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TIPS • TECHNIQUES • IDEAS • INSPIRATION January 2022 £4.99

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Challenges online art
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13 artistic exercises
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Painting
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Pet
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How to..
● Mix skin tones ● Paint realistic skies ● Draw with depth
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Artists & Illustrators, The Chelsea
Magazine Company Ltd., Jubilee House,
2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ
Tel: (020) 7349 3700
www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk
EDITORIAL
Group Editor Steve Pill
Acting Art Editor Andrea Lynch
Assistant Editor Rebecca Bradbury
Contributors Hashim Akib, James Bland,
Grahame Booth, Laura Boswell, Sam
Coleman, Lizet Dingemans, Tom Hughes,
Matt Jeanes, Hero Johnson, Peter Keegan,
Heather Ihn Martin, Kim Scouller
and Jake Spicer
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MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING
Chairman Paul Dobson

Welcome
Managing Director James Dobson
N OTNIOP BOR

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BACK ISSUES
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ISSN NO. 1473-4729

With a magazine title like ours, people often ask me what the
difference is between an artist and an illustrator. The biggest
contrast as I see it is a commercial one: an illustrator is charged with
working to another person's brief, while an artist primarily sells
self-initiated work. Even that doesn't really hold because so many
COVER ARTWORK ROB POINTON
fantastic illustrators sell prints that they've designed for their own
enjoyment, while plenty of artists find themselves in need of a little
STAY INSPIRED BY prompt or encouragement at times.
SUBSCRIBING Whether you identify as an artist, an illustrator or something else entirely,
Artists & Illustrators we hope that you will find plenty to think about in the latest installment of
Tel: +44 (0)1858 438789 our painting challenges this month. These are our prompts or client briefs for
Email: you, set by leading artists and inspiring tutors with clear objectives in mind
artists@subscription.co.uk and a simple set of guidelines to follow. They were designed to give you a little
Online: project to work on over the Christmas holidays or a much-needed creative
www.subscription.co.uk/ boost to kick off the New Year in the right way.
chelsea/solo We'd love to see how you've interpreted these different challenges too, so if
Post: Artists & Illustrators, you happen to give one or more of them a go, be sure to send us a photo and
Subscriptions Department, we'll print a selection of the best ones in a forthcoming issue.
Chelsea Magazines, Tower Steve Pill, Editor
House, Sovereign Park,
Lathkill Street, Market
Harborough, LE16 9EF
Renew:
www.subscription.co.uk/
Write to us!
If you decide to complete any of our painting challenges, please share the results with us:
chelsea/solo
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UK £72, US: $126, ROW: £84
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Artists & Illustrators 3
 Contents
38 18
Try your hand
at our painting
challenges

I enjoy a long grey

day because it gives
me a chance to really
build in detail

74
– ROB POINTON, PAGE 56
REGULARS
5 Letters Add a se
Win a £50 Atlantis Art voucher of de nse
6 Exhibitions
Be inspired by January's top shows 32 Art History 56 How I Paint y o u r fpigthu to
9 Sketchbook Uncover the dark side of Camden Royal Institute of Oil Painters drawingsre
Quick tips, ideas and inspiration Town painter Walter Sickert member Rob Pointon shares – page 70
12 Fresh Paint 38 In The Studio his street scene techniques
New artworks, fresh off the easel Step inside the Glasgow home 62 Demo
30 The Working Artist workspace of talented portrait Jean Haines gets expressive with
With our columnist Laura Boswell painter Jennifer Anderson an under-watercolour subject!
31 Prize Draw 66 Technique
Win a year of online art courses TECHNIQUES Create perfect cloud shapes in
82 Meet the Artist 44 Masterclass just a few simple paint strokes
With creative guru Philippa Stanton Mix layers of watercolour, gouache 70 Principles of Depth
and coloured pencil to create a Jake Spicer looks at the effects
INSPIRATION detailed pet portrait of atmospheric perspective
18 Painting Challenges 50 Project 74 Still Life Workshop
Thirteen prompts to boost your Learn to mix perfect skin tones Why carefully controlled edges
creativity and technical skills with just three colours of paint can improve your paintings
4 Artists & Illustrators
 LETTER OF THE MONTH
Letters
PLEASE MR. POSTMAN
I have a question… I was wondering if you have already covered – or,
if not, would consider covering – how to send paintings sold online?
I’m terrified of the cost, the risks, being scammed, and so on.
This is really what’s stopped me attempting to sell stuff! How do I
package them? Are there unexpected costs sending abroad now
we’re out of the EU? Or when sending to America?
I have so many questions. Can you help please?!
Kas Wright, via Facebook
This isn’t something we’ve covered previously Kas, but it definitely
sounds like a useful topic… Watch this space.
obvious geometric shapes, so I
photographed my masterpiece and
copied them onto tracing paper
from the screen on my laptop.
Although I came upon this by
chance, I can see how useful
geometry could be in resolving
issues of composition. Having been
trained as an advertising and
graphic designer, I automatically
select the positioning and size of
elements in my work without even
realising I’m doing it. I look at things
and if they don’t seem “right” to my
eye, I change them until they do.
However, sometimes, when I’m at
the early stages of a piece, I do
struggle to get the composition
“right”, so, in future, when I’m in this
predicament I’ll reduce the main
elements to geometric shapes and
SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME then alter them until they do.
I recently completed a painting of This discovery also got me
an autumn scene [above] inspired thinking about whether other artists
by a photo that I’d seen online. used geometry in their art, be it on
I was attracted to the rich autumn purpose or without realising what
oranges, the bridge itself, and the they were doing. For instance, in
colours and patterns in the water The Hay Wain by John Constable
flowing around the boulders. there are the curves of the
However, without realising the riverbanks, the oblongs of Willy
secondary effect of what I was Lott’s cottage, and the trapezium
NOITACILBUP ROF SRETTEL TIDE OT THGIR EHT EVRESER EW
stroke deprived me of it through
Write to us!
amusia; I couldn’t even sing the
simplest tune or listen to music.
As a means of rehabilitation
Send your letter or email
to the addresses below:
I was offered an art course by
the NHS. I really didn’t want to POST:
attend but tried it and stayed on, Your Letters,
now into the ninth year. Art is Artists & Illustrators,
perfect for concentration, and to The Chelsea Magazine
forget yourself and your troubles. Company Ltd.,
I’ll never become a good artist, Jubilee House,
but I enjoy painting, mainly in 2 Jubilee Place,
watercolour. London SW3 3TQ
The people I meet in the art
course all have various damages EMAIL: info@artists
from stroke. They are fantastic. andillustrators.co.uk
In spite of some of them being
half-sided lame they have The writer of our “letter of
managed to change from painting the month” will receive a
with their right hand to their left £50 gift voucher to
hand. The instructor leads us spend with Atlantis Art,
through the art of watercolour. the UK’s largest art
I joined a choir to be able to materials store.
sing again and never stopped www.atlantisart.co.uk
to play the guitar which I
have done now for 60 years.
Nowadays I feel that I have
not lost music but gained art.
Annika Andersson Stenqvist,
Gothenburg, Sweden
KEEPING THE SEAT WARM
With the recent departure of our
son flying the nest to begin life
at university, I found myself with
a new space to create. His
partner-in-crime still resides in
the room and he is now my muse
for a warm-up sketch [below].
Artists & Illustrators is a
constant source of inspiration.
Thank you to you all. Share your stories
Liz Swan, Ribchester, Preston and get a daily
dose of Artists &
Illustrators tips,
advice and inspiration
by following us on
our social media

doing, I altered the composition by
moving the position of a few
boulders, changing their size and
shape, and curved the riverbanks
more in the foreground to draw the
viewer’s eye into the centre.
Having hung the painting, I noticed
that the structure had very distinct
curves and lines which were
of the horse and cart. Maybe channels...
geometry plays a far bigger role
in art than we realise. @AandImagazine
Russell Simpkins, via email ArtistsAndIllustrators
AandImagazine
FORGET YOUR TROUBLES
I suffered a minor stroke two weeks AandImagazine
before my 65th birthday. Music has
always been my “drug”, but the
 Exhibitions
JANUARY’S BEST ART SHOWS
ROSSETTI’S PORTRAITS
Until 9 January 2022
Dante Gabriel Rossetti is best-known for his
mythological works of hauntingly beautiful,
redheaded women, but his output also
included more formal portraits. Familiar
across all his paintings however is the
depiction of those closest to him, whether it
6 Artists & Illustrators
CELEBRATING JOAN EARDLEY
From 19 November
Joan Eardley is said to have created an
epic vision of the world from no more than
two streets (her studio amid the
Glaswegian tenements of Townhead) and
a small fishing hamlet (Catterline, on the
Kincardineshire coast).
The second of two shows, this collection
of paintings and works on paper has been
brought together to conclude the centenary
year of her birth and celebrate the unique
visual language she developed in response
to these two familiar landscapes.
Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow.
www.gla.ac.uk
R O N A M T TO C S M L E K : N O D N O L F O S E I R A U Q I T N A F O Y T E I C O S ©
was a lover, a long-time muse or a fellow
member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Don’t miss your last chance to see how
the artist viewed the members of his inner
circle [Mrs William Morris, above] via this
enthralling exhibition.
Holburne Museum, Bath.
Y E L D RAE NAO J ©
www.holburne.org

THE COURTAULD COLLECTION
TSURT DLUATRUOC LEUMAS/NODNOL ,DLUATRUOC EHT ©
From 19 November
Permanent collections don’t often get a shout
out in our exhibition pages, but the re-opening
of the newly transformed Courtauld cannot pass
by without a mention. Masterpieces by Cézanne,
Van Gogh, Monet [1888's Antibes, above] and
more will go on show again in the restored
LVMH Great Room, while galleries will also be
Visited an
exhibition lately?
Write to us with
your opinions and
recommendations
via the addresses
SIRENS: SOPHIE VON on page 3
HELLERMANN AND ANNE RYAN
Until spring 2023
We all know how good it feels to have
a nice long chat with one of our mates,
but what would a conversation of
artistic responses look like? Answering
this question is this evolving
N AYR EN N A D N A N N A M R E L L E H N O V E I H P O S F O Y S E T R U O C E G A M I
commission from two artist friends,
both living and working in Margate.
Expect large-scale canvases of fluid
and dream-like sea views from Sophie HOCKNEY TO HIMID:
von Hellermann in dialogue with the 60 YEARS OF BRITISH
intensely coloured and densely layered PRINTMAKING
cut-outs of Anne Ryan. Until 24 April 2022
Turner Contemporary, Margate. Printmaking is perhaps the
www.turnercontemporary.org most misunderstood and
underappreciated medium:
dismissed as a mere “craft” by
some, as a license to print money
to others. Yet the medium’s fine
art credentials were proven in the
latter half of the 20th century as
underlined by this collection of
more than 100 prints produced by
practitioners from Pop Art’s Richard
Hamilton to Op Art’s Bridget Riley.
Created over six decades, the
etchings, wood engravings,
lithographs and screenprints
reveal the medium’s journey, from
its specialist roots to its adoption
by some of the best names in
YASDNIL DIVAD :OTOHP .NODNOL ,SNEDRAG HSUBYLLOH DNA DLEIFEKAW HTROWPEH ,TSITRA EHT YSETRUOC EGAMI .DIMIH ANIABUL ©
contemporary art.
Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.
www.pallant.org.uk
dedicated to Renaissance paintings, decorative
art and the work of the Bloomsbury Group.
The temporary exhibitions kick off with the
Cy Twombly and Wassily Kandinsky-starring
Modern Drawings: The Karshan Gift (until
9 January), followed by Van Gogh: Self-Portraits
(opening 3 February).
The Courtauld Gallery, London.
www.courtauld.ac.uk
Artists & Illustrators 7
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 January
HS A L P S N U / N OSNHOJ EVETS
New Year's resolutions
Start 2022 in a creative way with our suggestions for simple artistic goals
1 Quit your favourite colour
When you are mixing paint, do you always
find yourself reaching for the same few tubes
of colour? Choose a favourite colour and ban
yourself from using it on your next painting.
This will force you into mixing up the same
hues in different ways, which in turn will help
you learn more about the properties of the
lesser-used colours on your palette.
2
Get in good habits
Art is a lot like exercise; you need to
practise regularly to improve. There isn’t
always time to settle down to complete a
painting either, so resolve instead to do little
and often. Carry a sketchbook with you and
find 15 minutes every day to draw from life.
SKETCHBOOK
TIPS • ADVICE • IDEAS
If you’re busy, sketch people on your
commute or during your lunch break – any
chance to stretch those artistic muscles.
3
Give yourself space
To be truly creative, you need to find a
comfortable space in which to work. Try to
establish a corner of a room that you can
devote to your art. Arrange materials in an
easily accessible way. Let nothing stand in
your way of just picking up a brush or pencil
whenever the mood takes you.
4
Put yourself out there
If you’re lacking in self-confidence, the
prospect of other people seeing your work
can be mortifying. It is easy to overlook the
benefits though. Share work on social media
and be proud of what you have made, the
feedback can be encouraging. Set yourself
the goal of entering an art competition –
you’d be surprised how many award-winning
artists say they almost didn’t enter…
5
Take a class
While Artists & Illustrators makes a
great companion to creativity, nothing beats
some in-person tuition. Book yourself a
workshop in the New Year to focus your
creativity. Go with an open mind, listen
to your tutor, and ask questions at an
appropriate point if you don’t understand.
Talking to fellow students can also prove
useful – and fun.
Artists & Illustrators 9
 HBOOK

Why not try…

Mix up your media with this latest invention from Edding.
NEW HUES The Edding 5400 Acrylic 3D Double Liner has two different-
sized tips that dispense highly pigmented, artist-quality
PERYLENE GREEN paint. Draw with the 26 colours or use them to add details,
highlights or line work to acrylic paintings. www.edding.com
Discover a new colour every month
Wintry days call for dramatic colour choices and
there is none finer than Perylene Green. This
synthetic, organic pigment only crept into
watercolour ranges in the 1950s, yet it has
become a staple for many landscape and floral
artists. Like Prussian Blue, when applied neat it
appears almost black – Perylene’s core pigment,
PBk31, is a black after all – yet it dilutes to a
still-intense green with a high tinting strength,
ideal for cool shadows and dense foliage.

“IT SEEMS TO ME MADNESS TO WAKE UP IN THE

MORNING AND DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN PAINT”
— Frank Auerbach

Join us online!
The Artists & Illustrators
website is one of the biggest
resources for artists on the
internet. You can find
drawing challenges, EXPERT TIP
NOTGNIHSAW ,TRA FO YRELLAG LANOITAN

competitions, interviews and
a huge database of practical
painting and drawing advice.
WWW.ARTISTSAND
ILLUSTRATORS.CO.UK
American painter Joseph Decker was a master of still life, such as 1885’s
oil-on-canvas Green Plums. The firmness of the fruit was suggested by very hard,
crisp edges drawn out in pencil on the fine linen canvas first, while the illusion of
moist, reflective skin is created by countless small flat strokes of various greens
painted wet-in-wet, accented briskly with white on top.

10 Artists & Illustrators

 SKETCHBOOK

PALETTE CLEANSING!
Wooden palettes need extra care, otherwise oil paint in
particular can stain them. Begin a thorough clean by
scraping off all pigment with a palette knife. Wipe off
acrylic residue with a sponge and water; for oil residue,
apply a light coat of solvent and let that sit for a few
minutes before wiping. Once clean, recondition by
applying a light coat of linseed oil and rubbing it into the
grain with a paper towel. For best results, allow linseed
oil to dry for a day.
BOOK OF
THE MONTH
Atmospheric Animals in
Watercolour by Jean Haines
A Jean Haines painting is never
wanting for colour, enthusiasm
and vitality. Here she turns her
expressive brushwork to the natural
world, painting everything from wild
elephants to house cats, while
placing the emphasis on introducing
textures and exploiting the fluid
nature of watercolour.
Handy “homework” prompts prove
useful encouragement to go further,
too. Turn to page 62 to read an
exclusive extract from the book.
Search Press. www.searchpress.com
The Diary
4 JANUARY
Enter the Derwent Art
Prize before 5pm on this
date for a chance to win
£12,500 in prizes and
exhibit you work at
London’s Gallery@OXO.
www.derwent-artprize.com
10 JANUARY
The Royal Watercolour
Society’s RWS Open
returns to London’s
Bankside Gallery
next March, so submit
paintings using any
water-based media.
www.royalwatercoloursociety.
co.uk
23 JANUARY
Apply before today for
the Abbey Awards,
available to support
expenses-paid, three-
and nine-month artist
residencies at the British
School in Rome.
www.abbey.org.uk

THINGS WE LOVE…
While the main aim of
London Art Fair (19-23
January) is to entice
buyers, it also acts as a
fantastic pop-up gallery
that artists can enjoy.
Islington’s Business
Design Centre will be
temporarily filled with
rare works by Old
Masters and new talents,
while a partnership with
Cambridge’s New Hall Art
Collection foregrounds
20 leading women artists
including Paula Rego,
Maggi Hambling and
Rose Wylie.
www.londonartfair.co.uk

Artists & Illustrators 11

 Fresh
Paint Inspiring new artworks,
straight off the easel

Paul Newland
In psychology, a flow state occurs in the mind of a person
when they are fully immersed in an activity. Intense
concentration, a feeling of control, and a lack of self-
consciousness are all characteristics of this state, as your
grasp of time slips away. Many artists achieve their best
work in a similar frame of mind, as ideas percolate and can
be followed on impulse. We tend to think of the flow state
as being achieved in a single painting session, yet a similar
sense of agency and action occurs over a longer period of
time when an artist becomes immersed in their practice.
Paul Newland is one such painter who feels as if he has
been operating in this long-term flow state for many years
now. His works are the sort that can only be created by an
artist operating at the peak of his powers, as they remain
both dreamlike and utterly purposeful, suggestive yet open-
ended, light of touch yet heavy with meaning. A painting
such as Fishing acts not so much as a description of a view
but a coalescing of ideas within a landscape setting.
Fishing was initially inspired by a study, made along the
River Ouse near Lewes a few years ago, which kept rising to
the top of a pile of drawings in Paul’s studio. “Earlier this
year it appeared again, just as I’d been thinking about
those views and what was in them, exactly, that stirred
me,” he explains. “It isn’t necessarily obvious why you are
attracted to a setting. It’s very close to where Virginia Woolf
met her end and I wondered if that might be it.”
Fishing was also Paul’s attempt to pay homage to a
painting of the same name by the Baroque Italian artist
Annibale Carracci: “The mood, if you can call it that, of the
River Ouse along this stretch seems to match that of the
Carracci painting.” It proved a tricky composition to resolve.
“It was difficult to make the boat and figures fit into the
landscape,” says Paul. “It was helpful to be able to make
TOP TIP
use of the low tide, so that they did not have to intrude on “Make several studies
the distant view over the fields towards the church tower.” for a landscape painting
After being selected for the recent ING Discerning Eye so you can pick and
exhibition, Paul is keen to revisit Fishing’s theme on a larger choose favourite
scale. Like the Ouse itself, that creative flow never ceases. elements”
www.paul-newland.co.uk
12 Artists & Illustrators
 Fresh Paint

ABOVE Paul Newland,

Fishing, oil on
canvas, 38x48cm
Artists & Illustrators 13
Fresh Paint

RIGHT Charlotte
Keates, Yellow is
Mellow, but Tricky
to Pull Off, natural
ink, oil bar and
acrylic on clay
board, 35.5x28cm
14 Artists & Illustrators
 Fresh Paint

TOP TIP
“Mix line work with
bold areas of colour
to add variety
across the surface
of a painting”

Charlotte Keates
When the work of Charlotte Keates was first shown on the
Arusha Gallery stand at the London Art Fair several years
ago, it was an instant hit. All 35 paintings were sold and
the young Somerset-born artist found herself with a
waiting list of potential collectors almost overnight.
She returns to the fair in January as a Threadneedle Prize
finalist with successful solo exhibitions in London and
New York under her belt.
It makes sense that the 31-year-old Falmouth graduate’s
modish interior paintings have since been featured in
stylish magazines such as House & Garden and Harper’s
Bazaar, yet such periodicals also provide inspiration for
the paintings themselves. Her latest masterpiece, Yellow
is Mellow, but Tricky to Pull Off, is filled with depictions of
patterned rugs, wooden furniture and natural wall designs
that could have been lifted from the pages of those titles.
“In this painting I was looking at using collaged objects
from magazines – looking heavily at textures, mark making
and colour, and the way colours can sit side by side and on
top of each other and how that influences the way that the
viewer sees the painting and ‘walks into’ or ‘through’ the
illusory space,” she explains of the thinking behind the
work. “I was also looking at how drawing in paint can be
used to work into and over the top of flat colour, on the
yellow walls.”
Her fondness for poetic, often whimsical titles comes
from these pages as well. “The title was inspired by flicking
through one of the magazines that inspired the painting,
finding a phrase in an article that resonates with the
work,” she adds. Charlotte likes to create haikus from
these found sentences which she mulls over during the act
of painting. Yet while her colourful spaces feel fresh and
modern, there is also a timeless quality to the architectural
styles depicted. The artist worked part-time in an interior
design company in London while she was starting her art
career and she cites mid-century visionaries such as Frank
Lloyd Wright and Buckminster Fuller among her inspirations.
Just prior to the pandemic, Charlotte left her East London
studio and moved to Guernsey with her husband. A purpose-
built studio by the sea looks set to be the ideal spot for
this fascinating artist’s blossoming career to develop.
Charlotte’s work will feature at the Arusha Gallery stand at
London Art Fair from 19-23 January. www.arushagallery.com
Artists & Illustrators 15
Fresh Paint
RIGHT Paco Martin,
Dance of the
Leaves, coloured
pencil on paper,
39x29cm

Paco Martin
When it comes to coloured pencils, one of the biggest
misconceptions is that they should be left in the
classroom. Yet proving the medium requires a level of
expertise on par with other more traditional art forms
is Portfolio Plus member Paco Martin.
The Spanish artist and art tutor is also calling for his
works to be considered as paintings, rather than drawings.
“I’m using coloured pencils, but I’m applying a lot of
pigment,” he reasons. The proof is in the numbers, with
Paco applying around 30 layers of colour per artwork.
Rather than using solvents or blenders, Paco achieves
his luscious, even coverage by blending out colours with
a lighter hue of pencil. Before this stage is reached,
however, he lays down his initial marks on the paper –
always a white sheet, usually from the Spanish range
Caballo 109 – with light, gentle strokes, increasing the
pressure as he progresses.
Standing out in this recent artwork, Dance of the
Leaves, is the contrast between the smooth leaves of the
ivy and the rough tree bark behind. “I made many trials
with the bark,” Paco explains. “It took me a long time
to achieve. I ended up using just a black and a brown
[pencils] and an eraser – the eraser helped a lot to
get the texture.”
Finessing different textures is probably the biggest
challenge for the artist, with a recent still life involving tin
foil proving particularly demanding. But what advice does
he have to offer his own students? “They’re usually in
such a rush, but there’s no hurry,” he says. “You cannot
accomplish something good in just a few hours, no matter
if we are talking about coloured pencils, oils, pastels or
any other technique. It’s a fine art.”
Indeed, looking at Paco’s Portfolio Plus page, it’s clear
his work is deserved of such a distinction.
www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/pacomartin
16 Artists & Illustrators
 Fresh Paint

Every month, one of our Fresh Paint

artists is chosen from Portfolio Plus,
our online, art-for-sale portal. For your
chance to feature in a forthcoming
issue, sign up for your own personalised
Portfolio Plus page today. You can also:
• Showcase, share and sell unlimited
artworks commission free
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Artists & Illustrators 17

 NewNEW
Year,
CHALLENGES
STRUGGLING FOR INSPIRATION? MAKE A CREATIVE START TO 2022
WITH THESE 13 PAINTING EXERCISES, SET BY OUR EXPERT ARTISTS WITH
CLEAR AIMS AND IDEAS FOR IMPROVING YOUR TECHNIQUES

1 Build in layers
Sam Coleman challenges you to plan
your painting in stages to add a new dimension
THE BENEFITS
Layering basic shapes helps you to
create a multi-dimensional portrait
with a loose, playful quality, while
also capturing interesting textures
and colours.
THE PROCESS
Start by choosing a well-lit reference
photo with some interesting light and
shadows to add some natural
sculpting and depth to work with.
Draw out a clear sketch. I like to keep
my under-drawing visible through the
transparent layers of paint, so this
essentially acts as the first layer of
the portrait. Use this drawing to mark
out the more prominent shapes.
Now start adding the paint layers.
Do this by first identifying the white
18 Artists & Illustrators
areas of your subject – in my case, a
French bulldog – so you can preserve
them as the highlights. Then add the
first layer of paint by applying the
lightest non-white value. Next start
painting in the medium value layers. I
use a wet-on-dry technique for
building these layers to avoid any
paint bleeding, so this means letting
the first layer dry completely before
beginning this next layer.
Try to work fast when laying down
each layer to keep everything
relatively loose. Squint frequently
when looking at your subject or
reference photo, as this helps to
break down the subject into minimal
shapes. Identify areas where you can
exaggerate the colours, perhaps in
the light coming through an ear or the
shine on the nose. I build these layers
until the correct values are achieved
and the subject is sculpted.
Once you are happy with that layer
and left it to fully dry, you can then
add in the darkest values. These
usually occur around the eyes and
nose and ear folds. After this step, I
check the values to make sure they
are correct. Remember that with
watercolours you can always add
layers to create depth, but you can’t
take them away easily, so it’s best to
go lighter and then correct at the end.
I like to finish my paintings by using
an opaque medium like gouache or
pencil, which gives extra dimension
and texture, while also allowing for
a pop of colour.
www.samsstudio.ie
Artists & Illustrators 19
PAINTING CHALLENGES

2 DRAW FIRST
Loosen up by experimenting with preparatory
drawings says Hero Johnson
THE BENEFITS
If you normally plough straight into a painting, letting loose on paper with basic
drawing materials first can free your work up and take it in unexpected directions.
THE PROCESS
This is a challenge I recently set for myself. I had an idea for a painting but I was
unsure how to find a way in to the subject. Ordinarily I have a controlled approach
to composing on the canvas and I rarely make preliminary drawings, but this
time I decided to try something new and see what might emerge instinctively.
To do the same, set yourself up with large sheets of paper and whatever
basic drawing equipment appeals (I used A1 cartridge paper and a cheap box
of oil pastels). Don’t use your best materials and don’t worry about the
outcome – a useful liberation comes from not needing to worry about “spoiling”
an expensive canvas. Choose your subject – a scene in front of you, a photo, or
something from your imagination – and approach it as spontaneously as you can.
Don’t think for too long about exactly where to make your first mark or how to
position it on the paper. If you find your motif outgrowing the edges of your
paper, simply sellotape another sheet to it. Likewise, don’t deliberate over
trying to find the perfect hue or tone; choose something “near enough” and
keep going. After an hour or so step back and see what has emerged. You may
discover some interesting and unexpected qualities that you can explore or
build upon when it comes to starting your painting.
www.herojohnson.com

3 CLOSE
YOUR TONES
Hashim Akib challenges you to focus
on getting mid-tones right first
THE BENEFITS
Working with closer tones creates harmony in a painting as
there are less extremes to leave a scene unbalanced.
THE PROCESS
If your paintings often feel unbalanced, a good strategy is
to focus on mid-tones first before committing to those
extremes of light and dark. Add small quantities of white
or light grey to every colour you use so there is an overall
consistency to their appearance. Avoid detail – just a
blurry impression of the scene will do. Once everything is
in place, you can then start speculating on your extremes
of tone – the focal points or elements that lead the eye.
For this painting of Bath, I began with a fairly earthy
palette, including a brown mixed from Violet and Phthalo
Green. I also added light grey to even out the richer yellows
and oranges. I could then gradually build to stronger lights
and darks, yet you may often find they are few in number
as most of the work can be accomplished with mid-tones.
20 Artists & Illustrators
4 PAINT FROM the tube
Get used to handling saturated colours with Hashim Akib’s simple exercise
THE BENEFITS Burnt Sienna, a white, and a dark while the dark tones anchor the
If you’re afraid of strong colour, try tone – in my example, I used a colours. Some details can be implied
using paint straight from the tube. Phthalo Green. I began by laying down but try to avoid over-working as you’ll
It will give you a better understanding my pure primary colours straight from begin painting over those lovely rich
of how colours behave – and how to the tubes to establish strength. pigments. Practising this exercise will
balance them. Only then should you work in other also help you learn how to counter-
colours – light tints (a colour plus balance rich colour with neutrals.
THE PROCESS white) for highlights and a couple of The other valuable lesson is
Start by laying out a range of cool and mixed colours to link various discovering how well the colours work
warm colours. As well as the primary elements, like Yellow Ochre mixed from a distance, as it is too easy to
colours, it would help to have an with Burnt Sienna for the tabletop. remain too close to your canvas.
earthy shade of either Yellow Ochre or Immediately the pure pigment zings www.hashimakib.co.uk
Artists & Illustrators 21
PAINTING CHALLENGES

5 MAKE OBJECTS glow

Use careful observation to suggest a sense of
transparency, suggests Heather Ihn Martin
THE BENEFITS
With the right lighting, you can create a glowing still life subject that captivates
viewers through a clever use of beautiful and unique colour relationships.
THE PROCESS
Late afternoon sunlight through a west-facing window creates dramatic and
vibrant natural light, perfect for a back-lit citrus still life challenge. The drawback
to natural light is that it is so fleeting and constantly changing, which can be
frustrating for an artist. Luckily, you can achieve a similar look with spotlights.
Set up a warm light to be very low, usually right above and behind the fruit
as you are looking at it. For this example, I actually laid the lamp sideways on
the table (though be careful that it doesn’t get too warm against the surface).
I found that having a second, cooler light positioned farther out near to my
easel created some very beautiful and cool shadows which complemented
the orange of the citrus well and heightened the effects further.
Be sure to walk around the subject, as well as looking at it at eye level and
above, to find the best angle for your painting. While it might be tempting to
show the light glowing through all of your segments, remember that it’s
important to position some at different angles so that they appear duller or
even in shadow and provide a contrast that again increases the effect.
For that extra glow, pay close attention to how the orange colour of the fruit
might be reflecting into the shadows. It is a close observation of these
subtleties that will really take your work to the next level.
www.heatherihnart.coms

22 Artists & Illustrators

 6 PAINT
A subject against the light provides a test in colour mixing, says Tom Hughes
THE BENEFITS
Painting a back-lit structure at dawn
can be a fun exercise to improve your
understanding of colour temperature
and mixing of accurate hues.
THE PROCESS
I have always been fascinated with
how white objects appear in shade
and the doors and window frames on
these beach huts are a great
example. Dawn is so interesting
because, before the sun has risen,
the sky has a warm glow in front of
W hsimyilanr paot.intin.. g you and a deep blue hue behind you.
In fact, photographers often refer
to this period of twilight before
... try a e sunrise as “the blue hour”.
at sunset wllheonn ththe It’s that cool blue that acts as
light will fade of your the secondary light source which
opposite sisubject? lights up the shadow side of a
chosen
structure, cooling all the colours in
contre-jour
the paint work and turning whites into
pale blues. If the sun has risen just
above the horizon, the light is so
completely dazzling it can be hard to
convey with paint, so this pre-sunrise,
soft light is a far more subtle and
manageable scene to work with.
You can try working from life for this
exercise, but you will have to paint
small and work incredibly fast. You
may only have 15 minutes to capture
a few colour notes before everything
changes. To paint brief, “blue hour”
moments like this, I prefer to rely on
photo reference. I shoot using my
camera’s RAW format, expose for the
sky, and then increase the exposure
of the shadow areas in photo editing
software. Doing this gives me an
image that very closely resembles
what I remember seeing on location.
Most cameras will otherwise see
everything as near-black apart from
the sky, so you must not skip this step.
Mix sky colours first, keeping the
mixes as clean as possible to
preserve the chroma – no black or
brown should be used at all at this
stage. Once the sky is in place, paint
in your darkest darks which then will
give you the high and low tonal
reference points for the mixes on the
hut. Notice how your assumptions for
the temperature of the “white” areas
maybe be significantly off – they are
often darker and bluer than you
expect. Work slowly and don’t be
afraid to over paint areas a few times.
The more of the painting you block in,
the more you can spot errors and
correct accordingly. If you get it right,
your light blue mixes should perfectly
resemble a white door – magic!
www.tomhughespainting.co.uk
Artists & Illustrators 23
PAINTING CHALLENGES

7 DRAW outdoors
Kim Scouller suggests livening up a seasonal
walk with a quick spot of drawing in colour

THE BENEFITS
Drawing and painting from life will
bring huge benefits to your art,
though the prospect of carrying lots
of kit can put people off. Pastels are
a great solution, as they allow access
to a range of colours with which to
respond to the location.
THE PROCESS
Soft pastels are the perfect medium
for drawing outside. You don’t need
a lot of kit; just a box of colours, a
sketchbook and somewhere to sit.
A basic range of colours is ideal for
getting started and you can always
add in others when you get a feel for
the subject. Once you’ve been out a
few times, you will know which
colours are useful for a particular
subject. I often feel frustrated when I
don’t have a particular shade to hand,
but this has taught me to be more
resourceful and either substitute it or
to try to mix it from other colours.
To get started, lay down a light
ground colour on your page using the
long side of the pastel – this helps
to soften the stark whiteness of the
paper as you are working and also
to unify the finished image. I like to
blend in this ground layer using a
paper towel or my hand.
Now lightly draw in the main
composition, before blocking in the
main shapes of tone using the pastels
on their side. Try to slowly build up the
colour in layers, rather than trying to
put it down all at once. I leave line
work and detail to the end, so I can
use the pastel more firmly on its tip
for the final layers.
When the drawing is finished, put
a sheet of newsprint in-between the
pages to stop the pastels rubbing off
when you carry them home and then
lightly spray the surface with fixative
when you’re back in the studio.
www.kimscouller.com
24 Artists & Illustrators
 PAINTING CHALLENGES

hthisysanmoe t.task..
W
9 PAINT TO
music
...try expected
with two un lours
or clashing co sk ills at
to te st yo ur
balancing them
Listen to a favourite album and
let the sounds inspire an abstract
painting, says Steve Pill
THE BENEFITS
Painting an abstract response to music is a great way to
encourage a more intuitive and instinctive approach, while
also allowing you to explore mark making techniques.
THE PROCESS
In his 1912 text Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Wassily
Kandinksy wrote excitedly about creating paintings that
moved beyond the physical world and responded instead to
“vibrations in the soul”. The result were paintings such as
Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons) [below] that drew upon
musical vocabulary to create lively, colourful imagery.
The challenge here is to paint a response to a piece of
music. Work large for this. Choose the biggest support you
can find and pin it to a wall or easel. You want to be able
to paint with your arm outstretched to encourage a more
gestural approach. Start the music and reach for the first

8 LIMIT YOUR
colour that it brings to mind. Paint a shape that it
suggests. At every break in the music or new section,
choose another colour. Push the pigment around. Once

palette
James Bland wants you to pick just two
you’ve built up a base layer of colour across the canvas,
start to introduce line work to bring some clarity to the
forms. As you paint, respond to the rhythms. You might
sway your arm to the melody or make percussive marks in
time to the beat. Don’t second guess yourself or stop to
colours to help focus on what matters think, simply let the music be your guide. There are no
wrong answers or mistakes in this challenge.
THE BENEFITS palette is just one dark and one www.steve-pill.co.uk
Restricting your palette allows you light pigment, making a linear scale
to forget about colour mixing and of light and dark so you can forget
detail so that you can concentrate about the colour spectrum for a
on improving your tonal matching while. It really helps if, in looking at
and paint application. the subject, you narrow your eyes
while doing this – the shapes and
THE PROCESS contrasts will become clearer, and
Each brushstroke you make comes you’ll be less distracted by detail.
from palette to canvas armed with I used Raw Umber and Flake
thoughts about colour, tone, shape White to paint this study of a photo
and more. On top of this, the way of my grandad with my dad as a
O G A C I H C F O E T U T I T S N I T R A/ N O I T C E L L O C L A I R O M E M Y D D E E M O R E J R U H T R A

you make the mark carries baby [above]. I chose these

information in a musical way, about pigments because of their textures,
texture, speed and rhythm. For as well as the light and dark scale
representational painters, there’s they afforded me. Forgetting about
the additional, not insignificant colour for a while enabled me to
question of how to use these focus on the other aspects of
variables to match the picture to the technique, especially how simple
subject. It’s a lot to think about. light and dark shapes can read as
There’s an exercise I go back to, complex forms like faces, hands or
in various forms, that helps me a toy bus, as well as the touch and
separate these things out: limiting feel of brushstrokes on the surface.
the palette. The simplest limited www.jamesblandpaintings.com
Artists & Illustrators 25
10
PAINT IT
twice
Follow Heather Ihn
Martin’s example and
tackle the same subject
in different media
THE BENEFITS
Chances are, you are stronger when
using one medium than you are
others. Or perhaps you are trying to
learn another medium? Either way,
by painting the same subject twice,
using a different media each time,
you will gain a greater understanding
of the benefits and drawbacks of
each and be able to apply that
knowledge to your future work. Oils allow you to create really thick Full disclaimer: I was already
Why not... iums
and luscious textures or mix nice rich, very familiar with both media, ...try any twsko :mpaedstels,
THE PROCESS dark tones, so you might emphasise so I knew when I painted these for this ta e crayons,
inks, cont The list
Select a subject and at least two this by putting in a dramatic backdrop two examples how each would graphite... ess!
different media that you want to try. against which the brighter highlights likely turn out. This meant that is endl
Take a moment to visualise how a can pop. I was able to adapt my subject
painting of it in each of your chosen Meanwhile, gouache tends to have slightly to suit the medium. Such
media might look. Try to imagine how a lighter and softer feel, with the knowledge comes with practice. If you
you might approach each painting advantages being clean lines, bright are not sure about the differences, try
in your head. Ask yourself, what colours and a quick drying time. painting the same subject exactly the
might be the more challenging parts? Gouache is a great medium for same in both pictures, without any
In which areas might this particular pushing subtle temperature shifts, changes. Start with your strongest
medium shine? For my examples, as well as getting more fine detail medium to get familiar with a subject.
I chose oils and gouache. in the fruit and leaves. www.heatherihnart.com
26 Artists & Illustrators

11 REWORK AN old canvas
We all make mistakes, so revel in them says Hashim Akib – and you’ll make savings too
THE BENEFITS
Painting over an old, used canvas can
certainly save you money, but the other
benefits might be less obvious until
you start painting. A less-than-smooth
surface can provide irregular,
spontaneous peaks and contours
that are ideal for textural effects on
buildings, portraits and landscapes.
THE PROCESS
My preferred surface is not too
textured and not too smooth, so an old
stretched canvas or board that didn’t
work out can sometimes provide just
what I need. Ideally, you’re looking for
one that has been painted on once or
twice before. If you’ve painted four or
five separate scenes on the same
canvas, the next painting may have
a harder time looking fresh – you’ll
also have difficulty finding any canvas
‘tooth’ for the acrylic paint to adhere to
the surface. I use heavy body acrylics
so there are often definite strokes
visible on my old canvases, and in
some areas quite thick impasto marks.
You could create a similar uneven
surface with acrylic texture paste, but I
do like how a previous painting creates
completely uncontrived marks where
you would not necessarily place them.
Apply a light base colour. For my
example, I used a violet mixed with a
white to create a relatively flat colour.
The painting of Moot Hall, Aldeburgh
PAINTING CHALLENGES
that I made over the top showcases
how one or two drags of thick paint
over a textured surface creates a
crackling and distressed appearance.
This saved fussing with small fiddly
marks while the limited blending keeps
colour luminous. I also avoided
excessive layering, as this dulls colour.
The violet base provided a consistent
underlying colour which complemented
the main pigments used. Neat, quick-
drying acrylic, especially when under
blended, doesn’t sink into the gaps
providing a fresher finish. Try working
on a smaller scale to start with as you’ll
go through plenty of thick paint, but
you’ll certainly save on canvases.
www.hashimakib.co.uk
Artists & Illustrators 27
PAINTING CHALLENGES

12 SKETCH
evening light
Kim Scouller says pick up your
pastels and try to capture the
changing conditions
THE BENEFITS
During the darker days of the year, evening light is fleeting,
making this a challenge that will sharpen your wits.
Drawing in pastel encourages a quick, intuitive response
to the changes too, while a focus on colour temperature
can help you add depth to a picture too.
THE PROCESS
Winter and spring are perhaps the best seasons for
sketching evening light. A photograph never seems to do
it justice, so the act of drawing or painting a setting sun
in a way that captures your experience is a fun challenge.
Due to the limited time, a minimal selection of colours
will allow you to work quickly without losing precious
minutes. When I’m working in pastel, I quickly choose the
ones I want to use, perhaps starting with three colours –
a dark, a mid- and a light tone – then I build a few other
colours around my initial choice.
Having a range of tones helps to produce a feeling of
depth in the drawing. In the example on the right, my initial
selection was three tones of purple and blue – a light
blue for the sky, a purple blue for my mid-tone shadows,
and a grey blue for my darkest shadows.
I added in warm colours to represent the glow from the
sun with an orangey yellow and a lighter warm yellow for
the flared sunlight. This combination of purple and yellow
has the extra benefit of them being complementary to
each other thus creating a visually exciting contrast.
You could try playing with other colour combinations too
– take a look at Claude Monet’s “Haystack” paintings for
inspiration. It can be useful to know that warmer
colours tend to be closer to the light source
and cooler colours further away. This helps
to explain why I’ve made the sky cooler at Why not...
the outer edges of the composition. ...choose a colourone
www.kimscouller.com combinationn fafrovomurite
of your ow and use it
paintings sketch?
in your

28 Artists & Illustrators

 space
PAINTING CHALLENGES

13 PAINT YOUR
For our final challenge, try painting an interior
that says something about you, says Steve Pill
THE BENEFITS space that you have comfortably your brief. Think of this not as a
Painting your bedroom or studio made your own. Find an interesting painting of an interior, but a self-
is a great way to improve your angle, one that does not reflect your portrait with no one in it. Try choosing
observational skills, while also usual view of the room – if you a colour palette that is not accurate
focusing on compositional elements normally sit in one corner, set up in to life, but rather reflects your mood.
and deciding what to leave in – and the other. You need a fresh Vincent van Gogh painted his
leave out. perspective on a familiar place. bedroom in Arles at least three times
As you begin to make the painting, and of this second version he said,
THE PROCESS consider which elements in the room “I had wished to express utter repose
Choose a room that reflects your best reflect your personality. with all these very different tones”.
personality – it might be your Exaggerate those with more detail, What might your colours express?
bedroom, your studio, or another while leaving out those that do not fit www.steve-pill.co.uk
ERUTLUC DNA STRA ELGOOG/YRELLAG LANOITAN HSIT TOCS/OGACIHC FO ETUTITSNI TRA/DOOW REMLAP ENILUAP FO YROMEM NI .RS ,DOOW .M RUHTRA FO TFIG

O G A C I H C F O E T U T I T S N I T R A/ N O I T C E L L O C L A I R O M E M T T E L T R A B H C R I B N E L E H

SHARE YOUR ART!

Have you attempted one or more of our challenges? We’d love to see the results.
Let us know how you got on and send photos via one of the addresses on page 3.
We’ll print your responses on the Letters page – and you could be in with the
chance to win a £50 voucher from Atlantis Art Materials too!

Artists & Illustrators 29

COLUMNIST
r t
Whether you step away for a few minutes or
17 years, taking a break is important for your
I
creativity, says our columnist LAURA BOSWELL
f you are reading my article, surely
you are taking a break from making
art? Not really, the clue is in our title
and this magazine’s mission to
ABOVE Laura stimulate your creativity. Taking time
Boswell, St Abbs, out from being creative may seem
Looking North, counterintuitive, especially for those
linocut, 59.5x48cm whose making time is a hard-won
30 Artists & Illustrators
break in itself, but breaks come in all
shapes and sizes and should be an
important part of your practice.
I take a series of short breaks
through my day in the studio where
I walk away and talk to the cat, have
a stretch before returning to my work.
Breaks like this are clearly sensible;
A break helps
to clarify things
and allows
you to see your
work from
a new angle
it is all too easy to spend hours in the
same posture, lost in making art. But
aside from health, I use these breaks
to take a fresh look at my work, rather
like a cook checking their recipe with
regular taste tests. A little break
works far better in my experience
than just stepping back to reconsider.
However short, that interruption really
helps to clarify things and allows you
to see your work from a new angle.
Holidays are often time where we
feel we ought to get in a little art –
I’ll bet you pack a sketchbook and
some good intentions just like me.
If you have the time and space to
make art during your holiday of
course that’s a bonus, but if family
and relaxing come first and the
sketchbook remains unopened,
that’s good too. In fact, it should
remain unopened for a fair proportion
of your time while you recharge.
Don’t feel you should be creative,
just because you are on holiday. If you
give your mind a chance to relax and
enjoy new sights and sounds without
the pressure to see them in terms of
an artwork, chances are you will
return refreshed and with a better
store of creative ideas.
Long breaks can be unnerving for
creative people. Life may dictate that
you can’t make the art you want and
that’s stressful and frustrating. There
are plenty of tips for shoehorning art
into a busy schedule, which may help,
yet can also just add to the pressure.
Perhaps the most important thing to
remember is that creativity doesn’t
stop when you can’t make physical
artwork. It’s always there growing and
maturing, ready for when you have
the chance to use it again. I should
know: my break totalled 17 years!
www.lauraboswell.co.uk

PRIZE DRAW
A YEAR’S WORTH
OF EXPERT ART
TUITION
Perfect your practice in 2022 with an in-person
workshop and a 12-month supply of virtual classes
O
at Gloucestershire’s RAW UMBER STUDIOS
ne of the best ways to boost your
creative techniques and skills is
committing to a regular schedule,
whether it’s by carving out time for a daily
drawing session or signing up to a weekly art
class. To help you create more consistent
habits in 2022, we’ve teamed up with Raw
Umber Studios to offer five readers the
chance to win a one-year subscription to
the art school’s online sessions worth £160.
One of these lucky winners will also receive
a place on a three-day oil painting workshop
led by Artists & Illustrators contributor Lizet
Dingemans at the Stroud-based studio.
Raw Umber Studios is dedicated to
teaching the skills artists require for
representational art, with subscribers able
to attend the school’s twice weekly online
sessions. Led by tutors offering demos, tips
and feedback, these live classes focus on
both portrait and figure drawing sessions.
The subscription also includes access to
an extensive library of model images, as well
as to recordings of live sessions dating
back almost two years to March 2020.
Longer courses are available to follow too,
such as Lizet’s five-week course on drawing
fundamentals and others on portrait
painting, plein air painting, painting with
economy and cast painting.
Meanwhile, those who would prefer
to attend such courses in person at the
Gloucestershire studio will be delighted with
the school’s 2022 calendar. Although not
part of the annual subscription, students can
still book onto workshops, ranging from
painting the figure to finessing still life skills
and all taught by classically trained artists.
Artists based nearby can also attend
drop-in life drawing sessions every other
Thursday. For more information on what’s
available, visit www.rawumberstudios.com.
THE PRIZE
One winner, chosen at random, will receive:
l A one-year Raw Umber Gold Subscription
l A place on Painting the Alla Prima Still Life
with Lizet Dingemans, a three-day workshop
worth £270 that will run 20-22 January 2022
at Raw Umber Studios in Stroud.
PRIZE DRAW
RAW UMBER STUDIOS
PRIZE DRAW
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The closing date for entries is noon on 3 January 2022.
Please tick if you are happy to receive relevant information from
The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd. via email , post or phone
or Raw Umber Studios via email
Four runners-up will also each receive a
one-year Raw Umber Gold Subscription.
HOW TO ENTER
Enter by noon on 3 January 2022, either
at www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/
competitions or by filling in the form above
and returning it to: Raw Umber Studios Prize
Draw, Artists & Illustrators, Chelsea
Magazine Company Ltd., Jubilee House,
2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ
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For full terms and conditions, please visit
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Artists & Illustrators 31
 Walter
Sickert
The Camden Town painter is renowned for portraying
a darker side of life, yet behind the salacious subjects lies an artist
on a simple quest to paint with honesty, says STEVE PILL
O ne of Walter Sickert’s
most celebrated paintings
is titled simply Ennui – the
French word for “boredom”.
Everything about the work exudes a
suitably apathetic atmosphere, from
the dulled lack of tonal range and
reliance on muted earth colours,
through to the mundane
domestic setting and
unexpectedly large size
– viewed in reproduction,
one might presume this
to be a small, intimate
work yet it measures
more than a metre
and a half high, a further
suggestion that this
mood could, like the grey
walls, go on indefinitely.
Nevertheless, nothing
about this modestly
captivating painting
appears excessive or
unnecessary. Every
element is carefully
considered. A glass sits
on the table, the water
line just below the
halfway mark, decidedly
more empty than full,
while the taxidermy
birds in the bell jar
underline the sense
of restricted freedoms.
32 Artists & Illustrators
ART HISTORY
Two figures at the same angle almost
merge into one another. He is suited,
reclining and contemplative as he
smokes a cigar; she faces away,
utterly bereft, leaning upon the
dresser like her life depends upon it.
Something about this particular
subject clearly chimed with the artist
as he revisited it at least four more
times over the next three or four
years. This first version was painted in
a room he took at 15 Fitzroy Street,
using his school friend Hubby Hayes
and Hubby's wife Marie as his models.
A final, more successful version, now
in the Ashmolean’s collection, added
lurid wallpaper and was
painted on a canvas a
quarter the size, as if
those walls were
encroaching on the
couple. That series says
much about the artist’s
compulsive nature and
his ability to turn over a
subject, fine tuning a
composition until every
ounce of meaning is
wrung from the core
elements. It challenges
the notion that the
painter was simply
interested in spurious
subjects and not the
refinement of his art.
Much is also made of
Sickert’s eccentricities
SEGAMI ETAT/YRELLAG TRA RETSEHCNAM
and his outsider status,
yet he enjoyed a
relatively privileged start
to his art career. Walter
Richard Sickert was
born in Munich,
LEFT Nude Seated on
a Couch, 1914, oil
on canvas, 51x41cm
THIS IMAGE Ennui,
c.1914, oil on
canvas, 152x112cm
 N O I T C E L L O C M U E S U M R E T S L U . I N S M U E S U M L A N O I TAN ©

While Degas depicted elegant young dancers,

Sickert’s early work showed a seedier side to late Victorian life
34 Artists & Illustrators
 ART HISTORY

Germany on 31 May 1860, the eldest regardless of whether this ‘rawness’ times, Sickert was happy to fabricate LEFT Suspense,
of six children. His mother Eleanor offended his audiences,” says lead a scene for his paintings. Friends c.1916, oil on
was the illegitimate daughter of a curator Charlotte Keenan McDonald. played roles much as he had done canvas, 76.5x59cm
celebrated English astrologist, his “He repeatedly reinvented himself, in his brief spell as an actor, while
father Oswald a Danish-German pushing his art in new and prostitutes were employed to sit for BELOW Variation
painter and illustrator, the family unexpected directions. He sought him too. Polite Victorian sensibilities on Othello, oil on
having settled in England in 1868 to combine a technical interest in were already troubled enough by the canvas, c.1933-'34,
after Oswald’s work was painting with his conviction that art idea of his domestic paintings shifting 110x73cm
recommended to the keeper of the should reflect the modern world.” their setting from the parlour to the
National Gallery. Walter dabbled The irony is of course that in wanting kitchen or bedroom, without this
briefly in acting and a short stint at to show an accurate reflection of his extra realism.
the Slade before leaving early to take
up an apprenticeship at the London
studio of painter James Abbott
McNeill Whistler.
By 1883 the young apprentice
was trusted with delivering Whistler’s
masterpiece, Arrangement in Grey
and Black: Portrait of the Artist’s
Mother, to the Paris Salon – the
prestigious annual exhibition at the
city’s Académie des Beaux-Arts –
and it was here where he first
encountered the work of Edgar Degas.
While Degas depicted elegant
young dancers in soft pastels or
vibrant French cafés filled with
revelry, Sickert’s early work was
already showing a seedier, less
glamorous side to late Victorian life.
He showed audiences braying over
the balconies of music halls,
prostitutes lounging on wrought-iron
beds, and couples struggling to
reconcile their differences. Above all,
he prized truth over beauty; his
paintings endure not because they
are timeless, necessarily, but rather
because they are tangible – the
subjects close to home, the
brushwork direct and alive. A new
exhibition at Liverpool’s Walker Art
Gallery, the largest UK retrospective
of his work for more than 30 years,
feels as fresh as if it were painted
yesterday. It collects together more
than 100 paintings on loan, including
Tate Britain’s Ennui, while also finally
utilising the Walker’s vast collection
of 348 of the artist’s drawings, the
S E GAMI N A M E G D I R B / S E V I HCRA & S E I R E L L A G , S M U E S U M L O T S I R B ©

largest such in existence.

Drawings were key to Sickert’s
practice, particularly since Degas
famously advised him to rely upon
them for his studio works in a bid
to escape the “tyranny of nature”.
Nevertheless, keen observation
was at the heart of his process.
“Walter Richard Sickert was a
radical painter, who was determined
to capture society as he saw it –
Artists & Illustrators 35
ABOVE The Horses If we are less prudish about their
of St Mark's, occupation today, his depictions of
Venice, 1905-'06, women remain troubling. Obscured
oil on canvas, faces hinted both at anonymity and
50x40cm also a demeaning attitude to women,
while showing nudes seen through
RIGHT The Lady with doorways added to the voyeuristic
the Lamp, oil on tone. For the artist, however, his
canvas, 1932-'34, informal figurative works were
122x69cm reinventing classical ideals of the
female form and, in his 1910 article,
The Naked and the Nude, he claimed
36 Artists & Illustrators
to be simply trying to “find fresh
words and living thoughts for truths
that are ever young”.
Sickert was happy to toy with this
unseemly reputation. Having settled
in Camden Town in North London,
he was familiar with a number of
gruesome murders that occurred
on his doorstep. Showing a shrewd
knack for self-promotion, he
retrospectively renamed several
paintings The Camden Town Murder
to capitalise on public interest in
the trial of a horrific murder of the
prostitute Emily Dimmock in 1907.
An abiding rumour that Sickert was
in fact the real Jack the Ripper has
been fairly conclusively disproved
T S U RT SMUESUM M A H G N I M R I B : O T O H P
many times, yet that hasn’t stopped
some notable figures fanning the
flames of this theory – not least
Patricia Cornwell. The 100-million-
selling crime novelist commissioned
DNA research for her decisively-titled
 ART HISTORY

Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper

– Case Closed, a 2002 non-fiction
book in which she attempted to frame An abiding rumour that Sickert was the real
Sickert as the serial murderer.
Another great novelist was equally
fascinated by Sickert, albeit in a much
Jack the Ripper has been disproved many times
more positive light. In 1933, Virginia
Woolf wrote an essay in which she
openly discussed the artist’s work as
if she were recounting a dinner-party
conversation and praised his ability to
sum up a character. “When he sits a
man or woman down in front of him,
he sees the whole of the life that has
been lived to make that face,” she
wrote. “Not in our time will anyone
write a life as Sickert paints it.”
If Sickert’s own life reads like the
plot of a classic novel, each chapter
was fleshed out by a fascinating
supporting cast of characters. In the
run up to the First World War, he
offered out his studio to a collective
of forward-looking artists that
became known as the Camden Town
Group and included the likes of
Wyndham Lewis, Augustus John and
Lucien Pissarro, son of Impressionist
painter Camille Pissarro.
He married three times; his first
wife Ellen was a writer, the second,
Christine, an embroideress, who died
in 1920. Her passing prompted a
brief move to Dieppe in France where
he frequented cafés and casinos,
painting the inhabitants as he went.
The artist spoke several languages
and made regular excursions to
continental Europe, painting the
crumbling architecture of Venice
in his same sombre style.
Sickert met his match with his third
wife, the accomplished artist Thérèse
Lessore, who he married in the
summer of 1926, a week after his
66th birthday. She was 24 years his
junior and helped him set up a studio
system for producing work with
assistants that was similar to the
ateliers of the Renaissance greats.
While those later studio paintings
never matched the power and drama
of his earlier alla prima works, his
influence lived on into the 20th
century and beyond, seen in the
R E T S E H C I H C ,YRELL A G E S U O H T N A L L A P

work of everyone from Lucian Freud

and Francis Bacon to Frank Auerbach
and Gillian Ayres.
Sickert: A Life in Art runs until 27
February 2022 at the Walker Art Gallery,
Liverpool. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
 1
Jennifer
Anderson
From her brave approach to sourcing sitters to her unconventional
compositions, the Scottish portrait artist does things differently
in her shared studio, as REBECCA BRADBURY discovers
P ortraits are painted for
a multitude of reasons.
Maybe the aim is to depict
a subject’s power and
prestige or perhaps to capture the
more elusive inner essence of a
person. Some artists use them
as a means of social or political
expression, while others are more
concerned with exploring how their
own psyche connects to those under
their gaze.
For Jennifer Anderson, one of the
main motivators for painting portraits
38 Artists & Illustrators
IN THE STUDIO
is the opportunity they present to
create a connection between her
subject and the viewer – an intention
that has led to a variety of
unconventional compositional choices.
From off-kilter figures and
unresolved edges to forms left
unpainted and large expanses of
empty background, her various
trademarks not only add a visual
simplicity to the piece, but also
remove the subject from a specific
time and place, something she hopes
makes for a more relatable artwork.
“By taking the detail and
information out of the environment
the figure is in, the figure becomes
timeless,” she explains of her
intentions. “There’s not that societal
flow around them that causes us to
make judgements. That adds to the
1 Jennifer
at work in her
home studio
in Glasgow's
connection you can have with a figure Finnieston
[in a painting], as you’re not in an
obviously different place from them.” 2 This crop
For Jennifer, deciding what not of Behind the
to include in a portrait is just as Curtain shows
important as figuring out what to the detail in 2
keep in. Yet there is no sense of lack her portraits
Artists & Illustrators 39
IN THE STUDIO
For Jennifer, deciding what not to
include in a portrait is just as important
as figuring out what to keep in
3 The stiff or incompleteness in her works.
collar added Instead, the “less is more” mantra
a sense of makes the quietly alluring expressions
dynamism to of her delicately rendered faces even
Saskia more magnetic.
Take Downtime, for example,
4 Small works a portrait selected for the recent
like Dignity are Royal Institute of Oil Painters’ Annual
often painted Exhibition 2021 [which runs until
on wood panels 5 December at London's Mall
Galleries]. The lines describing the
5 Despite its body are somewhat scratchy, brush
title, Complete marks are visible in the background
is anything but, and the head, squished up against
as Jennifer is the knees, is slightly cropped out of
very selective the frame. The tension this creates in
the top left-hand corner of the
painting draws us into the longing,
ethereal gaze of the sitter.
Having painted portraits since her
student days at Dundee’s Duncan of
40 Artists & Illustrators
3
Jordanstone College of Art in the
mid-1990s, Jennifer believes this
emotional connection she craves
(and so adeptly creates) for the
viewer begins with her own reaction
to a subject. That thirst for
authenticity leads her to bravely
approach strangers who strike her
as interesting when she is out and
about in her native Glasgow, hoping
they will agree to model for her in
a photoshoot at her studio.
Jennifer’s studio forms part of a
three-room flat in an old tenement
building in Finnieston – an area of
the city that was, she says, pretty
rundown when she bought the
property 15 years ago but is now
considered to be one of the hippest
enclaves in the UK.
Working in the other two rooms
respectively are her brother-in-law
and artist sister and, as it turns out,
having a sibling on call across the
hallway is extremely beneficial:
“Sometimes you can go ‘canvas blind’
– in fact, in every painting I do – so it’s
really handy to have somebody who
knows what they’re talking about say,
‘That bit’s right and that bit’s wrong’. I
can do the same for her too and we’re
not going to take offence.”
Painting between the daily school
runs with BBC Radio 4 for company,
Jennifer sits at her easel on a
paint-spattered office chair, regularly
checking the reflection of her latest
piece in a full-length mirror behind
her to spot any mistakes it throws up.
Also indispensable is an old chest of
drawers with wheels attached that
acts as a moveable storage solution
 6
6 Intimacy was 7 The dreamy 7
suggested by subject of Sounds
cropping the sitter's was painted on
head in Downtime stonecast plaster

for her brushes and paints. One thing

missing from here, however, will be a
full spectrum of hues, as another
standout feature of Jennifer’s
portraiture is the limited colour
palette from which she never deviates.
Narrowing down her colours was
never a conscious decision. Back in
art school, she simply only ever
reached for the same three colours
and has relied on them ever since,
proving French Ultramarine, Yellow
Ochre, Cadmium Deep Red, plus a
white, are the only hues needed to
capture the subtle tones of human
skin. But how does Jennifer make
the flesh of those she paints
look so realistic?
“You’ve got to really look at your
source material,” she advises.
“There’s not much ‘flesh colour’
Artists & Illustrators 41

in flesh, it’s all different colours…
And when you break it down into
those little patches of colour and get
those on the canvas, when you step
back it will look like skin.”
The same approach applies to the
white fabrics that are another regular
feature of her portraits. “That’s been
a theme of my work for a long time
now,” she agrees. “It’s really subtle
but you get such beautiful colours in
white, like the lilacs and the pinks and
the greys. It’s about getting the
colours down to such a minimal point,
but still finding the range within that.”
It’s not all crisp white cotton,
however. From Breton stripe tees to
dresses adorned with abstract motifs,
clothing is a tool Jennifer uses to
define a shape or figure. Adding a
big, structured collar in Saskia, for
example, imparted an element of
dynamism to that painting, while the
saturated patterns of an outfit can
also make a simple composition zing.
Patterns often expand across the
entire frame, obscured only by a figure.
Not content to solely commit her
work to canvas, she turns to more
off-beat materials for supports,
42 Artists & Illustrators
8
White fabrics have been a theme of my work
for a long time now… You get such beautiful
colours in white, like lilacs, pinks and greys
sometimes choosing plaster for its 10
unique texture. A time-consuming
process, what with the priming
required (using rabbit-skin glue),
it can take up to a week to prepare
a plaster board for painting.
On the other end of the scale are
metal supports, which offer an
element of spontaneity not usually
known to oil painters. Jennifer glues
thin sheets of brass, copper or
aluminium to a wooden backboard,
and the surfaces only need a quick
clean and light sanding before
paint is applied.
Cutting down on preparation time
is not the only benefit: “Metal has a
sheen, a warmth, a shine. If you work
thinly in the shadows, this comes

8 Careful through – you get a lustre that you
modulations don’t get on other surfaces.”
of white were “The way you work on it as well
needed for must be very different as paint reacts
Summer Hat differently, whether it’s a slippery
surface or one that absorbs the oil,”
9 Unravelled she adds.
required close But aside from these factors, her
observation of process remains very much the same
source photos no matter what surface she uses.
Working from her own photographs,
10 Jennifer sips she lays down the first layer quite
tea with her roughly, blocking in the essential
sister during a colours and shapes before leaving it
studio break to dry for a few days. Another layer
follows, progressively getting more
accurate with tones and colours
before finessing the detail in the
third and final layer.
Sketches rarely take place in the
planning stages, as she prefers to
resolve the drawing directly on the
support. Jennifer does make an
exception for commissions, as oil
sketches provide a chance to share
ideas and collaborate with her clients.
The artist avoided commissions for
15 years, as she found that they
caused anxiety and stress that she
was keen to avoid as a graduate fresh
out of art school. “You’re painting
something somebody else has an idea
of in their head,” she explains, “and
trying to live up to that is an entirely
different prospect from painting what
you want to paint for a gallery.”
After becoming more confident and
comfortable with her approach, she
IN THE STUDIO
returned to commissions in 2005
and she’s not looked back. “I actually
quite enjoyed it, so I decided I would
do one or two a year,” she recalls.
This year alone she has been
commissioned to paint the Nobel
Prize-winning mathematician Sir
Roger Penrose and the first female
president of the Isaac Newton
Institute, Professor Ulrike Tillmann.
“You get to meet interesting people
and it’s a different way of working,”
she says. “It’s a challenge and that’s
good for me.”
Finding joy, forging connections
and flourishing outside of your
comfort zone: these are even more
reasons to paint portraits.
www.jennifer-anderson.co.uk
Artists & Illustrators 43
 Photo
MASTERCLASS

PORTRAITS
A pet portrait can make a wonderful gift or a charming memory.
MATT JEANES shows you how to overcome inadequate reference

B
photos and produce a layered masterpiece

eing asked to paint another person’s
pet can be very flattering, yet it can also
prove to be a double-edged sword. When
selecting a reference image for our own
paintings, we can judge what gives us the best and
most interesting subject. Yet when faced with a
photo of a beloved pet from an outside source that
may not contain the information needed, the results
can be less appealing and can often trip us up. I find
the best way around this problem is to ask for a
selection of images, then explain why you have
chosen your particular view.
Painting an animal portrait from a compromised
reference photo is fine for pleasing a doting owner,
but if you want the resulting painting to appeal to a
wider audience, the reference image has to contain
information that will give your work a wider appeal.
Look for an image that has attitude or humour,
nice lighting and composition or an interesting colour
palette. Try to avoid anything with too much
background information – you want the animal to
stand out and be the star, just like Bear in this
example below.
www.matthewjeanes.co.uk

Ma 's materials

• Paper
Fabriano Artistico Traditional
White 300gsm watercolour
paper, 45x61cm
• Paints
Winsor Violet (Dioxazine),
French Ultramarine, Antwerp
Blue, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean
Blue (Red Shade), Cerulean
Blue, Manganese Blue Hue,
Naples Yellow, Naples Yellow
Deep, Yellow Ochre, Burnt
Sienna, Indian Red, Potter’s
Pink, Perylene Maroon, Burnt
Umber, Indigo, Payne’s Gray,
Neutral Tint, Ivory Black,
Lamp Black, Davy’s Gray, all
Winsor & Newton Professional
Water Colours; Permanent
White, Winsor & Newton
Designers Gouache
• Brushes
ProArte Prolene Series 007
round brushes, sizes 1, 3, 5,
10 and 20; ProArte Prolene
Series 008 flat brushes, size
1”; Royal Sovereign taper-
pointed colour shaper, size 2
• Masking fluid
• HB pencil
• Coloured pencils
• Putty rubber
ORIGINAL PHOTO
Artists & Illustrators 45
MASTERCLASS

1 Sketch the composition

I lightly sketched out the dog with a soft 2B pencil, using
a light brown coloured pencil to add some of the markings.
Graphite can discolour a wash so once I was happy with the
drawing, I used a putty rubber to erase most of the drawing,
leaving only faint lines (don’t press too hard or you may
damage the paper). I then used masking fluid to reserve the
highlights, including the eyes, teeth and fur markings. With a
size 5 brush, I applied a wash of Davy’s Grey, along with some
suggestions of detail in Payne’s Grey, Indigo and Ivory Black.
2 Apply washes
Once the first washes were dry, I added another layer of masking fluid,
this time to the blanket on which the dog was sat. Rugs, blankets and baskets
can add an interesting texture without over complicating the image.
Having previously added blues and greys, I was looking to warm things
up by adding a creamy wash of Naples Yellow. When this was dry, I added
a further layer of Payne’s Grey and Lamp Black to the dog and the blanket.
Aside from the odd final details, I normally avoid black in watercolour painting
as it can dominate a painting. However, used lightly, I find Lamp Black has a
pleasingly warm quality that works well for a subject such as this.

Top tip
Use an old brush
to apply the
masking fluid and
keep rinsing it in
water to avoid it
clogging up

3 Add textures
I waited until all the previous paint work was thoroughly
dry before starting to add more texture with a further layer
of masking fluid. Applying it very roughly is a great way to
achieve the texture of fur. I used an old brush with splayed
and broken bristles to brush on a variety of shapes and
rough lines that gave the impression of fur. I was trying to
let the watermarks show here, creating bold shapes and
strokes that compliment the strength of the dog’s image.
46 Artists & Illustrators
4 Look for colour
Before I went any further, I took a moment to look very
closely at the original photo. It’s very easy to just see the
basic colours: blue eyes, brown fur and so on, but if we look
deeper we can see all manner of unexpected colours such
as pinks, lavenders and ochres all hiding in plain sight.
Once I’d identified these, I added some Scarlet Lake,
Winsor Violet, Burnt Sienna, Manganese Blue and Antwerp
Blue into my washes to reflect these other hues.
5 Build up layers
I continued to build the painting, following the previous
steps of adding washes and layers of masking fluid. The more
6 Work wet-in-wet
times you repeat these stages, the more refined your image
will become. I was deliberately trying to keep the washes loose
on this piece, so I continued to use a larger brush for this –
a size 5 or 6. It’s best to let each step dry thoroughly before
adding more paint to both avoid colours bleeding into each
other and preserve those lovely hard edges that define an
image so well.
I started work on the dark cushions around the dog, using as few strokes
as possible to create these areas of colour. I needed a little extra control so
I used a smaller size 3 brush. Having previously avoided the colours bleeding,
I now decided to use the wet-in-wet technique to create a few smoother
transitions. I used a wet brush to apply a strong Payne’s Grey mix. I let the
colour puddle a little on the paper and very lightly added a hint of Indigo to it.
Likewise, on the dog’s ear, I added a puddle of Indigo with a touch of Perylene
Maroon dripped on at the end. Don’t mix the colours with your brush, just let
the wet pigments blend naturally. Let them dry and see the magic happen.

7 Add bolder colours

I started to add some bolder colours to the painting here. I was
still not looking to refine the painting yet, but rather continue to apply
8 Develop the face
With the masking fluid in place, any work on the
highlights will look dull at this stage. Keep washes loose yet
interesting layers of colour. I use my size 5 brush to layer up areas of small instead, and focus your efforts on chipping away at the
French Ultramarine, Antwerp Blue, Perylene Maroon, Burnt Sienna, various tones to get them right. For the best results, let each
Lamp Black and touches of Winsor Violet. small wash dry completely before applying the next one.
Artists & Illustrators 47
MASTERCLASS

9 Remove the masking fluid

When I was happy with the washes and they had fully
dried, I removed the masking fluid. You can use a putty rubber
for this, but I find that a finger is better as it gives you more
control. Take your time on this stage and peel away the
rubbery solution very carefully. If you have applied plenty of
washes, the paper’s surface may be delicate and can tear.
10 Review your progress
This is the home stretch and the most exciting part of the painting.
Once the masking fluid was removed and I could see the previously protected
areas, I could make a decision on which areas may need to be either left
alone or over-painted (such as the blanket).
This was also the time to start adding finer detail, including deepening the
tones on the nose and the eyes, which all helps to bring things together.

Top tip
A white or sky-blue
pencil can add
shine to a nose or
definition to hair,
fur and whiskers
where needed.

11 Refine the edges

When masking fluid is removed, it can leave some
rough edges and even painting over them later won’t always
get rid of them entirely. When I was happy that the main areas
were finished, it was time to refine things. I added a sparing
touch of coloured pencil to tidy up those edges and fix minor
things. Darker coloured pencils can help to lift details on the
features of the animal, while crude highlights can be blended.
48 Artists & Illustrators
12 Highlight to finish
I added some highlights with Permanent White
gouache – this is an opaque water-based paint that will sit on
top of watercolour and give an extra sparkle where needed,
such as the eyes, the nose, and anywhere the sun was hitting
the dog’s fur. If you need to add some extra detail in the fur
you can also add a little watercolour to the gouache to create
an opaque tint perfect for those final touches.
 An
ARTIST’S TALE
ART FOR ALL AGES
You don’t have to be Picasso
to become an artist. All you
need is your imagination.
In An Artist’s Tale, British
author and artist Sue Exton
offers a journey into the joy
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Focusing on the use
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specifically Inktense, a new
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shares how to get started
creating your own drawings.
In this work, she presents
a collection of a variety of
her drawings from flowers,
to landscape, to abstracts.
Exton discuses the creation of each piece and gives tips, tricks,
advice, and techniques for creating on your own.
An Artist’s Tale includes more than sixty colour pictures
accompanied by short stories, encouraging people of all ages to
pick up a colour pencil and get started scribbling.
This book can be purchased from Amazon for £32.11
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Go to pastel.academy/gifts
Artists & Illustrators 49
 Flesh
TONES
To improve the accuracy of your portraits, Raw Umber
Studios tutor LIZET DINGEMANS explains the importance
of the limited palette and sets an exercise to try
T here are tremendous
amounts of pigments and
materials available to artists
these days. While Rembrandt
was largely restricted to an earth
palette, vivid blues, reds and yellows
are the norm for artists working today.
Tales of importing precious lapis lazuli
by caravan across the desert are from
a different era. However, this
abundance of options can get
overwhelming sometimes and it can
actually make it harder to put down a
strong composition on the canvas.
Using a limited palette can help
with this. Many artists throughout the
ages have made use of a reduced
selection of colour. Sometimes this
was imposed on the artist –
Rembrandt simply did not have
access to the bright colours we have
today. For others, this was a self-
imposed limitation in order to
enhance their creative interpretation
of flesh, from the Swedish painter
Anders Zorn who experimented with
just three colours plus white, to
modern illustrators like Phil Hale, who
50 Artists & Illustrators
PROJECT
uses a greatly reduced palette in
many of his paintings.
In this article, I will explain the
advantages of limiting your colours
and demonstrate the usefulness of a
restricted palette for mixing skin
tones with a portrait project that will
use only three colours plus white.
Before I get into the limited palette,
I want to talk about the colour wheel.
Most of us will be familiar with the
colour wheel and we are taught that
the primary colours are red, blue
and yellow. When mixed together,
these make the secondary colours –
green, orange, and purple (or violet).
A limited palette using just the
primary colours is sometimes referred
to as the RYB palette (Red, Yellow,
Blue) and we are taught that these
three colours can mix every other
colour on the spectrum.
Unfortunately, things are not that
simple. For instance, it’s impossible
to create a hot pink or a very bright
green using just those three primaries,
so people have been looking for a
‘better’ set of three primaries.
A different system is composed of
cyan, magenta and yellow – or CMY.
The term CMYK is popular in printing,
as many printers use cyan, magenta
and yellow ink, along with a black
toner, which is the K – the K stands
for “key”, the key printing plate that
holds the detail in an image.
When you compare the CMY and
RYB palettes, mixing cyan, magenta,
and yellow pigments together can
make an even bigger and brighter
range of colours than the traditional
primary colours. This is why it is often ABOVE John
used in printing. Of course, the CMY Singer Sargent,
palette still has its limitations – it has Miss Mathilde
TRA FO MUESUM MAHGNIMRIB/NOTGNIHSAW ,TRA FO YRELLAG LANOITAN
less range in the oranges, for Townsend, 1907,
example, compared with the other oil on canvas,
palettes – so it is best to pick the 153x102cm
colours most suited to each painting.
When painting skin tones, the ABOVE RIGHT
palette favoured by Anders Zorn is John Singer
popular – a white, a black, Yellow Sargent, Lady
Ochre and Vermillion (or Cadmium Helen Vincent,
Red) – because it leans towards the Viscountess
warmer oranges, though the greens d'Abernon, 1904,
and pinks that can be created with oil on canvas,
it are very dull. 159x1028cm
 PROJECT

COLOUR GAMUT
The colour gamut is the set of possible
hues that you can mix using your chosen
palette. It can influence the mood and
perception of an artwork. For instance,
look at the difference between these two
John Singer Sargent portraits. Compare
the difference in the colour gamut and
atmosphere. In the left image we can
see a cool, complementary colour gamut
– the blues and greys contrast with the
pinks in the skin and dress. The right
image is much more monochromatic –
both the skin and background are made
up of shades of red.
Artists & Illustrators 51
PROJECT

LEMON YELLOW MAGENTA CERULEAN BLUE PROJECT

Limited palette portrait
ORIGINAL TUBE Aim
COLOUR To paint a lifelike portrait with just
three colours plus white.
Duration
Two or three hours.
LIGHT TONE MIX What you will need
The first thing you need is three
colours plus a white in your chosen
medium. I chose Cerulean Blue,
Cadmium Yellow Lemon and Old
Holland Magenta, all Old Holland
MID-TONE MIX Classic Oil Colours, plus a Titanium
White. You'll also need brushes and
a support. This painting was made on
a marine plywood board, primed with
Daler-Rowney Acrylic Gesso.
DARK TONE MIX What you will learn
Painting using a limited palette can
be a rewarding way to experiment
with different compositions and

52 Artists & Illustrators

 PROJECT

colour schemes. In my portrait

example over these three pages,
I was using the CMY palette, but feel
free to experiment and try one of the
other combinations discussed on
page 50 – or you could even try and
come up with your own!
Process
Begin by laying out and mixing your
colours. Lay out each of the three tube
colours on the palette and mix them
with Titanium White to create three
tints of each colour: a light, a middle
and a dark tone.
Note in my example that even
though the magenta was very dark
from the tube, I made the “dark”
magenta tone a bit lighter to match
the lighter “dark” blue and yellow
mixes – this was to make sure my
tones were even across my palette.
With these mixes in place, you need
a good colour to draw with, so mix the
three darkest tones on your palette to
create a muddy dark colour. Use it

Artists & Illustrators 53

PROJECT

to plot the central line – a line running

through the centre of the face, from
the top of the forehead to the bottom
of the chin. This line will help guide
the direction and angle of the face.
Now draw the underlying structure
of the face. I try to work from big to
small here: going for the bigger
measurements of the face and
leaving the details until later. The
goal is to end with a monochrome
framework that allows you to put
colour down confidently.
The next thing to figure out are the
shadow shapes. Use that muddy dark
colour to lay them in. It is important
not to change the tone of the shadow
shapes at this point, but instead vary
the muddy colour by mixing more or
less of a particular tube colour into it.
Now start adding the lights. It can
help to think about which way the
light source is coming from and work
out which planes of the face are going
in the direction of the light.
In my example, I had the light come
from the top right, and therefore
shaded the bottom left planes and
lightened the right-hand planes of her
face. At this point, don’t worry about
any details – the main thing is to
cover the whole canvas.
Once you have covered the canvas
and worked on the edges in the lights,
you should start working on the
shadows. I always leave these for the
last minute, as it can be tempting to
add too much information too early
on in the painting. For the shadows,
use the three darkest tones on your
palette, mixing them into each other
to create variety in colour.
To finish your painting, keep adding
smaller and smaller shapes. Pay
particular attention to the light
shapes. Shadows don’t need much
internal information, but it can be
surprising just how much information
is conveyed by adding a small light
shape for the lid of the eye.
If you want to watch a video of this
full demonstration, it is available to
Gold members of the Raw Umber
Studios online subscription service –
visit www.rawumberstudios.com
for more details or head to page
31 for your chance to win a one
year's subscription.
Lizet teaches online figure classes every
Sunday and Wednesday at Raw Umber
Studios, Stroud. www.lizetdingemans.com
54 Artists & Illustrators
 Rob Pointon
HOW I PAINT

From impressing the Household Cavalry

to bending city streets to suit his own vision,
this Royal Institute of Oil Painters member
is making his mark says STEVE PILL
56 Artists & Illustrators
 THIS IMAGE
The Sword and
The Crown, Beating
Retreat, oil on
canvas, 80x160cm

B
What is it that appeals to you about
orn in Stoke-on-Trent in 1982, Rob Pointon was schooled painting on location?
in art by his grandmother from an early age. After a BA in Fine It feels as if there is an honesty to it,
Art from the University of Wales and a postgrad year at London’s everything is a direct response. The
Royal Drawing School, he embarked on a career as a plein air brushstrokes tend to be more
landscape painter. energised and more directional so
Rob has won a number of awards for his work, including the New that they can communicate speed
English Art Club’s Haworth Prize, and was elected as a member of the and flows of energy that you wouldn’t
Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 2019. He is currently serving as artist pick up on in a static image.
in residence for the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, working I think you experience more
towards an exhibition next October. dimensions – the three-dimensionality
of things in front of you, the change
Artists & Illustrators 57
HOW I PAINT
ABOVE The in weather and light cycles, that subtle
Colonel’s Horse movement of the sun as it tracks
on Parade, oil on around the sky – it brings home the
canvas, 76x61cm three-dimensionality of everything
that hopefully you can find a way to
communicate in your painting.
When people start out, they often
struggle with all those elements you
love. How did you develop your
confidence in that respect?
I always enjoyed drawing and painting
from direct experience, and I had a
very good secondary school teacher
who pushed us into a life class really
early on. With drawing and painting in
public, I was broken in more gently by
classes at the Royal Drawing School
– we did a class drawing in Liverpool
Lime Street station, one inside the
whale room at the Natural History
58 Artists & Illustrators
about how tone would appear across
a lit sphere or cone or cube. It was
quite a quiet environment around her
home, so we’d go out in the garden
and paint watercolours and things like
that – all very soft, sedate things, but
you learn a lot at that age.
My paternal grandfather was an
architect who I never got to meet but
he passed on a really good knowledge
of perspective to my grandmother
and my father who taught me it early
on. I thought I’d become an architect,
but I got scared of the maths.
You’re almost being an architect in
some of your paintings though, as
you move elements around. How are
you planning out those wide-angled
paintings in real time?
It comes back to my dissertation at
Aberystwyth. I chose as my subject
wide-angle perspectives and I looked
quite heavily at people like MC Escher
and six-point perspectives. In my early
years as a painter, it was a bit of a
calling card – I was almost like the
“Fish-Eye Guy”. It became second
nature really.
It’s like musical scales: you build up
your knowledge and then you can play
with it. Then when I go through a
complicated street scene, I can very
much pick and choose what elements
I want in there.
Talk us through Piccadilly Flow.
Did you draw that out first?
No, I went straight in with paint.
During the first lockdown I watched
Museum and the foyer at the British a lot of demonstration videos by
Museum. Although the classes were American artists and I’ve started
about mapping the big architectural respecting the idea of a monochrome
spaces, they were equally about underpainting and then building up
working in a really busy and populated colour over that, so [I start with] very
place. I have the kind of personality turps-y Raw Umber, maybe even more
that enjoys it a bit more than others neutral, a blued-down Raw Umber.
too, I’m a bit more of a showman. Using that and a rag, I thinly map out
where the main elements are.
On your website, you said you were Then whilst that dries, I just mix
taught by your grandmother. Do you pools of really accurate colour to put
remember much about what she over the top. I’ll look at the scene and
taught you? pick out the three most common
I remember a lot of it. I think you lights that I can see, the three most
respect your grandparents more than common mid-tones that I can see,
your parents. It was wonderful to go and the three most common shades
around her house and have a quiet that I can see, and I’ll mix those all up
space where I’d sit and she’d teach with a palette knife. That can take up
me the colour wheels, light and half an hour easily, but once you’ve
shade, working with charcoal as well got that colour mixed you can really
as watercolour, and just to think attack the canvas.
When it comes to kit, are you quite
specific about what you take out?
I used to paint with anything, and all
my brushes would be clogged with oil
paint because I’d rarely clean them,
but as time’s gone on, I’ve learned to
respect having a clean palette and
brushes that can apply paint easily.
In terms of the colours, I rarely work
with a limited palette and just a few
tubes of paint – I like to have a full
chromatic wheel and a full earth
wheel laid out on the palette.
Do you use certain brushes for
different tasks?
Yes, I have a large range of them,
mostly from Rosemary & Co. or just
the Cass Art basic brushes if I need
a quick refresh while I’m out. I tend
to use a lot more square-edge or
dagger-edge soft synthetic brushes
than a lot of people – I enjoy using on
a smooth surface and using those
smooth brushes to blend passages
of wet oil paint together.
Your paint application feels quite
liquid and smooth. Do you use any
paint mediums?
Yes, I’ve got the twin pots out with
me. I’ll have pure distilled turpentine in
one pot for cleaning the brushes and
the basic, quick-drying underpainting,
and then I gradually switch to the
Michael Harding’s Oil Paint Medium in
the other pot. That gives the paint a
glossy luminosity and it also makes it
more fluid, which is good for top layers.
Do you have a preferred time of day
or weather to paint in?
I enjoy a long grey day because it gives
me a chance to really build in detail,
but that being said, when there’s a
downpour, everything is suddenly
animated, and you end up throwing
the paint on in a mania that you
couldn’t predict. You can end up with
sparkling results being out in that.
You always find interesting colours in
the shadow areas of your paintings.
What’s your secret?
I used to try and see colour and
exaggerate that slightly, but I don’t
know that I do that so much now.
Real subtleties can be more
captivating than exaggerated colour
hues. I think the human eye is similar
to a long-exposure camera, where you
hold the shutter open for 30 minutes
When there’s a downpour,
everything is suddenly
animated… You can end
up with sparkling results
and you get really colourful photos –
if you’re stood in the same location
for four hours, even inside a grey
cathedral, you will attune your eye to
those light conditions and see more
and more colour as time goes on.
You are currently artist in residence
for the Household Cavalry Mounted
Regiment. How did that come about?
I really like Joaquín Sorolla, John
Singer Sargent and Anders Zorn, that
holy trinity, and I’ve been looking at
their work a lot – as have a lot of
artists as it seems to be in fashion at
the moment. The joy of a Sorolla or a
Sargent for me is a dynamic figure in ABOVE Piccolino,
a plein air setting, so that’s what I’ve Manchester, oil on
been trying to paint more of. canvas, 40x50cm
Artists & Illustrators 59
HOW I PAINT

in what I was doing. He introduced

me to the museum director. I just said
If you’re stood in the I’d love to be a resident artist and I
managed to sell the idea to them.
same location for four
hours, you will see What has your role entailed so far?
I get to stay in the Barracks in Hyde
more and more colour Park and wake with the soldiers and go
into the forge and watch blacksmiths
as time goes on bashing out horseshoes from scratch.
The guard change will be happening,
and you’ll see the inspection of that
as well. It’s a fascinating world to put
Walking past the Horse Guards box, your head into really. And the officer’s
I thought that’s such an amazing mess is filled with Sir Alfred Munnings
subject stood still for you all day long. paintings and drawings – it’s a nice
They have the most amazing uniforms lineage to be a part of. I’m working up
that haven’t changed for centuries on to a large oil painting of the Trooping
RIGHT Chinese the most magnificent Queen’s horses. the Colour next year.
Lanterns in St I was house sitting for a friend in
Anne’s Square, London during Covid and I would Will you be finishing that in a studio?
oil on canvas, travel to Whitehall and paint those I don’t really have a “studio” studio –
40x40cm soldiers on their horses every day just I’ve taken over the lounge and a
to try and train up with my plein air garage conversion… Basically, we
BELOW End of the figure painting. As luck would have it, live out of the kitchen and I’ve taken
Pier, Llandudno, there was an officer down there over the rest of the house. I do more
oil on canvas, kicking his heels – he came out and studio work with this project than ever
61x91cm spoke to me and was really interested before really. I’m torn because my
 HOW I PAINT

unique selling point has been that I

only work on location but actually this
has taken me down a different route.
I’ll still try and sketch predictions
of the event and the light conditions,
[as well as watch] the event and the
rehearsals. I want to get it as far
along as I can and then just do the
finishing touches when I get home
with photos.
In paintings like Piccolino, Manchester,
you capture the split between natural
light and indoor light really well.
What’s the key to balancing those?
You’ve got to be careful because our
eyes adjust, and you don’t want every you’re mixing yellow with purple and through to the evening. Some days ABOVE Piccadilly
painting to look like a HDR image instead you’re painting the chromatic in Seville I did 18-hour days, painting Flow, oil on canvas,
where you’re exposing for outside and shift that goes through a prism from in a flamenco bar at night. You come 60x50cm
inside. There’s an American artist yellow to orange to red to purple. back exhausted. And you can’t
called Carl Bretzke, he’s done a It also looks at the tonal shifts from sustain competitive angst for that
demonstration on painting nocturnes a bright light to a more subtle one. amount of time, so you start helping
that is brilliant and talks about the each other, watching each other’s kit,
science of how halos disperse either You regularly paint with groups like getting each other coffees, sharing
in your eye or in the atmosphere. He the Northern Boys and the British ideas and just being mates on holiday
talks about the science of it and how Plein Air Painters. Are those groups whilst being as productive as you
to paint it with chromatic shifts. Say if more friendly or competitive? could ever be. It’s definitely helped
you’ve got a sodium light that’s yellow Both! It’s fiercely competitive and it’s my art. I just feel immersed now in a
and it’s sat on a purple sky, it’s about going away with a bunch of mates. friendly industry with all my peers and
how to transition from the yellow to the The trips are just pure painting. You it’s such a blessing. I didn’t know it
purple to give a convincing radiation wake at 4.30am to try and catch the could be like that, it’s fantastic.
of that light that doesn’t just look like sunrise and you’re painting non-stop www.robpointon.co.uk
Artists & Illustrators 61
 FOLLOW
your instincts
DEMO
JEAN HAINES shows you how dividing a complex underwater subject into simple
W
shapes and staying playful with your materials can result in lively, instinctive paintings
hen creating and allowing our inner artist to
shine, using our imagination in combination with
real subjects can be invaluable. The ability to
follow our instincts, placing colour or detail where we feel it is
needed, will come over time. Time and practice – and the
longing to create animals in watercolour – will get you there.
Have faith in your ability and think of learning new techniques
as a fascinating adventure that will never have an ending.
When we first set out to paint, we can look at a complex
scene like this and feel daunted. It is the sense of adventure
that will help us to reach our goal of becoming a great artist.
I love painting so much that I wish I had the same number
of limbs as an octopus, so that I could hold a paintbrush in
each one. Imagine the number of paintings I could create
then, and the fun I would have! Painting makes me feel so
happy, and I really love sharing my passion with you.
I enjoy experimenting and making my own pigments and
granulation fluid. For this step-by-step demonstration, I have
62 Artists & Illustrators
combined my own homemade granulation fluid with neat
pigment. Pigment as a powder in its raw form can be
purchased online from either specialist art suppliers or
directly from manufacturers. You can, of course, follow this
demonstration using any watercolour shades that you prefer.
I began by creating the first circle of the tentacle using Red
Ochre artist pigment combined with my homemade
granulation fluid, which consists of a few drops of rust ink
added to powdered pigment (I make my own rust ink by filling
a jar with old nails, topping it up with vinegar and letting it
develop). As I worked along the tentacle, I added Phthalo
Blue Turquoise. I created this colour selection exercise using
circular movements with my brush and lifted colour in places
to form varying shades for the tentacles. Working on scraps
of paper prior to working on a complete painting is a great
way to get to know your subject. I kept my colour choice
simple and depended on the pigment’s interaction with
water to give me a unique result.

1 2
3 4
Jean's Materials
l Paper
300gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper,
58x38cm
l Brushes
Round brushes, sizes 10 and 12; rigger
l Paints
Phthalo Blue Turquoise and Quinacridone Burnt
Scarlet, both Daniel Smith Extra Fine
Watercolours; Red Ochre and French
Ultramarine, both Jackson’s Artist Pigment;
Titanium White Winsor & Newton Designers
Gouache
l Homemade mushroom ink
l Homemade granulation fluid
1 Shape the animal
I began by painting the main body of the
octopus as a shape, using the size 10 brush
to apply a mix of rust ink and Red Ochre
pigment, making the lower central section
lighter by adding a little water. In most of my
animal paintings I usually work from the eye
as a starting point; but on this animal the
eye is so small that it is easier to add later in
the creative process.
2
Add the tentacles
Next, I began to add tentacles.
It is worth bearing in mind that these long
limbs are extremely versatile in how they
can move, so my aim was to demonstrate
this with their positioning. I also wanted
DEMO
my subject to look as though it actually
was moving – hence the sections omitted
from the finished work, left to the viewer’s
imagination.
3
Draw the suckers
While my paint was still wet, I used
circular brushstrokes to create the tentacle
sucker shapes. I introduced the second
colour of Phthalo Blue Turquoise along
each limb to enhance my colour
combinations and use.
4
Soften the edges
I blurred some of the outlines with
clean water to heighten the feeling of the
limb’s movement.
Artists & Illustrators 63
DEMO
5 6
7 8
5 Work in circles
While wet, I used a damp size 10 round
brush to make rows of small circular strokes
on the tentacles.
6 Add gouache lights
Working quickly, I developed the
marks with white gouache, adding it
wet-in-wet in small curved strokes at the
bottom of the suckers.
7
Pick out details
I highlighted the body and near the eye
with white gouache, then allowed my work
to dry completely before beginning to
64 Artists & Illustrators
add detail. This was added using my rigger
brush. I placed central dots in a few of the
suckers and fine shadow lines along the
T o p t ip
Use Quina
Scarlet wacridone Burnt
a substitutercolour as
outline edges of some of the limbs. rust ink aten for the
8 Apply patterns
I added a small eye with the rigger and
Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet, allowing it to dry
Ochre mdixRed
before adding a white gouache highlight;
then used Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet to
add some patterning and markings to the
body to finish.
This is an edited extract from Jean’s new book,
Atmospheric Animals in Watercolour, published
by Search Press. www.searchpress.com
 e vo

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Artists & Illustrators 65
Painting Clouds
TECHNIQUE

John Constable, Cloud Study, Hampstead,

Tree at Right, 1821, oil on paper laid on
board, 24x30cm
The huge variety of tones and hues creates
an exciting sky with a wonderful feeling
of movement. The rapid, expressive and
economic brushstrokes that were an
increasing element of the artist’s later
career are clearly visible.
 TECHNIQUE

With a little inspiration from

John Constable and a clever use
of warm colours and softer edges,
GRAHAME BOOTH shows that
the sky’s the limit when it comes
to painting clouds
I n almost every landscape painting, clouds will play an
important part. There are exceptions, of course: a
cloudless blue sky makes a summer day extremely
pleasant, even if it lacks artistic interest, and when the
sky takes up only a tiny part of the painting, a simple,
often cloudless sky avoids any conflict of interest with the
main focus.
In most cases, however, a cloudy sky is integral to
adding interest to a landscape painting. Two of Britain’s
most famous painters, John Constable and JMW Turner,
were reputedly great rivals in their lifetime and although
their styles were clearly different, both definitely
understood the value of a dramatic sky in a painting.
Late Constable, an exhibition of the former artist’s later
work, is currently on show at London’s Royal Academy of
Arts and presents a wonderful opportunity to see just how
important skies were to his paintings. Both Constable and
Turner filled sketchbooks with what were essentially sky
studies, but it is impossible to know how literal these were.
Skies change rapidly, often by the minute so did these
painters pick a moment and paint that or did they instead
paint the essence of what they were seeing? I like to think
it would be the latter.
In a painting, it is much more important for a sky to be
appropriate, rather than accurate. After all, no one will
ever be able to compare your painted sky to the real thing
in that moment. I do wonder how often do we follow these
great painters and actually practise skies? A watercolour
sky can be particularly problematic. Overworking will
destroy the essential freshness and so it is vital that the
sky is painted quickly, very wet and with as few strokes
as possible. The sky can often make up two thirds of
a landscape painting and, as it is usually painted first,

HOW TO PAINT...

1
STORM CLOUDS
Prepare two mixes in
advance: a dilute, weak
1 Burnt Sienna mix and a
strong mix of Phthalo Blue
Green Shade and Cadmium
2 Red, which is perfect for a
stormy grey.
Apply the strong storm
mix to your paper with a
large wash brush.

2 Now immediately paint

the weak Burnt Sienna
mix below this, touching the
bottom of your storm cloud
and continue down
the paper.
If all goes well, you will get
a nice suggestion of distant
rain as the darker wash gently
moves down the paper.

Artists & Illustrators 67

TECHNIQUE

exciting sky literally pale into insignificance as the painting

develops? There is much to be said for delaying the
The blue of the sky can have only painting of the sky and there is no reason not to do so
in many cases. Unless there are a number of complex
one layer... A blue sky is seamless shapes that overlap the sky, leaving it until later in the
and so needs a seamless wash process should make it easier to better judge its strength.
Irrespective of which stage it comes, it is vital that
you are confident in the methods and techniques of
painting skies, particularly in watercolour. The first thing
to remember is that the blue part of the sky can have only
the artist needs to take a big breath and summon up a one layer. A blue sky is seamless and so needs a seamless
certain level of confidence, not so much that the sky will wash. Any hard lines or edges that form within it either
be successful but rather that it doesn’t matter if it is a from premature drying or over painting will completely
disaster. An enthusiastic sky will always have more vitality destroy the illusion.
than a timid one. Clouds are slightly different. There can be many layers of
One problem with painting the sky first is that because clouds in a sky, so in many ways these are more forgiving
there is nothing else on the paper, there is nothing to than a plain blue sky and it will be the quality of their
compare and balance it with. How often does a seemingly edges that will largely determine the success. My usual
test in determining whether to use a
hard or soft edge is to decide if there
HOW TO PAINT... LIGHT CLOUDS is a physical connection – a physical
connection would normally indicate
a soft edge whereas a disconnect
would suggest a hard edge. A cloud
is clearly not “connected” to the blue
of the sky but a complete hard edge
that may be indicated by this advice
simply doesn’t work. The edges of
1 3 most clouds tend not to stop abruptly,

1 3
instead gradually dissipating in a way
Prepare a strong mix of Cobalt Blue and water Continue down the paper, repeating steps 1 that is best suggested with a soft or
on your palette. Load a wash brush with the and 2 to add more blue and more cloud mix. a broken edge.
mix and paint your sky leaving a rough, cloud- Remember that lower clouds will be further away As with most paintings, I find a
shaped space. Angle your paper to allow the paint so making them smaller will increase the feeling blend of hard and soft edges usually
to flow down – the greater the angle, the greater of depth. This method is sufficient to create the works best. Working very wet, I have
the flow. My board is at roughly 40-45 degrees. wispy, hazy cirrus type of cloud. the opportunity to drop in stronger
values to suggest either darker clouds
or the shadows of lighter clouds and,
if things are approaching the point of
no return, I can simply spray the area
with a mist of water and try again.
The key is keeping everything very wet
while making adjustments but then
leaving it alone once the sky begins
to dry, and only trying something else
once it is completely dry.
One final word on colour. Clouds
usually look better when painted
slightly warm, rather than left as the
white of the paper. A very dilute Burnt
Sienna is a safer option than using
a weak yellow for this. If the orange-
2 4 brown of the Burnt Sienna blends

2 4
Clean your brush. Make a weak mix of
Burnt Sienna with water on your palette.
With a full brush of the Burnt Sienna mix, fill in
the cloud space. Press harder with your brush
where the colours meet to control the strength
of the soft blend.
68 Artists & Illustrators
If you want more of a puffy, cumulus type
of cloud, scrunch a paper towel in the rough
shape of a brush and hold it around 3-5cm from
the tip. Use this to lift out a stronger harder edge.
Avoid pushing right down with the towel as this
can dry the edge too much.
with the blue of the sky, it will produce
a grey that is still suitable for clouds,
whereas a yellow may well produce an
unwelcome green if it inadvertently
mixes with the blue.
Late Constable runs until 13 February
2022 at the Royal Academy of Arts,
London. www.grahamebooth.com
Grahame Booth, View from Scrabo Hill,
watercolour on paper, 51x38cm
A suitable sky is more important than an
accurate sky. In reality, the clearing mist
was a flat, uninteresting grey. A little warm
yellow in the grey added atmosphere
without compromising the subject.

To p t i p
Vary h a
edges –ard nd soft
hard-edge an entirely
d c
like a cardloud looks
cut-outboard

EXERCISE
CLOUD STUDIES
If you hope to become proficient at loose, interesting and
exciting skies, the only way is with a lot of practise – not
complete paintings, but rather just cloud studies. When
practising, you should have no fears about “messing up”
and instead relish the opportunity to hone your skills and
have fun messing with the paint.
Practise pieces allows you to try things you would never try
in a “proper painting”. These started just as sky studies where
I tried different colours, lifting them out and dropping them in
just to see what would happen. When dried, I added a simple
suggestion of landscape or sea. Rather annoyingly, I often
prefer them to my more careful and considered paintings!

Artists & Illustrators 69

5. Atmospheric
PRINCIPLES OF DEPTH
Perspective
Figure Drawing author JAKE SPICER continues his series on
D
creating a sense of space in your drawings by looking at ways
to employ this naturally occurring effect
espite its associations
with misty mountains and
a sense of the sublime,
atmospheric perspective
refers not to the atmospheric drama
of a scene, but to the effects of
atmospheric particles on the
behaviour of light.
Particles in the air scatter light, so
that when light reflects off a distant
subject into our eyes, the amount of
air it has to travel through will affect
how clearly it can be perceived.
When the air is dense with smog or
water vapour, even relatively nearby
subjects will appear indistinct. The
tonal values of farther subjects will
70 Artists & Illustrators
tend towards a mid-tone, while nearer
subjects retain a broader tonal range
of light lights and dark darks.
On a clear day, it will take a much
greater distance for atmospheric
perspective to have an effect, playing
out across many miles and giving rise
to the increasingly indistinct tonal
values of a receding landscape.
Across these distances a second
effect of atmospheric perspective
comes into play – as well as being
less tonally distinct, more distant
subjects appear bluer than their
nearer counterparts. This is for the
same reason that the sky often
appears blue: the participles in our
atmosphere scatter shorter
wavelength blue light most readily,
the light from distant mountains
will be mixed in with the blue light
scattered by the air in between.
The more air you are looking through,
the bluer and less tonally distinct
your subject will appear.
We can of course use this
knowledge to help us recognise these
visual affects when they occur in a
landscape, but we can do much more ABOVE Distant
than that. In this article we’re going to subjects appear
look at how you can apply the visual bluer and less
cues of atmospheric perspective to tonally distinct
imply depth in spaces where we than their nearer
wouldn’t normally observe its effects. counterparts.
1

TIPS
Below are four ways in which atmospheric
perspective can be incorporated into paintings
– and not just landscapes.
Tip 1: Shift tones
Areas of light mid-tone with low tonal
contrast naturally seem to recede,
while tonal extremes and areas of
high contrast appear to leap forward
Unless we found ourselves inside Anthony Gormley’s
Blind Light installation – the immersive glass box filled
with mist and white light that was the centrepiece of the
sculptor’s 2007 exhibition at London’s Hayward Gallery
– we’d never expect to see the effects of atmospheric
perspective playing out within an interior.
Nevertheless, you can still borrow those same tonal
effects to use in an interior or a still life by making a
more distant object less tonally distinct than one which
lies closer to us. It is a technique used in historical
painting and prints, but also widely used in cartoons,
illustrations and graphic novels.
Artists & Illustrators 71
PRINCIPLES OF DEPTH 2

Tip 2: Control temperature

Cool, pale colours seem to recede while
warm, intense colours advance towards us
The visual conditioning instilled in us by the effects of
atmospheric perspective can be used to enhance the
feeling of depth in any image. By choosing bluer colour
palettes for more distant subjects and warmer, vibrant
colours for the foreground you can enhance the sense
of space and distance in your image.
A knowledge of this effect might also inform how you
chose to place objects in a still life or affect how you
choose to dress subjects in a street scene – for example,
you might place a blue object towards the back to
emphasise the depth or paint a figure wearing oranges
and reds towards the front of a composition.
3

Tip 3: Change focus

Tonal contrast and colour can also be used
as a pictorial device to draw attention
We can use the same visual devices that make a near
subject appear close-by to create focus within a scene,
drawing the viewer’s eye into a particular area of the
picture plane. Strong tonal contrasts and warm colours
can be used to create an area of focus in a drawing while
reduced tonal contrast and a cooler colour scheme will
ensure other areas seem less important.
4

Tip 4: Single subject

The tone and colour shift that is associated
with vast distances can be applied to a
single, foreshortened subject
To further emphasise the receding nature of a
foreshortened subject, tricks of tone and colour shift
can be employed, even when no such effect could be
plausibly observed.
While accurate observation of a foreshortened
subject might help to emphasise depth through the
diminishing scale of its distant parts, the principles
of atmospheric perspective can go beyond the observed
qualities to create a more powerful illusion of space
in the image.

72 Artists & Illustrators


EXERCISE
Push and Pull
Each of the principles of depth we
have looked at in the articles in this
series – diminution, atmospheric
perspective and detail – can be
used as tools for emphasising or
reversing illusory depth on the
picture plane.
Once you have a grasp of
these principles and are able to
recognise them in your subject
you can start to play with them
in your images, magnifying
the effects of perspective to
exaggerate the illusion of depth
or reducing the expected effects
of perspective to deliberately
flatten an image. You’ll see this
push and pull in the work of artists
who combine representationalism
with abstraction – in Gustav
Klimt’s landscape paintings or the
imaginative tableau of Paula Rego,
for example.
We can take the shape-
based principles of diminution
like foreshortening and linear
perspective and combine them
with observationally accurate,
downplayed or exaggerated
atmospheric perspective to play
with our viewer’s perceptions. In
this exercise, the aim is to explore
how much control you can exercise
over the illusion of depth on the
picture plane, “pushing” deeper into
the pictorial space or “pulling” the
receding shapes back into the two-
dimensional plane of the paper like
a drawbridge. Make two drawings
from the same subject, one that
“pushes” into the picture plane,
and another that “pulls” the shapes
towards the viewer.
Next month: Jake looks at detail and
pattern. www.jakespicerart.co.uk
Reader offer – SAVE £9!
Artists & Illustrators readers can
buy Jake’s new book, Figure
Drawing, for a reduced price of £16,
including UK P&P. Order by calling
(01235) 759555 and quoting the
code: “9952100052”. Offer ends
20 January 2022.
PRINCIPLES OF DEPTH
Even
To p t i p
stoodwchloen figures are
exag se togeth
differegnecrating a tonaelr,
sense eofadds to the
depth
Drawing 1: Push
In the first drawing, your
aim is to use the visual
cues of atmospheric
perspective to exaggerate
the sense of depth in
your image – those
effects need not be
present in the subject
itself, so you can make
active choices to alter
the colour scheme or
the tonal balance of
the image to suit your
intentions.
Drawing 2: Pull
In the second drawing,
you will need to reverse
the visual effects of
atmospheric perspective
in the drawing to limit
the illusion of depth in
the picture, flattening the
image into interacting
shapes. In this version,
where the illusory aspect
of the drawing is reduced,
the compositional
qualities of the picture
will come to the fore.
Artists & Illustrators 73
3. Varying
STILL LIFE WORKSHOP

Edges
Ask an Artist’s PETER KEEGAN concludes his three-part still
life painting workshop by showing how variety at the edges
can really add an extra dimension to your art
 STILL LIFE WORKSHOP

O ne of the most important aspects of painting

that often gets forgotten about is edges.
When artists talk about edges, they are usually
referring to the way brushstrokes merge or
combine with other brushstrokes, creating a diverse range
of painterly effects. Edges occur in a number of ways and
factors that can determine how an edge appears include
the amount of paint you have on the brush, the amount
of weight you apply to the brush, how much you overlap
brushstrokes, and the ways in which you blend, merge
or manipulate a brushstroke once it’s applied.
With all those options, edges are a key element to
consider when it comes to developing your own style.
The way you apply each brushstroke is completely unique
to you – much like handwriting – and can often tell us much
about the style or method of an individual artist. One need
only to compare the dancing, dabbing brushwork of Claude Soft edge
Monet with the strong rigid marks of Vincent van Gogh or Two strokes merged
the silky slick applications of John Singer Sargent, for into one another Hard edge
example, and it will soon become clear how differently Two clear strokes,
each artist touched and interacted with the brush and no real blend
canvas. That personal touch is unique to each artist and
something worth developing.
Lost edge
How to vary edges No clean edge
The exploration and use of a variety of edges in a work can seen at all
give a painting a greater visual statement and interest, as
well as being able to convey a greater range of surfaces
and optical effects. The main types of edges are shown
in the top right picture. EDGE OPTIONS
Edge variety can be achieved in a number of ways.
First is the type of brush you use. A soft brush like a sable
will give a soft, blended edge if little paint is used where
a harder line can be achieved if the paint it wetter. A hog
will give a more coarse, strong and textured mark and
range of edges. Hard synthetic brushes are particularly
good for giving very hard and crisp edges.
The amount of paint and pressure you apply to the brush
will also greatly change the type of edge you get. Heavy
paint and hard pressure on a brush unsurprisingly give you
harder edges whereas less paint and gentle application
gives you softer edges. Other painting tools can also
change the way paint can look on the canvas. Palette
knifes provide wonderful crisp edges when fully loaded
with paint but are equally good at softening an edge when
scraping or rubbing the paint away with a clean blade.
Other studio tools like rags, sponges toothbrushes or even
your fingers all have their special way of applying paint
creating an endless world of edge possibilities.
A note on surfaces
The surface or ground you work on will also enhance
or reduce the way you can explore a range of edges.
An absorbent, rough surface is great for highly-textured
marks and broken edges, but less than ideal for soft
blending or crisp edges. For those artists looking for a
support perfect for soft transitional edges then opt for a
smooth surface, like a linen canvas or a gesso-covered
board that’s been lightly sanded down.
Artists & Illustrators 75
STILL LIFE WORKSHOP
ORIGINAL SET-UP DEMO
Subject
For this painting, I chose to paint a
scene that gave a range of exciting
edges to play with. A shiny pot and
knife provided me opportunities to
explore some interesting reflections
and the smooth skin of the red plums
had their own softer reflections on
them. Compositionally, the knife
provided a dramatic compositional
pull into the set-up and I liked the
balance of the warm plums against
the cooler blues and whites.
Materials
Paints
Titanium White, Yellow Lake, Yellow
Ochre, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson,
Transparent Oxide Red, Cobalt Blue,
Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna, all
Michael Harding oil colours
Brushes
Rosemary & Co. Ivory short flat
brushes, sizes 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10
Support
Plywood board, 21x21cm, primed with
Michael Harding Non-Absorbent
Acrylic Primer
Low-odour solvent
Rags
1
Process
I began by giving the board a wash
of Transparent Oxide Red as this
gave a good mid-tone to work against,
1 as well as acting as a contrasting
warm colour to what will be an overall
2 3
76 Artists & Illustrators
cooler painting. Once applied, I wiped
away the greasy moisture of the
residue oil paint to give a smooth,
thin, even coverage
Using a size 2 brush, I then began
plotting the placement of what was in
front of me, starting with the central
plums, followed by the plate and shiny
background pot. I left the tricky knife
to the end which helped me to keep it
in proportion and avoid it dominating
the scene. I then shaded in the
darkest tonal areas to provide a sense
of shape and form.
2 I started the block-in stage by
painting the brightest, boldest
colours of the plums. I made the main
bold red colour by mixing Cadmium
Red and a little Alizarin Crimson with
my largest, size 10 brush.
I established the first main
brushstroke in a single bold mark,
keeping this as untouched, blended
or fussed over as possible for the rest
of the painting. As the red got darker,
I added a little more Alizarin Crimson
to the mixture. Note that I kept all the
brushstrokes straight, rather than
curving to follow the form of the fruit.
3
I blocked in the darker shadows
of the plums. I used a mix of
Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson
for this to get the warm dark shadow
under the plums and then added a
dash of Titanium White to this purple
mixture to indicate the lighter areas of
 STILL LIFE WORKSHOP

the plums. I allowed the brushstrokes

to merge into one another, creating
soft edges as opposed to harder ones.
These softer edges will help the fruit
appear more three dimensional.

4 When painting the shadows under

and around the plums and
silverware, I avoided loading the brush
with paint to help the strokes work into
one another without getting muddy.
I used a size 4 brush for this, mixing
Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna and a
little Titanium White to achieve a range
of cool and dark greys. When painting
shadows you can really enhance your
lost edges to help contrast the harder
edges found in the highlights.

5 I made paler greys by adding more

Titanium White to the mix to show
the reflection in the silver pot and also
in the handle of the knife. Where
possible, I tried to do this with one
single, continuous brushstroke. I then
painted in the sandy, warmer colours
seen behind the knife, made by mixing
Yellow Ochre and a little of the pale
blue-grey mixture. Notice how the
complete brushstroke helps create
an exaggerated edge along the knife.

6 I now swapped to a size 8 brush

to paint in the blues and whites of
the scene. I made this using a mixture
of Ultramarine Blue, a little Cobalt
Blue and Titanium White. The blue 4
strokes enhanced the warm Burnt

5 6
Artists & Illustrators 77
STILL LIFE WORKSHOP

7
Sienna underpainting, making use of
the optical effect of complementary
colours. I continued blocking in the
lighter tones and reflections on the
plate. Since these were the lightest
tonal areas of the whole painting,
these were painted thickest of all.

7 It’s at this point where one is most

at risk of overworking the painting,
by fussing and fiddling away all of the
expressive, confident painterly marks
put down in the block-in. Only work on
parts of the painting that matter – the
parts that you established at the
beginning that are the most important
to you. Resolve these first before you
move on to other less important parts
of the painting that may not need any
additional brushwork.
I wanted to soften the reflections on
the silver pot but not the plain blue
area on the top left-hand side. In the
second image, I softened the edge of
the plums against the white of the
plate with a clean softer brush to
enhance the roundness of the fruit,
which in turn contrasted nicely with
the hard edge of the plate’s rim.

8 The end result was a painting that

had a wide range of edges and
brushstrokes, which not only provided
more interest to the viewer but also
gave me a more diverse means of
describing the complex shapes and
8 textures before me.
www.peterkeegan.com
78 Artists & Illustrators
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Artists & Gilding Materials
London EC1M 5QA
Tel: 020 7253 1693
info@stuartstevenson.co.uk
To advertise here please call 020 7349 3702
LONDON
LONDON GRAPHIC CENTRE
16-18 Shelton Street
Covent Garden WC2H 9JL
Tel: 020 7759 4500
www.londongraphics.co.uk
The largest Art & Graphic supplies
retailer in Central London.
Thousands of products across
hundreds of brands at great prices!
INTAGLIO PRINTMAKER
The Specialist Supplier
of Fine Art Printmaking Products
9 Playhouse Court,
62 Southwark Bridge Road,
London SE1 0AT
Tel: 020 7928 2633
Fax: 020 7928 2711
info@intaglioprintmaker.com
www.intaglioprintmaker.com
Wide range of tools available to try
in our store (near Tate Modern).
SOMERSET/ DORSET
ART4ALL & ARTYCRAFTY
5 Market Square
Crewkerne TA18 7LE
Tel: 01460 78574
www.art4allframing.co.uk
www.artycraftysupplies.co.uk
Bespoke framers, art, craft, hobby
supplies. Open 6 days a week
EASY PARKING.
SUFFOLK / NORFOLK
GOSLINGS
50 Station Road, Sudbury,
Suffolk C010 2SP
Tel: 01787 371932
A family run business specialising
in Bespoke Picture Framing and
Artist Materials
NORTH YORKSHIRE
THE ARTIST’S PALETTE
1 Millgate, Thirsk,
North Yorkshire YO7 1AA
Tel: (01845) 574457
Independent stockists of fine art
materials by Winsor & Newton,
Sennelier, Golden, Faber Castell
etc; Wide range of papers,
crafts, kits and models. Friendly
knowledgeable service from
experienced art tutor.
WEST MIDLANDS
HARRIS MOORE
Fine Art Supplies
Unit 12 Minerva Works
158 Fazeley Street
Birmingham B5 5RT
Tel: 0121 633 3687
sales@harrismoorecanvases.co.uk
www.harrismoore.co.uk
Specialists in Artists Canvases and
Professional Painting Supplies.
 If you’re engaged with
the world, you’re never
going to be short of
creative inspiration
My new Conscious Creativity cards help with
creative flow. If you’re feeling a bit stuck or want to
break a pattern, you can pick a card for a prompt that
will spark up your creativity again. It’s like having a
creative thought on your shoulder.
I’m really big on process over outcome. In the
theatre, you have weeks of dedicated rehearsal

Ph ilia
time and it’s always the fun part. It’s laid a very firm
foundation for me in my art, as I value the experience
of creating more than the final product.
MEET THE ARTIST
I love Golden’s Crackle Paste. I often cover a canvas
with it before I start painting as it provides a foundation
layer I really enjoy working on. It does its own thing,
it’s something completely out of my control within
a painting.

STANTON
The former stage actor on painting with
synaesthesia, valuing the process and reigniting
creativity. Interview: REBECCA BRADBURY
Everything inspires me. I only have to open my eyes;
it’s about looking and observing. If you’re engaged
with the world, you’re never going to be short of
creative inspiration.
Kassia St Clair’s book, The Secret Lives of Colour,
was so interesting. It has given me a much deeper
knowledge about the history of pigments and colours
and what we take for granted in our everyday.
Painting using my synaesthesia feels like I’m
painting the abstract in my head. It’s usually the
sounds, smells and tastes that are around me. I don’t
purposely go and find weird things to paint.
Anyone can open the door to synaesthesia.
I recommend spending time consciously listening with
your eyes shut and working out where in your head it is.
I’ve got exercises in my book, Conscious Creativity:
The Workbook, to help people try to access it.
If I could only look at one artist’s work ever again
it would be Mark Rothko. His work feels so full of
emotion. I remember my art teacher saying, “He paints
what he sees when he closes his eyes” – I loved that.
What I need more than anything sometimes is to
take time out. I don’t often need a creative boost,
but I benefit from just trying to be and trying not to
N O T N ATS A P P I L I H P ©

produce anything.
Philippa’s Conscious Creativity cards are published by
The Ivy Press. www.5ftinf.com
82 Artists & Illustrators
 THE HEATHERLEY
SCHOOL OF FINE ART
Chelsea • Established 1845

Part Time Day & Evening Courses

Enrolling now!
HEATHERLEYS
MAHGNINRAF NAHTANOJ

A range of courses for beginners as well as more experienced artists

Also: Full time Diploma courses in portraiture and sculpture
Painting • Ceramics • Life Drawing • Watercolour
Printmaking • Portraiture • Sculpture
www.heatherleys.org
75 Lots Road, London, SW10 0RN
Telephone: 020 7351 4190 Email: info@heatherleys.org
 Fighting Talk
One boy’s journey from
abandonment to Trafalgar

15 October 2021
to 27 February 2022

foundlingmuseum.org.uk
Free for under 21s
Russell Square