Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Artists & Illustrators

1 THE GREEN HOUR: ABSINTHE AND IMPRESSIONISM While we can’t advocate painting while drunk, it is clear that many of the world’s greatest artworks were made while under the influence of one particular tipple: absinthe. Known to the bohemian artists of late 19th-century Paris as la fée verte or ‘the green fairy’, it has been a favourite of Picasso, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and more. The latest event in the National Gallery’s Friday Lates series (19 February, 6.30pm) invites you to raise a glass to absinthe friends as Jo Rhymer hosts a talk on Manet’s Corner of a Café-Concert. Meanwhile, distiller Ted Breaux will discuss the drink’s enduring mystique and there’s a tasting session with Sip Or Mix. www.nationalgallery.org.uk 2 DISCOVER Light, Time, Legacy To mark the bicentenary of Francis Towne’s…

“I DECIDED TO MAKE ALICE LESS OF A FOCAL POINT… AS I SEE IT, SHE IS SIMPLY THE STAND IN FOR ALL OF US. WE SEE THE WORLD THROUGH HER EYES” ANDREA D’ AQUINO Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Lewis Carroll’s Alice and her psychedelic surroundings in Wonderland have been visualised by some of the art world’s most creative figures, from the illustrations of Ralph Steadman, Peter Blake and Salvador Dalí, to the silver screen adaptations by Walt Disney and Tim Burton. So when New York-based artist Andrea D’Aquino received the call to illustrate a new edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the dilemma was whether to immerse herself in these past portrayals or ignore them completely. “I self-imposed a moratorium on everything Alice and avoided…

With its grand canals, historic architecture and intoxicating atmosphere, Venice has been attracting artists for more than 500 years. And there’s no better way to experience this unique city for the first time than with Painting in Italy – named as one of best holidays of 2015 according to The Sunday Times. Owner Sheila de Vries handles every booking herself, helping with travel arrangements and encouraging nervous first-time visitors by tailoring holidays to individual needs. All this allows you to relax and enjoy the top-class accommodation and expert tuition on any one of their inspiring holidays to Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Umbria or Lake Garda. To find out more about Painting in Italy holidays and book your next break, visit www.paintinginitaly.com THE PRIZE One lucky winner selected at random from this…

Any study of paints must begin with the primary colours because, as we are taught from an early age, these are the building blocks of all colour mixes. Traditionally, red yellow and blue are considered to be the three primary colours in painting because they can’t be mixed from other colours. There is a valid point of view, however, that suggests that the three primaries should really be considered to be cyan, yellow and magenta – the three ‘primary’ colours that are used in the CMYK colour model of printing that is common to most inkjet printers used with home computers. Those in favour of using cyan, yellow and magenta suggest that you can use those to mix a pure blue or a pure red, whereas you can’t mix a…

Do you find it hard to create a painting you are pleased with? Do your paintings lack impact or coherency? Do you struggle to convey a message in your artwork? If you’ve answered yes to any or all of these questions, I have some good news for you. I believe you can avoid disappointment and improve your painting in quantum leaps if you simply focus upon four key elements every time you begin a new picture. These elements are what I call the ‘Four Pillars of Watercolour’ and they are colour, shape, value and edges. These four pillars are not tricks or gimmicks; they are the building blocks required to help you make beautiful paintings. Once you understand how to martial these elements in your work, you are on the…

Cast drawing has been an essential part of the training of most European realist painters for several hundred years. This unique form of drawing exercise provides the students with a very safe and static environment that is perfect for experimentation and honing one’s draughtsmanship skills. Unlike working from a life model, drawing from a cast can afford an artist unlimited amount of time to concentrate on a subject and push his or her abilities to their limit and beyond. Unlike the preceding exercise, which involved drawing from a cast on white paper, this project aims not only to further develop the drawing skills of the student, but to also introduce a way of thinking and building an image that is one step closer to the way we paint. This exercise…

There’s a lot of advice about switching bank accounts or electricity providers these days. But how often do you think about switching things around when it comes to your methods and materials? Or making a change to how you market and present your work? When it comes to my medium of choice, I made the decision a long time ago that woodblock and linocut printmaking is in itself a lifelong occupation. However, I will always be on the lookout for new ways of working with these materials or new developments in the inks and papers I use. While I am not in favour of changing for the sake of it, times do move on and new or improved materials appear. You can keep up to date by signing up with…

How did your residency at the House of Illustration first come about? I was on the mailing list and I saw the residency was open to applications. I just applied and I didn’t really think much of it – I thought of it more as an exercise for getting all of my ideas down on the page. But then they asked me to interview and offered it to me. I was quite surprised, given I’m in Edinburgh, but it’s only four hours on the train and it probably takes that to get from one side of London to the other! How often have you visited? I started in July and every few weeks I’ve been coming down and staying for a week or so. There isn’t a work space as…

1. PIGMENTS Pigments mostly consist of complex organic dyes or metallic compounds. Some are toxic so you may want to consider non-toxic alternatives. All pigments have chemical names and colour index (CI) numbers. For example, Ultramarine is the common name for a polysulphide of sodium alumino silicate with the CI number PB29. A full list of CI numbers can be found on the internet or the websites of the major manufacturers. All good manufacturers will show the CI numbers contained within a particular paint on the tube or packaging. 2. GRANULATION Some pigments such as Ultramarine do not really dissolve in water. Instead they create a fine suspension that can settle given time – leave your water container to one side for a few hours after use and you will…

I’ve received a new script, what should I do first? I always read through it quickly, getting the feel for the story and visualising it in my head as I go. I’ll then go through a second time, doodling images in pen in the margins if I see a shot working in a certain way. Nothing complicated or detailed, just broad strokes. I’m struggling to visualise a scene. Any advice? Oddly, I’ll often think about how another artist might visualise it, as it gives me a perspective on the image. So I might ask is this a Jack Kirby-style scene? How would Frank Bellamy compose this? Is the hero a John Byrne character? Similarly with TV and film storyboarding, I think of visual clues that suit a Sergio Leone western…

For 30 years I enjoyed painting, but it all ended when I suffered a stroke. In the months after I could do nothing, but gradually my speech therapist, Melody, persuaded me to try to paint again. To start with, my paintings were not very good, but with a lot of time perseverance I managed to get back to a reasonable standard and I’m still improving. I paint at least one picture a day and they are donated to the Cornwall Air Ambulance for their fundraising. I am attempting subjects that I had never tackled before, thanks to the assistance of Artists & Illustrators. I enclose a newspaper cutting from when I donated 12 pictures to the St Austell Community Hospital. Melody had them put up in the waiting room as…

You first met at a book festival in New Zealand. How quickly did you discuss the prospect of collaborating? Oliver Jeffers: We spent three nights in New Zealand together and another three nights in Sydney. It’s not like we had a definite idea on the table at that stage, but we had a conversation that revolved around us working together. Eoin Colfer: It all began when I saw him telling a story on stage at the festival and then he saw me do the same – we both had a similar energy. Collaborations haven’t always worked out well, but it really has in this instance. How fully formed was the Imaginary Fred story by then? EC: Quite a lot. I worked it up way more than I normally would because…

As a designer, Luis Morris’s early work used to be photographic in style, but then he took time out and went to art school – Heatherley’s in his case – where he was introduced to a less illustrative, more painterly, colour-based approach to figure painting. When he took part in the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year competition, he was juggling painting with his job as a banknote designer. He entered with a luminous self-portrait and went on to win his London heat with an extraordinary double portrait of Juliet Stevenson and her son in which, unlike any of the other artists in the competition, he had attempted to capture the whole scene before him by assembling it out of mosaic-like dabs of the purest colour. He proceeded to…