FREE! STUDIO TIPS BOOKLET TIPS - TECHNIQUES - IDEAS + INSPIRATION x pe * RICH COLOURS i a Yet: more from y your palette i in Fe steps pe ys Uses } TSLearn something you've Fy one ‘ollege never learned of the Arts With a fresh new decade upon us, take time to develop you. Practice your creativity through a parttime distance learning degree end empower yourself to achieve amazing things Find more information on OCA.ac.uk/NewDecadeCw THE SINCLAIR GALLERY Presents Five Day Workshops for 2020 Fernando Freitas Naughton & Lea Vaughn rer ee EN as over y a Pete cc ee Creo carer) Perce ng Nets Teaser tsi! eae 6-10 July 2020 (o) eS a ee 22-26 October 2020 info@thesinclairgallery.com Visit thesinclairgallery.com 126 High Street 01923 944074 for more information and to book. Rick hans worn thesinclairgallery.com Hertfordshire GO sinchir.gallery i) WD3 1ABsuisse area Soubmcod and ake Spicer one oroumies ‘eretingamager dt argon Sort hanger teamagies or) Seterodion teccanne A MONTH OF PODCASTS, Simcieved ART FAIRS AND MONET Artists; Ws been a particularly busy and creative month for me here at coe Arist & Mustratars owes. Ke began with trips to Frankfurt'sart materials expo Paperwordl and ghe London Art Fair, stocking up on. ‘ideas for forthcoming issues. Next, [visited Underway Stucho, young London print collective, to chat about thei rather nique fouseay approach, returning that weeleend to take a sereenprinting ert TE cause wth a (was pray plemed wh ny fit ate vide angen aes Oaraagect oe a ‘STAY INSPIRED After another lovely studio vist with Gill Rocca, the interviewing tables were BY SUBSCRIBING tured on me as Iwas itvited to be imerviewed fora fonheoming episode of ets astro Aakn ii, Ouran Looe Boel at unched thsi ters se sasr0 sf and enrtaning pods with ane di Bus cota a Pater Keen My evi wl be urn the ye nthe esi se tnatponcst vi orvaniadlutraoscanlsanata tenn al eed aa Sealer allthis Lnede ay ut of ouse tha i inated a le Smad acs A vecer in Pats tok nthe Muse Natl Peso Pars ad he ee s/n Maat eTOmngee ie name to Monee gngs waey moral Post: sts 8 tats wich re throng eam yon cee nd te ine of cos Sento Dene, steve Fl, Ear durite to mat! Are you having 2 busy, creative month? Have you been attending at courses or exhibitions? ‘Share your stories for a chance to feature on our letters page and win a £50 GreatArt voucher FD inoconitsancitusvatrs.couk FA @amndinagseine Kid /artstsAndiusratrs D eroraimagaine [El exansimegarine ticera Us $126 mow ess§ AND THE MASTERS THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE POSTER COMES TO BATH 15 Feb - 26 May 2020 LV AY WM Tickets £6 | Victoria Art Gallery, Bath Victoria art Gallery victoriagal.org.uk/toulouselautrec Only 80 minutes from London Paddington N Bach Norchtase ARTS COUNCIL Art Happen..." Baan | ARIS CQUNC Ar HappGES © Letters ‘ite 1 us 2nd nina £50 voucher & Exhibitions ur pick Apis best art shows 1 Sketchbook Tips. ideas and matrias o ty 16 Fresh Paint New works, hotoff the easel 29 The Working Artist Win our columnist Laura Boswell 35 Prize Draw Win London note stay wit Tate 82 10 Minutes With... Colour expert KassiaSt Car 22 Gill Rocca Discussing ner meditative and nysterous landscapes ofthe mind 30 Andy Warhol Seven techniques and ticks we can lear fom the Pop Ar master 36 Underway Studio How four young printmakers are forginga singular artistic vision 42 relass Lean how to paint photoeatist, Sti fe compostion in cryes 48 Composition Simplivig 2 busy scene & a great way to make ettectve artworks 50 Sketchbooks Take insotation fom some create ‘anoroaches to sketching wth ine, My fascination with letting images repeat manifests my belief that we spend much of our lives seeing not observing 54 Demo ‘wardwinning lea Southwood pevelon makes a simple screenprint pes ae 59 Figure Drawing bk prt Joke Soler ve part URL continues with look tf Wo 64 How IP. Conistopner Ryland expains nis ‘xorossive botanical art methods 68 In Depth Discover wry making pain suetanes of Ol Masters can aid you practic= 7 Project How to puta new spinon aandscape made famous by John Constecon ee ARTISTIC RECOVERY eee tg eee eres pean ec ser teeter erie ar ane Peers e Peer rete eens eee er oa reyes Prete ara eed eee eee tet ner aor peecresr: ence retest oy eet) eee een of, Lam fray beginning to marae array Ce ce etre Set et oe Dace Caer eee nent ees eee eee encore peer eneesea et erento eee eens PLACE YOUR BETSY As ascelftaughtartist Ihave always enjoyed experimenting — Its my way of leaning. Fora While ued in Cornwall anc was lucky enough to extibt successfully in several galleries. move to Devon and a change of circumstances meant | was unable to paint for afew years, 80 1t00k up photography. johed a cub and entered compettions. Then that inner voice that Whispers “what if?" began rigging away again took some scans of my artwork and monoprints and began layering tnem with photos {anc played around for hours ‘ane hours. The whole process was addictive, | have enclosed an image based fon Wneal Betsy a derolictongino house an north Dartmoor. This | had printed on aluminium anit was accepted and sola from an open exhibition in Moretonnampetees, Landscapes have always been my {avourita, aiming foran impression rather than a true representation. have gven up tyingto find a catogory to place my work and ‘ow ijust call them mixed media. Carol Preston via email, @ Actas @ Ustea SHED FULL OF IDEAS. My daughter delighted me wth 3 subscription to Artists & iustrators and, having received two copies ‘alreacy, | am delignted with such a great git reference tothe letter ‘bout “A Room of One's Own", Vinvestec in potting shed from our local fencing compary in Yeou! and now have a wonderful stud In the orden with west facing windows ‘and @ wonderful shelf to rest my ‘easels on endl lats of storage space In anol chest of drawers, ‘have putin eeceettyso have light and a heator and spend many hours enjoying painting ané drawing. know Iwill be highly Inspired by your magazine, ‘Susan all, via emab nite to us! Send your letter oremall tothe addestes blow: ‘The Chelsea Magasine Company Lencon swa 370 EMAIL: iowarties ‘The witer of our eter £50, veuenertrom Groat, which offers meUnslagestargeot F NEW DIRECTIONS. | nave just replaced al the older work on my Portola Plus page with ‘now colection developed over the last year. This isa change of rection trom my previous ‘iguretivelandscapas and comes after regulary attending ite classes In recent years. | have become fascinated ty the cnallenges of depicting the figure ana fea this isjusta star. ‘As you have mentioned In your excellent magezine, a change of direction can bbe very beneficial Experimentation Is also a great way of stringtne Creative juices and | am already paying around Wnith other ideas anc working in atferent ea Dennis Lee, via eral ‘an 50000art supplies GreatAt® ‘Share your thoughts and get a dally dose of Artists & llustrators tips, advice and inspiration by following us on our social ‘media channels... @hondimagwne Wi aristsanailusrators D Aanimagacine [2] pancimagazineEXCLUSIVE READER OFFER 10% OFF THE CASS ART COLLECTION Artists’ quality paint, pastels, canvas, brushes, pencils & award-winning pads. IN-STORE OR ONLINE OPT USE CODE: READER10 SARI Scivacnan seanasyteeensprpien eaeasincenntewetsan, QM EsT.19844 March to 28 ne ‘As deforestation continues tote the Amazon rainforest ofits wea of natal resources, knowledge ofthe rgion's complex oa and fauna is naw move precious than evr. Asan ‘er rom the Nonuj etnle goup native to the Canuinat Rie in southern Cobimda, ‘Artists @ Mlusteators vel Rosier uses his charsmate, rather Atle paintings and éravings to commuciote hs ancestral knowledge ofthe ‘edon's indigenous lets. Large in seae and Scope, this promises tobe an inmarsh, ‘thousnepevoking exten. BALTIC Conte for Contemporary At, Gateshead. batt 23 Ao 08 September As amember ofthe so-called Brght Young Things of 1820s Brain, Arthur Jeffress med wit geet erst and wits. He soon made a name for himse as ana collect an galery owner, acquiring works including de (rics me Painters Family. See ne richie eoesented trough some of his est acquistons whieh he bequeathed to Tate and Southampton (tyr Galery ates deat in 196 Southampton ity Aa Gallry rw southamptonltyartgallry.com EASTERN ENCOUNTERS: FOUR CENTURIES OF SOUTH ASIAN. PAINTINGS AND MANUSCRIPTS 23 Aoyita 13 Soptembor As the formation ofthe East nda Trading ‘Company forged ks between Bitan andthe Indian subcontnon,taso unlocked a now stveam of art for 17t-century Beta. Works ‘an pacer depicting te opulence ofthe Goon Age ofthe Mughal Empire ware gtto ‘monarchs including Bleabeth | and George ‘As such thsi ane of thefinest colectons of Sout Asian partis, pints an crevngs Inthe word and wil be on display in Scotian fr to frst tne The Queens Galery, Palace of olyoodhouse, Edinburgh vovmetuk/easter_encountorsGAUGUIN AND THE 29 March to 14 une seas to forget thatthe Beloved impressst ast ere otgnaly a group of ‘aca paints, who threw ‘he sti aes of rational tee plmingto the wind Instead, Manet, Mooet, Monsoon co steppeo cutsioe the stud and used cate bushetokes te capture ransionbg ght and gentle modulating colour Danish cllctrs Wiel and Henny Hansen wer alive ‘otha greatness, amassing ‘he wordatass Ordrungaara Collection, rom whieh these 60 paintings are drawn Masterpieces bythe forouners of impressionism and eight works by Post Inpressionist master Peul Gauguin als featur. Roya Academy of ts, onaon mt rv ryalacademyorg uk 10 Ape to 31 August Inthe atrmath of Word War One, the German Revolution inspired anew wave of art nthe coun. The burden of four years of wa gave se cllcnfet ana the Weimar Repu hgextviten rans on Glasgow’ Huntin Ar. Galery coecton tor? aramete pte treated by Gexman-based atts, inciting Edvard Munch and EgpnSehiel. The works auressed the politcal, moral and seal strugls faced by cians ats time, Lady Lover rt Gall, Lverpo0! ‘wa verpooimuseums.og.k Ants & Ustrators 8a 2 Wrpresscons HOLIDAYS TAILOR-MADE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SMALL GROUPS STAYING IN LUXURY HOTELS ‘Authenti, talor made luxury holiday: ori small groups: tallan garden tours, wine tours and raii hoidays to Italy, Switzerland, Speak to our travel specialists on 01892 441275 www.expressionsholidays.co.uk Found 1 wer B @asta ® AlitoTIPS « ADVICE + IDEAS MODERN FIGURES Three top takeaways from Kehinde Wiley's first UK exhibition HE'S A MODERN-DAY /LIAM MORRIS Kehince Wiley made history in 2018 when he became the frst African American artist to paint an offical portrait ofa US President. He placed ‘Barack Obama against a decorative backdrop of leaves ana towers, Other works have Included pattems Iteraly copied fom Willam Moris, but now he draws upon what he J calls the British toxte designer's “arate sensbilt’ Appropriately enough, Kehinde's frst UK show wit bbe atthe Wiliam Mortis Gator. HE IS CLASSICALLY INSPIRED Los Angeles born Kehinde has been inslred by Classical European paintings of royalty and aristocrats. often asking mocels nat he meets fon the sreetto adopt te poses of Georgian society portraits. “take the figure out ofits original envionment ‘nd piace tin something completely ‘made up." he says. Whether you're painting portraits or otherwise, placing modem subject into O14 “Master compositions @neat tick, HE EMBRACES COLOUR Although Kehinde downplays his backdrops 2s "ster decorative goemaenewr Aatists @ Mustrators 28GILL ROCCA a0 From onmere il, of on canvas, 6043800m GT Space, ot on wood, 30330em 24 Artists © Ul Aincing solutions to glen problems. Fim coming.up with different solutions Ingen of he works.” For the Figment series, li's main challenge was simpiieation, This {ols ttingor someone working in the most relaxing, zen-ke studlo one could imagine. Gente classical music ‘and burbling electronica soundtracks her light, clean Peckham workspace ‘while Marie Condo would approve of all the neaty aranged boxes ang Clutter free work surfaces. “Essentially Im a minimalist ‘she say. “An | think thatthe way ‘that my work nas developed ts moving Closer to that again, When I'm working an the paintings these days, Ina sel trying to get rd of things, It's sort of a paring down, striving ‘more for simplicity inthe composition ‘an the form” ‘Thatis reflected in the way the paintings develop too. Right from the very start, even as she applies theGILL ROCCA fst ayers of gesso primer, Gil will be formulating pianfor each of her panels, She wil know from the start whether a painting willbe daytime ‘dusk or night. *For the paintings to work, they have to look real enough, like they could be area place. thine ‘lot ofthat comes from wnat's hhappeningin the sky. To got that right to get that gradation right, to make it ok convinoing is sort of he fst jo. Muttible layers of ol paint, thinned with Liaui, are then used to slowly bull. up tonal areas as each new painting emerges seemingly out of the mist Gi has looked reguany at the work of Gerhata Alter inthis respect. She remains awe of his Visionary approach to mundane subject matter and alone book of his writings on at sits on her studio shelves, close at hand, You get he sense Gilkes to FIGHT Figpert feether way around a composition allan ren plywood, rathertertatively waltngtosee > 40cm dameterGILL ROCCA ABOVE Fement0Y, lon cn aywood opposite ace, Somentere i ot 15x250m what fools right. “I suppose | need tebe ableto go there. And when | fect ke | getto the point where itis somemnere can go | then need to go therefor a while to work out what elee Inaedtabe ther. Often that extra something willbe ‘2 more tangible element, such as the outing of a tree or afew distant tights, something at wil ep to aticutate the space without spating iRoutobviously. “The igntin my painting has always been the human element almost,” she says *Suadenty when you put the car lights in thores a whole new narrative to the work, Mere's never anyone in nny palatings apart from those cistant lights. They're very sotary, ery empty inthat sense” Gil cortainly has.a strong affinity withthe lanéscape fora painter ving In one ofthe wora's busiest cites, ‘She grow up in Blackbur, Lancashire on the edge ofthe moors, a landscape she says that “will never leave me wile famiy trips tothe Loke District were a regular feature ‘of er childhood too, Today she owns ‘cabin inthe Suey Hl, yet rane cof tose rea landscapes wil gure tn her paintings. | want them to be anonymous. ‘And | want them tae sort of vague enough that people do think that its 2 place they think they know, oF they've Deento, or theyre familar with When can se that they've connected one cof my paintings to somewhere that'sGILL ROCCA For the paintings to work, they have to look real enough, like they could be a real plac Inthe’ memories orn tele mina’ eye. that’s lovely for me because | can see that they are then bringing ther own narrative toitall” ‘re they landscapes that Gil could only have painted whilo sne was ving inact? ‘That's a realy good question and Its something!'ve thought about a tot" she admits 1¥e wondered it | would be painting these landscapes If was tving in tose landscapes. |on'tknow the answer to that, butt ‘makes me fearful of leaving London Despite not being based on real locations, nerlandscapes are kept cohesive by a masterful approach to brushwork and an admirably trot adherence oa limited palette of ust five colours: French Utramarin, Prussian Be, Burnt Sienna, Yelow (Octre and white, Te ony time Git ever deviated from this was adcling ‘lzain Crimson for an older series of dusk paintings. Other tubes of pigment, bought some 20 years ago yetuntouched ever since, sit on her studio windows next toa old wooden patetteerusted with pair It belonged to her frst ol painting sot Which Gil's granny bought for her when she was just 16 “Ingep Itthere to remind me thet iy pate hasn't changed at ll. ‘hase are tne colours that work for ime and 'm endlessly fascinated by everythingthat they can produce” vow glroeca.comRr Brand New Produc Arte from your favourite brush: oto of Po Ato weve boon busy, vory Bus! Coss ofboth squrel ane Sable har have fson dematicaly, necessitating @ need fr atrmatves ‘ter pansioling research and development n oreo sob tis prcblom, Sse es fe sobiesque's astttying bien ‘of eynelic and natura na manutacturedin atrodtional wre Top sive. hose reate ‘enaomnrve to pure squirel mop bushes wt Satsving he sob puts Ilcoks tke sob, feels ke ble and wor tke sabe ‘allote rection of pure able pes! Development continues ot a pore. We have los of new ids for 2020 ond rice Wells Art Contemporary 2020 Ferpry Saranaenseenccaccny PNM 1): Weer tee ETO Informed about Brand New Product! Maa tees x Ara, Par Ml Brougham Steet, Sipton, 8073 21N 1401756 792999 = Fax 01796 790909 Ce Cxmingproarie.couk + wereproart.couuk Penney een @ Fotowusonintogam eeoansenanes KE] Folow wren Peatosuenes REAR THE ART OF DVERTISING taal ag roly) OPEN UNTIL 31 AUGUST Ryee aN | woule urge you to be generous T Wo fan no need to reveal at your secrets, but onough to bonefitfrom the Dosti of sharin Tho tal tp to sina ey beng oursoand doit fal thatyou have to aspire to any hind of perfection "have long since realised that people Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL on why noone fon cece enact nants wants to see a filtered version of an artist's life ors nat do, The same le tus for ‘yu. Social media should be an Ss oclal media sa powertultoot at your work in different way. often enjayadle sideshow to your creativity, for professional artists, but. edt and improve my prints after nota time waster. Itisan absolute commerce ase, ican be ‘Woking the Image of them online. win-win that shang vison of your benetcial for al creates asa place ‘have always had a passion for tne own time-etfective realty Is much toshare ideas and build community. technical side of my pintmaking and more attractive to your audience than IMystudents regulary tell me they socialmedia's the perfect place to _seeingritered perfection, Besices, lus social media, but fear posting _share that love of process. Like most we want people ta see the real effort, ‘their artwork because they worryno ass, mystudiolsasoltary spot skill anc time that goes into making ‘one wil be Interested. never gave and so enjoy talking about my ‘our art. Mere are enough people out ‘much thought to an audience when techniques and materials freely ‘there thinking that artis easy without | began using social media Isimply online. Sharing is great for engaging us encouraging tat illusion. posted artwork because It mademe an audience, but ve also found thas Laura's new book, Making Japanese feel accountable ta see ton screen. been of huge beneft ta me interms _Woodblock Prints, is pulsed by Hadi been dvelingon every post's of connection and satisfaction rowood Pres. woo auraoswelc ok reception rater than pating myo ontnenackorposting it 06 6é would have been ascouraged tes ii ‘alg sock red share your art Focus on celebrating your practice is for your benefit, so focus productivity and don’t worry faoveLaua on celetatingyour producti and " Boowel, Ran and dort wory about the auclence. The about the audience ig, Wes Coat, benefit tem i 8 bonus nothing ” lnoit.43600n else socal media can help you lok Aatists @ MustraTate Modern’s forthcoming retrospective of the Pop Artist's work is the perfect chance to learn from his unique approach to painting says RAVNEET AHLUWALIA DRAWING UNDERPINS. EVERYTHING Andy Warhols best known for his bold silkseroon prints, yet all the ‘ualtes that defined his most famous orworks were evident right from tho very boginning. The reductive lines, the Dold shapes, the \oyouristi fascination wit people ~ ‘these fecets can all be seen in his 4950s dranings, such as Boy with Flowers [pat of Tate Modern’s new retrospective), where the influence of artists such as Jean Cocteau and Henn Matise are most apparert. ‘orn in Pittsburgh in 1928, Warhol Intaly worked a8 9 commercial Mustratr, producing everything from shoe agvertsements to record slocves. Skilod draughtsmanship Underpinned everything that ne di If crawing is not your strong point, n't worry though. Warhol often tvaced around projections of photographs during his early years to get the desired effects. infact, without eying on these rudimentary methods, he may never have alighted en his most famous process. Afterall, his fondness for bath using racing, paper to repeat images and blotting Invtines while stt wetto create \atiatons in the line are precursors cofhis silkscreen methods, Landy Wart, ve Hany, 1980, seri and incon carves, 106:406emABOVE nay Wasrot, Marin Dioneh 1962 LEFT Any aro Flowers, 1964, fet itera 56xS60n ANDY WARHOL Andy Werhor's frst solo exhibition ‘of Pop Art took place in New Yorkin 1962, twas here that he debuted Nis first stascreen printed canvases featuring repeated images of subjects Inclucing doar bil and soup cans. ‘Te reason I'm painting thi way Is that I want tobe a machine.” he famously told Art News, a reference tohis new\y-discovered process. While repeating the same motit ‘may seam ko a lazy way to la canvas, |e to think of Warhol's aporoech in terms of Claude Monet's series paintings, which depicted the ‘same subject fram the same angle Under differing conditions. Monet painted naystacks, waterilies and buildings tke Rouen Cathedral andthe Houses of Parliamentin cifferent lights anc times of cay. In much the same way, one of the 112 bottles n 2962'= Green Cooe-Cola Bottles look ike one another. By using 8 process thats >IK LerTAnay Wome 1 1955°57, heon ¥\ oper, 425135 1926, veryto 2031203 cetonsibly churning out the same Image in a factory:ke way, Warhol was actualy ghlihting the tiny Cifferences inherent in thie approach ‘My fascination with iting mages repeat.” ne sald, “manifests my belet that we spend much of our ves seeing without observing,” Focusing repeatedly on the same subject can ‘actualy hone your observational skis ‘and will encouroge you to aporeciate smaller details Wile the use of food stutts as @ ‘meaningful subject in at dates back to the Duten Golden Age painters of the 17th contury, Wamol was one of the frst champion tho commercial packaging found in 20th contury supermarkets. Nevertheless, Brilo pads, Campbell's soup and Coca-Cola bottles ae all intrinsically linked with the Pop Artist's work Yarho's motivation for using these ‘sects is no doubt in part down to fis prewous career as a commercial Ilueteator and a deste to elevate packaging design tthe level of ne at. Yet thero i alescon in there for fl of us and thats that he took an everyday object that was meaningful tohim and used tin his art. That Important connestion gave him seater matvation to create Andy Werhol began making portraits of Maryn Monroe almost Immediately after me actress ced His prints including 19626 Marlyn Diptycn, were baeed upon a phato taken by Gene Kornman to advertise Montoe's flim Niagara. The use ofan ready-old image added a mournful, ‘nostalgic quality to his prints ofthe fated actress, “The Dest ting about a picture is tat it never chenges, even hen the people in t do" he said Pinning anartwors toa particular vert or a can nea useful way of ‘evoking emotion in a viewer. Warhol was fascinated by events such as JFK's assassination not so much for the death ofthe president but forthe way in which it was turned into a ‘mass outpouring of get. He was an artist who once said ne wished he tion'thave emotions, yet he was fascinated by these sharec feetings.ABOVE Any War Geen (ove-Cola Bates 1062, ane screenprint and ‘CROP FOR IMPACT Photogranty was central to ‘Andy Warhol's practice. He used it ‘extensively, whether appropriating, Images from magazines forhis sereenprints of making pertrats of peopie around him inns Factory. However, when it comes tohis paintings, itis important to recognise ‘the intuence that photography also hao upon his approach to composition. When focusing on a single subject, particularly a figure, Warhol abvays chose very closely ANDY WARHOL, shop colours, though itis tolling that ‘there isnot one combination that Sefines his art. He was play ul with his approach, yet also stucied the work ofthe colour psychologist Faber Biren, In 2 rar irterviow with the BBC's Edward Lucie Smith in 1981, Warhol was asked what the “right” colours were and haw he Anew whieh they were? "con't know, the Pop Artist replied softy. "After you fish it. you nou wich ae nian.” While this might seem ke 3 ‘ypiealy elusive, non-response from the reluctant artist, itis also very teling, He knew about the effects certain colours would nave on people ‘om Biren, yethaw they combined artistically was stil very much a personal response 1964's lowers is one composition, bortoned fram a magazine photo af hibiscus blossoms, tnat Warno! reworked in @ numberof colourways. Of course, sereen printings 2 ER) 9700888 that allows an artist to test cropped pictures, This is successful {or several reasons, Firstly, it adds impact, tying in rcly with the loud colour scheme ‘anc lage scale. also suggests an Intimacy witha subject, something ‘thot I particularly competing when hes dealing with otnerwise: unattainable stare such as EWis Presley or Debbie Har TEST COLOUR COMBINATIONS. Warhol Isfemed for his brignt, candy comainations rather more quickly, yet artists working in othermediums can get around ths, It youre working in ather media, itis sil possible. Make a thumbnail sketch ofa subject and make conies oft ether witha photocopier or simply crawing it out several times. Test aferent sohemes on each copy before you begin a final work. KEEP MAKING ART Ignore the rites. while none of Us are ever tkely to reach the ubiquity of Andy Warhol, whose work reportedly accounts for ane sith of al contemporary art sales, this is an important pointin a wider sense, Cticis can come fem art tutors, ‘emty members, or even yourset Learning to doal with it and cary on regardless isan important process. Persistence matters in this respect. amo! was forever making pictures and trying new things, which enabled him to focus on creativity instead. “Don'ttink about making art. just got Itcone;” he said "Let everyone else decide if t's good or bad, whether ‘they love orhateit. While they are ‘deoaing, make even more ar.” Andy Wartol rus from 42 March to 6 September at Tate Modern, London SEL. wutate org.uk Aatists & Uustrators 98enh PIE “4 Al TIPS + TECHNIOUES + IDEAS + INSPIRATION HOLIDAY era eres ty i eae Draw figures in ink Red depth to landscapes Pint pets with character SUMMER HIBITIONS Learn lessons from 8 great art shows Laurence Liewe| Celebrity PaintA VIP VISIT TO TATE BRITAIN See TATE BRITAIN’s new Aubrey Beardsley exhibition in style with a luxury stay at London’s HOTEL CAFE ROYAL To celebrate he lounch of Tate Britaln’s ‘Aubrey Beardsley exhibition (4 March to 25 May), welve teamed up with Tate and Hotel Café Roya to offer one lucky reader and guesta chance towina fantastic art break in London, This unmissebse exhiton wil be the largest collocton of Aubrey Boaresley’s work | seen in Eurepe for mare than 50 years ane features longsice his key inspirations fom Japanese woodcuts ta Pre-Raphaelite artworks. Beardsley’s is tragic story, as the * vietoran author and ilusator career was cut short when he succumbed to tuberculosis | In 1898 aged ust 25. His artistic output was revertheless prolif, and his styish black- andnhite drawings were eld in high regard forthek humour and cherisma, ‘And where bettrto stay during your wit to | London than 2 grand hotel once frequented F by Aubrey Beardsley himself? The Hotel Café Royal, Regent Street, Is located in one of London's most fashionable cistets, and was Visited by the artist, as wel as forncus writers Inoluding Oscar Wide and Rudyard Kipling, ww tate.org.uk, wwrw.hotelcaferoyalcom Selocted at random, our winner wil receive: * Aone night stay for two people atthe five-star Hotel Café Royal, Regent Street, London, wth breakfast + Two complimentary tickets to Tate Britain's Aubrey Beardsley exhibition + A copy ofthe Aubrey Beardsley exhibition catalogue (RRP £25) Emer online by naon on 20 March 2020 at www.artiteandiluetrators.co.uk/ competitions ‘Alternatively, in the form and return it to: | Telephone: Aubrey Beardsley Prize Draw, Artists & Iustrators, Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd Jubilee House, 2 luilee Place, London SW3.310, Prize can be taken between 20 March and 20 May 2020. The prize is ran transferable ‘and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Bookings dates are subjectto avalabity. winner must sotto any extras on ‘departure. For full terms and condition, vit wow. chelseamagazines.com/termsSTEVE PILL visited the South London printmaking collective to find out how four individual artists have pooled their talents to create a singular creative vision he four printmakers that Utopian dream, yet as anyone who currently make upLendon’s has evershared so much as.a fiat wil Underway Studio are sat tellyou, tis a setup that does not ‘around table, cuns of tea inhand, always produce harmanious results tryingo explain how they collecthely Tha mood around the table fs very ‘make prints. Unusually for astudio cheerful today, however. Although suchas tis, every screen print that isa very tangle 20s cut under the Underway banner process, almost overy Underway has beenhoned by al four artists. design wll begin as a digital mage. Workingin this way soundstike a “We might ster by quickly cutting 2 few bits but that wl te an immediate brainstorm and then is put on the computer.” explains Anna Schmist "with Photoshop, you can even mimic the multiplying effect when you screenpent overlapping colours.” ‘One person wit lead an initia composition idea and put come ett fon the page anc then it gets passed ‘round, with al of us having a go atABOVE Hayward Caters, seren print 803700m oP RAT rata) Fone, 0007 print. 29.742¢m ‘moving things around,” adds Metssa North. Allfour members clearly have 28 ood idea of who isthe bast person te consutfor certain problems. soa strong collective aesthetic has bul up as 8 resut “Ithink now we play thatto our strongths.” says Motisa, ‘You'lbe workingon a print and youll et this block and you Caltn Parks jumps in. “You just know the right thing sto give it to someone ese, ‘think there are certain rules to what en Underway Studia print looks lice agrees Aiden Barefoot IN THE STUDIO. Unusually for a studio such as this, every Underway print has been honed by all four artists Coietiey, mney suggest those qualities include grainy textures, biock colours and interesting oversens, ‘Asal four sll make art separately oes it got difcult to decide which dens they save fr Underway? it’ Justa band motaphor over and ‘over again,” says Aiden. You can do your own solo stuf, but as a banc you have that sound, Wien |eome hers ‘ane we workon our stuf, thas ts own feel rot” Working cotectively nas put an Interesting spin on colour for Aiden. “Itend to work very monochromatic or Ime one or two tones, but then took at somethinglke our Hackney Empire print and think, Well, these two work Wwelltogether’ and it mignt influence ‘me, There's a conversational element tot t.o0es go back end forth” ‘That convercation fst began in 2015, whon Cain and Melissa set Up the orignal Underway Studio shortly after graduating trom the University of Westminster. They foune ‘a space under the Westway fyover In Ladbroke Grove, west London. ‘Underway kind ofa pun,” expiains Metssa ofthe name. “So,its ke >IN THE STUDIO being under the Westway, but nen also work getting under way and progressing n the studio. Aden joined later in that year, long with two other members, Roz Woodman and Toby Downtam. The frst collective project arrived at the beginning of 2016. Ecotopia was a Peintinstallation commissioned for ‘the London Design Festival that marked the 500th anniversary of Thomas More's classic book Utopia, 1 Melissa explains: “Eotopla was ali about sustainabity and our olen the project was ilustetingthe answers of climate change experts who'd given their opinion via ‘questionnaire an how we could lve ‘mare sustainably in the future. ezand Tony lft shorty attr the praect before brief move toe second premises. The current Underway Studio is now part of the larger ASC Studtos complex, whicn are former council aties in the heart of London's Brixton. First we were unger the Way, then we were next to BOVE Barbican, AOPLEFT Anna in the studowthner ‘the Way ane now we're no way near the ‘Way jokes Anna, the last to jon Undernay’s secendfoor space is efficiently arranged. The old tole at the back isa wash room and opens cut onto aryingracks and an exposure unt. The dry area where we are sat has a few recent pints brghteningthe walls and mary more tucked away in plan chests. The Underway quartet neve begun to refer to the lat of thelr unsols works as “assets after a mentor ona Prince's Trust enterprise course encouraged ‘tem to start thinking ke @ business. ‘Tey teach you about taxand marketing and website SEO, and all this useful stuff about how to put together a business plan,” explains ‘Anna. "It ves you abit more focus, Wren we wet i, we did nave an idea cof what our business plan was, but ‘his kind of formalised tl 20 we could say] this is the direction we want to go in, this s what we want ‘to achievein the nest ike faw years, To getit down on paper makes ta lotmore rel in your heed.‘The Prince's Tust has also pated ‘them with a business mentor for the nest two years and encouraged them to formalise the company a8 @ partnership. "itust helped us to see Itine totalyatferent way ados Caitin. “When youre creative, our brain does work afferent Fornaw, ell four members have ‘creative jobs away trom Underway Aiden works fulltime in commercial graphic design. The other three have parttime jobs: Anna as a secondary school at technic Studio 73 Gallry, and Gaitin teaching art ata primary school. i's very rewarding,” she says. "It makes you look at this art in a totaly itferent way because kis jst go fori.” The collectve ambition, Anna sais, 's to getto the paint where they oan survive off print sales, teaching workshops and design commissions, such as 2 recent collaboration wth Adidas trainers. “Hopefully people wll be able to recognise our style and Melissa in IN THE STUDIO. s2y, We've got this riot, Underway Stusio wil be able to anwer that” What ts quite remarkable about the work of Uncernay Studio is that it never feels tke @ compromise, Rather than dialing beck thelr ambition and setting upon something that they al agree upon, it feels 3s it they are each adcing an entra layer of uste, ike four craftspeople burishing a piece of antique siverware. Theis is an additive process, rotaredustiveone, => Aceaign fom Underway’ New BELOW UndernayIt helps that despite thelr distinct characters, there is much tobe found Inthe midpoint of Venn diagram of ‘thelr individual Infuences, Robert Rauschenberg is one such figure “There was an exhibition two oF thiee years ago at Tate and we all went says Calin. “think we spent 415 minutes inthe room with all ofthe soreenornts, just wondering now he id all of that without a computor” Another key influence is Kate Gibb, 2 printmaker famed for her album covers for dance music act The ‘Chemical Brothers. Kate taught all ‘our members of Uncerway atthe Unversity of Westminster sos, according to Anna, “the reason why we're herein the frst place” ‘She made you look at screen ringing na totatycitferent way,” [Anna adds, “Btfore it was alvays about registering everything really crisply whereas Kate said jst rit t, ‘pint round. print it upside down. Thatkindof showed you how you could be realy fre with everything” Kate proved intueita for the quartet after graduation too, nolng ‘them with equipment ang internships, 2 wells inviting tnem to visit het foun Paciington studi. “After that we ‘thought, Ok, tis i really achievable, we can do this,” says Melissa, -Ater successful appearances at London ilustration Fair, Underway ‘Studio held its fst collective show at Studio 73 in September 2018, ‘hey put added pressure on ‘thomsolves, however, by agreeingto showall new work. It was too much,’ says Calin "We ald 11 screen prints Intwo months. twas crazy.” The pressure resulted in some of ‘the coleetve's mest popular prints, ‘the Printed Spaces series featuring ‘much loved London architecture, ftom the Berbican to Battersea Power é6é Our tutor Kate Gibb made us look at screen printing in a totally different way 99 Station. The exrblton might have ‘ured out very diferonty it t wasnt {or another intervention from Kate Gib who encouraged them to crop ‘the greyandyellow colour schemesin {evour of something far more worart. She does have a point says Caltin. People do like colour” vcundennaystudo.com oP uF Eta! print, 28.742em BOVE Past pnts con theron Anists & Uhstratorsat& a #9 2 @ a u 5 °° g z < 2 om oa Egsa,eerams Ibepe caine A: ‘olor fot sed tuned blending, Fifteen years ago, however, imam enege eee coins puas nares bons Sscpunenttni ice ame tea) fechas ecaraae (erg t Son otecteaniges oct orocone Sn terete cl etaneg toes Sepsna asia corm Intel ving rear oon coon ipuitiouan aims resid toate ee sores ct ot arvana, ae en cob ete Simone nescom rene the tsa ren euraieoner igdel ecw cunaaalnie wfovromple mii we Wed nt Reason eors pore Thee water oactear iad Beeeeeierea mace ‘that and abit of Gloss Medium to ute the aciyicto a runny, transparent consistency ‘that spreads easly. Dluting the anys wth only water wil weaken the integnty of the paint surface, The Gloss Medium is an 2eryc polymer (basically acy paint Without colour) however. sot holds the Pigments better tlooks miky when wet but dries completely clear. ‘The transparency ofthe paint alows ight tofiter through each layer, making tne end resultricher, deeper ané moro intense. This is @ deliberate process of bul the painting slowty and adjusting itwitn each sunsequent layer ~ a pusn ane pul that alos me to change colour and valve Without haste, knowing lean continue to ‘ine-tune things as mary times as needed. Lena's latest book, Compete Guide to ‘Acryis is published by Search Press. ‘ww. art lotena.com MASTERCLASS Cee reeset eerie sry reese rc ne eee a Pee ee et ee! Cee coe emcee tan Peretoerted Peery stordom Betas eee io) Series ene a ).Jraceyourimage, Aftersketching out my composition, | uted a bitofgosso with water to a miky consistency then applied itswity aver the enol ines using the .5° flat brush This not only kes the graphite, but also lighters the ‘rawing so the lines are less stark | began to build the background colour ‘oly using Diaryide Yotow and the tbort ‘ze 4 brush, Once dy | added Titanium White to one side and used arybrush strokes (soft scrubs with minimal paint te achieve a ‘smooth gracation into the Diaryde Yellow. Using. roune size 1 brush, filed nthe shapes one by one with translucent colours “This phase reminds me of my childhood colouring. books. Burnt Sienna was used forthe file twig onthe plate, Viridian Green forthe leaves, and Venetian Rose, Pale Terracotta, Cadmium Yellow Dark, and Quinacrione Rose for several of the Hower petals, Unbleached Ttanium was brushed lighty over the centre of te plate Insteas of covering the surface sotaly, "prefer to add tin ayers one at atime ~ as many ast takes to reach a fa, ovon ish. More colours were added, Including Cobalt Blue and Greyish Blue to gome ofthe eaves ‘and petals. apalied Bone Black withthe size (000 brush to some of the pattems and to delineate the shapes in the contre of the plete. Highn-llute Bone Black was also ‘ppled tothe darkest areas ofthe gold rim ‘and nancle ofthe jug to start creating ‘three-dimensianaity e ar wi eer Aatits @ Mustrators 48MASTERCLASS 4uMimic the ceramics. ‘The base ofthe plate and the jug were ‘i in wit Britiant 8ise and Bone Black respectively, takingcare to paint around the shapes. f mistakes occurred, | used moistened cotton buds to keep shapes ang outlines crisp and clean. The centeal lowers ofthe jug were painted with highiy-iute Cobalt Bive to create a watercolour tration that mimics the look ofthe ceramie object, including the hand-painted dots Lenrich colours. oontinued addingcolour to existing areas tostengthen chroma and depth. This was, especialy visible in the be and back shapes, es well as the Brillant Bue background of the pate [Note that! dis nt cover each of the areas completa, Instead, eft certan edzes Untouched so that the lighter variations of the same colours showed trough, White detals anc tines were also edced ang cenforced, a6 | attempted to buld up the texture of the lustrous ceramics and give them a bas tlie took. 5..Begin layering colour, Witn te outer surfooe of he jug covere, twas timoto stat layering the colours to ‘deepen the chroma and wanstor te values. Many areas wore enforced with fesh fyers ofthe orginal colours, while Quinaericane Magenta was added to svengthen some of the pinks and Bunt Umber was used to warm Up the black sectiors. (nthe geld rim and handle, | used Van ye Brown forthe darker shapes with 2 faze of Cadmium Yalow Dark brushed over It taking eae to paint around the highlights ,Play with shadows shacows. A Tha inside of the jug was painted by frst adding translucent layer of Baliant Blue to the entire area. When that had dried completly, acdtional gazes of Ballon Bue darkenes with Payne's Grey were added ta mimic the um White Jaze was acded to areas close tothe rm. ve also lightened same areas ofthe plate by blotting them with Titanium White and using drytrus) stokes With the ert brush to create a subtle highlight. S,Outline the shapes, used Neutral Gey § to paint the outlines of the shapes on the plate, mimickingthe ‘yoica fauxcloisonné look ofthis ceramic ware. | mixed a gaze of Thanlum White to {dd sheen to the gold rim of the jugand bull Lp higlignts on certain colour areas to create the fooling f dopt, Note that white acryie paint often sinks in ~inother words, itlocks brignt and opaque when freshly applied yet appears toned down, ster drying, With that in mind, 'addec ‘multiple (sometimes as many as 10) layers of Lndisted, full-strength Titanium Wiite to every area that needed clean highlights to rake sure they realy popped ~ fu2.Build the depth Atthis point ina panting, | usually cover the whole surface with layer of Gloss Medium. Once ary, this protective coveringatiows me to gaze without the fear of making mistakes because | can use a sponge to wipe away the unwanted gazos without cisturbing the other layers undemeath Ive covered the exterior of the ugiexcept forth gold trim} with a gaze of Payne's Grey totone down the brightness and gve it three-dimensional shape. This can either be done freehand withthe cotton bus to correct rmistakes or by mashing the outer edes with lula masking uid. (Once satisled with tho glazing oft shadow areas, I start refining cetals; derkoring anc ‘deepening some colours here and tere, adding white gazo tothe dark part of the Juste mimic a reflective sheen and nally reinforcing al the nignignes with mutiple layors of Titanium White. The final touch is signing my name tothe painting and leaving Into ry for 48 hours, 12.Rememberess is more Ps | repeated the process fom the previous step with the plate, adding. ' subtle curved shadow that gets progressively Garker. | also added a darker ‘area close tothe bottom that eves the pate the appearance of concavity. \When painting shadows, i's mportant to fallow the adage “ess is mare’. | You can always add a gaze over an existing one to Geopen the values, but fi “= the Bate wh dr sponge before Rares L an rot the other way around, Subtlety is key rif you go t00 dark quickly wipe 12,Finishing touches ‘Acryl paint has microscopically tiny pores that ettract ust overtime so always apply a UV resictant removable fina varnish to my paintings. also unites tho surtaco. Before apoling the vamish, ladda coat of Glass Medium to the enie surface, This helps form a borer, ‘meaning that i the vamish ever needs tobe removed, te paint will be protected,ii AK TO. SIMPLICNRY Even with a camera to hand, sketching a scene can be a valuable part of the painting process as it helps you focus on the key elements, as GRAHAME BOOTH explainsost watercolour painters ‘whe favour a looser technique also seek to produce a nal painting that is very ‘much simpler tian the original subject. By "simpler", mean a less cluttered and detailed appearance = something that is often quite ficult to achieve in practice. Ccreatinga simpler composition Is not simply a case of leaving things out (although this may well be pat of it). Instead, its the much more nebulous dea of painting @ chosen subject so ‘that itappears to be very quickly nd ‘economically executed, while stl ‘suggesting the cetal that is e’ffectvely no longer there. {As willshow you inthis article, one ‘sure way to help this process alongs ouse a pencil sketeh of he orignal Subject, drawn in situ, as the main resource for the painting ‘On the rare occasions when travel twany ofthe London airports, ahtays ty to get to te city for a couple of hours painting and | usually nead for the River Thames where can be sure of tnging sometning interesting. (On my last ist! enjoyed ‘2 morning's painting around St Saviou's Dock and after Minch ‘crossed the rv, ending up outs the Tower of London. Itwas quite cronded, alight rin was stating tofal, | neded to get back to the ‘altprt fry soon, and the subject didnt immediately inspire so this provided me with four good excuses otto set up my easel again. Feoling slighty guity ot this wasted opportunity, | decided instead to make 2 quick pene sketch of tie View towards Tower Briage.|contess | began with very Ite enthusiasm Dut. ais usually the case, | quickly COMPOSITION started to enjoy the experience. When sketching, parsiculaty if pushed for timo, we naturally oncentate on tho parts ofthe subject that we fn Interesting and our bran almost automatically ignores o simplifies the ‘est. It parsonalses the process too, ‘because what Ifind interesting may ‘not appeal to others. That i wy paintings by diferent artists of the Same subject vary 80 much | was not altogether unhappy with the resuting sketch and thought ‘might gota painting out oft back at the studio. It was only later, however, when | compared my sketch tothe photograph | had taken of the same subject that realised just how much | had abbreviated the scene without really thinking. Also, only had the photograph and notte sketch I doubt very much ifa painting woule ‘ever have been considered. So why shoulo the sketch provide an impetus topaint thatthe photograph ~ or Indeed the orginal subject- ais not? WHY SKETCH? ‘The process of painting isnot one of ‘imply copying everyting that is in front of us Instead wo snould use the real subject to create our own Interpretation of it. believe thet the > \ photo of heview towards Tower ‘age, Lonéon ABOVE Tower Bridge, watereclow on pape, 36:28mCOMPOSITION _2ctual subjects largely Immaterial ~ itis ie passages of paint mat | ultimately apply thet will make the painting work or not. The key to achieving such a result (or at east having a chance of doing '50)18 take the many atferent elements that are present in realty andlink them together to create 3 reletively small numberof interconnecting random shapes. ‘This not ont simples the subject but also makes it strongor by avoiding ‘the details that may cistractthe eye. Each part ofthe painting should be Interesting to an extent, but perhaps nottoo interesting. This is where an Initia sketch can nelp. Many painters ‘avoid sketching before painting as they5ee tas an unnecessary waste of time, yet fd tis never the case. Ist not better to think ad plan ‘wth a pencil that can easly be erases and altered rather than start ‘trol in with tne paint ane perhaps realise helfway though that a afferent ‘approach would have been batter? SIMPLIFYING A SUBJECT Inmy photograph, there is 2 huge amount of detain the buildings on the for bankaf the river ~as much as Is sible on the brige. However, \whon looking at tho scene in oat, | was very aware that the bulldings \Were a considerable distance behing the bridge and so appeared to be ‘much less important. Inthe sisten for example I merely showed the bulk of ‘the group of bulaings with just an Indication ofthe perspective lines, ‘This is the area where photogrephs must be treated with caution. ‘camera simply records everything ‘that is in front of IE nat help you be discerning and, unless you use a shallow focus it can'tshow depth. Ofcourse, a painting also has no ‘actual Geoth ~it isa fat sheet of paper, afte all~ but we can create ‘the ilision of depth upon itby using _26rial perspective [see the box on the rent, ‘The problem with aerial perspective 's that in realty and especialy on a bright day, it only really becomes ‘apparentat quite a considerable distance but ifwe use these effects ‘of aerial perspective in the painting. Invespective of whether we can ‘actually see tem the suggestion of depth is enhanced, In my painting, | also greatly reduced the tonal svength of the dark lines of te ralings and riverside wall as they created an unwelcome division between the foreground and the further pats ofthe subject Inplace ofthis, alowed the brage tower to blend withthe ver ana ultimately oven tothe ‘foreground, creating one en much m large lignt area, further Peeters) simplified by not Nt attempting to incleate the complex cabbies. also spotted a few oddities when comparing my sketch to the original scone: clearly remember how Important the Nagpole tothe left was ‘to me yet Its barely dlscernive in ‘the photo. twas the same forthe Vehicles on the bridge ~ I noticed them much more than the photo would sueest. BUILDING ON THE SKETCH \When 1 paint the subject in the stuco, | ries to retain and even ToPLEFTGranane's ‘emphasise the simplicity ofthe vignal ston sketch, Inthe sketch had maved the made insta left foreground ralingand shrub area toatow ittolinkwith the lot wee, TOPRGHTA phate whereas inthe painting made 3 ofthe Tower Brsge mare obvious connection between painting rosesthe leat canopy ofthe loft and ight tee. | took care to pat the figures, their shadows and the rang together, so 2s to produce a single connectingshape from the lft side to the rigit. When patting | aso had to resist a strong tomptation to put more detalinto the bridge towers - there was so much detail visible in te ‘photo, but tied tostay tue tothe en eee nay Berens een Peer nn ‘appear to almost blend together sketch. So, without the sketch would | have painted ths subject? Probably ‘not Would | have painted tin this way? Definitely not. Aline sketch with some tonal shading provides plenty of material tocxecuto apainting By al means take a photograph as wel as this wll provide a reminder of colours ang hep with any inaccuracis in the ‘rauing hat wit almost certainyy ‘occur, but dont paint trom the photograph, paint rom the sketch Ifyou don'thave time to work Insitu, you can even sketch your photograph fist It wil never be quite ‘8 good as being in rot ofthe actual subject. but ou wil stil be able to pursue the idea of simpiieaton. www.grahamebooth comJRe he perfect sketchtook. T There are many ideas about, bt no blueprint foritand po rules about how to use it An outdoors sketcher wil tell you how drawing your Immediate envionment creates far better memories than iftaking photographs of tno same subject, whereas a stucio sketcher might you that workingin the quletof the studi allows them to dig deeper and explore ideas with no distraction. I's horses for courses, there are no “shouts. ‘Be wamed, though, there are quite alt of rather perfect looking sketchbooks on social media these days, which are deiaealy gorgeous put can be quite cauntingto use as your model. It's betterto approach {our sketchbook fearlessiy~ i's your ‘oun private space, where you can record of respond to what you see {and also ty out those new ideas, ‘media and techniques, work out your ‘compositions, or play with colour, tone and more. sketchbook is not meant to ‘ghten, but to gve permission to lay. Allow for thosoinovtable éoad fends and mistakes that must happen enroute to something that works: WY Watercolourist KATE OSBORNE opens up her sketchbooks to show you some inventive ways to develop your ideas in private those “failures” are steps towards resolving and expressing ideas, ‘My own main source of inspiration these days has been my local alotments, Artistically, I's a great Combination of wid weeds and ‘rambles on its edges interspersed wth the neat stuctures of cutvation. ‘The sketches and photographs ‘meke on site| then use the sudo todo more sketchbook work, where eating becomes a big partat the process. tis ust about possibieto ander unt you find the Iterally “perfect” view but even when youre ‘ting in front of lovey view yout bbe editing 3s you draw and | definitely find le are excking to elements together and leave elements out ina way that inspires. Once of the hook lof reproducing what! see, the creative options are endless, and ‘can pay tomy heart's content. ‘As well asa piace to experiment, ‘a Sketchbook is also lnrary and & ‘reat personal resource, When hit 2 ‘blank spot and don’t know where to hnead next t's always 6 good idea to nave a rummage through them and seoif any ofthe ideas in tare inspire ‘new work. Slow are eight iceas for Using your sketchbooks creatively 66 pproach your sketchbook fearlessly - it’s your own private space® 0 Artists © Uustrators Ny SKETCH FASTER Some sketchbook drawings can be reworked over a period of time, but aften time is short. AS an exercise, sometimes even fit the amount ‘oftime | alow myself to spend on a ‘sketch, Working fat forces a more Instinetve way of working, This allotment sketch was executed ‘0 rapidly that it has become pretty abstract, more about colour an ‘shape than an accurate representation,SKETCHBOOKS. Sometimes it i useful ta make sketches trom sketenes to develop an igea, Image the charcoal sketch above in stu onthe alletment inthe bleak months of winter, when the seen was dominated ty the bare bones of structures, bare soll, and a sense of space. then used this sheteh to work ‘up a watercolour sketch of the same subject. The pink ofthe chair was an lnvertian, an example of making stuft _ ‘upto meke your painting work. used a range of media fortis You can stil be creative when sketch, including Inktense crayons, working rom reference photos. his Derwent aerylc pons and watercolour spreadwas based onapicurecta left alot of blank paper showing at neglected comer afthe allotments the Bottom, these empty spaces =a water barrel used as a euphoria paying off the busier top haf of tne plant potwith ruoble begsin front sketch to create semething more ‘ang brambles growing over the top. dynamic. Sometimes iessis more. >SKETCHBOOKS SKETCH WIDELY Concertina watercolour sketchbooks are great for extending your drawings through a series of ‘olced pages, eltmerin one session orovera satis of sessions. They are easy to spread cut to check and rethink. 1 can also be useful to see how a project and ideas are veloping, The sketch above was ‘a quick one, showing just a few favoutte elements from the allotment in watercolour and gouache, SKETCH WITH LIMITED COLOURS. So-alled weeds abun on any allotment site. They add tothe biodiversity anc encourage willie to flourish, and deserve credit for thet tenacity. subtloty and beauty This was 8 quick and simple sketch toccapture those qualites,paintec vor freely using just three or four watercolours and an acrylic pen to dea bit of structure and detail. SKETCH ON NEW SURFACES. Wen my process becomes too familar, lean lose the creative impulse and needa nudge or new stimulus. This might be a new subject, ‘a now media ora now surface, ora combination of two or three ofthese. | sketched this woodpecker at our local natural history museur on Polyéraw drafting fim, which isn't ‘marketed fortis purpose, but nas ‘a smooth, water-resistant surface | orew wth fiqud graphite and pencis, erasinghighlights with wet wines. we Antiss & MusaSKETCHBOOKS. This sketch was based on avery old Photo, which was taken ona different allotment site and lurking inthe reference pile walting for ts moment. I sketened using gouache, which has a lovely matte nish and res quickly. The main advantage of using gouache over watercolour is Its opacty, which allows you to block in colour and work over previous layers easly IF ve not sketched fora while lortim ustmaving a bad day with it al, my sketching wil begin vary temtatvey Asa result, often find thatthe sketches wil lack energy or commitment When this epoens, @ more Interesting result can be had by washing ofthe orginal sketch wth wate, which leaves a “ghost” image that can then be worked over ‘As sketches such as this are iteady deemed a “falure’ find courago with nothingte lose and tone tobe ess itera. For ths one, | used the rit pink simpy because | liked the colour dragging t aeross the page on the edge of piece of card. ‘This, together withthe use of watercolour sticks and acryle pens Tor the detals, created aynamie Interplay of abstract mari, wwe katosbomeartcomIn love with bold colours and strong lines? Award-winning illustrator ELIZA SOUTHWOOD shows you how to make a simple. graphic screenprint Ants &“Awooden screen Pee Sees ey Se ed Pe Seed pasterce era cot printing fr years. thnk its because Hove the textural quality of old retro gaphies and I'm also drawn to bald colours and strong ines. There ace various ways to make soteenprints The simplest method Isto cut outa stonel from newsprint and place it over the paper you want to print on. The screen is placed on top. the ink is pulled through the soreen with @ squeegee, and the ‘rewsprint wil cing tothe underside ofthe screen, enabling you to repeat I have been fascinated by sereen DESIGN YOUR IMAGE Start by making a rough sketch ‘and then deciding what colours you would tke to use. fled these In {quickly just to see what might go where and give a guide for how ay fished screenprint might look. the process witn more paper and create a small “edtion”(arun of more than one print). The newspaper stencil wil act as a blocker tothe ink However, the newsprint wil eventually ‘degrade, and you will have to wash ‘down the sereen before moving onto the nest colour (your print has more than one colour. iealy your sereen wil be fed toa Nat surface with hinges, so that ie stayin place, but can stl be tfted up and down. The most common method to we a photosensitive coating, whichis What Iwill show you here. The coating becomes impemeable when dry and enables youta create prety much anything in print. The screen is coated, and then a black steno Is placed on a lightbox, withthe coated screen restingon top. The screen is then exposes to UV light fora fen minutes. Wherever the stencl has hag contact withthe photosensitive coating itwil not have been “nardened” bythe light exposure and itis best to keep colours to ‘minimum, Simple designs are usualy ‘mare effective and easier to cary ut. This will be a three-colour print, the areas ofthe paper left white acting asa fourth colour MAKE THE STENCILS To make a stencll, paint black faerli paint on semi-transparent fm Each stencl corresponds to one of the colours wit black paint where the colouted ink wll come tough the soreen. itis essential to start withthe lgptest colour fest, s0 | am painting DEMO wil wash away, leaving you with tho Irnage you want to print. Some pritmakors prefer to paint racy on to the screen with 2 screen blocker, ‘amore erect process. Sereenprints cen be made ona variety of papers. A heavy paper. such as 270g8m, will take several layers of Inkmore eesiy but generaly screen Printing is very versatile, and you can pretty much prt on anything, Cartridge paper for instance. ther useful tools ae brown tape (used to block out te ecges of the screen) and a sheet of transparent fim (used for “registering” and ‘making a test print). The fim showle be stuck down to your printing surface alongone edge, cresting a sort ofhingo, so tne paper can be slic ‘undemeath to give you an idea of where the inks going to come through the screen. Once the paper isin the ‘ignt position, the registering fim can be tumed over out ofthe way so you can print ciety ont the paper fine. the areas that are going to be a lignt sancy colour. Bear In mind that younead abit of overiap- without this you can fend up with white gaps between colours and it's trickier to register ‘the print correct The bolder and blacker the stencils, te better, as here we are sing to use the photosensitive coating method, end we want as ite light as possible to get through the black areas. Ifyou havea igittox, Its useful as you ean piace your stencils on top of one another and ‘make sure they are looking ok as, layered group, > =DEMO Next use a trough to coat the soreen withthe ohotasensitive coating, dragging across with a squesdee, Edis can be cleaned ‘up with an old erett card ora rag (Once fnishec, leave the sereen on the drying rack to dy of = the costing must be completely dry before we ‘put the screen over the lightbox. f lace te coated screen on top oft fist stenal and expose ito ‘the UV light for about a minute The emounto time the screen is ‘exposed light wi vary depencing on the strongtn and type of lightbox youuse, Asa general rue, shorter ‘exposure times are more helpful for {ine tines, and longer times are good for bolder stencls ‘Wash the soreen with a hose to reveal the design, which has now been “out into the impermeable coating onthe screen, The sereen ‘must be left to dy fora second time before starting printing, Tha seroon is xed into place on binge print bed. Special seveer- printing beds feature a vacuum that ssicks ai through sma holes on the surface in order to avo the paper shifting 2s you pir. 1s possible create @ homemade version ofa print bed by attachinga screen toa base board with hinges. sa ‘Jonce te sereen isin place, 1 good idea to mack of areas where Ink may get through, ike the edges ofthe screen or other parts ofthe (esign that you don't want to print. Toreacy the sereen for printing, ‘apply a lenge amount of ink to one tend of the sereen enduse the ssqueagee to put It across the sereen ‘To make sure the paper goes exactly where you want tits useful tomakea register. print this onto 3 semitransparent sheet (one tat can be wiped down and reused mary times) to see where the inks going to ‘come tough the soreen. One side of this sheot should be taped tothe surface of the print bed, (Once you can see where the fst layer of ink i gong to come through the screen slide @ piece of paper Uundemeath the registering sheet anc place marker tabs fr subsequent sheets of paper. Tis ensures the ink wil aways come out elgned onthe shoot of paper, exactly where you want it tobe. A professional print needs “proofing” ~ in other words. making a few prints to test me colours. Once youare nappy with te balance, you can print 8 whole edition. Repeat the process of pulling ink through the screen with the squeegee for ea colour layer itis important to get the pressure rigit= not enough pressure {anc the ink wil lok “dry: too much, ‘ang can become cages. Leave your fished prints on a rack to dry. Serapo up ary excess Inkand returit tothe pot. Rinse the soreen to get ri of the rest of ‘the ink Appiya solution to clean the photosensitive coatinand rinse the soteen again, before a fnal clean with ‘high-powered jet wash nose. Onco dry, the soreen is ready o use again vorelzasouthwood.com DEMO[ onearoiscounrs Ken, Bromley Art Supplies’ www.artsupplies.co.uk iz UNMEATABLE StRVICE ‘ixcesormas BE CIAL soosesraitisco ak @rwaxriont — @teentat GreLo1z04 00114 et large era) ees ena eee Eo Raa Bete eo tec Pet SR eae ome ree a rie cares Parenter ies aac Ne carne Racial Tete Caer lta ana Rn ran eee ry ese eC a Raa eeu eure Biter o ete anderen CEE L Tt) hl Slade eer 21 February-21 June 2020 Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum ast Clif, Boumemouth BH1 3AA \iwacsoctoy-wor aarti org.uk beDraw Brighton's JAKE SPICER continues his five-part series on the building blocks of life drawing with a look at how the distribution of fat creates individual forms he fist lessons of life drawing are T lessons of looking: beg able to clearly see the edges of your subject, ‘the negative spaces that surround them, and ‘the values of tone on the surfaces ofthe figure are al importart sil to devel However, nce you have establisied a beste confidence whon looking, you must earn ‘tw perceive qualities inthe figure that go beyond the immediately observed; qualities ‘that elete tothe life models presence in ‘space, thelr physial nature These aspects ~ gesture, form, surface ~ relato to tne body as somothing that wo, as viewers, share with our model. This month's article focuses on form inthe fgue, Learning to draw weilis an embodied process ~ you lean by doing, Whatever ‘approach you take to translating your ‘observations and ideas into drawn marks, your physical engagement must keep up withthe tery. When you are working to Improve your ‘igure drawing anatomical Knowledge can be a two-ecged sword. ltnough an Understanding ofthe masses ofthe body will help you structure your drawings, t rust bo {developed through the observation of real bocles to avoid your studies becoming formulae. Many anatomy books for artists ‘ocus on skeletal muscular anatomy, righty encouraging you to look for bot structure ‘and tension in the igure; the great omission Is often the integumentary system, which Incluces tat and skin Welle looking at skin next month, but ete going to deve a ite more ito the contribution that fat makes tothe form of ‘the igure. The considerations of fet apoly tw fe models ofall body shapos. In asim ‘made! fat wll softon the edges of muscle ‘and bone, wherees in fuller figured models ‘the flows in the body might take on thelr cova ryt Ferns. In ener case, itis the balance and istibution of ft na model's body that contributes to some af the mast individu and engaging forms in the Body. > Aatists & Mustrators 68FIGURE DRAWING Undersie ofthe arm Bila Armpit cavity Boiow the ngple ‘Above the hips —_ Navel Buttocks —__ outer thigh Inner tig surouncing ‘FAT Our bodies store fat for energy and Insulation. The superficial fat present inall bodies i stored beneath the ‘surface ofthe skin, ts spread ‘throughout the body and softens ‘tho appearance of muscle and bone, Fot also bulls up in specie aes around the body - as more {at accumulates in hase pads, ts volume increasingly defines the form ‘ane rhythm of te gure ‘Thetwo diagrams on the sight show ‘ar29s where fat can build uo most prominently softening the edges of the structure from sharp edges of ‘shadow to gentle gradients oftone. In your figure crawings look forthe contribution that fat makes tothe form af the boay. — Backo the knee 0 Artists & MlutratorsDesa enn center! eee Leen er Poe Ceti GRAVITY AND WEIGHT Bones provide ridged anchors in ‘tha body whien muscls act upon tofaciitate movement. By contrast, ‘athangs with gravity, When you are looking ata human figure both your own sense of physicality and your ‘emparry for the model saute inform your drawing. One ofthe advantages of drawing from Ife is thetyou can see the model move into and out of their pose, ging you an insight into how forces act on thelr gure. Notice how the malleable forms ofthe body shin: within the constraints of sin, both fat and relaxee muscle willbe pulled downward by gravity Marks that suggest weight do not ‘kecty record observed phenomena like an odge ora shape of shadow ~ they are metaphors, tapping into 3 {fedling. They record a personal response, something that cant be ‘rectly prescribed. A concentration of dark marks aften neato weight, whereas ale ines suggest igntness, Uke nise, marks that suggest form night also be used to indicate weight but the language you develop should ve your own. In the drawing on the righ | bul up sf, intuitive ins in resporse to eight concentrating eliptical marks here it fot gravity was acting onthe ‘mode's body, particulary the legs, Dolly, buttocks and breast. sought tension where the weight hun on bone structures the shoulders. jaw and hips) and allowed the areas supportinglite welgit toremain ight the nairnd neck, Tne drawing resembles a fgure it from above, as top-down lighting nvreors the effects of gravity. > FIGURE DRAWINGFIGURE DRAWING OBSERVATIONS / A life drawing both records and explores the body. By making a drawing wo alow ‘ourselves tie to observe the figure in front cf us, discovering things about the pose, the model and ourselves as we craw. We transite what we have discovered Into marks on the page teling a story ‘out what we nave seen and experiancee. The language of marks, and by extension ‘the medium that wo use, willead us to have different experiences of our subect ‘and make aiferent crawings. (6 4, CONTOURS: ‘The edges of he body are often the ret clues we have tothe form of the igure a you lay down the externa ines that describe the ‘uteri of your model think ‘about how the weight and ‘emphasis of your marks might say ‘Something about tne hang of fat, ‘skin and relaxed muscle, tugaes down by gravity the speed, Dressure and rythm ofthe mark all contrbute towards the corporeal expression ofthe drawing. 2. CREASES ‘When two surfaces of kin press together it's the si occlusion ‘shadow between them that tells the story of thle contact (320 poit To become more sensitive to these shapes and rhythms ty ‘making a drawing that begins wit the ereases [far et) starting from the internal contours of the gure ‘and working outwards, exploring all ‘ofthe varity oftheir rythm ines, 3.GROSS.CONTOURS ‘Where contours desoribe the outer ede ‘of form, eross-contours describe what 's going on between those outer edges ‘Gross contours are Imaginary ines that trace the topography of tho figure you cannot see them in real if, but you can Deroeive their presence in the rounded masses ofthe body. To help you perceive cross contours, Imagine nes drawn In marker pen horizontally and vertically over your ‘made! far left Notice how mars left by elasticated waistbands or the curve ‘ofrings and bracelets all suggest ‘ross contours. ‘Cross contours can be Used to temiphasise form, suggesting the drection ‘that you might build up tone in charcoal, Colour in pastel, or hatched marks in pen ‘and pencil Notice how the tonal marks in I Grawing of torso [lft] rough follow the erection of the cross contours inthe topographical study (far left), won Jakespicerart.coakSo deb Sele soa Borers pbotanically Retreat SRN De mache (OSS Summer 2020 CN Cen Lote London SW3 4HS. Open evory day except Saturday.The Suffolk watercolourist celebrates 25 years as a member of the Society of Botanical Artists by sharing his expressive approaches to colour and compositionFlowers are a marvelous feature of the natura werd, atways surprising 50 when you are painting them, they reed! Yo be treated and shown in a natural way. Often the Rowers themselves wil sugzest a composition. Too much erangement arc they can look artificial and unnatural tis a 20d idea to mane a rough sketch before you begina painting A smalish Pencil sketon wil gve a good idea ofthe composition you wil fallow. ‘The painting can become a kind of evolution from that staring point Watercolour isa super medium to use for lower painting, party because of ts tuency and partly because ofits transparent qualties. The vanstucency oreated bythe light reflecting through the point fim, is unique tothe rmacium and relates strongly tothe subtle or bold coloured ight ot bloomingtlowers. ‘Al fowers wil tn to move around ‘as you pent them, | was inthe mile of painting some tulips and, the next ‘moming, every flower was completely vertical after the ignt source changed. Flowers can gradually return to thei orignal position more a ess, but one shoud allo forthe process HOW | PAINT of natural change and growth. Tryto keep the light source 2s constant as possible and avoid making very detated line drawings so that changes can be made along.the way. Sometimes, with tulips, flower will falland hang open, showing back stamens and marvelous colours ‘and pattems within the open petals, When this sort of variation accurs, Its greatto useit.A combination of buds and open towers will add eater diversity tothe fished Painting ving areal feeing not only of te look of te Rowers burt also the whole process of growth. Every painting you make becomes a sortofjoumer. With oracice, you an gravy get to know the characteristics of te differant plants ‘and now best to work with them. For example, begorias are unisexval so male and female flowers are borne fon the same pint, The larger; more showy blooms aro the males ane the females ere smaller and can be isingiched by thor prominent, winged ovaries. For my Yellow Begonia painting, ABOVE Tus, watercolour on paper, 58x49 | made a sketch frst in which! picked BELOW ve Racedenaron waterzlour on paper, Sx0em upon the trlangular shape ofthe > OPPOSITEPAGE Yalow Bagoniawateresour on paper, 6OxS1em,HOW | PAINT Painting on adry surface is preferable fora more detailed or sustained artwork whole plant and the pattems of ctiss-crossing stems. largely dispense withdrawing using onty ‘minimal sketohes to make a mep of tho subject. which wil allow youto know roughly whore things wl go but wil not be restrictive, The focus is on shapes. Al plants are composed from variety of shapes, and a painting can be crested by putting al those diferent shapes together. Prominent flowers were the first tobe painted, wherever they may occur - partly because thoy tend to wither frst Foreground buds, shoots and leaves wore algo started earty, before | gradually delved backwares. Finally, | applied atmospherle washes around the plant to give a feelingof tne location: sky aboue, earth and shacon netow. | would recommend @ spiet of enerosity when Itcomes to using watercolours: plenty of paint and plenty of water. use large white plates for mixing sot can mix pooks of colour Watercolour waches can be confined or unconfined. ges create focus and precision Unconined washes can be used to create atmosphere, lowingrivers of colour or backayound. One of the ‘most useful is wnat would calla ‘variation wash’ [algo known as @ variegated wash, in which one can change tone orcoleuras the wash progresses, letting the water do the blending or you. Consider whether you want ta paint on a dry era wet surface. A wet one will encourage afastor painting that begins blur, before harder edges can be introduced as te paper dries, Beginning with a dry surface is preferable for a mare detaled or sustained ertwork.POSITIVE COLOURS: (Quality of colours alays essential in ‘painting, The Key to using colours, contert and strength. Watercolour ies lighter so go delverately over the top, Feel the strength ofthe colour ‘you mix and apoly i, and then itil tum out ust right. The same colour wil look quite diferent with a change lof colours around it. To make a colour shine, ou need to place contrasting, neutral or darker colours around it For example, ityou ae painting daffodils, a wash of slightly purpish ‘rey around them will enhance the yellow, purple beh @ complementary of yellow. Likewise, very pale or white ‘lowers wil be enhanced by ‘surrounding wth mea tanes or darts Tho frst piace to go i you want totone davin a colours ts complementary. Adding @ small amount of purple toa yell, for example, willreauce its sveneth of eolour, creating a more subtle Variation useful for shadows on yellow ‘lowers. The same's true with red and areen or blue and orange. Ifyou nees 2 shadow fora bright orange flower, ‘yacainga title bie tothe orange as a starting point. Overall one need to use colour positively, The sheer poner of red In my painting red poppies was (overwhelming, Werking my way down Lut Garden Fed Poppies, RIGHT Riverside, vwatrcoouron oper. 73xS4on the rods, from Cadmium Scartet to ‘earn Griizon, with the adction amaps of ite Dioxazne Viletin the darkast places, isa heady and effective process, The red was further enianced by the geen leaves anc foliage around tne towers. Painting white flowers is always a callenge. Masking fuid can be used for looser and more exoressive subjects, but in orter to show al the subtle variations of shadows on white ‘lowers, te better to leave the white surface ofthe paper showing. Ths ic were a simple line drawing becomes necessary | use @ propelling pencil or welisharpened 8 oF 28, (Once the shape of me lower is ‘drawn, | can eave the paper biank for allwhite parts and then appiy subtio washes for shadows and structure, The eutine and outer edge of the lower can be contrasted with darker Dackground washes and the greens of surouncing leaves. CREATIVE RESPONSES ‘The act of paintingalwaysinvoves @ ‘balance between control and freedem = orcentrl an inutton, How that balance le achieved becomes central to the character of the painting and is dependent on the unique sensiiity of ‘the ats. you are lucky. you can get moments of affirmation where the HOW I PAINT Dbave materials of paint and paper become transcended into new ie Awhile ago | osinted a patch of wild ‘undergrowth bythe River Stour in Sutfolk, wher tall wild plants such 2s thistes, sorrel and netties were al it pina blaze of sunshine. in tis sor of painting, freedom of brushwork becomes essential Large brushes and vigorous. diect responses. As always you need some idea of composition and, having established that wth a sketch, you can ten take off Painting from observation is hays so fascinating, find myselt responding notjustto the look of things, butt the whole experience ‘The idea of being ceatve is always ‘popular but inthe case of botanical painting, I think hat Belng receptive Is more signifcant The artist as receiver rather than creator Everythings there. You can pick up ‘ana follow mythms of natural growth \Whioh in themselves provide the substance of the painting. thas more too with sensitve inwivement and tesponse than with any kind of Invention. Mine is botanical painting, done ina freer and more ‘painterly way. Notthe excessive detal ot ‘botanist llustration, but en approach designed to give greater freedom and ‘expression of the spit of the subject. ww chistpheryland.co.ukMaking a quick oil sketch of an Old Master painting not only helps you understand techniques, but also teaches you a lot about yourself, as SARA LEE ROBERTS explains hen making quick ol sketches “after the Masters, itis important to understand that the purpose le not to make perfect copy. This atic will rot showyou how te make copies using the same techniques asthe Masters, This a eelierete decision ~ by using modern ol colours and not using the complex layering technique used by many of the Masters, its impossibie to make a copy that woul be indistinguishable from the orginal even going to give you alist of suggestec colours or types of brushes, Tis is because want you, atalltimes, to take the suggestions as an approach rather than 98 a manual assume that you have worked with oll paint and have your own preferred brushes. Obviously ts sensible to have a range of colours to work with some reds, bus, yellows, whites, browns and blacks, The approach to making quick ol sketches i similar to that of making thumbnait ketenes. Youstat off lowing test atthe underving form ofthe eomaosition rater than at the detail. When looking through the images thatare available to me, nave chosen paintings that sutmy needs, looking for subjects and/or compositions that wil be beneficial tome in my journey as an artist. Sometimes | have chasen to work from a portrait as Lem inerestec in ‘making contemporary portraits ane leaming trom those mage the past seems to me tobe a geod ies, BELOW Eune Weontening ne egorcyupo (ater Rubens) eter Pau! Rudens, Tec ofthe Fegency, of on canvas, 62% -Avother tes | have chosen to work from subjects that | know wil challenge me, as it's only through overcoming obstacles and challenges that we can develop as artist, Its foryou to decide which paintings you woul ko to work from. | suggest thet you settle down at your ccomauter and spend time just looking at websites of museums and make a lst of paintings thet you ike. I'you chaoee te Work from the came ones 1s |have, do not exoect your resus to ook me mine. Copyingmy styles rot the point ofthis article. As you wil see, copying actualy forces you to see in what way you ae different from the original artist. ‘One atthe benef of soending time trawling through the thousands »of mages that are on museum webeltes is that itbroadens your knowledge and understanding of the huge range of atistc styles anc compositions that nave bean made land preserved from the past You mighteven fina yourseit thinking thet some ofthe work is less 1000 than others. The tendency to put paintings and drawings from the past fn pedestal and to then fee! that you can never be as good an aris as, the Ole Masters wore, fe cepiting ‘and unhelpful. Becoming aware of tre seat range of styles and success of ‘execution among the work ofthe Old Masters should encoureg your ‘own unlaue practice, MASTERS COPYING MASTERS Bofore Ishow youa step-by-step ‘example of making quick ol sketch after the Masters, | want ilustrate ‘0 younow copying shows the copier how he orshe is ciferent rom the artist who made the original work. Tiss one ofthe mast useful rests of copying. (nthe provous page are to similar paintings by Peter Paul Rubens and Eugene Delacroix. The copy by he Gods, 151429, s7ox188em Delacroix i¢ much smater than the ciginal parting by Rubens, which wos pett ofa serie of twenty-four ‘monumental paintings commissioned byMarle de Medicito celebrate the stugles and triumphs of her ite It's revealing to compare them Rubens’ brushstrokes are fely blended, ging an impressive Imitation of shiny smacth cloth, Delacrob's brushstrokes ae clearly lott showing as simply brushstrokes ‘on the other nana wile at the same ‘ume suggesting luscious cloth. Delacroiv's impetuous, passionate character shows clearly in his cooy wen you look at itnext to the Fens. ityou saw Delacrote’s copy with nothing to compare ita, you would not have such a clear senee of Delacrob’s particular sive Itis not surprising that his paintings inspired Cézanne, Delactois lively ‘and exoresshe brushstrokes shocked the public inns own time as they were used tothe emocth lookethat yousee in Rubens’ work, which was employed by the crtealy acclaimed tists of the ime such as Davis sana ingres, OIL SKETCH OF THE FEAST OF THE GODS ‘The Feast of the Gods was painted by tree olferentantists. Glavenni Belin: was commissioned by the Duke Afonso Este to pant it fishing it in 1514, two years before his death ‘Some years later, the Duke commissioned Dosso Dossito repaint some ofthe landscape and then ne asked Titan, who had been a pupil ‘oF Belin, to putin the mountainous landscape behing the figures, was attracted to this composition because ‘ofthe rch colours and tie compiexty cof tie coud af figures, who ate all linked across the picture plans, Its always @ good idea to make 2 thumbnal drawing frst in order to understand the compositional structure ofa painting, and then 2 small, more detailed drawing. In the ‘hoto opposite you can see a seres of four thumbnail sketenes that| made,The making of oil sketches is best done in the atmosphere of genuine enquiry with each cuecessive thumbnat Containing more information Below it a later drewingin which was able to place all the figures. stiE witha minimum of dell. This took ‘me aout en nour to make. | nave rot putin any facial features or detals of ‘lothing, but cid shade in the darker ‘re98 In the landscape and the shadow between the central seated ‘gure legs. it was only after theo ‘mace this drawing that Iealsed that nad got the proportions of the width and height wrong. The peintingis slightly wider than tis tal, whereas "nad draw ittaller than tis wide, When a works as close to square as this one's, its easy to make this, mistake, In spite of this, | had learnt how the figures al relate to one ‘another through making this drawing, | made this al sketch ona -20x300m MDF boars, which | had Prepared with several coats of gesso. If you want to make your own version, you can use a gesso board or prepared paper ara small canvas. Use something that isnot precious as these quick sketches are to be ‘mace with as ite anxiety ara pressure as possible, Ist mixed up2 varoty of colours ‘that | could 280 occurring in soveral laces inthe composition: blue, 2 dark green, red area yellow ochre. “The $e of my boar was much ‘smal than the oxginat painting, ‘Smal is good here Because itis Important to work fast and remember that you are not making an exact iitation, Youate, however, netcingane expressing rel relationships that you 00 in the orginal It fs important not ‘to{race when making these sketches. ‘Tracing has ts place, but removes ‘the necessity to try things out and ‘make discoveries as you go along, anc neary aays produces rather dul resuts, Put simp you trace youwil learn less end make a less Interesting painting. 4 Het tused atin newra royon TE paint. twas toma tune of ‘Neutral Tint, which is a useful colour ‘ait does not affect the colour of What goes on top too much. | made ‘marks which | knew were prousional ‘ang that in all cases | would be prepared to change if tbecame necessary. Letting goof expecting marks tobe correc straightanay matters, as how you fet will show etn the brushstrokes. 2) painted the blue sky and used ‘this same biue in otner places where there is blue in the orginal, ti ‘making loose, rough marks end not worrying about detail! put inthe arm yellowish-brown foreground. AQ Iarted arene where tere is D rex cotnngend made a curved shape forthe noked men next tothe ‘wo standing women. made curved marks inthe neural grey forthe ides of heads ond bodes. > Avists & UstrtorsIN DEPTH Gitiitad te ceen oss oft ‘mountainous landscape behind the figures and te foliage ofthe trees ‘on the tight also putin the green of ie clothing of the seated man behind the bow! of fru. carried on painting the figures andthe landscape but soon ecided to stop. This was before ‘the sketch looked finizned | ould have carted on, refining the etals and te colours, out fet that something important to me had become clear, 80 stopped. da not want to forgt or aso the evidence of whet that wa knew that il carted on, | would change the sketch tothe point that ‘this lesson would be ost. The thing that this sketoh hag taught me was reveated to me inthe standing women on the rghttiand side. | had rendered the stance of the woman in ablue dress quite cleat in spite of puting almost no deta elt that had made it believable that she is looking ina particular Aiection, Le, atthe central seated ‘man no has his legs parted. | hed also made it believable tat she is balancing a pot on her head with somo dileuty and that her dress is therefore stpping of her shoulder. LEARNING LESSONS ‘These achievements may note what you are looking fr. Your sketch may show more ofthe jenel-ike colouring, for example. When you fe! that you have achieved something that Intorests you, wnateveritis, stop and ‘move on to making another sketch. By stopping work whon tho oll sketen contains proof ofa lesson learnt. we cam look back to itand be reminded ofthat lesson. It can be tempting to beep on going, tying to make the ot shetoh “better but tis means that ‘any evidence of significant progress {ets buriod and forgotten about. The aking of quick oll sketches fs best {one in the atmosphere of genuine enquiry, rather an a desie to make saleable work Whon you make a quick oll sketch, {not be disappointed ifyou see aitference betwoen your sketch and the orignal painting Infact, its that ‘ery aference that wil tescn you hat you need to do next. Lcoule see that | needed to work on my use of colour after my fst sketch from Titian and Ben's paeting also saw that wanted to get better at making my painted matks lok confidently placed. However, Iwas pleased to have discoveres that catching the Ieenass of a stance is something that Interests me and that Ican achieve it Tiss an ete extract fom Sara Le's new book, Palnting and Reloterpretng the Masters, published by Crowood Press. wnv.saraleerbert. co.ukER UL, FS BN BEUB 27th February - Ist Marth 2020 VAOLT Tickets and more information: vaultfestival.com/whats-on/aliceou Art tutors ROB AND SIAN DUDLEY visit the site of Constable's The Hay Wain to share new and creative ways of painting landscapes made famous by an Old Master year teaching 2t Flatford Mil painted einer the leon 32 mill pond or Wily Lott's House. here that is inspirational so what is holding usb Flatford Mil Hay Wain, 1821, year thousands of people John Constable -Flatord: Ute, Work & Inspiration exhibition and wander through the landscapes he painted. The Hey Wain Is one ofthe best known paintings in the history ot ish at. And tere problem, itis very cfficutto stucy the landscape with view to painting Iewithout ha you are look knowledge that your audience wit Undoubtecty et man hime Dourting thoughts Painting any such icon can be intimidating, subduing you ati So how do you avois your nced by the original? While ary such iconic landscape could be tackled for this project, Wain ea great pace to ste