Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i Artists & Illustrators

Whether you are a royalist or a republican, it is safe to say that the face on this month's cover is probably one with which you are familiar. After all, The Queen's likeness forms part of our everyday lives, appearing everywhere from bank notes to postage stamps. Painting a face as famous as Her Majesty's may initially seem like a thankless task yet, as I hope you'll agree that our cover image and article on page 30 shows, artist Miriam Escofet has exceeded all expectations. The sheer luminance of her skin, the stately setting and the age appropriate depiction are all set to ensure this becomes a portrait for the ages, one that encourages us to reconsider a ubiquitous face anew. This after all is one of the many wonderful…

1 NEWLYN SCHOOL INTERIORS Until 14 November Many of us have recently become better acquainted with the insides of our homes than we thought possible. So, it is perhaps a surprise to learn that the Newlyn School of Artists, famed for their en plein air paintings of Cornwall’s fishing communities, were more familiar with the indoors than is commonly realised. Proving artists such as Walter Langley, Frank Bramley and Elizabeth Forbes [above] were not solely inspired by the outdoors, these depictions inside local homes, sail lofts and schools also provide an insight into Victorian Newlyn. Don’t miss this last chance to see an exhibition whose original run was cancelled due to the pandemic. Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance. www.penleehouse.org.uk 2 LINES OF BEAUTY: MASTER DRAWINGS FROM CHATSWORTH 12 September…

Making art is a dynamic and positive process; a passion, a pastime for pleasure, a job for the very fortunate. By rights we should be embracing every opportunity to create, but in truth there are times when every artist loses their mojo. For professionals, sitting out a dry patch isn’t an option and, funnily enough, I’ve stumbled into some of my best ideas when I’ve had to kick start my creativity. Here are a couple of tips for getting back on track. Don’t expect too much – but do something. I often grab cheap paper and a pencil and sit doodling. Joining a phone queue with piped music is optional, but I keep my mind empty and the pencil working. I can cover many sheets of paper this way and…

I enjoyed this lovely dance of water and colour while painting my daughter Erin’s portrait from a three-quarter viewpoint, which is halfway between a profile and a front-on view. Positioning your model is key for the three-quarter view. Find a position with good natural light, select a high chair with back support for your model, put on some music and you’re away. The latter might not seem important, but it is important to remain lively throughout. Look out for any signs of tension: drop your arms and shake it off as often as you remember. If you are attentive, relaxed and enjoy the process, this will be reflected in the painting. AINE’S PALETTE For this demonstration, I used Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Yellow Ochre, Sap Green, Viridian, Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine…

WHAT IS THE BEST ARTIST PAPER FOR ME? There is no simple answer to this question. Many individual factors, such as your medium, subject and budget, come into play. Couple this with the enormous choice on the market and it can be overwhelming. But one thing is for sure – artist paper should be acid free. This optimises its structure, minimises deterioration and prevents fading and yellowing. WHAT MATERIAL OF PAPER SHOULD I PICK? Paper is made from interwoven fibres which, in the case of fine art papers, are often plant fibres. For example, wood pulp is used to make cartridge paper, a paper typically used for drawing and printmaking as it tends to be smooth with a very light, uniform grain. Wood-free paper is, confusingly, made from wood pulp…

Born in 1963, Nick Botting studied History of Art at the University of Kent before taking up landscape and portrait painting. In 1996, he was one of art critic Brian Sewell’s invited artists at the Discerning Eye exhibition and he was commissioned by the MCC to paint the England cricket team’s Test series in Pakistan in 2001. As well as staging exhibitions as far afield as Australia and South Africa, Nick has exhibited regularly at London’s Portland Gallery since 2003. His next exhibition there runs from 12-22 October. PAINTING ON LOCATION Most of my painting is done on location. I want to respond to the world – and you do that by being part of it. I then take the canvases back to my studio and look at them as…

For the landscape artist the impact of seasonal change provides renewed and stimulating subject matter as the months pass. As lockdown brought many of us closer to the natural rhythms of the seasons, the filter of another artist’s vision and imagination can help us to appreciate the small wonders of the turning year and look more closely at the world that surrounds us. As well as the changes to trees, plants and wildlife, which are conspicuous at different times of year, the agricultural calendar has a dramatic effect on the appearance of the rural landscape. The work that unfolded there as the seasons progressed was also appealing to many artists before mechanisation changed the face of British farming. Many of the artworks made in response to these ideas are explored…

I often like to work from a drawing as it gives me the freedom to interpret the landscape through colour. It is a common practice among artists through the ages – the French artist Pierre Bonnard, for example, painted almost exclusively from drawings. For this masterclass, I thought it might be interesting to look at the way you can develop a painting from a drawing. In a way, once you have a structure, you have the possibility of a painting. I made the quick pencil drawing [pictured above] last May during a trip to Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer in the south of France. I’d been walking along the headland to Port D’Alon, a beautiful inlet surrounded by pines and rocks which I have painted several times. I wanted this painting to have a…

•CHARCOAL Dry, dusty and hard to control, charcoal works best on a textured surface as it helps extract the pigment. If you rub your work out a lot, pick a paper 270gsm or heavier. •COLOURED PENCIL Coloured pencils can be applied to many types of paper. Go for cold pressed sheets with a slight texture, as anything overly smooth will make it hard to get a consistent colour. •INK A heavier drawing paper works well with pen and ink, but if you’re using ink from a well, opt for a watercolour paper. Also beware, textured papers can cause quill-like nibs to snag and wear away. •PASTEL The key here is a paper with tooth: the coarser the grain, the better the adhesion of pigment. However, if you want to make…

THE SET-UP When we are setting up a painting, there are many elements to think about before we even apply the paint to the palette, let alone the canvas. First, consider the light source. I am lucky enough to have a north-lit studio so I can enjoy a single constant light source throughout the day. If you don’t have natural light, you could also use a strong desk lamp. The most important thing is to start with just one light source. It makes it much easier to compose a drawing and explain an image with a single light source, as we construct the drawing through shapes of light and dark. Next, think about the pose. For academic drawings I often work with a standing model as you can really analyse…

Many of us have used the current enforced time at home to practice our painting skills and I am sure many of us created some really great pieces of art and maybe a few not so great ones. But this time when we are so restricted at least gives us the opportunity to have another go. Also, it gives us time to read all the great articles in Artists & Illustrators and come away with an even bigger urge to pick up the brush. However, in the midst of the pandemic I couldn’t help but think of those who found this terrible time far less enjoyable and have suffered great hardships and terrible loss. But instead of just sympathising I decided to do something about it. So, via a local…

Teresa Lawler Having worked as a set designer for both BBC TV dramas and an Australian theatre company, Teresa Lawler has developed a keen understanding about staging and atmosphere. “Lighting can bring a set to life that would otherwise appear flat and uninteresting,” she explains. “The mood of the scene changes entirely depending on what and how it is lit. I approach my painting in a similar way, creating drama in a still image through the use of deep contrast and carefully controlled use of lighting and colour.” Her latest series of paintings, On the Far Edge of the City, feature mostly real landscapes that were found near her Surrey studio and rendered in cool blues and greens. Tucked away in each setting is a “haven” – an imaginary and…

Published in 1933, The Farmer’s Year was one of Clare Leighton’s most notable and popular publications. It featured a large-scale wood engraving for each month with facing text that provided an unsentimental insight into life on the land at a time of rapid change. February’s engraving, Lopping [above], is perhaps the most striking. The snow-covered landscape gives Leighton an opportunity for strong contrasts between the areas of black and the arcs of the willow branches against the snowy field. The pollarded willows are gradually reduced to bulbous stumps as the men wield their bill hooks. Sowing, the subject of April’s engraving, was becoming a rare sight with the advent of machinery. Leighton presents the sower striding purposefully across the ploughed field and there is a feeling of heroic labour echoing…

For those of you willing to explore painting without drawing, I want you to paint a three-quarter view of a person as I have done, but quickly this time. Find a smaller piece of paper (ideally a Bockingford NOT paper), a willing sitter, and a set of small flat brushes (I use the Crafter’s Choice set from Royal & Langnickel). Set yourself up with a single source of natural light falling on your sitter’s face. Stand at a vertical easel with a runway behind you, so that you can step back easily. If you’re right-handed, place equipment and brushes to the right, or vice versa if you are left-handed. You might also like to hold the palette up while you paint so you can see the colour mix in relation…

In this project, we will learn how to combine coloured pencil with solvent to create a more painterly effect. Solvent melts the wax binder in the pencil, eliminating strokes and smoothing out the surface of the drawing. This technique also helps speed up the layering of colours. HOW IT WORKS Adding a little solvent to a layer of coloured pencil with a soft bristle brush will break down the wax binder and allow you to move pigment around the paper. Solvent fuses the colour into the paper and the layers of pencil become thick and opaque. After it dries, you can apply more layers of coloured pencils and solvent if needed. I enjoy this technique because I can create rich, vivid colours and make my drawing look more like a…