SAA. SUPPORTING ALL ARTISTS eerie FETT = ae “oo ERO Nen | ( 30 YEARS OF 9 Step-by-steps Paice ltt meee’ @ Composition e Levelling up ‘@ 30-minute challenges - N eee:HORADAM® AQUARELL Finest artists’ watercolours & The HORADAM watercolour assortment contains 140 standard colours + 40 supergranulation colours TRY NOW: The SAA Anniversary Edition: 12x % Pans +3 x / Pans FREE CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SAA ON THEIR 30™ ANNIVERSARY www.schmincke.de [i 2. PAINTS CREATE | saa.co.ukSupporting All Artists SAA, Time to celebrate What a lovely welcome I've been given! Thank you so much to everyone who got in touch to let me know their thoughts on the magazine's new look. I do appreciate it, and your feedback has been extremely helpful. It seems I joined at just the right time; as the SAA enters its goth year, there's a lot to look back on and even more to look forward to. Over the coming year, look out for our ‘30 years’ logo on various pages. These will indicate a project, that can be entered into our new ‘30-minute painting challenge’, as we encourage you to dip into a way of working that can loosen your practice, and maybe tempt you to try something different. You can read more about this on page six. ‘As well as these practical painting challenges, there will be other related content, tips and thought-provoking ideas. We'll be sharing your work on our website, in the magazine and at the Artists of the Year exhibition, where you'll also have the chance to attend workshops by Alison C Board and Catherine Inglis. You can find details of these on page nine. Ilook forward to seeing your interpretations of the rl iy / various subjects over the coming months. Rachel Graham, Editor pase BU use ROOF WN Use REALE fovea eee eaatost eet Pec Bee ire cee Introduce a friend to SAA and you'll esd both geta free gift when they join! Find out more at saa.co.uk/mgm PAINT © wemticosnauk — Smontyend 0724327 fegerein Erland cereale simon hyta lo 1976314 PCO cenentengies. — enara® No ame fe ress fier Se ee ae ee cag ae eng Te versonccon © ee © eg One v0 saa.couk| PAINT& CREATE 3SAA, Supporting All Artists (Our 30th Anniversary Discover the history and the future of the SAA and find ‘out what's in store over the next year Artists of the Year 2022 The winners have been announced! The Artist. categories showcased Love from the Artist, Anew print-on-demand service for SAA members. Sign up now and turn your artworks into products Dates for your diary Around-up of local art events, 4 PAINT& CREATE | saacco.uk SAA Challenge Anew subject, ‘Back to Black, with expert advice on how best to capture the velvety sheen of black fur Paint a postcard New members showcase their talent with mini-works Members’ gallery Around-up of submissions from our members. It's an impressive and eclectic mix Noticeboard Your chance to write in with your news. Do get in touch; we love to hear from you Raw Umber is my favourite colour when painting. In fact, it's my go-to colour of convenience nr’ Tried & tested Anita Pounder explains why dots cards can be such a useful addition to your paintbox Art Club news What's going on around the country in local art clubs. Get in touch! Ask the artist Jeremy Ford explains how to get started with the basics of watercolour, and which six colours you need to begin with Artist's photo, you paint it Su Melville's red squirrel was a very popular subject last month. We share some of your work Video on demand With over 1,000 tuition videos, there's something for everyone, and you've been sending in your results My favourite colour Jason Skill has one particular ‘go-to’ colour. Discover what it Isand how he uses it26 Front cover artist This issue's striking cover image is Havana, by Rajan Dey 46 30 Days hath September Join Alison C Board as, 14 Surf's Up 10 Tree tips she paints 30 subjects for 30 Graham Berry's loose Practical pointers from minutes for 30 days watercolour technique brings Matthew Palmer's ‘ing it thesesurferstolife latest book, The Watercolour “7” Making it asa pro eeaneried Joan Lilley was one of the 30 Great tit first members to join the Create a simple one-colour ‘18 Block-buster ‘SAA 30 years ago, Discover fino print with Anita Pounder’ Jane Bateman shares her how it changed her life easy tutorial sates on od ears senses 37, WILDflowers Debs Last challenged herself Metallic acrylics and arelaxed 22 On composition... to work for 30-minutes plein style make Marilyn Allis’ How to improve possibly air every day for a YEAR! flowers pop the most fundamental Find out how she's doing, aspect of your work, and join in the fun 40 Levelling up Alison C Board continues our John Kay series on building skills with a an osprey in pastels with art teacher and critic Coen eres saa.couk| PAINT& CREATE 5fhe SAA has been on a journey! Set up with an aim to inform, encourage and inspire anyone who wants to paint, regardless of age and experience, we've grown into the largest artist membership community ~ and of course we couldn't have done that without YOU! Launched in 1992, we really had no idea where this little art club would 0, but we knew people loved art. Since then, we've worked with many of the UK's best teaching artists to provide expert tuition, given access and guidance on the leading art materials from some of the best manufécturers, and connected members, shared their stories and tried to give inspiration every day. ‘Thirty years on, we're bringing you more inspirational content than ever before, and this month is no exception. Asyou delve into this issue of the magazine, you'll see some of the content is marked with our ‘goth Anniversary’ logo. This indicates something that specifically ties in with our celebrations, and the practical projects can be used as inspiration for your entries in our special challenge (see below). Marilyn Allis has a tutorial on 6 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk 3 6) orp \Will you be inspired by Marilyn Allis wildflowers? wildflowers using metallic acrylics; Alison C Board prompts you toa daily painting challenge for a month and Deborah Last is painting for 30 minutes en plein air every day for a year. We also hear from Joan Lilley, who has been an SAA member from the start, and was one of the original Regional Coordinators, while Jason Skill extolls the value of taking the time to look at a painting for 30 ‘minutes. Far be it from us to second- guess what will inspire you though! It might be Rajan Dey’s watercolours, Paint a Posteard, or John Kaye's interesting piece on composition. Whatever itis, if'you ean do it in 30 minutes, wed love to see it! 30-minute painting challenge Just 30 minutes of painting or drawing a day can really help to elevate your skill level and develop{Joan Lilley has been with the SAA for 30 years your observation skills, as well as being good for your mental health, so we're excited to be launchinga brand-new challenge that will run throughout our goth year. Every month, one lucky member will win £5 of loyalty points for their entry into the 3o-minute painting challenge, which we welcome everyone to share with us by uploading their painting to our online gallery at saa. co.uk/sominutechallenge — we'll even share a selection in a digital gallery at our Artists of the Year exhibition in late September, and in the magazine, Aswell as the exhibition of ning work, we will be holding live events at the Nottingham Society of Artists’ venue; Catherine Inglis will be teaching a red squirrel in pastels workshop on and October, and Alison C Board will be holding a plein air workshop on the goth September. Ali is also running her own ‘30 Days hath September’ challenge, with 30 prompts for 30 minutes of painting for 30 days (see page 46 for more details). If you're inspired by her prompts and would like to share your work in our 30-minute challenge, please do. ‘Throughout the year, we will have a host of SAA professionals demonstrating their 30-minute paintings, including Matthew Palmer, Alison C Board, Ali Hargreaves, Sharon Spend 30 ad OLE) at a painting, ESTATE CROLy What does the next 30 years hold? ‘AS we look forward to our future, we see continued growth, we see progress, ‘we see YOU! We pledge to continue to inspire you to keep that paint flowing and aim to help you nurture and develop your artistic creativity however you choose. We will continue to be guided by what you, ‘our members, want, and all we askin return is for you to keep sharing your artwork and stories with us! Hurst, Marilyn Allis, Rebecca De Mendonga and many more! Be sure to check saa.co.uk/soyears for the full schedule. Make sure you connect with our social channelsto share tips, techniques and inspiration as well as many FREE tuitions throughout the year! facebook.com/ ‘SupportingAllartists/ instagram.com/ supportingallartists saa.couk PAINT&CREATE 7Artists eluding seve and of the year the winners have been dended What adit task it was this year - the standard of the entries was very high across all the categories. Huge congratulation: everyone involved; it's your participation that makes this sueh a special competition. Over the coming months, we'll be showeasing a selection of entries, but to kick things off, here are the main Artist category winners oe) Cici Owen Blue Dream, oils Twanted to cheer my teacher up because she wanted us to paint portraits. The girl seemed like she was dreaming. | used blue background for her ginger hair because of what I learned from the colour wheel. | am 12 years old. I have two Chihuahuas and apug. I like skiing, painting and playing the piano. My favourite subjects are science and maths. (We think you should add art to that list! Ed) Elizabeth Yule Leslie Howard Michal, watercolour Lundbreck Falls, watercolour This isa portrait of my son-in-law. The Tam a beginner artist with a passion for watercolour. My painting was done from a quick sketch partner and I go on ‘Arting and Fishing'trips in the prairies and photo taken while on a boat trip on and Rockies of Alberta, Canada, and I found this location on Loch Ness. Iam an artist working in Fife, the prairies. It was a tough one for a beginner to paint, but I Scotland. I work mainly in watereolours loved the challenge! [lve in a beautiful part of the Canadian and acrylics. Inspiration comes mainly landscape and never lack for great subjects to paint. from local scenes, but occasionally I'm inspired to paint a portrait. 8 PAINT &.CREATE | saa.co.ukSarah Howell Toucan in the jungle, acrylic I painted this during the pandemic to bring some joy and colour to the world. It is acrylic on canvas. The acrylic has been used thickly, and the contours of the leaves are carved out, creating a leafy texture, Tam an amateur artist and paint for pleasure in my spare time. I hope that one day when ean afford to give up work, Il be able to spend more time on my art. Chloe Cox Firefly, oils ‘This portrait was painted in oils, referencing a photo by Melissa Coffe, which grabbed my attention with its light and held me there with the gaze of the subject, Yeside Williams. The neon street lights, the fiery twinkle of the glasses and the harsh red reflection on the skin all seemed to come together like a symphony. The title, Firefly, reflects the fleeting nature of that time in your life when you feel at home in the night, with no cares as to what time itis or where you're going next. It's also a Jean towards the fiery colours that inspired me to paint it, Tam a realist portrait artist who paints to represent the underrepresented as honestly as possible. My aim is to increase everyday people's sense of belonging in British history, and culture. In particular, I'm drawn to the Afro-Caribbean community, which reflects my own family heritage. Allof the entries will be exhibited from 2gth September to ath October, at The Nottingham Society for Artists Gallery, St Luke's House on Friar Lane, Notts. ‘As well as seeing all the wonderful work, you will have the opportunity to attend workshops. En Plein Air workshop with Alison C. Board- oth September 2022 Spend the day with Ali as she guides you through the experience of painting on location. Even if you have never painted outdoors before, Ali's guidance and encouragement will give you the confidence to take your art adventures outside. Techniques will include: © Choosing what to paint @ Sketching © Creating a unique sketchbook @ Taking notes for the studio © Using watercolour on location Red Squirrel in Unison Pastels with Catherine Inglis - 2nd October The squirrel has short fur on the head and body but the tail is light and feathery. In this workshop you learn, by using tonal values and colour, how to achieve a 3D effect with fur and how to relate your subject with suitable a background to create a successful piece of work. For full details, and to book your spot, visit saa.co.uk/aoy- workshops saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 9SAA. Supporting All Artists rpms Trees area staple in landscapes, adding height and interest to This month we run an extract from Matthew Palmer's latest your compositions. book The Watercolour Companion, where he demonstrates his techniques for creating different types of trees and foliage nique to this book are your palette with the wet mix, and | Matthew's key mix swatches. know what it'll look like once applied. These allow you to achieve ‘The dry swatches stretch to the edge perfect results every time; explaining _of the page, so you can also simply the colours you need and in what hold the book up to the object you're proportion. The paint mix is shown painting, find a colour match and both wet and dry, so you can compare _ create the right mix with ease. Popa eee OSM ase OO se mores Spring foliage is generally made up of bright, fresh greens that lean more on the yellow paints in your palette than the bIUeS. 4 Here are three that | regard as essential. "fusmnvne Lighter, fine branches can be added while the first wash of green paint is still damp. Use a small metal palette knife to scrape them away. © This great effect only works ifthe area is still ensu0oN Introducing lemon yellow will give more fir vibrant results than cadmium yellow. Holding the brush upright, tap the tip repeatedly in the palette as you collect the paint; this will ‘break open’ the bristles and split the point. ‘You then repeat the tapping motion with the brush on the paper. © Usea size 6 round brush for smaller trees ora size 10 for larger trees. © The size 10 will give larger and wider-apart leaves — great for closer foliage. 10 PAINT & CREATE | saa.co.uktine. “Most mid-distance trees appear asa solid central mass of foliage that thins out and opens up towards the outside. This is achieved by ™ ‘Where your tree meets another object, like this building, build up the shadow next toiit, This will give | great contrast and make the tree sit back and the object pop forward. Aswith everything in a painting, shadows are key to making the subject look realistic. Use a strong shadow green and stippling to create shadows in foliage. @ Add areas of shadow within the foliage in almost horizontal sections. © Use a size 6 brush to paint the trunk and a size1 or 2 rigger for fine branches. a — @ Add the trunk and branches after you have painted the foliage ‘on summer trees. There tends to be more green on show than branches. © Successful branches are painted in the direction they grow. © Dab off excess paint using kitchen paper before painting. © Hold the rigger like a pencil and rest your hand on the paper. m Ad SHOP i383 Find the Matthew Palmer range of brushes at: saa.co.uk ae ei saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 11 E21SiDOW fomSAA, Ifyou have several trees in a row, you can break up the mass of foliage and suggest individual trees by adding separation shadows. Willows Willows are the perfect trees to demonstrate separation shadows, as you see very little of the trunks and branches of a willow when their leaves are out in the summer. Shading their dense foliage offers you the best chance of separating them visually. The key technique for these lovely trees isto paint lots and lots of drooping lines that curve down from the top of the tree. Dry brush ‘The dry brush technique is the key here. This involves using a size 6 round brush and the green tones shown to the right. Pick up the paint on the brush and gently tap off a touch on some kitchen paper. Using the splayed tip (see below), paint the dry brushstrokes, curving down from the top and drooping towards the water’s edge. Repeating this will build up the willow tree texture. Alternate between the silver green and shade green, adding only a few areas of the opaque green. Use the shade green once dry for the separation shadows. Asa finishing touch, use the dry brush technique with the opaque green to overlap the shade green and give a three- dimensional effect to the canopy. Splaying the bristles Use your fingers to pineh the hairs ofa round brush and splay them open in a fan shape as shown below. You can use this like a traditional fan brush to produce lots of parallel lines: perfect for willows. 12 PAINT& CREATE. Supporting All Artists -* ‘As we move into summer from spring, the greens around us tend to become slightly darker. Using more blue in the colour mixes will give you the perfect greens for all manner of summer scenes. Using a transparent yellow like cadmium yellow results in less saturation in the green tones, giving wonderful subtlety to your results, pee Cee eet Bec eUSer Ts Leave gapsiin the branches togive the impression of Eevee eens) ‘Tomake the mass of foliage into a row of separate trees, it's a simple case of using the shade green to paint the side of each tree where it meets its neighbour. Use a size 6 brush to apply the paint. Quickly clean the brush, tap off excess water on kitchen paper, and blend the paint away. © Don't spend too much time blending the same area, as this can lift off the paint underneath - though if this does happen, dont worry too much, as you ean simply paint more splayed foliage once dry.BRANCHES A part of any landscape featuring trees, branches are on show all year. Understanding how trees grow is useful when painting them. Thick to thin Alltree trunks are wider at the base, and taper off, gradually getting thinner as they split and branch out. A good approach when painting them is to work down your brushes in a similar way. Start with a large round size 10 brush for the tree base, working upwardsin the direction of growth. Gradually lift the brush off the paper, so the point gradually comes together and the line tapers off. When you feel the size 10 is too large, move toa ze 6 round brush, again, working in the direction of growth. Finish off with a size1 or 2 rigger brush for those fine branches. smaller Serer Cain branch aoe Let this innovative and indispensable book be your painting companion: Start with watercolour basics, learn to plan successful pictures, then select expert guidance, tips and beginner-friendly troubleshooting = * 6" colourful landscapes and woodlands. Not the paper as it reaches the end. © Rest your hand on the paper as you paint. This helps you to control the pressure and paint fine branches. © Dabbing off the excess paint on kitchen paper helps: the less paint on the brush the finer the detail, © Paint with just the tip of the brush, not the sides. all trees change colour at the same time, so these rich, warm brown and gold mixes 74) can be used in concert with the spring and summer greens. Branches with a rigger Arrigger is the perfect tool for fine branches, but there isa right anda wrong way to use it. Here are my tips for the best results: @ Hold the brush near the tip, like a pencil, grabbing the metal ferrule. © Imagine the brush isa pencil as you draw the branches. Practise a tapered flick, easing the brush off ‘BRANCH BROWN medium + Spartsbunt unber + pats French ul Ita tree is surrounded by other trees, they will east shadows on it. Use pale shadow grey toadd random stripesto fj sHADOW GREY themaintrunksand large branches fj aleandstrong using a size 6 round brush. Bp Bost + Ipat iain cfinson a from the sections on flowers, Se eee iene ‘trees, buildings, water, people My Palm ‘and wildlife, The pull-out picture ees finder will help create great Peres compositions, and the small format makes the book easy to transport and store De eae Cen Ee saa.couk | PAINT&CREATE 13AAL Supporting All Artists WATERCOLOUR | DIFFICULTY: “3 © Surf's up! e Graham Berry's loose figurative watercolour style captures these surfers perfectly his painting takes 30-40 [ minutes, and you could use it as part of the SAA 30-minute Challenge, see page 6, The six colours Tuse are high-value triad of Winsor Lemon, Permanent Rose and Cerulean Blue and a low-value triad of Quinacridone Gold, Permanent Alizarin Crimson and Cobalt Blue. 14 PAINT & CREATE | saa.couuk Materials used Surface: Saunders Waterford High White 30016 watercolour paper Medium: Winsor & Newton watercolours: Winsor Lemon, ‘Quinacridone Gold, Permanent Rose, Permanent Alizarin ‘Crimson, Cobalt Blue and Cerulean Blue Brushes: SAA Gold brushes: Flat 25mm, Round size 14 Plus: Penell 07mm HB. Mechanical pencil 3 water containers (empty yoghurt pots) Ceramic palette (a serving plate from any homeware store) Masking tape Drawing beard clips Frisk Ultra-Grip drawing board - Halfimp 18" x24"| start with a loose but accurate pencil drawing direct onto the watercolour paper, making sure | indicate where all the highlights are on the figures and surf boards. We need to preserve the white of the paper if possible; prefer not to use masking fluid. When I need to correct any pencil lines, l use a ‘putty’ rubber. fs - if Ifyou aren't confident in your drawing skills, you can use a grid to scale up from your photo, or do the drawing on cartridge paper first and when you're happy with it, trace and transfer to your watercolour paper Soak the paper with lots of water and then begin the first wash using the 25mm Fiat brush. Don't worry about the details at this stage. Use Winsor Lemon, Permanent Rose and Cerulean Blue and work quickly to cover ‘the paper, placing the colours in the appropriate places, ‘The paint consistency is very wet ~a little pigment and lots of water, wet in wet, no hard edges. Don't worry ifthe colour spreads into adjacent colours, every colour is affected by the colours around it. This first wash really loosens you up, covers the paper quickly and unifies the painting. Dry ‘the painting with a hair dryer between washes. Clean your palette and add the Quinacridone Gold, Permanent Alizarin Crimson and Cobalt Blue so you have all si colours. The consistency is now a lot less water and more pigment. Use three water pots, fone for each primary colour. saa.couk| PAINT& CREATE 15SAA, Supporting All Artists = fox Dues the SAA round brush, a big brush with a good point, begin the second wash on the fist figure and work your way across the painting, Begin with the Quinacridone Gold Con the first man's head, then add the Crimson and Cobalt, letting the colours mix on the paper. Preserve the highlight in his ear. Carry the wash on down the figure, adding the Winsor Lemon for the details on his outfit, also alittle Cerulean too It's important to look at the different edges ‘now, some soft and some hard, a soft edge on his left shoulder and a hard edge on his right. Continue on to the yellow surfboard, a lovely sharp highlight on the board's fedge and then begin the wash on the board with alittle Permanent Rose before adding a big wash of the Winsor Lemon. Add alittle Blue and Gold while it's still damp, Now you'te painting wet in wet, add alittle more pigment Con the brush, giving lovely soft edges. E ® wv e@ 7 a = 16 PAINT & CREATE | saa.co.uk , iy This is how my palette looks after the first figure is completed. I prefer to let the colours mix on the paper, not so much on the palette a TOP TIP Waa rer little paint and ends with AerieNow tackle the background sea. Begin the wash with Cerulean Blue at the top of the painting and let the wash run down the paper, adding Cobalt, Quinacridone Gold and a little Permanent Rose. Move the wash around with your brush, leaving some of parts of the first wash, creating dynamic shapes with lots of movement. It's really important to paint around the highlights on all the figures. Adding a little more colour and pigment next to the highlights makes them really stand out, Now comes the exciting part of any painting, adding all the final darks and details, sharpening a few edges and softening others. The whole painting now has a lot more depth and has come to life, the figures and their reflections really stand out i To keep my paints moist in between sessions I always spray a little water on them and put a lid on the palette. If-your palette hasn't got a lid, try covering with clingfilm and your paint will stay moist for days 5 ‘The same process is now continued for the last part of the second wash; the aim is a lot more depth and vibrancy. It's especially important to leave litte flecks of the underlying wash to shine through - some hard edges and some soft. FZ -antialy removing the masking tape. | always look forward to this final stage ofthe painting, removing the masking tape and a lovely sharp white edge to the painting. Itjust needs signing now. To find out more about Graham and his work, visit: www.grahamberrystudio.com www.paintwithgraham.com saacouk | PAINT& CREATE 17AA, Supporting All Artists BLOCKBUSTER! Jayne Bateman, a lifelong artist, shares how she overcame physical and mental blocks, which led her to train asa therapist. She now offers bespoke tuition to help other artists with creative blocks who Lam. Asa young child, I remember watching my grandad painting seascapes in oil and enamels, both of us in silence, mesmerised by the action of repeatedly putting the brush to the board and watching the paintings sparkle into life. During those moments ofssilent connection, the love of painting was instilled within me. I think I've always had that feeling that you can go anywhere with a painting - whatever you can imagine, you can paint it and bring it to life. We lived with my grandparents by the coast in North Yorkshire until I was eight, and the sea was part of my grandad’s life and heritage, soit always featured in his work. I ‘ve always painted; it's just something that's part of Bumps in the road Our world was turned upside down when ‘my grandad died, a huge and unexpected heart attack just before my O-level exams, sending my family into sudden shock and srief. Not being able to concentrate and coming down with flu ~ meant I didn’t get the grades I needed for college, so Ihad to take different path instead ~ the only option being a two-year Private Secretary course. It was not ideal, but as it turned out, I did learn a lot of useful business skills. Thad barely finished that course when my grandma was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died 18 months later. Before [had time to get over that loss, my mum was diagnosed with ‘cancer, too, and a few years later, she died. On top of that, my childhood asthma had returned; only now I needed inhalers to manage it. After my mum's funeral and her affairs were sorted, I had anervous breakdown. My GP said it was inevitable after all the stress Id been under for so ong, and | ‘was signed off work for several weeks. So, during that enforced pause from life, I had to take stock here 18 PAINT & CREATE | saa.co.uk Iwas, 32 years old, living alone in Hertfordshire, an area I didn't feel connected to, and in a career I didn't enjoy. Iwas still painting as and when | could but found grief a huge block tomy creativity. Painting was my happy place, an escape from the stress, but when the stress got too much, I struggled even to get started A fresh start During this time off work, I found myself daydreaming a lot about becoming a ‘proper artist, having a studio and selling my work. What I didn’t know was the situation was about to become a reality, and three months after my nervous breakdown, the man Iwas to marry came into ry life. It wasnt long before we were starting our life together in Dorset, an area we both loved. Dorset has always been a huge inspiration for my art sine my first visit on a school trip. The light there is incredible, and itwasn’t hard to be motivated to paint. When my sonstarted school, I started exhibiting my work more and ‘was soon asked about commissions and tuition, For several years I loved living the life ofa ‘proper artist’ - painting, exhibiting and teaching! My medium. initially was watercolour, then acrylics, but although loved the smooth transitions of oil painting, having asthma meant I couldn't use them, even the water-based, oils caused me breathing problems. Unexpected detour ‘The next change in my artist path happened because of my asthma, which had been steadily worsening each year, as well as having bronchitis each winter. It was really starting to affect my quality of life and work as an artist. My GP suggested I try homeopathy. Pd never heard ofit but felt desperate, and he referred me to clinic. Within six months of treatment, I no longer needed any inhalers, and the asthma symptoms were ‘gone. [was so utterly amazed that I decided to train as a Homeopath myself and signed up for a four-year course at the Contemporary College of Homeopathy in Bristol. During my homeopathic training, I was taught the link between emotions and ill-health, whieh | also observed while treating patients in my clinies. I noticed that over go% of people who needed help with physical problems had an underlying emotional cause, In almost, all cases, it stemmed from either a bereavement/grief_ or childhood trauma, People said the same thing I did. “We're British; we're told to be brave, keep a stiff upper lip, not to ery at funerals because our deceased relative wouldn't want to see us upset, ete." I also saw the same pattern with patients who were struggling with symptoms of anxiety or depression. I realised that there Winter—a time for and mixed media on canvas are so many people like me, who had not realised that their symptoms started from suppressed or unresolved grief. ‘Working with people to restore them back to health, has been a privilege. Its exceedingly hard but rewarding work as they regain their health, The best part for me is always at the end of treatment when they feel better and often talk about wanting to take up a discarded hobby, interest or passion. At this point, I want to shout, “Creativity is my thing; I can help you with that”, but as ahomeopath, that’s the time to say goodbye to them, as their need for treatment has ended. The artist’s life again After graduating in 20m, and working in busy elinies, plus a house move due tomy husband’sjob, | still painted regularly and hung onto the title of ‘part-time artist’. However, the feelings were building that | wanted more and more to be a ‘proper artist’ again... and then out of the blue came lockdown 2020, when my clinies had to close. Suddenly had time and space to concentrate on art again. Coming through lockdown, 1 have reduced my hours and moved my clinie practice online, so [have more time for art. My bespoke tuition has always been about helping someone connect to their inner artist and develop their individual style, but now I wanted to incorporate my therapeutic knowledge to help people overcome artistic and mental blocks to keep their art practice moving forward. So I set up “HeArt Classes’ from my home studio in the beautiful Cheddar Gorge village. ‘Working with my own blocks to creativity has led ‘me on an unexpected and meandering path, which ultimately has led me back to the heart of myself again, and now lam able to help other artists find their own unique path back to themselves. saa.couk| PAINT& CREATE 19SAA, Supporting All Artists SIMPLE WAYS TO START CLEARING YOUR OWN MENTAL BLOCKS Wveryone gets creative and ‘mental blocks from time to time, even experienced artists. Even a simple block such as" haven't got the eneray for painting today” can mean anything from being simply tired from a busy life to procrastination because ofa deep-rooted fear of failure -or even success, Often, the hardest part can be avercaming the inner voices that stop us from expressing who we are within our art or sometimes even stop us from getting started, Making art can be extremely therapeutic as it allows you to forge a connection between mind and body and promotes wellness, healing and personal change. Understanding your blocks is a huge step forward in resolving them, and not every block to creativity has deep-seated issues behind it; some are very short-lived. Here are some of my favourite simple ways to resolve creative blocks on your own, | /CeeSerne my number one go-to far quickly ‘overcoming a lack of motivation or just ideas for what to paint. Start slowly and small by picking a single space in your studio or home; one shelf, drawer or small cupboard and Clear everything off, then clean the space and only put back the things ‘you love or use regularly. Move on anything that you no longer need or like, Having a clear and organised studio space filled with the tools and materials that you actually use on a regular basis will help you get straight to work. Ifyou find it really hard to let go of clutter, you may need additional help asit's often not the item you struggle with but the ‘meaning behind it that's causing the problem, De a restinap ifyou need to catch up on sleep, Take time away from phones and computers, unwind and see if your motivation reappears ‘Sometimes a block can occur because we are just too tired to be bothered with anything, and it can mimic symptoms of mild depression, when we really just need some proper rest and relaxation, Talk to a friend about your block lover a cuppa. Sometimes our minds are so full to overflowing with day-to-day life that it can help just. to unwind and let all your worries out; plus, listening to yourself talking out loud can often help you resolve it more quickly. Alternatively, writing it down and journaling about your block can often help the mind to find solutions, Do something completely different to your normal routine, Boredom can be a block to creativity, and as one of the main art, principles is about differences, doing something completely different can re-energise you and clear that block. i eviaee but just start somewhere, A five-minute sketch, 10 minutes clearing clutter, tidying your paints, or looking through magazines to see what images you are drawn to, can sometimes be enough to get you motivated again. one) ear Precal 6:3 ‘some good [quality art materials, as the results can often be significant and therefore increase motivation. If cost isa problem, then start small with three primaries plus white, and experiment with mixing, or see if you can find ways to save money elsewhere. ie play with the materials you already own on scrap paper, with no pressure to create; just see what naturally occurs and inspires you. or more informati Peaee ny ”y Clear your clutter! This is my number one go-to for quickly overcoming a lack of motivation or just ideas for what to paint 20 PAINT & CREATE |saaco.uk—— Congratulations To SAA On Your 30 Year Anniversary! —— CARAN? ACHE EXISWISS MADE] BOA®& SUPRACOLOR® AQUARELLE For more thin 30 year, Supacolo® Soft pecs hve embodied versity. Ther high quality es inthe brighten vibraney ofthe colours, as well as their nigu covering power. The 120 Supraclor Soft Shades ae suitable fora mule of techniques, fom fading blending with fingers, buldng teres to drawing watersieus. The pencils continue 0 be favored by amateur art, graphic designers nd lator alike, Made in Geneva they me vaste calecions 0 12, 18, 30, 40,80 and 120 pene ad arse vad indi Caran Ache Swi Made Fxcllence since 1915 CARANPACHE Genéve sanodechecom Avaliable now at wiv SAAcoKisupracolour saacouk | PAINT&CREATE 2)SAA. On composition . Supporting All Artists John Kaye, a retired art teacher and critic, explains how to improve possibly the most fundamental aspect of your work nawareness of the basics of composition helps you to appreciate this quality in other people’s work and also helps you to structure your own work, no matter how skilful your drawing or painting technique. I hope this will lead you to a greater satisfaction in what you do. Ido want to stress the importance of planning before a main painting is embarked upon. I find thata methodical approach does much to help me to make sense ofa situation 22 PAINT & CREATE | saa.couuk ‘where all the decisions seem to arise at the same time. I see composition as the basic skeleton of a painting; all the flesh of colour, texture, detail and technique need strong bones to carry the weight. [believe that composition is, the secret key to success in painting. ‘To give some meaning to the term ‘composition, two aspects need to be considered. First, ina good composition, the different parts of the painting should link to or have a special relationship ABOVE: Porec Harbour I painted this many years goon the waterfront at Poree, Yugosiavia. The sheer complexity of the subject drew me tot. The ‘main fault is that | chose a flat-on view. There is no Centre of interest; the whole painting is just a collection of details. The positioning of the people here does. not help to quide the eye. They don't know whether they are coming or going, and | obviously didn't know either!RIGHT: Sa Tuna, Costa Brava | was intrigued by the dominance of the buildings on this promontory. ‘This painting turned out to be rather bland, and | must have thought at cone time that it was finished, but now don't. | could have developed the tones to give more depth and made more of the contrast of the shadows against the buildings. The sea is not convincing, and the sky is too pale, Iw, Pi First, in a good composition, the parts of the painting should link to or have a special relationship with the frame with the frame, Second, the various parts of the painting should have an internal coherence; the forms, the shapes and the interrelationship of tones should form a cohesive whole, ie, every part of it should havea reason LEFT: Crail Harbour, Fife This painting of Crail harbour, painted froma photograph, is rather heavy in tone and very dark on the right- hand side. I's not ‘well balanced as composition; too heavy on the right side. Any pointers tend to be ineffectual and don't direct attention toanything important. LEFT: Barton Broad, Norfolk Painted directly on the spot from a boat on a Broads holiday at Easter. The most significant thing about this particular painting of Barton Broad is the broad, and the broad is all you can ‘see, much too central in emphasis and very little tonal contrast. typically tentative piece (of work that identified me as a real beginner in watercolour. One of my early attempts. for being there. Leaving just one part ‘out would detract from the whole, Ifyou have ever, on entering an exhibition hall, had your attention forcibly drawn to one picture, in particular, taking your immediate attention as no others do, its highly likely that that particular painting had a very skilful eomposition. I would urge you to keep your failures, The following early paintings of mine have more than a few compositional faults. I always think that if am to indicate saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 23SAA, Supporting All Artists ABOVE: Workshop, Chamey Manor This painting has become a historical document {as the workshop depicted no longer exists. As to the composition, the whole picture is flat on, not ‘avery original viewpoint. The overworked wall dissipates the attention; there is limited overlap, 0 depths lost. The unintended centre of interest has became the window, owing to it being such a great contrast shortcomings, they might as well be mine rather than embarrass somebody else. Think how encouraged you will be when you later can say that you are so much better now. The main aspects of composition that beginners need to be aware of are: centre of interest, pointers guiding the eye, depth and tonal balance. I always try to ensure that there is only one centre of interest. More than one dilutes the impact of a painting, and there should never be two of equal importance. ‘There are advantages to having lines and shapes that provide a route into a painting, 24 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk ‘ABOVE: Anstruther, Fife ‘Once ina while, things turn out well without a great deal of fuss and labour. This was from a photo. | was particularly pleased with how this painting turned out. The two great curves ofthe cirrus cloud and the shoreline point satisfactory towards the main centre of interest. The dark shapes balance each other very well too.RIGHT: Deckchairs, Clacton Pier Atypical example of objects that have an animation within themselves. aught this on camera and was very pleased with the way that the wind had animated the cloth of the deck chairs. The direction of the flooring may have tended tolead the attention away from the centre of interest. loved the opportunity tomake the shadows strongly counter this and force the eye back tothe deckehairs. oer Cio watercolours, pec eee Ree About the artist CT ei Pee eae directing the eye to the centre of interest. ABOVE: Burnham, RIE A painting doesn't have to be a landscape to ‘on Crouch, new Nea recta = ; quay Goi have depth; portraits and still lifes need to be The perspective lines ia and the home in context and show the location and relevant of the buildings, the ral surroundings. Flat-on front elevations should path and the horizon eT oes all point to the main be avoided whenever possible. Ceara Light and dark tones should be thedork inecor the bag geuabaseuberaialaeetiuoy asymmetrical yet balanced; mid tones are the boom and the jetty bai rane ale Lameitindms . frame the subject itly/SAAOnPainting glue that holds a painting together. era introns an paeienetrhisliiar In the eritique of my paintings, I mention icaraeeng tare each of these where they are relevant. into the composition. saa.couk| PAINT& CREATE 25Supporting All Artists From the City of Joy Rajan Dey fell in love with watercolour at a very early age ai, to his friends, was born in Be (Calcutta, India), also known as the ‘City of Joy’, but has travelled and worked abroad extensively over the past 20 years with his job in the software industry. He is currently ivingin the UK with his wife and eight-year-old daughter, who isalso keen on art. Raj explains, “By education, I aman electrical and electronics engineer; by occupation, am an IT consultant, but by passion, | am an artist. have been painting in various mediums such as watercolour, acrylic, oil and pastel 26 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk since the age of five. With no family background in art, Lam self-taught. “When I was young, | would draw anything and everything that I saw, cars, birds, people, houses, boats, books, pens, pencils ete. feel that the best way to master art is through repetition. One needs to repeat the same drawing with a different perspective in mind each time, as there is no such thing as right or wrong” ‘Anearly interest in art was nurtured during Raj’s schooldays, when he took part in many art competitions, winning most of them. This success was the main motivational factor for him in continuing his art, “Who doesn't love recognition, be it medals, prizes or certificates?” he smiles. Raj is so passionate about art that there are hardly any days when he doesn't paint or draw, even ifit is only for a few minutes. ‘The demands of higher education and work-related travel meant Raj had to put his painting on hold for several years, but he never stopped scribbling and doodling figures, cartoon characters, and caricatures of people in the back of his,notebooks, After decades away from “My method of painting is a simple ‘Top left: New York painting, he took it up again when _ four-step process - drawing, first OmARairy Day his daughter started todevelop an _ wash, second wash and detailing. Rie New ron interest in art, which re-kindled Raj's_ Drawingiis necessary to place objects asia a love for the subject. Since then, he _in the right place, keeping the focal Landscape hasn't stopped and plans to continue for many more years. Having worked in various mediums since 2018, Raj now considers himself watercolour artist. Due to the travelling nature of his work, he finds watercolour materials easy to carry, and he ean always find space for them in his backpacl “The very nature of watercolour is so mysterious that the end result is always unpredictable to a certain extent, and that mystery drives me all the time, Most of my artworks are done plein air or area combination of imagination and subjects from photographs, or sometimes paintings of other artists who have inspired me, saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 27SAA, Street scene in Havana Supporting All Artists point and perspective in mind, although my drawings are very loose, and | tend to change or move subjects while colouring, “When it comes to colouring, I prefer a very limited palette, which basically consists of primary colours and greys from brands like Sennelier, Winsor & Newton ete. | prefer using tubes as the paint is fresher. The first wash involves filling in the white paper with colours Enter your work into our Front Cover Artist competition for a chance to be on the cover of Paint & create! Go to saa.co.uk/frontcover 28 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk ee and only leaving the whites as required. Once dried, the second layer ensues the subjects are enhanced, especially around the focal point, and this is followed by the last and the final detailing. I prefer to leave quite a while between washes so I ean revisit how the painting evolves over time and take any necessary corrective actions. “Over the past few years, my style of work has mellowed from realistie to more impressionistic, leaving space for imagination. Inow focus mostly on landseapes, cityscapes, flowers, cars and boats. With my most recent works, as you might have noticed, I have tried to capture the mood of the scene with the help of light, shadow and a story behind the scene. believe in capturing and portraying a story to the audience with skilful brushstrokes anda beautiful medium such as watereolour:” About the artist eeu ualSava SAA CHALLENGE: Back to Black Jack panthers and jaguars bring not only the B itemistin mitts mney of capturing their dark velvety pelt. Thisis possibly the most challenging of the three ‘Big Cat’ subjects this ‘year. They also both have hidden markings that show upin certain lights, which you may choose to highlight. Either cat would look stunning depicted in daylight, but suggesting them in a more minimalistie way on dark paper would also be very effective. Which will you choose? We asked two artists to share their tips on how to achieve black/dark fur effect ots All fur requires underpainting when working with soft pastels. Using a slightly harder black Conte Carres pastel, "block in’ a thin, tonal layer for my initial underpainting, I work over this with softer pastels, Sennelier and Unison, being careful not to apply them too heavily. The secret with black or brown/black fur is to keep the highlights in the middle to a slightly lighter tonal range to avoid making those tones too light. All lights must be coloured, even if they appear white in your photograph. Black and white colour will make subjects appear flat and uninteresting. Highlights are never white but are very much affected by the reflective light in the surrounding habitat, With black fur, these lights would be leaning towards the cooler purples and blue colours, while with bbrown/black fur, the colour would be towards the warm browns and warm purples. In getting this right, your fur will be glossy and interesting! cathing| Big cats’ sinuous forms are a challenge to capture Even 'black’cats have hidden markings that show up in sunlight Painting on black paper can bbe very effective and the secret is to keep the painting toa minimum and let the black paper do much work. for you. My example of the little cat couldn't be simpler but has all the information you need - the bits you dont paint, the brain fills in for you. | used Clairefontaine Aquarelle black watercolour paper and Daler Rowney Whit Designers Gouache. Adjust the contrast/brightness of the reference photo, sketch the outline and transfer the Less is sometimes more Lesley Lord's ‘suggestion’ of the detailsis very effective Image. Use a very thin mix of White gouache and paint over the drawn outline. The gouache dries brighter than you think, so don’t make your first mix too strong if you want subtlety. When dry, strengthen the mix and give the key features more depth. Use a very fine brush for whiskers and soft hairs, again using a fairly strong white mix. F you need to make any parts stronger, make sure the initial layers are dry first, or ‘you risk lifting paint off For more detailed work, block in features with thin, white gouache, then when dry, gently go over with washes of watercolour, but always leave plenty of the black paper unpainted so that the subject looks as though it's emerging from the background, hope this helps, and | look forward to seeing some of your works! lesleylord.co.uk Log in to your online account at: saa.co.uk/login and click through to the community area. Find ‘Challenges’ and click on ‘Back to Black’to upload your painting, Please give your entryan original title and give a detailed description about why it fits the theme in the ‘Further information’ box how and why you painted it, any problems you had along the way, and the medium(s) used. Your words ‘can help give your painting meaning! The closing date is the 27th September and a selection of entries will be showcased in the November issue, when the challenges for 2023 will be announced PAINT& CREATE | saa.co.uk saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 29SAA, Supporting All Artists Monochrome printing Asimple but effective Great tit printing project with Anita Pounder lief printing, or block printing, is B: tradition dating back thousands f years. It originated in East Asia, and the technique involves carving an image from materials like wood, Linoleum or rubber and transferring, or stamping, it onto a surface such as silk or paper. The result isa mirror image of the carved image - which is important to remember if you're using letters or numbers! This technique means that the same print can be created over and over again, making it popular for printing onto fabrics or walls to create patterns or for early printed texts. Traditionally, hard, tight-grained ‘woods from fruit trees like pear and cherry were favoured for relief carving as they offer finer detail than softer, porous, open-grained woods like oak MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) is an alternative to natural wood. ‘The invention of Linoleum in the 1860s led to it being used asa relief printing material for more than a century. Because the soft Linoleum has no grain, it’ easier and cleaner to carve from any direction. The traditionally made printing blocks use a hessian- backed preparation of solidified linseed oil Amodern alternative isa soft, flexible, rubber-like material called SoftCut, which offers an easy carving medium, and cutting tools glide through it with minimal effort. Due to its flexibility, it can be used to print on eurved surfaces. This print of a Great tit was created using SoftCut and water-soluble black printing ink. This s a simple one- colour print, where the areas nat to be printed are cut away and the ink applied to the remaining raised areas, creating the image. el eke 30 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.ukYou will need (@ Frisk Tracedown Graphite Paper © HB pencil @Softcut or Lino © Brayer (roller) forapplying the ink © Cutting tools. The cutting blades need to be extremely sharp and are available in different shapes. V' shapes offer more precise lines, whereas the larger U-shaped shape ‘can be used to cut away larger areas, These can be bought asan individual unit, or some havea handle and multiple interchangeable blades. © Paper. A light to mid-weight paper is better ifyou are printing by hand, as it's easier to burnish through these. It's worth testing different papers to see which ‘works best, and it's fun to use interesting handmade papers. Inexpensive copy paper is great both for testing your print before Using a more expensive paper, and asa printing surface in its ‘own right. (© Baren or burnishing tool. A, smooth disc-shaped too}, usually ‘with a handle for hand printing. ‘The baren is rubbed across the back of the paper, applying the ink to the paper. You can also do this with your hand or use the back of a large spoon, (@ Block printing ink. Block printing inks are available in oll- based and water-soluble formulas suitable for working on paper. ‘There are also inks that can be used with fabric and which can bbe washed. But youre not limited to block printing inks. Acrylics can be used with a printing or a slow- drying medium or a retarder to keep the acrylic open for longer. @ Ink tray oF inking surface. A tray or surface with a flat surface for rolling out the inks. Plast, china or glass surfaces work well. ‘Simplify the reference photo into a line drawing, but dont include every detail. Using Frisk Tracedown Graphite paper, place the graphite side down onto the SoftCut with the line drawing on top. Draw over the image Pia 20H pencil totransfer the outline to the surface. Lift the Tracedown repeatedly to check that you've traced every line. Making sure the blade is cutting away from you, start to carve away the areas of detail that are to remain white. | usually use a small V-shaped blade to outline the main areas and add fine details 3 The cutting tool used here allows for multiple blades, so once the fine details are complete, you can change the blade and cut the big areas with a large U-shaped cutter. want to keep the background white, but not a solid white. | like the texture that can show when printing, Once you have cut out the white areas, ensure that you dust down the surface to remove any stray material, These can easily get caught up in the ink and appear on the print. ‘Squeeze a small amount of Ink onto the ink tray and roll the ink with the roller (brayer) until it's smooth and you can hear a ‘sticky’ sound. saacouk | PAINT& CREATE 31 >SAA, Supporting All Artists , i, Not only can you create prints, but the carved printing block is an artform inits own right and could be displayed ‘Now you can apply the ink to the SoftCut. It’s important to /apply a thin, even layer and not over-ink the block. 6 the ink has been applied, there's still time to remove any areas you may have missed, which ‘appear once they're black, Here the bird's beak hada little bit of the background attached to it fonce you're happy that the surface is ‘completely inked, you can start to print. Place a sheet of copy paper on top. You can use a guide to ensure the paper's placed squarely on the inked surface or, ike me, do it by eye. (Once the paper isin place, you can use your hand, a spoon or the printing baren to rub the back of the paper with a firm and even pressure, 9 Repeat the process by re-inking the SoftCut until you have a print you're happy with, Then change to a better-quality paper for the final prints, Is very satisfying to peel back the print from the carved surface asyou can't always be sure what will be revealed. Even though every print will be a copy of the one before, each will have different characteristics. Using copy paper for these prints means )you can keep printing without a great cost. The first print is often not as successful ‘as subsequent versions. 32. PAINT & CREATE | saa.couukSupporting All Artists SAA, Paint a postcard Welcome to some of the SAA’s newer members - happy painting and drawing! New members will find some blank posteards in their membership ‘welcome’ pack. Simply use them to paint us a picture, log into your account at saa.co.uk and click on ‘SAA Community, under the ‘My account’ tab. Then click on ‘Challenges, and follow the instructions to enter and upload your entry WATER Lisa Norman: Tree of Life Life hasn't been too kind to me since the pandemic, and I wanted | from Nottingham and am new to topaint something that stands _- painting, Since having Covid in strong in the face of adversity. 2020, my life has changed, and This tree of life truly inspired I'm now unable to work. Painting me,and Ilove the simplicity of _: is my happy time, and I can forget how it came out, but the power ___myaches, pains and health issues shines through the image.Iam _: when I pick upa brush. Margaret Well: Peace Hall, Halifax Tused a fineliner to sketch the Beta (alla, Wee building and brush pens to add acl ib colour. I started painting in 2020 Geetha Nirmalie asa hobby, which kept me sane Perira: Roses from — “8 1°°kcown- my Garden have used Bockingford watercolours and the postcard included in my Welcome Pack to try out painting some roses in my garden. | ama retired design and technology teacher Tenjoy painting with acrylic and watercolours. I mostly choose to paint landscapes and nature studies, Other than painting, Tlove travelling, baking and gardening. Tracy McMullen: Pink house on Loch Asa beginner, | needed some inspiration. I used a picture by Steve Robinson, who received a ‘Commended’ in the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year. I used acrylic ink and soft pastel. I have just rekindled my love of art after 45 years. I'm keen to experiment with different media and hope to find my own style. saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 33SAA. Supporting All Artists MEMBERS' GALLERY This month's favourite art picks — ‘The View from here’ November '22 (25th September) ‘Add a little sparkle’ January '23 (23rd December) ‘Happy memories’ March '23 (26th February) ‘New beginnings’ 34 PAINT CREATE |saa.co.ukTo enter the next Members’ Gallery, log in to your online account at saa.co.uk/login and click through to the community area. Select the competition you want to enter and submit your entry. Please give your entry an original title and tell usa bit about it: how you feel it fits with the theme, how you painted it, any problems you had along the way, the medium used and unframed size (cm). Or, you can send good quality photographs by post to Head Office marked Members’ Gallery - please include your name and membership number. There are so many wonderful submissions that we sadly can't choose because the photos aren't big enough. When you upload your image, please try to use the available maximum size (2MB). Usually, this means uploading the original photo, not one taken from your social media or compressed by an email app. The perspective and the detail in this. The thododendrons in the foreground, giving way to the snatched glimpse of the house works very nicely 1 Compton Verney Lake Melanio Potten Acrylic 2 Beach Hut View Across the Bay Rita Batson - Watercolour 3 How Green is My City Jennifer Stapleton - Mixed media 4 View from my beach hut Raymond Smith - Watercolour 5 Tracks Malvern Jacqueline Trinder. Oil 6 Wildflowers Mountain ‘Andrea Farmer - Mixed media 7 The View from our Driveway Samantha Robson : Watercolour 8 LaCadiered’Azure Cheryl Janis Acrylics ‘9Can't go anywhere but great view in retirement! Hazel C Lucas . Pen and wash “J NOTE: Please ensure that any work you submit is your own; if you have used another artist's painting, tuition or photograph as your inspiration, please credit them accordingly saa.couk | PAINT&CREATE 35Turn your artwork into beautiful, printed items! We're excited to have launched a fantastic on-demand and affordable printing service with the help of our friends at Love from the Artist POE Ont R ees has created a new website at saaprint.co.uk that enables you to create stunning projects using your own artworks. From cards and notebooks, to prints, diaries and more, there's plenty to create to showcase your art to its full potential PoeCupremts meine ta) Several SAA members have been using this new service for a little while now - here's what they think. wanted to say a big thank he quality of the art prints, you for your support during _ greeting cards, labels and my exhibition -for your notebooks are excellent flexibility, spe Without the support of lan and delivery of my items, and the team at Love from duction Many artists have asked me where | get my cards printed and I've recommended you a lot during the event Louise Arnold tickledinkart.co.uk @tickledinkart the Artist I don't think | would have had the confidence to. order all the products in my first order Fiona Dillon fionadillonart.com PAINT & CREATE | saa.co.uk Clea aes oyN7I Pe RG SAA membership Cee ant Perec co 9 Painting by Louise Arnold THERE ARE LOTS OF REASONS TO PRINT YOUR ARTWORK ey ea at) Satu ed SMa nat ese es eet aa Sotto} ees Bee ea tad you don't get this flexibility Cereb au tae geet materials created and supplied ree peered STN AUR on ood Seen Pee eee lable tooall have so much inspiration on our doorsteps. I ove to travel and am always inspired by seeing new destinations and looking at the world with fresh eyes. Sometimes we have to look closer to home. I planted some wildflower seeds outside my studio, and not only are the flowers beautiful, but the scene changes every Supporting All Artists Go Wild! Marylin Allis finds inspiration close to home for these wildflowers in metallic acrylics, day; they also attract wildlife in the form of bees, birds and butterflies. Never-ending inspiration. Thisis a very easy way to paint and requires no knowledge, just have fun with these strange techniques and relax into it. Great for painting alongside our children and grandchildren too. Use this project as part of the SAA 30-minute Challenge! Materials used ‘Sem x 40cm Canvas board Paints Atelier Interactive acrylic: ‘Cadmium Yellow Medium, White, Cadmium Red Medium, Permanent Brown Madder, Prussian Blue, French Ultra Marine Blue, Viridian Green Pebeo Studio iridescent Green Blue, Iridescent Blue Flat size 20 brush Flat size 2 brush ‘Small, pointed brush Plus Atelier Impasto gel Plastic card Old toothbrush saa.couk | PAINT&CREATE 37AA, Supporting All Artists iat a plastic card, blob some Impasto gel around ‘the sides and the bottom of your dry canvas. This, will really help to spread the paints around and will give a lovely texture to our painting. NOTE: This looks white, but it will dry clear. ‘Squeezing straight from the tubes, make small blobs on your canvas, first with some Cadmium Yellow Medium. Then add small blobs of French Ultra Marine Blue, followed by a few blobs of White, The key is not to use too much. 38 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk J] titizarcot ite Pamion Ba are vey small amount of Permanent Brown Mader for the background, using a good amount of water. A2"flat brush will get the paint onto the canvas quickly and you need a consistency that easily comes off the brush, Wait for itto dry. , It’s better to be too ‘thin than too thick; we can always add another coat to a thin mix 3 Using the Pebeo Iridescent Green Blue, repeat the process of squeezing out blobs on top of the other paint. Then do exactly the same with some Iridescent Blue, but not too much 4m a plastic card, such as an old credit card or ‘store card, Use this to wiggle the paint in different directions to create interesting effects. There's no need to overthink it, and definitely don't over-work it, or you will have a grey or brown painting, Just a little mingling. Take some Viridian Green and make a few blobs along the bottom of your painting. Now wiggle this into your other wiggles ~ just a few. Scape a few straight upward marks Into the area with only the background colour.Take a big, flat, size 20 brush, and use the Cadmium Red Medium ‘to make a few marks resembling poppy. Space out the poppies to be ina couple of groups, running ‘them through the painting, Not too many, as we have lots of other flowers to fit in, With the smaller, flat brush, mix Permanent Brown Madder with ‘the Prussian Blue for the lovely dark centres. Paint three or four of those beautiful poppy seed heads, a smallish oval shape, using Prussian Blue with alittle Cadmium yellow mixed in. With a plastic card, run a mark next to each poppy head. Don't worry ifnot every mark comes out. Then with a very small brush, paint a raised loop above the head to join the stern. Those poppy seed heads are heavy. 8 Take an old toothbrush, dip it into the Cadmium Yellow Medium and flick the end of the toothbrush vigorously. Now do the same with the White. Kids of all ages will love this! So quick and so unintimidating, 2 great way to just enjoy the paint and the canvas. Beautifully sparkling. Leave for at least three weeks; then you can add a coat of invisible varnish to preserve the brightness of the colours. 62 ‘with the small §, pointed brush and dip into the French Ultra Marine Blue to paint some cornfiowers. Look at the shape of a comfiower; i's like a ballerina dress of pointed marks. ‘Add a few marks of White for the highlight and then a mixof Prussian Blue with Permanent Brown Madder for that cone underneath, You can paint the stems with ‘the small pointed brush or the plastic card, whichever you find the easiest. Repeat for a couple of groupings of cornflewers, taking some into the empty shying To make white daisies, plot a few Cadmium Yellow circles using your pointed brush, in groups along the bottom of the painting. When you are happy with where you have placed ‘them, paint in the petals using the same small brush and thick. White paint. NOTE: They are always random shapes and sizes, so don't be ‘too precise, Paint them quickly. We need a little shadow (on just a few petals, so mix Prussian Blue, White and alittle Permanent Brown Madder together, and paint, over a few petals on each daisy. With a mix of Prussian Blue and Cadmium Yellow, add a little mark - onlya little way around — between the white petals and the yellow middle to indicate the shadow. >) About the artist To see more of Marilyn's work, visit: marilynallis.com saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 39AA, Supporting All Artists NT Materials used... Levelling up =... Pencils White QO}, crear (102), Manganese Vi or colour Alison C Board demonstrates three levels Pesesa ear caes otters cry to work to, with this bald eagle in pastel fe Purty eraser (SAA Artists Soft Pastels: White, Smoke Grey (7, Yellow Ochre (5), Burnt Umber (8) Black (© Paper stump 1 Fine sandpaper or sandpaper block a ar sone SA ae eels meas eam real oe aN (99) White (720), Burnt Carmine (610), Powder Blue (310), Blue Grey (690), From this Deep Cadmium (040) . ‘© Tombow Mono Zero eraser 23mm . to this ¢ © Additional Unison Soft Pastels: ‘Some had their wrappers removed, 50 ‘guessing at the exact colours but deep browns with a red bias, greys and AIS Choose a background colour, One of the Joys of working on Pastalmat is picking a colour that saves lots of background work and complements your subject. Here Ihave chosen the Wine as | hope it willadd warmth and drama tothe completed piece, 2 Draw or trace out the eagle, Ifusing a transfer method, pastel works better than Tracedown, which canbe tricky to Pastelmat. | like touse different colours when sketching, which are close to what I'm aiming for. 40 PAINT & CREATE | saa.co.ukPI vid TOP TIP The more pastel Using the paper stump, blend the areas of pastel together. You Perron cy may have to push quite Using White, Smoke Raia 3 Some of the smaller hard and even add ci Grey, Yellow Ochre 5, areas will be more pastel ifit’s not 2 Burnt Umber 5 and Black, challenging with a large _ blending together bbreak the sticks into small stick,so have small piecesin as you would lke. pieces and ‘block in’ the areas of your hand and use a light touch. at this stage, you colour. Don't worry about the details; Roll the piece between your fingers as are not trying to atthis stage, you are alming forthe you drawsoyou always haveasharp cover everything. right colour in the right place. edge. Simply smooth it out asa primary layer. if i Use sandpaper to clean the paper stump between colours Using the pastel pencils from step, 2, apply detail in the eye, beak, and feet and use the paper stump to refine any marks you create, 6 After blending, there will be areas that need building up again to give depth to the feathers. Apply colour in the same way as step and blend again. a Hard Pa 8 Use the black pastel stick for the Porrpleted wor dark in the eye; you may want to ‘A few shadows under wing edges several options are use a knife to cut off a shard to make and the feet will also give depth available at:saa.couk handling it easier. to the eagle's stance, saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 4)SA 2 Ae NSTI supporting All Artists STAGE TWO As lovely as the Pastelmat ‘Youwill need to be patient with Try to consider where the colours are, i's often favourable this technique. It requires more lights and darks are in the to place a soft background between _ time than you might anticipate, and background. Place lighter areas (using the subject and what is beyond. If you will need to vary the pressure Red Iron Oxide Tint) where the eagle you're used to painting, PanPastels _youmakeon thesurface, onlylightly _is dark and use Copper where itis {area great way to get an atmospheric dusting it on towards the end to light. look. Use the applicator to apply a create a soft finish, litle Copper and Red Iron Oxide Tint, . . Beier eee ie UReeToe uy Invert the paper and tap it over arubbish Stckthatis almost denticaltothe | bin to remove the dust. This will result in you colour ofthe paper. This will give the ilusion of light and depth all at the losing the detail but regaining the texture of the Erne tine Pastelmat so more layers of detail can be added yu pus tse 1 3 Now, we can, refine everything by making better marks ‘and considering the texture, Before we do that, we need to address the fact that the surface ofthe Pastelmat is. probably full and may rot take any additional chalk. To reclaim some of the texture, use a bristle brush to chip away some ofthe dust. Make sure you do this somewhere ‘where you can get rid ofthe excess dust, as wouldn't recommend blowing it or creating a dust cloud. 1 Each section of the eagle can now be ‘addressed in detail to bring the portrait together. As we will be working back over areas of pastel, you will need to rest your hand on something to prevent smudging, Id recommend using Glassine paper, the type that comes in a pad, of Pastelmat, cut into a small sheet. PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk15% isa good time to discuss sharpening your pastel pencils, ‘which can be endlessly frustrating, Every pencil artist has their own methods. prefer to get them started with a rotary sharpener and then refine them with a knife or a piece of sandpaper, 1 62" as much time as you [can on the eye as this is what wil bring life to your eagle. |like to have plenty of ‘lost’ and found! edges {and shapes in my paintings, but there ‘re some parts that you can't mess ‘about with, and the eye of this bird is one of them. It requires detail and precision in a mass of feathers to bring ‘out the personality. Here | have used black, white, and two shades of yellow, brown, grey and blue to get the detail It doesn't matter how many colours you have, but the sharpness of the pencils will help with the precision, Ifyou are sharpening with a knife, do it onto a damp piece of kitchen roll or a hand wipe. It captures the dust and pieces, making them much easier to clean up 1 Fre beak will probably require ‘alittle less time than the eye but will possibly be trickier due to the surface needing a smooth transition from one colour to the next. You ‘can achieve this with small circular ‘motions of the tip of your pencil and a ‘ew light swipes of the paper stump to blend the tiny particles of chalk. 18% ‘of my favourite colours of pastel pencilis Derwent’s Burnt Carmine. Its the perfect colour for animal noses, and here it proves its worth yet again, as a similar tone to the background colour. This means it can be used to tidy up any ofthe eagle that has strayed into the background and bring back crisp edges. 1 Ove: variety of marks to ‘achieve the feather texture from dots, dashes and rolling your pencil on the surface. The Burnt Carmine will work wonders to slice from the background up into the feathers if you have made too big a mark. 2 0: didn't want the feather texture on the body to be the same as on the head for me, it would have all started to look too ‘found’ and similar, While it needs some detail, was happy for it to be more suggestive of feathers, so | used a knife blade to scrape a little of the pastel stick onto the surface and then used my Sofft applicator to pressit in. > saa.couk| PAINT&CREATE 43WHAT IS AVAXHOME?ee a Pe ee Cae ate De ee a a eo Cae Reena ee Unlimited satisfaction one low price Cheap constant access to piping hot media Protect your downloadings from Big brother Safer, than torrent-trackers 18 years of seamless operation and our users' satisfaction All languages Tc lem moo le lla lolita AvaxHome - Your End Place ACM Ta vl ole Lm OL meee ate) lame Nah Mo]SAA. i 21 Returning to the pastel pencils, add the highlights using White ‘and Cream on the shoulders and wing ‘edges to bring them into line with the head. Again, this requires a litle patience to add subtlety to the marks you're making, but perseverance pays ‘off when it comes to pastel, and the beauty ofits that you can put it in and take it away as many times as you like with no detriment to the painting A small side note about the changed it from the glove in the photo to a vague shape. I preferred the birdina more natural environment, and at this point, I gave the perch a little more structure before tackling the talons “perce Finishing touches ‘After spending so long looking at so much detail, itis advisable to put the painting somewhere to gain a little distance from it. Give it time ta grow on you and to be able to see it with fresh eyes and make any alterations. Mine needed the chest feathers to have a little more light, and the left wing was too square, but | could only see this after having a rest from looking at it 44 PAINT & CREATE | saaccouuk Supporting All Artists 2 2) Progressing on to the tail and not spending too much time ‘on this, only to place it within the ‘composition. It may seem odd not to complete the end oft, but | often use this compositional tool in my work. Again, it isa lost element and helps to keep the viewer's attention higher up the bird, 2 Bere so, weare almost there, the last finishing touches to the leg feathers and talons, making the left hand one a little sharper than the right, to contain that viewer focus alll the way up to the beak and eye.DIRECTORY - CLASSIFIEDS Discover more... Bary Medium: All Mediums Where Louth Uncolehire When: Throughout The Year sa sel- publishing artist for 20 years, Richard Lovesey appreciates artists'high print quality requirements, Richard is an AntSure approved Giclée printer who gives one-to-one service & advice with no minimum order! Take advantage ‘of Richard's extensive experience in producing the finest quality paper and canvas gicée prints orn 789767 E:giclee@ioveseyfineart.com Posnss) ene Medium: Acrylic, Watercolour, Ol, Pastel, Pencil, Mited Media Inktense, Charcoal ‘Where: Carl, Seabarough Deven When: Aprilto October 2022 Join Tony Hogan fora friendly relaxing well organise art holiday’ With over 30 yedrs experience running courses you can bbe assured of the best professional tuition and guidance. Demonstration of diferent ‘media and technique are given ding the course. Onlya few places left fortis year. \Wateh out forthe full 2025 programme onthe website soon ‘T07a@89s2505 E aomingthoganartcouk Web: hoganartcouk eee PN es Medium: Acrylics, Watercolours, Pastel, Oils Pencil Drawing, Mixed Media ‘Where: Chapel otage Studia Llanddewi Rhyelderch Abergavenny ‘When: Throughout the year “Chapel Cottage Stu ae proud to offer a Wide ange of friendly, informal Art asses to suit al abilties, Working ith 20 ofthe vey best tutors we prove range ‘ofsubjectsinctuding landscape, portrait, stl fe, abstract, animal and pet portraits plein air painting” |Web: wwwchapeleottagestudiocauk ESM conrad Medium: Watercolour, Pen & Ink Where Fssox Devon, Derystire ‘When: October, April, ]une endl inspiring ana fun, with some concentrated work in betweert There ‘willbe demonstrations constructive ‘guidance and plenty of individual help when required. The venues all have ‘excellent faite for both indoor and ‘outdoor painting, There are many nearby places to visit for more choices of views Please contact me for any help and do look at my website for deta ofall these T0126 320626 E annebarnnam22egmallcom Web: wwwannebarnamsart.com renee SUE FORD ‘Medium: Watercolour, pastel, srylic, collage & mised media Where: Uk Scarborough & Cumbria, 2028. Forelgn courses ina France & Span When: January to December ‘Scarborough Gober Hilt Nov18, Ape $37 Red Lea Hota Dec T1168 Jan 23-3 Feb, ‘Cumbria Gienthome, Grasmere: Oct 28-0 ‘so Higham Hale Oc: 1718 Jin Sue fora ‘great panting experence, Allcourses are Suitable fora ves of painting. Course Iinerares wile sent out in advance with ‘materia required Holidays italy 2023.13.20 May. France’, Spain 30th September to October 2024 Tuscany Watermil Holiday 8-20. Morne 622612 sue ford@emailcom Web winwsveford.co uk Priore) cae Sed ‘Medium: ll Mediums Where: All Good Online & High Street Retailers When: Throughout the year Made of 50% cotton and 50% cellulose, this 300g Clairefontaine watercolour paper benefits from an extravagant ‘natural whiteness thanks toitsgrain Its unique extra rough surface has a soft feeling and gives the artist the possibilty of creating spectacular effects. It is idea for rough and abstract work ‘wwnclirefontainecom (@ciairefontaineUK (Facebook, instagrar, Twitter) Give your art courses, workshops and holidays added exposure by advertising here. For more details, email: beth.brown@saa.co.uk saa.couk | PAINT & CREATE 4sSAA, Supporting All Artists 30 PROMPTS, 30 MINUTES, 30 DAYS Alison C. Board revisits her '30 Days hath September’ challenge with a new edition for 2022 Gi, "30 Days’ was dreamt up by Aliin 2013 as a way of launching her then brand-new studio at her home in Dorset. She has hosted the event in different ways since then, raising ‘money for charity or pushing herself to be more creative, but 2022 sees her inviting members of the wider artistic community to join in Using a series of prompts and the hashtag *godayshathseptember Ali 30 Prompts 30 Minutes 30 Days 1.Beginninigs 11, Shell 21. Peace hopes to inspire others tojoin her i assheaimstocompleteazo-minute | 2-ANcestry. jm Bashy eam project every day ofthe month, 3.Musi¢ 13. Forget-me-not 23. Stone ‘Through her blogandsocial media | 4.Architecture © " 14.Undérthesea 24. Self Portrait Aliwill broadcast how she interprets. | 5,Tree 15. Suitcase 25, Layers each prompt, and is excited to see 6.Birthday 16. Travel 26. Night ee a ' 7.Bubbles 17. Cocktail 27. Pirouette eel 8.Kindness 18. Heat 28. Frame For more details, and to join in 9.Stitch 19. Home 29. Sapphire with Al, visit: 10.One day like this 20. Junk Mail 30. Celebration earningtopaint.co.uk/go-days- hath-september De es 46 PAINT& CREATE | saaccouukThirty years with the SAA—Joan Lilley y arare opportunity to watch lunchtime TY, and there was Alwyn Crawshaw painting away. At the end of the programme, as always, he said, “Why don't you have ago?” Well, [had always wanted to draw and paint but led a busy, very active lifestyle that left little time for sitting down, never mind painting - even if had known how! [= autumn 1992 when I had But Alwyn’s words resonated with me, and I thought, “Why not?” A friend helped me to do my first painting. Just a single flower head, and I followed him stroke by stroke. And I was hooked! Goldens, watercolour Supporting All Artists Ww Making it as a pro Wareham Boats, watercolour ‘Asa complete beginner, and I ‘mean complete, I continued to watch Alwyrts programmes, and in November of that year, he was asking for people to volunteer as Regional Coordinators for the Society for Amateur Artists, as it was then. No special art skills were required (that was me!), just a desire to bringlike-minded people together. No computer, no internet, I wrote off to ask for information and a package came back and, to my surprise, and not a little trepidation, I was It! Provided with all the equipment to start a group, I became a Regional Society Coordinator. With the help of the SAA, through. postal notification and advertising, ‘a meeting was organised in my home in January 1993. Six people turned up, all with varying degrees of art experience. Their enthusiasm. led to our first exhibition at the local library at Easter of that year, by the end of which, we had recruited 40 additional members. Encouraged and equipped every step of the way by the SAA, we set ‘up monthly meetings at a local church hall. By the end of the year, we had over 100 members. We split the group into two regional areas, and both continued to grow. ‘Through the SAA, we had the , Well, [had always wanted to draw and paint but led a busy, very active lifestyle that left little time for sitting down, never mind painting - even if Ihad known how! saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 47AA, support of art tutors and invited, among others, Wendy Jelbert and Marilyn Allis to demonstrate and conduct workshops for us. We continued with exhibitions at local venues such as Tesco, cafés and Civic Centres. We arranged visits to outdoor locations, and the group continued to grow. One of the original six members, who was taking A-level art at the time, tried to encourage me to do the same. Eventually, very reluctantly, I took some work along to show the teacher, who was very disparaging. How often have people been put off by such a reaction? Fortunately, this made me even more determined to prove him wrong, and I enrolled the following year. After the A-level, I went on. to Art College and completed a Foundation Course and HNDsin both Illustration and Fine Art, with. printmaking and City & Guilds photography as extras. With this added confidence, and my own teaching background, | began Supporting All Artists Daisies, watercolour to offer people in the SAA group help if they needed it, and my own classes were started, and I was soon running multiple classes a week. Ithas been a great joy forme to see so many of my students go on to success with their work, joining Art Societies and even being offered their own exhibitions in prestigious galleries. ‘The SAA was always there for ur It has been a great,joy for me to see so many of my students go on to success with their work Last Catch, acrylic inks 48 PAINT & CREATE | saacouk me, offering help, support and workshop materials. There was no YouTube in those days, but VHS tapes were invaluable, and Richard Hope-Hawkins, one of the directors of the SAA, was always very supportive and often turned up to events, Tam not sure when the SAA changed from a society for ‘Amateur’ to the ‘Society for ALL Artists; but the support has always been there. The prompt delivery of quality materials, free postage, help and advice are invaluable, together with the no-quibble exchange of goods ifit has been necessary. ‘The set-up of Professional Associates has been very helpful to those of us who have moved on from Amateur status and, through this, Iam sure provides many benefits for those still at the early stages. ‘As my own work developed, I illustrated for a London greetings card company, and my work was distributed in Europe and Scandinavia. I was also showing in galleries in East Anglia, Bristol and Dorset and now have work in America, Australia and the, ry My key word for myself and my students has always been ‘YET. You can say you can’t do it... if youadd ‘YET’! See what promise that little word holds! a fortunate enough to win awards for my work. I say this to encourage others, beeause I was a complete beginner, and through that initial start have been able to go on and be very fulfilled in my artwork. lama great believer that if you want to do something badly enough, you can achieve things you never thought possible. My key word for myself and my students has always been "YET. You can say you can't doit... fyou add “YET'! See what promise that little word holds! Art isa great leveller. It is always good to bear in mind that while you are looking at other people's work and wishing that you could do work like that, someone is looking at yours and wishing the same. [am not saying itis always easy, and | have had many Van Gogh moments — although I do still have both ears! Also, don't be too hard on yourself or too critical of your own work. Thave often wanted to diseard paintings but have put them away, and when I have found them again have often appreciated them ina new way. This was borne out with ‘annel Islands. Ihave also been ‘Three Graces, watercolour some abstract paintings that I had done, which I nearly tore up - only for them to be the first ones to sell in an exhibition. You never know ‘what other people might or might not be drawn to, Thave been teaching, painting and exhibiting work sinee those early days - right up until the onset of Covid. Through the SAA and the opportunities it has given me, 1 have made many good and lasting friends, Now in my eighties, Ihave so much of interest to do. !am in my studio most days and am still loving experimenting with my work. How blessed is that? Tan only say to those who might ‘want to draw and paint, pick up on Alwyn Crashaw’s advice: ‘Why don't you have a go?’ It could open up a whole new world of opportunities. reteset oy wot oon saa.couk| PAINT& CREATE 49SAA, Supporting All Artists 30 MINUTES OF LOOKING How long do you think you spend looking at a work of art in a gallery or online? asks Jason Skill ninternational museum itudy says that the great asterworks in their collections get 27 seconds of our viewing time, The Tate states that, on average, their visitors look at exhibits for eight seconds. Looking at art online is even faster. Casual looking at images can be as low as two to three seconds. Fast looking, I understand. We are constantly bombarded with images online. Sifting through the many to find the few that interest us will inevitably force us to make speedy decisions, However, it does make me question whether ‘fast looking’ may have some long-term unseen downsides. Ifsereen viewing of art begins to dominate over real-world experiences, will artists begin to make art intended to be viewed for just a second? Willit then need to be highly eye-catching, but contain no "long looking’ visual content, rich in readable details, because that would be seen to bea waste of effort and time ifthe viewer's dwell time ean be counted in only single digits? To counteract the move towards ‘fast looking, some museums now offer ‘long looking’ experiences where visitors can choose to spend prolonged periods with a work of art and then discuss their thoughts with others. This is intended to promote adeeper appreciation of the art, while forging friendships through discussion. These events are growing in popularity across the world. 50 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk "Long looking’ can make a deep impression. In the late 1980s, I sat in the National Gallery in London for an hour and looked at just two of Peter Paul Rubens’ paintings: The Abduction of the Sabine Women, and Samson and Delilah. The longer looked, the more appreciated the artistry and emotion that burst out of the pictures. That hour deepened my appreciation of Rubens’ work. I have been a fan ever since. "Long looking’ is how artists of the past would have expected the viewer to appreciate the work, slowly absorbing the details, reading the contents and marvelling at their artistry. Art would have been considered rare and wonderful and worthy of your full attention fora prolonged period. Part of the fun of making content- rich artwork is imagining the reaction of the viewer gradually taking in what you have created. For example, a few years ago, [created a series of highly detailed watercolours of golf courses. To amuse myself, added a lost golf ball half-hidden in the grass in each picture. It was a signature detail that made my work stand out from other golf course painters, and it delighted me to think of people staring closely at my work, trying to ‘spot the ball’ I felt this detail might delight viewers in the same way that finding ‘Wally in the Where's Wally books can bea pleasing endeavour. It also provided a novel way to prolong the time people spent looking at my watereolours. Perhaps the most involved ‘long looking’ work I have created is my ongoing series of golf-themed artworks. Centred often on thesubject of obsession, they depict golfers and their partners affected in some way by their passion for the sport. Each painting isa construct carefully designed to elicit a reaction from the viewer, which will hopefully pull them into the story that appears tobe unfolding. All the propsare designed to add to the picture moment, like a still from a film. ‘A step too far’ The care and time it has taken tomake this work have been considerable. Some of the paintings have been completed in mere weeks, but others have taken nearly a year to get everything right, being placed on and off the easel repeatedly, trying to puzzle out how best to. encapsulate the imagined moment inpaint. ‘Take 'A step too far’ (right), for example. This took about 12 months to complete. It was first drawn out with peneil on paper. At this stage, Iwas tinkering around with the shape of the room until it felt like an expansive Bond set. I also designed Hidden details can serve more than one purpose. In this early watercolour, done in my early twenties, on 5x6" aluminium, place-coated with acrylic gesso, I painted 20 butterfly shapes. Notall are obvious. Some are mere ghosts of butterfly shapes. I was trying, in a erude way, to say painting is not purely about replication but also imagination and interpretation. the table so it felt like an odd curio with the top shaped like a heart. ‘This helped me take the painting so far, but only after I had bought an old leather bag of golf clubs and scattered them on the floor of a large hall ina variety of positions - until I felt I'd got them leading the viewer's eye away from the woman to the man entering the doorway ~ did it begin to pull together correctly. saa.couk | PAINT&CREATE 51SA 52 AL I think that ‘story painting’ needs to carefully lead the viewer around the picture, allowing them to read the contents in a flowing way, subtly placing ideas in their mind, For ‘example, the lamp on the table is on even though it is daylight. This signals that she has been up all night waiting for him to return, Notice also that the artwork on the wallsis indicative of two different personalities. A huge painting ofa golf course sand trap alludes to agolfing obsession, while the sultry heart paintings indicate a more passionate, emotional personality. All the pictures’ contents are meant to be readable in the same way William Hogarth's paintings like The Harlots Progress are readable, Insome of my work, Ihave taken props and motifs from one picture and explored re-using them in Supporting All Artists another so that viewers, who get to see a number of my works together, can enjoy spotting the links. See if you can see any links between these two images. Pethaps you can email the editor (details below) if you see anything interesting, The tea drinkers Work like this, which requires time to absorb, is best served by being shown in locations where the viewer does not feel rushed. In. recent weeks I have been able to display a selection of my golf-themed artworks at Higham Hall. This location provides residential courses in art and other subjects, The halls a peaceful oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. It's the perfect location for ‘long looking’ at an artist's work because the adult residentia students have prolonged NOW FOR YOUR CHALLENGE: | would like you to spend 30 minutes looking at a work of art, then post, about what you got out of it on the SAA Facebook group or email the editor at paint.editor@saa.co.uk We will be happy to publish the most interesting examples. As artists, | feel we need to promote ‘long looking’ by first doing it ourselves and then spreading the word, so art is appreciated more fully in this fast- Paced world, PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk time to view and discuss the work with each other. Asa regular tutor, I get a front-row seat to direct feedback about my work and time to discuss it with people who want to ask me questions about it. Q / y U Jason Skill isan SAA, professional partner who provides workshops and demonstrations to art clubs. ‘You can see examples of his ‘teaching in the on-demand. video section of SAA's website. Visit jasonskill.com to see examples of his work and keep. up with his real-world teaching. To explore his video teaching, go to studiojasonskillcomWINSOR NEWTON 8 metallic watercolours to layer over or mix with non-metallic watercolours Includes Yellow Gold, Red Copper, and Iridescent Blue for mixes of metallic and iridescent colours. Available in a Pocket Set, a 6 Tube Collection, 8ml & 2iml tubes and half pans, ee saacouk | PAINT&CREATE 53NOTICEBOARD Ifyour letter is published, we will credit your account with £10-worth of points to spend at the SAA. If you're the @ star Letter, you'll receive £30-worth! winner ofthe Travelling tip Iwas wondering how to pack my W&N watercolour spares for travelling when I found this bobbin case for sewing machines; it's a perfect fit. I thought this might help someone ina similar position, looking for more organisation and it was under a fiver! Dominic Mahon New book My new book is about my observations in a Welsh garden over the course of year, along with a bird survey. | include diary entries and my pigments, and there are 78 watercolours done consecutively throughout the year. Thope that whoever reads it will see the creative benefit of observation to develop one's art. Itis A4, costs £19 and is available via my website: lizbolloten.co.uk Lz Bolloten PAINT & CREATE | saa.co.uk Thaventt been painting enough art lately (I've been busy painting the walls!), but I did manage to get toa two-hour (including coffee break) still-life painting class at ‘Sunningwell School of Art and had some fantastic guidance and Fundraising Tused reclaimed slate for my paintings. After cleaning and Coating the slates in gesso, I painted the flag in aerylic paint. Using permanent ink, | added the ruined buildings and the lines of refugees along the horizon. Tama member of the Tadley and Baughurst Art Club in North Hampshire, TABAC held its annual art exhibition on the weekend of 7th and 8th May (see report on page 61). We want to hear from you! See as sand us! E Patel tet Teel erty rae ences feedback from Mareus Hodge. | had a go at painting ajar of honey and some lemons. Trying to paint so fast is tough, but I think it stops you from fussing and fiddling too much. Lots of fun! Painted in oils. Nicola Cavalla The committee had encouraged ‘me to paint more of the flags, which were displayed at the exhibition and offered in exchange for donations towards the DEC Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal. ‘We were delighted with the generous response of the public. ‘Sue PhillipsOur most distant member? I became a member of the SAA a few months ago, and I was absolutely delighted to receive my first copy of Paint & Create, Living in far, far away Melbourne, Australia (note the Cootamundra Wattle in bloom behind me), connected with a wonderful group of UK artists through Artist Demo Days on Facebook. These artists: Denise Allen, Ali Board, Jeremy Ford, All Hargreaves, Sharon Hurst and Matthew Palmer, all gave so generously of their time for free throughout lockdown, caring and sharing with the community worldwide and continue to do so in various ways to this day. It was their connection with the SAA. that prompted me to become a member. They are wonderful ambassadors for you all at the SAA, ‘Thank you for the magazine, inspiration and videos on demand. Julie Hopkins Thank you, Julie! Are there any members who are more than 10,500 miles away, [wonder? Ed How #lslastones Travel The World I'm sure some of our lovely SAA members have heard of wislastones, but for those who havent, Isla ‘Tansey, a beautiful, bubbly, smiley little seven-year-old, woke in August 2017 unable to walk. In January 2018, she was diagnosed with DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma), a rare type of brain tumour affecting just 20-30 children in the UK. There are no successful treatment options. While undergoing treatment, Isla started to decorate stones and give them to her friends to hide. Isla used to say, "Everyone can paint a stone; it doesn't matter ifit's rubbish!" Isla knew that a brightly painted cheery stone would bring a smile to whoever found it, Currently, there are over 61,000 members on Isla's Facebook page (islastones) from all around the world, ll decorating and hiding stones, including a very special stone in Antarctica! la passed away in July 2018. ‘This is her legacy. If you would like to join in painting stones and helping to raise awareness of DIPG and other childhood cancers, please paint anything you like and write your name (or initials), plus “SAA, on the back of your stone, together with ‘Photo — Post - Rehide: wislastones’ and see how far your stone will travel! Don't, forget to take a photo of its hiding place and post it on the #islastones Facebook page... we would love to see your stones! The Islastones Foundation is now a Registered Charity (1187471), raising funds to help fight childhood cancer and support families who are experiencing, or have experienced, the devastating effects of childhood cancer. So next time you see a lonely, sombre, litle stone or pebble, pick itup, paint it happy and proud, and hide it for someone to find, Bringa smile and make someone's day! Caroline MeClung Ireally enjoyed having a go at these starlings from a ‘workshop by Anita Pounder, and for the first time, I used the elegant writer pen. Anita is so clear in her instructions and generously provides many additional tips and suggestions. Pauline Preston saa.couk/| PAINT&CREATE 55SAA, Supporting All Artists ANITA POUNDER’S Back to Basics Dots cards are a useful way to test paints without committing ‘toa whole tube or pan of a colour that might not suit you your existing watercolour paint collection but with the vast choice of colours available, where do you start? There is an overwhelming number of different colours, brands and characteristics on the market, and trying to decide what new colours to choose can be abit daunting. Paint colours and characteristies ccan vary between the different brands. Different manufacturing processes are used, pigments are soureed from different areas, and the pigment combinations used to make colour are unique to each manufacturer, which makes choosing anew colour to add to your existing collection a bit ofa minefield. A tube cof paint can be expensive, and how many of you have colours that you don't use because they weren't what you were looking for? ‘Many companies will send out dots card samples with one or a couple of dots of dried watereolour paint ‘on them, to promote or introduce new colours. Due to the nature of watercolour, these can be reactivated and are an exciting way to try out new and interesting colours. What if you want to try more colours than these sample cards? You can buy more extensive ranges, or even whole ranges, of colour dots cards from several manufacturers, such as Daniel Smith - whieh ha I: is exciting to add new colours to an exciting dots card of 238 amazing colours - Schmineke, MaimeriBlu, and Winsor & Newton, to help you choose your colours at a fraction of the cost of getting tubes or pans. ‘These dots eards are made from watercolour paints that are hand: squeezed onto watercolour cards that ‘you can reactivate with a wet brush to create a swatch or lift the colour from the card and paint directly onto your watereolour surface. The cards also have information about each colour, the pigments, the lightfastness ratings, transparency, or whether it isa staining or granulating colour. Not only can you discover the colour through swatches, but there is enough paint to explore ina painting ormix with your existing colours, though there may not be enough colour to do big washes. How exciting Why buy a dots card? TSMC Ble DLechrome Sere e os #€ of Utramaring Green Apatice ¢ Series 284 eri i Main oe ¢ ‘rani Gena S952 2eeean aa The dots ofpaint are hand-aqueezed conto watercolour paper. Just wet your brush and away you go! Amethyst Gens isit tobe able to try apaint made from a semi-precious mineral and discover its unique characteristics, or try the more expensive colour to see what i’slike without the commitment of a whole tube or pan? (© To test and try out a new brand of paint and discover the colours and characteristics ‘© Discover new colours at a fraction of the cost of buying a full tube or pan before deciding on which colour works best for you ‘© Discover some of the exciting characteristics of certain pigments, ike their granulating properties or their unique colour © Testing and deciding on which colour will work with your existing collection before buying a tube or pan colour (@ Have fun discovering all the different and unique colours and characteristics of watercolour ranges @ Itcan even be used asa simple travel set without transporting lots of tube or pan colours S6 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.ukLPNE CPA Cen Di DATES FOR YOUR DIARY (© 23rd - 24th September MAD Art Exhibition @ Maxey ‘The popular joint at exhibition of Maxey Art Group and Deepings Art Clubis taking place atthe end of September. Over the two days, there willbe high: quality new work from many talented local artists Maxey Vilage Hall, Maxcy Cambs PE69E ljust off the £5, south of Market Deeping) Opens IOam-Spm Free admission Refreshments forsale + Disabled parking, access and facilities © 15th -16th October ‘cambridge Open art Exhibition own its 29th year. Beautiful and affordable artwork from (over 70 artists in this mixed exhibition Swavesey Village College, Gibraltar Lane, Swavesey, Cambs CB24 4S (pen: 10am - Spm Sat, Joan 4pm Sun-- Free entry Free parking Children's activities Refreshments available coaxorg.uk © &th - 12th September Ferndown Art Society ‘Art & Crafts Exhibition The Gallery Upstairs Upton Country Park Poole ‘Open: 9am -Som daily Facebook: Ferndown Art Society 16th -26th September Bournemouth Arts Club olet Annual Exhibition ‘The Gallery Upstairs Upton Country Park Poole Road, Upton, Poole 8HI7 729 pen: 10am - 4pm Free admission ‘thegalleryupstairsorg.uk bournemouthartsclub.co.uk © 22nd - 30th October The Youth Centre ‘Moor Road Broadstone BHI8 BAZ Open: Daily 10am - 4pm, closing at noon on the 30th, Free admission - Free parking broadstoneartsociety.com eon 2h October Settle At ersup Aven aniston Bent sey memnbarsand saveerortnegreu Teneo Celt cura Spent tam Sm beth dye Sopecrision “Foe carparkoppeste Desied acess Reteshrncns vale vnicieartgrounbiogepct © 3:d-28th October Golborne and Lowton Art Exhibition ‘Awakening, a showcase of the work of Golborne and Lowton art Group, Paintings are individual and from group members and are for sale unless otherwise stated = tiles and prices are in the catalogue Village Art Gallery Shevington Library Gathurst Lane, Shevington Wigan WN6 BHA Open i2pm-Spm Parking in front ofthe library islimited, but there's plenty of parking in nearby streets Library hours: am-2pm, Mon, Tues, Wed, Sat, and Tpm-Spm Thurs and Friday golborneandlowtonartgroup. e1sn-ancenber Hompnal Ar Chub Art tonstion Fompnet Vlge Hal irom mad Hempnall, NRIS2NG ‘pen: 1030am - 4pm Free admission + Free parking Refreshments available © Al weekends in September Clwydian Creatives Art Trail ‘The best ar rll blazing across Fintshire and Denbighshire throughout four weekends including Fda) of September 2022. Al are freetovisit Search for Cwydian Creatives Art Trail’ on social media for more information (© Sist October - Ith November PAINTFEST Free exhibition of paintings from three local community art groups in the foyer. Open evening, Tth November, 30pm -9pm artholug Lifelong Learning Centre, St lltydls Re Church Vilage, Pontypridd CF38IRO Open: 23m-9pm People's choice public vote + Prizes and raffle At for sale + Allweleome Free parking gartholwg.org (© 20th -22nd October Shirley institute Art Society Autumn Exhibition Shirley institute Church Road, Shirley, Solihull 890 24K, There willbe a large variety of work using diferent ‘mediums to view or buy Light refreshments available Visitorsreceive a free raffle ticket Facebook: Shirley Institute Art Society 23th September Scober The Lnirence Ar Society ofDevises Annuel At eenbtion Devizes Town Hall pen: 9:30am -530pmn Free entry + Raffle with a chance towin one of three paintings lawrenceartsociety.co.uk SO (© 3rd —13th September Annual Exhibition ‘The Vale of Pickering Art club Taking place over 10 days, starting on the first Saturday of September, in the ‘Memorial Hal, Pickering All Art Club members are welcome to participate and celebrate their creativity over the previous year. pickeringartclub.couk (© 10th September - 1st October Huddersfield Art Society's ‘26th Annual Exhibition For those who can't get to the exhibition, it willbe found on the website afterwards Unit 8 (next to Toymaster) The Piazza Huddersfield town centre huddersfieldartsociety.com © 22nd - 281d October Easingwold & District Art Society Exhibition and sale of original artworks by Yorkshire artists The Galtres Centre Easingwold YOS! 3AD Open: 10am-330pm ‘Avtiste in residence Workshop + Retail stalls Pop-up café ceasingwoldartsociety.co.uk eres es East saa.couk/| PAINT&CREATE 57AA, Supporting All Artists Over halfway there! Imagine taking on a 365-day project. Deborah Last, a North Devon artist, is doing just that Left: single-line drawing Tapley park; top: Bristol Docks; bottoms three lines on Saunton Sands eborah (Debs) set herself D: challenge of painting outside every day throughout 2022, Her daily painting challenge started on 1st January 2022, and she hasn't missed a single day. Debs uses water-mixable oils to create beautiful light-filled paintings inspired by the beauty of North Devon. All her paintings are painted en plein air, in all weathers. Debs says: “There is no shortage of delightful locations in North Devon to inspire me. The amazing range of scenery is just begging to be captured on canvas. The colour 58 PAINT & CREATE |saa.co.uk and light are what excites me, and I feel privileged to be able to paint in these wonderful places She plans each week's locations, but when she sets out each day, it might have to be changed due to the weather. She has been known tosit in the back of her car with the tailgate up, facing away from the wind and rain, At other times she might be found in the middle of a field or on a beach. No matter what the weather is doing, she is out there each day painting, rain or shine. tis all part of the delight of this project. Collaboration is important to Debs, with other enthusiastic artists frequently joining her. Particularly popular is her ‘Paint Out at the Pier House’ at Westward Ho! Taking place on the last day of each month at 10am, she offers an open invitation for artists of all abilities tojoin her, with the added bonus of enjoying the excellent refreshments available at this stunning location. The Appledore Book Festival (agth-2gth September) has invited Debs to be its first visual Artist in Residence, which she accepted with her usual alaerity and enthusiasm. Working with the Festival, she will produce images in response to the location and event. Debs will also be running five en plein air workshops at different times of the day, based in Appledore and Skern (North Devon), affording views of this beautiful area of outstanding beauty. Debs was also engaged as Artist in Residence at the National Trust's Bucks Mills Cabin for the last week of August, working in the Artist Cabin. It was owned as a summer art retreat by the artists Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards from the 1920s until Judith’s death ing71. Debs was responding to what inspired them to stay in this breathtaking location. ‘Twice being long-listed for the Jackson's Painting Prize, in 2021 and 2022, Debs works tirelessly to engage people of all ages andabilities to ‘have a go’ at art and to find their own creative voice and rhythm. She adds: “It has recently been abundantly proved that being creative really helps people both mentally and spiritually; this is especially so out in the fresh air, creating an artwork that can change alife, last amoment or lifetime” All this is happening while she is continuing her 365 Project. Once she has completed the year, all 365 of her paintings will be exhibited (ocation yet to be confirmed) and will then be available to purehase. Each day Debs posts her painting ofthe day to her Instagram and Facebook pages: Instagram: debs last, Facebook: Deborah Last Artist A30-minute en plein air exercise Getting out into the landscape can seem quite daunting. Often when I take people out plein air painting with me, they are overwhelmed by the view. One of the best ways to.get over this.is to do single-line drawings. l use this method of drawing alot. Its such a good way tohelp you really look but not get too involved in lots of unnecessary detail. I have a small square sketchbook, and I take the drawings over more than one page, sometimes letting it run for quite a few pages. Sometimes that is all Ido in that location, or Iwill choose the bit of the drawing I like the most for a plein air painting Tobegin your drawing, start at one edge of the paper and let your eye follow the landscape as if you were walking all over it, not Jumping from place to place... this is how your line progresses across the paper producing a panoramic Mec Tr eC home view. The drawing should be lots of fun and will feel a little bit bonkers! You will get a better drawing if you don't go back over the same line twice. The more you do these, the easier it becomes to access even quite vast views. To mix it up, 1 will sometimes use two or three ‘materials and take each of them for awalk across a view. You can see this in the landseape line from Bideford, where I have used a biro, an orange felt tip and then watercolour. Ifyou take your time, this will be a perfect 30-minute drawing exercise, and once you start these, you will be hooked! ‘Above: Single-line drawing in my sketchbooks: top, Bideford, bottom, Clovelly boats Left: On top: singlestine drawing, Clovelly. Belowe cifline drawing with aclimber ‘To see more of Deb's work, and to follow her challenge, visit: deborahlast.co.uk Soar saa.couk | PAINT& CREATE 59