot, of the thing. 3 Confidence is key. Observe and articulate. Then wait, and suddenly make a mark. 4 You don’t always have to apply paint. Taking it away can be an equally valid mark. I scrape paint away with a knife or a cloth. 5 If you make a mark that’s not right, don’t tweak it. Take it away or start again. It will never look right. 6 You don’t have to be the…

“In 2008, when my office got a call from the White House, I thought it was a friend playing a joke. It took me a while to believe I was able to go and meet Mr and Mrs Bush and have a tour. When I got there and went up to the second floor and walked onto the Truman Balcony with its wonderful view over Washington Mall, I saw the painting I 40 Artists & Illustrators wanted to paint. I don’t do a lot of commissions because I am fearful what I see and what excites me will not match what the client envisages, but this just clicked. I was able to spend the entire day at The White House and draw on the balcony for three or four hours.…

Hands up those of you who have accidentally dipped your brush into your coffee rather than your water pot? A lot of you, I suspect, but what if we actually tried painting with coffee or other unusual pigments? I am certainly not suggesting we start replacing our tried-and-trusted paints with home-made varieties, but I thought it might be fun to push a few boundaries and step away from our comfort zones. After all, a change is as good as a rest. Here, I have experimented with variations on materials and methods, home-made where possible, to make it more interesting. www.grahamebooth.com HOME-MADE COLOUR I tried to come up with a palette of home-made colours. I succeeded to a certain extent, but I had no luck with a blue, which possibly explains…

 You create wonderful texture in acrylic. Do you add a medium? MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO DRAW WELL AND TAKE RISKS. AFTER ALL, IT’S ONLY A SHEET OF PAPER OR A PIECE OF CANVAS I don’t add any medium to the acrylic paint. I use the paint straight from the tube, adding water when required. I would say that building the grounds can be useful for texture before building layers of paint. My paintings look stiff. How do you keep yours looking loose yet detailed? I leave some areas loose and offset them against detailed areas. Usually, the whole painting is kept loose until towards the end of the process. This is when I sharpen certain areas. There’s subtle visible brushwork. How do you decide what to leave loose and…

A COLOURFUL DEBATE Re: In praise of coloured pencils, Letters, Issue 385 Many thanks to Deb Stanley for her short but thought-provoking letter of the month. I have dabbled with coloured pencil for many years, but never sold much and never exhibited, but still marvel at what can be achieved using such a convenient and adaptable medium. Deb is correct in saying some people in the art world do not take coloured pencil work seriously. The debate has been raging for years about them being recognised as a fine-art medium. Most coloured pencil artists are highly skilled. It is good that Artists & Illustrators is doing a series of articles in 2018 highlighting these skills and the medium in general. Great magazine by the way. Mike Mountford, West Bromwich, via…

In an age of ubiquitous cameras and disposable images, drawing provides us with an opportunity to look at the world slowly. Nonetheless, photographic reference can be a valuable stimulus for making drawings, allowing us to freeze moments that would be difficult to sketch from life or to work remotely from our subject. 1 COLLAGING Collaging photographs, with paper and scissors or digital editing, can be an excellent way to develop compositions. Combine elements of images to create the subject for a unifying sketch, either as the basis for more developed work, or as an end in itself. 2 INTRODUCE FORM Because drawing from a photograph means translating a 2D image into another 2D image, it is easy for it to become flattened. As you draw, try to imagine that your…

BLOGGING CAN HELP CREATE THE MOMENTUM TO BUILD A REGULAR, PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL PRACTICE When I launched my online career 10 years ago with a painting of a pink zinnia, I wanted to make a painting a day to develop a sustainable practice. I had no idea it would lead me to where I am today. Since 2007, my blog has had more than a million visitors, and my work has been the subject of interviews and articles, and is in collections on six continents. HOW TO BLOG I recommend researching artists’ blogs before choosing a platform. A web search offers many options. Some are free (I use Blogger, but others include Wordpress, Wix, Weebly and Typepad), while others require payment for a domain name and web hosting. All offer templates with…

I’ve been painting animals in ink for more than 15 years, after discovering a master of the medium, Xu Beihong. I loved the playfulness and started experimenting. Kerry will be teaching a Wild Beasts in Ink workshop at Pegasus Art in Stroud on 19 May 2018. www.kerryphippenart.com; www.pegasusart.co.uk 1 FEEL THE MAGIC The ancient Chinese artists believed that it was more important to capture the spirit of an animal than exact form. Ink has a feeling of movement and magic, and is perfect for animals as it complements their wild, elusive characteristics. Ink suits our fluid and random relationship with wildlife. 2 WASH UP Have pieces of heavyweight cartridge paper to hand. Start with small but generous washes of water, then use a smaller brush to…

 It is reasonable to assume artists have always drawn from life, but it was not until the Renaissance that life drawing became part of the apprentice artist’s training. Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, with his ideal proportions, appeared around 1490, helping to give artists an understanding of the human form. The first Italian drawing academies were established soon after, with life drawing at their core. DRAWING SHOULD ALWAYS BE YOUR STARTING POINT. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE RULES That changed with the invention of photography during the 19th century, prompting French painter Paul Delaroche to declare “from today painting is dead”. Photography did not bring about the demise of painting, but it did mark a shift away from representational art and changed the way artists viewed the world. Through the…

“I HAVE ADMIRED MATISSE FOR YEARS.HE TICKS SO MANY BOXES” MY FAVOURITE MEDIUM... depends on my mood. If I want to get something down spontaneously I use acrylic because it dries quickly and allows me to reassess and paint into, or over, it. But if it’s a large canvas or panel, I use oil, working thin to fat in the traditional manner allowing drying time between painting sessions. MY BIGGEST ART CHALLENGE WAS... creating an 8x4ft panel of an event held at Alexandra Palace, [north London]. I spent a day making drawings, looking at all aspects, from architecture to figures. Back in the studio I worked on the composition, drew a rough then transferred this to the panel to paint it in oil. I AM INSPIRED BY... Matisse The last…

How to Paint like Derren Brown. The famous illusionist shows the process behind his acrylic portrait of the acclaimed actor, Michael Sheen Lorna Murphy: I like this because he is honest about how many changes and decisions make a painting – unlike some other features I have read where the artist gives the impression that every stroke of paint was perfect and unchanging. 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…

1 STOP WORRYING ABOUT THE RESULT It is important to remember the outcome is not always the main point. It can be about spending quality time, expressing yourself or learning. Focus on the process. Exercising your creativity this way makes painting more relaxing. 2 PUT SOME MUSIC ON This taps into your imagination, reduces stress, promotes creativity and lessens feelings of isolation. It is especially useful for people suffering from anxiety and depression, so turn up the volume to cut out other distractions. You can also try listening to different styles of music to see how it affects your mood and, therefore, your work. 3 UNLEASH YOUR WILD SIDE Creating a refined drawing before starting a painting can drain enthusiasm. Try something less precise and it might enhance your expressive…

I am working with the limited palette used by artist Anders Zorn, which I often use for interior portraits. There are so many subtle greens, purples and blues to be discovered; Ivory Black is bluish when mixed with white. It is easier to achieve a colour harmony with fewer paints. www.aldobalding.com ALDO’S MATERIALS • OILS Michael Harding oils: Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red and Ivory Black • BRUSHES Long flat, series 279, sizes 4, 6, 10 and 12; classic filbert, size 6 • SUPPORT Belle Arti linen oil primed extra-fine grain canvas from Jackson’s 1 POSITION THE FACE Composition is important; I want to have the face off-centre. I place a few lines with a large brush using Ivory Black diluted with turpentine, arranging the lighting to make it…