Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2021 i Artists & Illustrators

Ken Howard RA once told me a theory, and I'm paraphrasing wildly here because I have the memory capacity of a forgetful goldfish, that many of the world's greatest artists can paint a great picture, but only a select few were capable of producing moments of genius day in, day out. We were talking about Claude Monet at the time and the thought popped up again while I was looking at the French Impressionist's series paintings for this issue. Monet's repeated studies of haystacks, cathedrals and even Britain's own Houses of Parliament are full of light and magic, the contrasts between different times of day and weather conditions just helping to confirm his otherworldly skill at observing and interpreting the world. That's not to say there isn't plenty to learn…

1 REACH FOR TUBES Adding water to watercolour increases the transparency. The easiest way to make a colour as dark as it can be is to add as little water as possible. In short, pale tones are thinner and dark tones are thicker. Dark tones are easier to achieve using tube paints rather than pans as less water is needed to make the pigment workable. It is also easier to produce dark tones in big quantities with tubes. 2 MIX THINGS UP Don’t just rely on a single colour. Mixing dark tones, rather than using a perceived dark pigment such as Indigo, makes things more visually interesting, especially if the mix is varied slightly across the painting. 3 PLAY WITH CONTRASTS There comes a point where colour straight from the…

In 2004, a retrospective of painter Paula Rego’s work at the Serralves museum in Porto was forced to keep its doors open 24 hours a day to accommodate demand from visitors. Now, more than 15 years later Tate Britain prepares to open the largest and most comprehensive UK showcase of her life to date and it’s safe to say that there’s a substantial buzz around an exhibition that will feature more than 100 works, including collage, paintings, large-scale pastels, ink-and-pencil drawings, etchings and sculpture. “This is my life’s dream,” says curator Elena Crippa of compiling this collection. “I keep hearing how excited everyone is – colleagues at Tate and beyond. I really feel this retrospective is so overdue and so needed. The number of people who tell me that they…

Sunsets are possibly one of the most popular painting subjects – at least when you’re starting out. More experienced painters are often wary of such subjects as it can be quite tricky to portray those beautiful sunset colours and tones without slipping into garishness. In a sunset, almost all of the interest will be in the sky. The bright setting sun will be directly in front or slightly to the side of us, creating what is essentially a silhouette of the landscape. One of the challenges with this type of subject – especially in watercolour – is working out how to subdue the daytime colours and make the silhouettes appear dark enough while maintaining sufficient light contrasts to avoid the painting becoming flat and uninteresting. You can’t shortcut this effect…

Karen Mai The magic of a still life is it can reveal new ways of looking at ordinary objects. Cue the work of Hong Kong-based watercolourist Karen Mai, whose recent painting In the Sun was selected for this year’s Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours’ Exhibition. Intelligently plotted marks in luscious orange hues bring to life the juicy, plump, good-enough-to-eat clementine segments, while subtle strokes hint at the texture of the shadowy inner peel. It’s a painting that forces us to re-evaluate the beauty of a subject usually destined for consumption or, in the case of the peel, the rubbish bin. However, elevating the everyday is not Karen’s only aim. “Still life is usually not considered the most difficult [subject],” she says, “but they’re actually difficult to do well……

You might think you’re familiar with the story of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, but you’re probably yet to experience Lucille Clerc’s fantastical interpretation, brought to life in her illustration of the same name. It’s a place where mythical creatures, tropical birds and larger-than-life plants awaken at night, transforming the V&A, for which it was drawn, into a garden like no other. Dreamy, delicate and infinitely detailed, Lucille’s work combines the familiar with the out of this world and, as a result, dismantles our perceptions of reality. Think intricate depictions of buildings, butterflies, blooms and everything in-between, distorted in scale, kaleidoscopic in composition, and transfixing with an ethereal colour palette of soft pinks, dusky teals and emerald greens. Then hidden beneath the surface, but just as interwoven, is the…

When I make a painting, my first thoughts are very much about composition, colour and visual balance. However, every picture has a narrative element to it and View Through a Window [right] is no different. With this painting, I was trying to construct a story around the making of a picture, its historical context and influences. Ostensibly it is just a still life but it’s also full of historical references to picture making and the illusion of a painting. It’s curious but anyone who has seen this picture has never questioned the spatial contradictions. It’s as if there is a kind of satisfaction in understanding the illusions and formal twists and turns as a puzzle resolved by artistic sleight of hand. Rather than focusing on my paint techniques, I wanted…

Anna Perlin was born in 1982 and grew up in a tiny Oxfordshire hamlet. After a degree in Textile Design and Marketing, she explored art in her spare time, joining a local art society and attending evening classes. In 2016, Anna was a semi-finalist on Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year. The following year, she won the Artists & Illustrators Artists of the Year competition. Her prize included the chance to work with London’s prestigious Thackeray Gallery. Anna’s second solo exhibition with them, A Colourful Year, runs until 23 July. www.annaperlin.com Setting a moodboard Winning the Artists & Illustrators Artists of the Year competition in 2017 came at a strange time for me because my mother-in-law was in hospital and the awards were on my actual birthday so that…

1 AD MINOLITI: BIOSPHERE PLUS 24 July to 8 May 2022 Biosphere 2 was one of the strangest experiments in the history of science. Begun in 1991 and aiming – yet failing – to replicate Earth’s eco-systems, eight people were sealed in a high-tech glasshouse in Arizona for two years. Forgotten by many, this bold project has now been critically reimagined by Argentine artist Ad Minoliti. Yet rather than isolating a minority, Minoliti’s first UK solo exhibition is an inclusive space. Her playful paintings have roots in geometric abstraction, while she intends to use part of the gallery as a space for visitors to explore feminist and queer theory via twice-weekly art workshops. BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead. www.baltic.art 2 SIDNEY NOLAN: COLOUR OF THE SKY – AUSCHWITZ PAINTINGS…

Experimenting with art materials you’ve never used before is a sure-fire way to spark up your creativity. That’s where the London Graphic Centre comes in. The online arts supplier, which also has a flagship store in Covent Garden, can help with every artistic eventuality and offer expert advice on how to get the most from your new products. This month, London Graphic Centre is kindly offering four lucky Artists & Illustrators readers the chance to each win a themed bundle worth £250. Two of the packages have been put together with our wildlife painting special in mind. From a Bob Ross Master set of oil paints to Liquitex acrylics and Winsor & Newton markers pen, the “Wildlife Art” bundle is perfect for the animal artist looking to mix up their…

When it comes to painting animals, it’s common for artists to go for a photographic likeness, perhaps with a heavy helping of cuteness. It’s worth considering a few other options before you start your next wildlife painting to help it stand out from the crowd. For starters, avoid obsessing over the source image and allow yourself to break free by using colours or marks more expressively. This reflects the wildness of the subject matter and adds a creative twist. Try looking for patterns – these might be interesting shapes or colours, you might look at how repetitive these are, or focus on the effects of light and dark. In simple terms, look at everything other than how detailed the reference material is. Drawing and proportions are vital when it comes…

Denis' materials •HB, 2B, 4B and 6B graphite pencils •A3 cartridge paper •Putty eraser •Eraser shield •Craft knife •Scrap paper 1 Draw outlines This drawing was made in the studio using sketches and photos made on location. I drew the main trunk and root shapes with an HB pencil. In life, objects do not have lines around them, so these lines should get lost as we introduce tone. Don’t include any background at this point. Use the side of a pointed 2B pencil, held underhand, to lay an initial tone within this outline, using a light circular action. Always test the working edge of your pencil on scrap paper first to check it makes the required mark. 2 Push the tones Working from the top of the image, add variable…