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Volume 2

22
step-by-step
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Pastels

Charcoal & oils Expressive art

Edition
Digital
4TH EDITION

Get expressive Capture a seascape Re-create nature

VOLUME 2

Work with charcoal and oils for Use a light touch to Be creative with watercolours,
a van Gogh-style self-portrait achieve spontaneous results gouache and printing techniques
 Welcome to

COLLECTION
Creating a piece of art is a rewarding,
challenging and very personal endeavour
– the Paint & Draw Collection Volume 2 is
here to take you through that journey from
start to finish. Art is subjective, and many
artists tend to stick to one medium. Whether
you are interested in oil painting,
watercolours, pencil sketching or pastel
work, there’s something for you.
From quick, bitesized tips to in-depth
tutorials that will guide you from initial
sketch to finished piece, learn how to
develop your skills and produce your best
work yet. You’ll be able to experiment with an
unfamiliar medium thanks to the step-by-
step tutorials and quick tips that cover
everything from essential pencil shading
techniques to getting the most out of plein
air painting.
Over the course of the book you’ll learn to
paint portraits like van Gogh, and add final
flourishes to your still-life like Cézanne.
Create a floral masterpiece inspired by the
17th-century Dutch masters, perfect pet
portraiture and re-create nature and urban
life, with tips from Georgia Cox, Robert
Brindley, David Farren and more.
 COLLECTION
Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA

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Paint & Draw Collection Volume 2 Fourth Edition (CTB4252)
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Contents
Workshop s
8 32 Paint an epic New York Scene
Bitesize tips Paint with expressive strokes
Improve your
skills with these
38 Improve your pencil shading
Capture a pet’s unique personality
94
Add dramatic
quick tips
48 Simplify painting with a
strong composition
light to your wildlife
Capture the charm of a summer garden
paintings
54 Create a self-portrait with just
58
Use a
four colours
Capture your own likeness in oils
light touch
58 Use a light touch for
spontaneous results
Discover the versatility of pastels
64
Tips to paint 64 Tips to paint vibrant water
vibrant water Find out the secret to realistic reflections
68 Depict a dynamic
98
Make
urban environment
Snap shot urban life in oils
spontaneous
bees and 78 Capture a night atmosphere
butterflies David Farren creates an after-dark scene
84 Create a modern Impressionist
scene in four stages
Paint a lively indoor scene
88 Draw a figure in under
five minutes
Chris Legaspi gives tips for quick figures
94 Add dramatic light to your
wildlife paintings
Paint warm sunlight to add depth
98 Make spontaneous bees
and butterflies
Create unique art with wet-in-wet watercolour
6
 48
Capture
38
Improve
the charm your pencil
of summer shading
104 Paint your pet from a photo
Re-create the fluffy fur of your animals
110 Find joy in painting outdoors 84
Create
Get the most out of plein air painting
a modern
114 Express your abstract scenes Impressionist
with texture scene
Paint expressive landscapes
120 Capture spring light
in watercolour
Paint a rural scene with crisp light
126 Use a rich colour palette
Create a flower composition 120
Capture
136 Improve portraits with layers Spring light
Gradually add detail for an
engaging portrait 126
Use a rich
140 Paint your family
Sue Sareen shares methods colour palette
for painting children

P ain t like
42 Paint like… Monet
Re-create ‘The Magpie’ with Robert Lunn
72 Paint like… Cézanne 136
Improve
Robert Lunn explores colour
portraits
130 Paint like… van Gogh with layers
Rob Lunn reveals how to build a self-portrait
7
Bitesize tips

i
Bites ze t ip s
Whether you have half an hour or an afternoon to spare, follow these
quick, simple and fun tips and start experimenting with your art today

Experiment with
Brusho ink pigments
BRUSHO is a highly concentrated
watercolour ink powder. The pigments
produce vibrant colours, but can be
toned down with water. It’s a very
versatile medium, which suits our
colourful subjects well! Here, I will take
you through a selection of techniques
that create some very interesting effects.

JILL TISBURY
Northamptonshire, UK
Jill is an artist and tutor who
specialises in wildlife. She
loves to experiment, but her
two main passions are pastels
and airbrushing (acrylics).
www.jilltisbury.co.uk

WATCH THE
VIDEO
http://bit.ly/pad_parrots

Red-crowned parrots
Pen and wash on paper

8
 Quick tips

Follow these steps...

1
I’ve drawn my image using a DotsPen on watercolour
paper using permanent ink, so that it doesn’t run
when the colour is applied. I’ve applied masking fluid
for areas that I want to keep white, as well as a wax resist
for more broken areas.

2
Brusho can be messy, so I use tracing paper to
create a mask to cover the birds while I paint the
background. I wet the area and sprinkle the dry
pigments so they ‘bloom’ in the water. This gives an
abstract result – you’ll never get the same result twice! 1
Use a water to dampen the paper more, if it needs it.

2 3

3
I want to pick out the heads and feet in a fairly 4
detailed way to contrast with the background, so
I switch to a size 2 brush and use the pigment more
like watercolour. I mix it with water and work from light to
dark on the beaks and face. For the most vibrant areas
I use pure pigment and just touch it into the damp paper

4
For the main green of the parrots and the brown
branch, I lay a flat wash, varying the colour
strength or overwashing grey to define form. I use
dry pigment on a flat brush and work into the damp areas
to stipple in the texture. Finally, I strengthen the dark
areas to punch out the contrasts. I remove any masking
when the piece is completely dry.

Shake it all about!

Punch holes in tub lids with a darning needle and sprinkle
the pigment like a salt-shaker. Use a spare piece of
watercolour paper to test the strength or shade of your
colour before committing it to your work.

9
 This sketch uses each of
the techniques: diagonal
shading, directional
hatching and smeared
graphite with lift-outs

Follow these steps...

1
This diagonal shading style 1
feels the most comfortable
to me. I like how directional
lines help unify a piece. I find this
style can help when you’re
working out value structure, and
it’s nice to keep the pencil
moving fairly continuously.
However, the downside is it can
get a bit indistinct in tightly
detailed areas, and maybe feel a
bit staid.

2
2 This hatch style with
widely spaced, deliberate
marks tends to abstract
out the different areas of tone.
It’s distinctive, but it does
require more planning ahead as
well as control. You can
sometimes lose your way if
focus goes astray. These kinds
of marks can often bring some
energy into the drawing. You can
Combine different shading easily direct the viewer’s eye
techniques with graphite pencil within the image.

3
Smearing the graphite can 3
THERE ARE MANY WAYS to create shading give quite an ethereal
effects with graphite, but it’s also effective when you effect, and it always gives
combine several techniques. It can add more me new ideas about the sketch.
personality and diversity to your sketching. Many Here I’ve reduced nearly
distinctive techniques overlay and interact with each everything to white, black and an
other, which in turn can help inspire you as you extensive middle tone. I shape
explore your image. the tip of a kneaded eraser by
Since I was a child, I shaded with all my strokes in hand to lift out areas for
one diagonal direction. However, a few years ago, highlights and special effects.
I began to use hatching-style strokes with a more I also pay attention to where
constructed, less organic feeling. That offered some I can lose edges to good effect.
interesting results, and made me more receptive to It’s a really fun technique!
trying other techniques. Recently, after seeing some
thumbnail sketch examples that I liked the look of,
I’ve experimented with smearing the graphite with a
sponge or my finger, and lifting out areas using a
shaped kneaded eraser. This can be quite distinctive Sand it down!
DAVE BRASGALLA
and lovely, and playing with lost edges brings even Stockholm, Sweden Some pencil sharpeners can
more character to this style. Dave is an illustrator, graphic break leads. I use small
As you gather together different shading designer and concept artist, sandpaper pads for varied tip
techniques, elements of each one will begin to show who also loves to pursue shapes – I can get points, flat
personal projects using
up in your regular work, and you’ll find yourself with traditional painting media.
edges and more. Plus you get
more options to work with when it’s time to resolve See more of his work at longer life from your pencils!
the different parts of your drawing. www.pixelhuset.se

10
 Quick tips

Paint vibrant petals

in watercolour
FLOWERS are always lovely subjects
to paint, but their complex petals can
often be difficult to get right. By looking
at the contrasting effects of highlights,
midtones and shadows on a single
petal, I will show you how to get a more
realistic, tonal appearance with just a
few techniques, and only three basic
mixes on the palette. WATCH THE
VIDEO
http://bit.ly/pad_petals

JARNIE GODWIN
London, UK Mixing Shadow Tones
Working as a botanical I always mix my own shadow tones using transparent red, With the fine details
watercolour artist, tutor and introduced, the complex
blue and yellow. Mixing the three primary colours together
blogger, Jarnie is known for tones and highlights
her quirky compositions will always create black. Many premixed greys contain emphasise the shape
of imperfect subjects. opaque pigments that can dull a mix. further, giving a more
www.sketchbooksquirrel.com realistic finish

Follow these steps...

1 2 3 4

1 2 3
After laying a glaze of clean Now onto the midtone. Shadows offer the deepest Working wet on dry, I apply
water, I drop in the lightest
colour. While the glaze is still
wet, I continue to build up the
This will form the actual
colour of the petal.
Working as before, I let the water
tones, and will give the
petal a three-dimensional
appearance. Another glaze helps
4 the deepest colour only
where I want it. This builds
more depth and movement with
tone where I need to by adding glaze settle, before dropping in the darkest paint spread, softly several layers of paint. I also
more touches of paint several the second colour. Keeping the building the deeper tones, and soften the edges with a clean,
times. Lifting colour with a clean, paint away from the brightest creating higher contrast and damp brush. The characteristic
damp brush maintains any highlight, I leave plenty of the tone. With more variation and markings are softened with
highlights and softens the finish. first wash visible. Again, I use contrast it will look more lifelike. several complex overglazes,
Let each layer dry, before a clean, damp brush to lift off At this stage, wet-on-dry details made by mixing the hues on the
applying the next. any unwanted colour. can also be introduced. palette together.

11
 My finished ‘kluk kluk’
bottle uses simplified,
shapes and lost edges to
convey the complex shape
of this famous glassware

Follow these steps...

1
For an interesting subject, 1
I’m using an antique
Holmegaard bottle I own
– the so-called ‘kluk kluk’ bottle,
named after the sound it makes
when pouring. They’re gorgeous,
strange and lots of fun! I start by
marking out the general shape of
the bottle, and the outlines of the
bigger shading areas. I’ve already
decided where I’m going to lose
some of the edges.

2
I aiming to have, roughly, a
three-value structure with
the paper as white, greyish
mid-tones in HB pencil, and dark
accents created with a 4B pencil.
I’m keeping the mid-tone fairly
uniform here, and will taper it off
to white where some deeper
shadows occur on the real
bottle. This reversed-value effect
will help the glass feel more
filled with light.

3
I have now captured most
Sketching glass in pencil of the effects – so, I’ve
started to hack in some
darker areas with the 4B pencil.
GLASS EFFECTS can be intimidating to re-create. I also decide to take some
Many artists will do detailed renderings, but it can be shading areas right outside of
difficult to keep focus over long tasks like that, the bottle’s shape. This kind of
picking up on every subtle difference and effect. technique helps keep me from
Here, I observe my subject – a shapely glass bottle getting too literal. I’m also
– and break it into areas of bigger shapes, giving a working to stay bold with my
pleasing effect with much less work! mark-making, and not devolve
into ‘noodling’.

DaVE BRaSGaLLa

4
At this point, I felt
some areas had become
a little too fussy, so I
went in with shaped kneaded
Push and pull eraser to lift out and clean up a
‘Lost’ edges can really elevate a piece. Look for places bit. I also look around for any
where this technique can aid your image – observe your other edges I can lose. Lastly,
reference closely, but loosen up where possible when I go back in with the 4B pencil
rendering it. Our minds really enjoy completing the in order to really push some
elements on our own! dark values that I hope will help
guide the viewer’s eye around
the image.

12
 Quick tips

WATCH THE
VIDEO
http://bit.ly/pad_leaf

Painting leaves with bends

and folds lifts a composition,
and gives interesting results

Observe leaf structures clearly

Follow these steps...

DRAWING BENDING LEAVES can be
difficult to get your head around, but here 1
I show you a neat little trick I picked up

1
from a fellow painter. It will help make Use a permanent marker pen to draw a
your drawings more accurate, as you see range of shapes on clear acetate. Always
how the direction of even the most start your leaf drawings with the centre
intricate of vein patterns change as the vein as this will ensure a more accurate
leaf bends and folds. representation. If you try to put in the centre
vein after you have drawn the outline, it can
JARNIE GODWIN look unrealistic. Now cut out the shapes.

2 3

2 3
As you manipulate the shape, you will You can now practice drawing the
Get ready to paint see how the centre vein changes leaves with different bends and folds,
Once you have a drawing you’re happy with, direction, or disappears behind the using the acetate shapes as a guide.
use tracing paper, a sharp H grade pencil, and folding surface, while remaining connected. Draw all the lines you can see, even the ones
a lightbox to lightly transfer the image onto After starting with simple shapes, move on to that will eventually become invisible against
hot-pressed paper ready for watercolour. leaves with more complicated vein patterns. the surface of the actual leaf. Any lines you
Note how the direction of the lateral veins no longer need, can be erased, and you will
change once the leaf is bent. be left with a more solid shape.

13
Bitesize tips

Creative textures with an airbrush

JILL TISBURY
Northampton, England
WORKING with an airbrush requires do with the washing up sitting in the Jill is an artist and tutor who
specialises in wildlife. She
some out-of-the-box thinking, but the kitchen sink – I’ll be working out if I can
loves to experiment, but her
end results can be rewarding. spray through them to create some two main passions are pastels
If I’m ever caught studying pan- wonderful texture! After this, shopping and airbrushing (acrylics).
scourers, rest assured it’s got nothing to trips will never be the same again… www.jilltisbury.co.uk

14
 Quick tips

Follow these steps... 2

1
These are just some of the items
collected or made that create great
textures. Broom bristles are great for
developing hair or fur, while pan-scourers
make for fantastic rocky surfaces. Florists
often wrap bouquets in interesting textured
fabrics that are useful for spraying
undergrowth tangles. Gather a selection of
such items, divide a work-board into sections
with masking tape and start experimenting.

2
Materials, such as this bag that once 3
held some satsumas, might need
taping in place to keep them flat
against the surface. This will ensure that you
develop a crisp edge. Try out different colour
layers and see what happens when you
spray through another texture layer. Take
care not to saturate the fabric that you’re
spraying, though. Use short bursts to keep it
relatively dry, and wipe any excess off on a
piece of kitchen towel.

3
Transparent Mylar sheets are useful
for creating your own stencils or
shaped shields. You’ll save money and
it’s more rewarding, too. If you want to
develop sharp edges in your art, shields are
best held flat against the surface. Holding a
shield slightly off the surface will diffuse an
edge. Spray onto the edge of the shield and
let the overspray do the work.

4
Using masking film enables you to 4
overspray areas safe in the knowledge
that you won’t ruin the piece. I cut out
and remove the pebble shapes, then use a lolly WATCH THE
stick or old pencil to bounce the overspray to VIDEO
create a very effective spatter effect. Remove http://bit.ly/pad7_texture
the background film and cover the pebbles
with the pieces you removed, then spray the
shadows without affecting the pebbles.

15
 Some darks-against-lights were added at the end
of this watercolour sketch, but first I did the
negative painting, as I describe below

Negative painting in watercolour

Follow these steps...
1
NEGATIVE PAINTING refers to painting 1
This is a simple demonstration of a
the negative shapes that define positive useful exercise. First, paint a rectangular
ones. This is especially important with section of paper with a two-colour wash,
traditional watercolour, where painting blue at the top and a pale hay colour at the
things as light-against-dark means the bottom. They can blend together for a
white of the paper must be preserved soft-edged join. Don’t worry about
(rather than using white paint as is perfection, but aim for half and half of each
done with opaque media). So, instead colour. Now let the paper dry completely.
of painting the object, you paint the

2
object’s background. 2 Using a thick dark-green mix and a
large synthetic brush (which will
enable you to work quickly), paint in
two bits of hedgerow. These overlap where
JEM BOWDEN the background colours merge. You can draw
Bristol, England
the main shapes in pencil first if you like, but
Jem paints and teaches
watercolour full time, with here I’m just drawing with the brush, which is
a focus on landscapes. He good practice for mark-making.
gives demonstrations, runs
workshops, and tutors on
residential painting holidays. 3 4
http://bit.ly/jembowden

3 4
Now use a combination of downwards Here’s another negative-painting
and upwards brush strokes at the method for some fence posts. First,
bottom of the hedge sections. Here briskly make horizontal and vertical
you’re defining the long grass and weeds in scrape marks in the still-damp hedge. I find a
front of the hedge, and you have to think fingernail works well for this, but you could
negatively while being quick! In addition, try anything hard, such as a matchstick. The
paint a gate, posts and some growth on top relatively thick paint will lift off to reveal the
of the hedge. You need to do all this while the underlying wash, and voilà – you have your
paint is still wet. lights-against-darks!

16
 Quick tips

Tips and tricks for Airbrushes including reassembly diagrams Low-ammonia window cleaner
cleaning your airbrush
Dessert Primary
Kitchen roll containers airbrush
CLEANING AN AIRBRUSH can seem cleaner
fiddly if you’re not used to it (and it can
be expensive if you get it wrong). Here,
I provide some helpful tips to make the Water
whole process easier.

Jill TilsbURY
Cotton buds

Follow these steps...

Plastic
Cleaning kit shot glass

1
First set up your working space. Make
sure you have everything you need to Cleaning
hand. I use two clear pots: one to hold tools
the cleaner and the other for the water. If the
cleaner is clear in colour, label the pots, so 1
you can tell the two apart.

2
Your airbrush should have an assembly 2
diagram with it. If not, you ought to be
able to find one for your model on the
internet. It’ll come in useful if this is the first
time you’ve taken it apart. Remove the needle
and clean any paint off with an airbrush wipe
or kitchen roll dampened with cleaner. Take
care not to damage it, then set it aside.

WATCH THE
VIDEO
http://bit.ly/pad7_clean

3
Remove each part and place it in the
cleaner solution. If you have any
stubborn paint residue, soak the parts 4
overnight. Otherwise, soak for about 15
minutes, then remove and clean each piece.

4
Pay attention to the paint cup and nozzle head Cleaned and rinsed, it’s time for reassembly. Refer to the assembly diagram if you’re not
where the paint pools. Use the specialised clear on what goes where. Don’t cross-thread any parts and be gentle when inserting the
brushes dipped in cleaner to scrub out any needle so as not to bend the tip. Connect to the air supply, add water to the paint cup
residue. Drop each piece in the water to rinse. and test your clean airbrush. Finally, blow air through to dry if you’re not using immediately.

17
Bitesize tips
bitesize

Paint spring foliage The dry-brush method

using a dry-brush contrasts nicely with the
wet-into-wet background
watercolour technique hill and sky. It’s also been
used elsewhere in this
small painting

THIS PROCESS shows a method for

depicting trees when you want your
foliage and branches unified as one.
It’s the effect we generally get when
looking towards the light. You’ll see less
‘internal’ detail and variation of tone
and colour. Things become silhouetted
and it’s more the outside edges of
shapes that define them.

JEM BOWDEN

Follow these steps…

1 2 3

1 2 3
It’s best to use either Rough or Not Using the tip of the brush, draw out Next, use the side of your brush without
surface paper for this effect. Load a some fine lines as the branches of the re-loading it, so it’s quite dry. Test on
medium-sized brush with fairly thick tree. However, don’t add too many – some scrap paper first, before dragging
paint. Then begin the tree by squashing the just think of the biggest branches. At the the brush across the surface of the paper. If
brush against the paper firmly at the base of moment the tree looks like a winter one, but you’re happy, start at the outside of the tree
its ivy-covered trunk. Drag the brush quickly in the next step we’ll add the budding spring and make drags inwards. You may have to
upwards along its length, so it leaves a mark foliage – you’ll see that you don’t need to press the brush a bit, but go cautiously at first.
that’s broken by the paper surface. paint hundreds of branches. It can almost be like shading with a crayon.

4
4 Use the same method to describe the
hedgerow. Mix up your marks using the
side and tip of the brush, pressing
down firmly as you drag when you need a
stronger, more solid mark. Finally, dampen
the brush to enable you to make a cleaner
edge along the bottom of the hedgerow
where it meets the grass. This will contrast
nicely with the rougher top edge.

18
 Quick tips

Blending with
coloured pencils
TO GET THE MOST from coloured
pencils, we can take advantage of their
semi-transparent nature and mix
complexity into the tones. Rather than A top tip on tips!
Vary the pencil
relying upon the individual and flat
sharpness from
colour of each pencil, mixing the colours sharp to dull points
will make things more dynamic. Having for a more random
some knowledge of colour theory can be application of colour.
useful, but this is also a great
Blend scale (left)
opportunity to experiment! In this
Blending and smoothing variations: normal
article, I’ll be using a complementary gradient with overlapping colours (left); colourless
red applied over greens to darken and blender (middle); white coloured pencil (right).
slightly neutralise the tone.
Pressure scale (below)
Pressure will create a noticeable difference in
texture. Shown here from left to right: light
STEVEN HUGHES pressure, normal pressure and heavy pressure.
Michigan, USA
Steven is associate professor
of illustration at Northern
Michigan University. His art
has been featured in many
exhibitions and publications,
including The New York Times.
www.primaryhughes.com

Follow these steps…

1 2 3 4

1 2 3
Using a light colour, start by We’re working light to Continuing to work with Finally, darker green,
drawing the contour of your
subject. Using the local
colour on the pear is a good way
dark, so this stage will
identify the highlights,
lightest tones and establish a
a sharp pencil, apply the
colours that create a
feeling of local colour for the
4 brown, and red-violet are
used to define the core
shadow and darker parts of the
to hide the original drawing. base colour that will mix with pear – I’m using different pear. The shadow on the ground
Graphite lines often remain the layers applied on top. With shades of yellow-green and has been darkened with layers of
visible and can dirty the colour. light pressure and a sharp point, green. Looking at mid-tones, blue-violet and dark brown.
Here, I’m working on a white lay a warm yellow over all the the pear is a mixture of colour, Lighter colours (slightly grey
vellum Bristol surface. When pear except for the highlights. rather than a single flat version versions of yellow-orange, yellow-
selecting your paper, aim for a I’ve chosen a cool grey for the of yellow-green. Burnt ochre is green, and blue-violet) have been
weight of at least 250gsm, with a shadow at this stage. Avoid applied and the shadow is applied over top. To finish, lightly
medium texture surface and a pushing so hard that the paper given another layer, this time use a white coloured pencil to
consistent grain. Smoother texture is smoothed, because a warmer steel grey that lighten tones. Check if any darks
paper surfaces won’t always take this can effect how additional combines with the original cool or mid-tones need to be
multiple layers of colour. layers will go down. grey for more complexity. reapplied in some areas.

19
Bitesize tips

How to illustrate animal eyes

JILL TISBURY
Northampton, England
DRAWING EYES is something that In this short article, we’ll cover those Jill is an artist and tutor who
specialises in wildlife. She
I get asked about frequently. There are key elements in relation to feline eyes,
loves to experiment, but her
some critical, yet simple steps and but the same principles will apply for two main passions are pastels
techniques to remember that will most animals. I’ve used pastel pencils and airbrushing (acrylics).
improve the end result. on Pastelmat for this leopard piece. www.jilltisbury.co.uk

Follow these steps...

Being aware of the eye’s anatomy will

1 help you understand where everything

should be and what happens to the fur
or skin covering that area. For example, the
lacrimal gland over this eye will cause the fur
to curve up and over it ridging slightly, forming
the eyebrow and giving a shadow underneath 1
it. I’ll reflect that when I add the fur.

20
 Quick tips

2
This sketch shows how the underlying
structures influence form. Remember
that the eyeball is a globe, and not a
flat disk with the top covered by the upper
eyelid. Check the pupil placement on your
reference – it’s tempting to place it in the
centre of the eyeball portion that you can
see. Here, I’m using a paper stump to smudge
shadows under the lower lid.

WATCH THE
VIDEO
http://bit.ly/pad8_eye
2

3
You’ll only see a perfectly round
white-dot reflection if the eyeball is
reflecting a cloudless sky with bright
sun. Typically, the reflection will contain trees
or similar structures. I’ve started to lay in the
main colours that I see: blue sky at the top,
and a band of white cloud reflection in the iris,
which I fill in with a range of ochres.

4
At this point you can add in the
surrounding texture – in this case, fur.
The comparison helps to gauge the
strength of the colours in the iris and adjust
the values correctly. You’ll also be able to see
where the shadows and highlights need to be
deepened or lightened – typically on the 3
eyeball under the brow, and in the corners.

Fill your sketchbook with

4
practice pieces
Because your viewer will be drawn to
the eyes, you need to depict them
correctly. Sketch different eyes to
become familiar with their structure.
Draw what’s there, rather than what
you think should be there.
4

21
Bitesize tips

Transfer a sketch
with homemade
carbon paper
THERE ARE MANY WAYS to transfer a
sketch – projectors, printouts, grid
systems and so on. But here, we’ll use a
simple technique with just pencil and
paper. Some tracing paper can help to
protect the sketch (handy, if you’re using
an original), and it makes it easier to see
which areas you’ve already traced out.
However, if you use a printout, you can
trace directly on to that. Your homemade
carbon sheet will also be reusable.

DAVE BRASGALLA
Stockholm, Sweden
Dave is an illustrator, graphic
designer and concept artist,
who also loves to pursue A sketch of a historical re-enactor
personal projects using and his mighty beard. I transferred
traditional painting media. the sketch on to watercolour paper
See more of his work at and then added in more detail
www.pixelhuset.se

Follow these steps...

1 3
First I gather the heavy paper I want to I now tape my drawing to the heavy
2
transfer my sketch to, the simple copy paper, and layer the tracing paper on
paper we’ll use as the ‘carbon paper’, top. I transfer the important marks and
a printed scan of my sketch, and a sheet of proportions – I’m not worried about exact
tracing paper. I also have a thick graphite details. When I’m done, the tracing is faint,
stick, but a soft-lead pencil will do. but gives enough information to work with.

1 3

2
Rub one side of the copy paper with the
flat edge of the graphite stick. I’ve
covered an area roughly the size of my
sketch, but since you can reuse the sheet,
feel free to cover most of the paper.

22
 Quick tips

Use coloured pencils to

depict an iris in detail
I ENJOY DRAWING and find the results
I achieve from using coloured pencils
very satisfying. Whether preparing a
sketch for a painting or copying from life
on paper, coloured pencils have proved
themselves to be very versatile.
I love botanical and floral subjects, and
the patterns that are present in the
petals of the Siberian iris quickly caught
my eye. I couldn’t resist buying a bunch
1 of them, with the aim of working on a
drawing at home.
Lately I’ve been using rough paper, but
I’ve chosen a smooth surface for this
article because it enables me to better
render all the details. I’ll use a layering
technique and leave only a few areas on
the paper uncoloured. After drawing the
iris in graphite I start to colour it in.

Follow these steps... 2

ENZO FORGIONE
Turin, Italy

1
The dominant colour of this flower is a Enzo has worked for ten years
violet-blue shade, so I tackle all the petal, as a full-time painter, taking
sepals and tepals in the same way. I start on many commissions for
clients. He has a degree from
drawing the veins with Sapphire Blue, then
the Fine Art Academy in Turin
go in quickly with a gentle layer of Light and is a member of the
Violet to cover all the petal. At this stage it’s Society of Botanical Artists.
important to avoid pressing heavily with the www.enzoforgione.it
pencil. Then I apply a layer of Lavender,

2
emphasising the dark areas that I then The sepals (outer petals) are a complex 4
intensify with a Violet. I finish with a light area. They have a stripy part that
layer of Light Blue Sky that helps give a cold I depict with a layer of light Cadmium
blue tone. I draw each layer in a different Yellow. I then draw the veins using Red Ochre,
direction (cross-hatching). For the bud on Raw Umber and a bit of Plum, one on top of
the left I use Ultramarine Blue for the veins the other. I use Raw Umber for the area in
and the outline, then use a Light Yellow and a shade, where the Yellow mixes with the Light
Light Green for the brighter parts. Green of the base of the flowers. For the
larger parts of the sepals (known as the ‘falls’,
3 and only two are visible in the foreground)
I draw the thick and irregular veins first.
I leave the white parts as bare paper, but for
the lower part I put down three layers: Light
Violet, Violet and Light Blue Sky in the same
manner as that used for the upper petals.

3 4
For the only spathe visible on the left I colour the stem and the other green
(the leaf of the flower bud), as well as parts with a base layer in light green,
layering it with Light Yellow Ochre, and then intensify the central part of
Burnt Sienna, English Red and Natural the stem with Grass Green. I then draw
Umber to mark the outline, I also use some some stripes in the green part at the base
dotting in Brown and Burnt Sienna to of the sepals, before applying some dotting
re-create its natural unevenness. in Burnt Sienna and English Red.

23
Bitesize tips

Learn to draw complex

objects in perspective

Follow these steps...

INTERESTING SHAPES often present
a drawing challenge, so it’s useful to work
diagrammatically to establish linear

1
perspective. Here, I’ve used a seemingly Start by drawing a basic box for the main 1
simple takeaway-food carton to body of your object. Use long lines and
demonstrate the principles. strokes, extending them further than you
Becoming comfortable with linear need to make sure they converge towards
perspective can take some time, so be your vanishing points. This tutorial is using
patient. It’s worth remembering the two-point perspective, with VPs on the left
following points: keep a fixed vantage and right, because there are two dimensions
point, because a small move will change of the box receding away from the viewer.
the perspective; objects appear smaller Diagonal lines on the top plane enable me to
as they recede into the distance; compare corner relationships and double-
foreshortening happens when something check my shape. In later steps the X will be
is rotated away from the viewer; parallel used to locate the mid-points of the planes.
lines that recede into space will converge

2
to a common vanishing point (VP); and 2 Next, the bottom plane needs to be
finally, in one- and two-point perspective, made smaller as the box tapers in
the vanishing points are commonly width. Start by marking the X from
positioned at eye level, referred to as corner to corner of the base. Then draw in
the horizon line (HL). the angle of the left or right contour edge so
that it crosses the more horizontal angle of
the X. Extend your lines from this point
STEVEN HUGHES around the inside of the bottom plane. On
Michigan, USA the top of the box, I’ve created planes to
Steven is associate professor represent the box flaps. Some may be
of illustration at Northern extensions of the box sides, while others
Michigan University. His art
may incline or decline, much like a rooftop.
has been featured in many
exhibitions and publications,

3
including The New York Times. After finding the mid-points of the 3
www.primaryhughes.com rear two flaps with an X, notice the
relationships around that symmetry,
such as where the tab touches the edge. The
trimmed corners of each flap should line up
in perspective. The flap with the tab has a
more complex shape, but can be broken into
thirds to help when plotting its shape. The
right front panel is where the handle attaches
and the side flaps fold around and overlap.
Establish the mid-point, and then from the
top of the side panel bring forward an arc.

4
4 Now you can draw the
side flaps around the
new mid-point. Observe
the negative space between the
box and the handle as it’s
attached. I finish drawing the
remaining two flaps on top,
then give the lines some weight
variation. I also add some
thickness to establish the
cardboard edges, which gives
the form more character.

24
 Quick tips

How to paint shadows I’m fascinated by old, rural

buildings, especially when they
in watercolour feature colourful doors, such as
this one. The intriguing patterns
while maintaining of the shadows were a bonus

transparency
SOMETIMES a fairly unremarkable
subject can be transformed into an
interesting composition when there’s
a strong contrast between light and
shadow, as in this painting of an old An alternative to
rural building with the sun shining Chinese white
through the bougainvillea. I’ll describe I sometimes use white casein
how I set about painting the patterns paint , made from milk protein
created by the shadows. (Pelikan) to correct errors or
add finishing touches such as
highlights. I dislike Chinese
white because of its opacity
MARGARET MERRY
Almeria, Spain and tendency to dull colours,
After studying at Falmouth and find casein far more
Art School, Hornsey College compatible with watercolour.
of Art and Bristol University Take care not to overuse this
Margaret has worked as a
technique, though, or the
artist specialising in
watercolour and pastel. She watercolour will gradually
now paints in Spain. lose its transparency.
http://bit.ly/pad_merry

Follow these steps...

1 2 3
First, I make a preliminary drawing that’s When I’ve finished painting the first Shadows need to be painted rapidly
fairly detailed, but omitting the shadows layers of my composition, I mix the and with fluidity of paint. If they’re
– I’ll paint these last. I then eliminate grey with which I intend to paint the overworked then the effect will be
most of the white of the paper with a patterns cast by the shadows. This mixture spoilt, which is why I didn’t draw them before
transparent layer of Raw sienna and touches comprises Ultramarine blue, Alizarin crimson I began applying the watercolour. The
of Burnt sienna. When this base is completely and Raw sienna and with it, by varying the shadows on the walls of the building are
dry, I paint the door and the furniture, along amount of water and the pigments, a wide painted first. I allow plenty of clean water to
with the leaves of the overhanging range of greys can be achieved. Because I’m flow into the paint while it’s still wet to give
bougainvillea, leaving blank spaces for the using the same pigments for the preliminary transparency. Note how the pigments have
flowers to be painted in later. painting, I maintain the colour harmony. separated to create a more interesting effect.

1 2 3 4

4
I paint the darker shadows using the same technique as before, drawing the patterns
with single brushstrokes and again allowing clean water to flow into the still-wet paint.
The advantage of using a limited palette of basic pigments is that you can apply extra
layers without the base layer bleeding through, such as in the shadow on the basket. I paint in
the bougainvillea flowers with Opera rose (Sennelier) as the finishing touch.

25
Mix greens from basic
pigments for a more natural effect
THROUGHOUT YEARS of working as a Hookers Green, but even though it’s a MARGARET MERRY
professional artist, I have experimented fairly subtle colour it can overwhelm Almeria, Spain
with a number of purchased greens but more delicate pigments. Here, I would After studying at Falmouth
have always found them unsatisfactory. like to demonstrate how a wide range of Art School, Hornsey College
of Art and Bristol University,
Viridian is useful, but only for pleasant greens can be obtained from
Margaret has worked as a
seascapes. On rare occasions I use mixing basic pigments. artist specialising in
watercolour and pastel. She
now paints in Spain.
http://bit.ly/pad_merry

26
 Quick tips

Ultramarine Blue Ultramarine Blue Ultramarine Blue

& Lemon Yellow & Yellow Ochre & Cadmium Yellow

Cobalt Blue & Cobalt Blue & Cobalt Blue &

Lemon Yellow Yellow Ochre Cadmium Yellow

Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt

Lemon Yellow & Burnt Sienna Lemon Yellow & Raw Sienna Umber & Yellow Ochre

2
For the trees and bushes below the 2
church and their reflections in the
water, I needed even stronger greens. In
order to create a feeling of perspective, I
warmed up the colours using Burnt Umber
and Burnt Sienna. These pigments blended
very well with the Ultramarine mixture and
they did not lose their transparency. By

Follow these steps... allowing clean water to flow into the wet
paint, the pigments separated and produced

1
When creating the painting above, the a pleasant effect.
greens needed to be stronger as I

3
approached the foreground. I used 3 I wanted soft greens for this painting
Ultramarine mixed with Lemon Yellow and a depicting a Cornish spring but for
touch of Raw Sienna, with highlights of stronger, summer greens I would have
Cadmium Yellow and Cadmium Orange. The used Cadmium Yellow, as well as Lemon mixed
latter are strong pigments and must be used with Ultramarine. Monestial Blue (Phthalo
with care. To vary the intensity of colours, I Blue) also produces a strong, bright green
painted freely using plenty of clean water to when mixed with Lemon Yellow. It’s a sharper,
dilute the paint. The trees were given a loose more acid blue than Cobalt or Ultramarine
treatment to avoid too much detail. and a useful addition to the palette.

27
Bitesize tips

Use grids to quickly

enlarge a photograph
THERE’LL BE TIMES when you take a
photo of the perfect subject, only to
then decide that you want to paint it at a
larger size. But what if you don’t feel
confident drawing it directly onto a
canvas, or perhaps are keen to re-create
it with exactly the same proportions?
One solution is simply through the use
of grids. This method can also be used
to enlarge a preliminary sketch, and is a
technique that I’ll often use in my
creative process. Here’s how to do it.

ENZO FORGIONE
Turin, Italy
All in proportion Enzo has worked for 10 years
Using this grid method, I’m as a full-time painter, taking
able to transfer or enlarge any on commissions for many
photo or sketch onto the clients. He has a degree from
the Fine Art Academy in Turin
canvas without distorting the and is a member of the
image’s proportion. Society of Botanical Artists.
www.enzoforgione.it

Follow these steps...

1 2
1 My photo is printed at A4 I take a 20x20in canvas 2
size on matte paper because for my painting and draw a
I need to draw on it. At this grid of 100 squares on it,
size, all the details are visible. I each one measuring 2x2in. I
square off part of the image that make sure to use a hard graphite
I want to paint using a medium- pencil (from 3H up) and avoid
sized marker. The area measures applying heavy pressure. It’s
8x8in. Then, with a thin pen, I important to make sure the lines
draw a grid of 100 squares, each are barely visible, so that they’ll
one 0.8x0.8in. be easier to erase later.

3
3 Now it’s time to start 4
drawing the subject, only
this time using charcoal.
Make a note of what’s in each
square on the original, and then
copy this into the corresponding
square of the canvas. I suggest
starting from the top-left corner
and working from there, rather
than choosing a random square.

4
It’s easy to build up the Once I’ve finished the drawing I rub off the grid pencil lines with
composition following the flower a soft putty rubber. If you’ve followed my advice then the lines
photo and, once completed, it shouldn’t be visible, but don’t worry too much if they still are
will retain the proportions of the because the paint will cover them up. The sketch is now ready and I
original image. can begin putting down the paint – oils in this case.

28
 Quick tips

Paint realistic
copper effects
PAINTING METAL EFFECTS is based
on the contrast of light and dark in
addition to environmental reflections.
For this example, I’ll take an old copper
glass holder standing on a glass surface.
Any form is based on alternating tones:
midtone-light-midtone-shadow-
reflection. But copper also needs to
include colour variations, made by
combining contrasts and additional
colours. The most difficult part is to not
get lost in all of those details.

OLGA STERNYK
Kyiv, Ukraine Paint glossy surfaces
Art graduate Olga has
illustrated several books, and When painting glossy surfaces, make the
has exhibited in Europe. highlights white, or almost white. They
Having experimented with should be very sharp and small. Shadows
many mediums in her time,
are also small and dark. Midtones are filled
she currently works primarily
in watercolour. with small reflections.
www.sternyk.com

Follow these steps...

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4
On the first layer I place local Now I add engraving. It Here I add warm and cold At this point I take my
colours for the object and should contrast to a light tones. Copper is full of smallest brush and paint
background. I separate light part. That’s why I paint the colours – it varies from the tiny details. It is
from shadow and leave the engraving as cold and dark while yellow, orange, brown, green, important to assess the whole
highlights. If paint accidentally the local colour remains warm. cold grey and blue. Highlights painting again. I add details and
gets into a highlight, I remove it But the engraving should not be may be bright white and boost contrast in the midtones
with some paper towel. After darker than the main shadow. shadows are almost black. and shadows. But don’t get too
that I wet the area and dry it with Shadows must always remain Because of these variations, bogged down – it is also
the towel again. The local colour darker than any contrasts to a highlights will be warm, important to ignore unnecessary
for the glass holder is warm, the light part. Also, no engraving midtones are cold, shadows are details because it will make the
background is cold. should be visible in the shadows. warm, and reflections are cold. painting more expressive.

29
Bitesize tips

Use fixative to bring out the colour

and energy in your pastel pictures
I’M AN ENTHUSIASTIC user of fixative
throughout the development of a
picture. From the start, when I’m laying
down the background, I fix at every step.
Using darker tones (harder), I build up
a grainy texture and rich colour. If the
pigments are unfixed, they move around
and create a dusty, muddy effect, which
I find difficult to work on. Once I move
on to lighter (softer) tones, the work
starts to brighten.
Only at the final stage is the surface
left unfixed, showing colours at their full
strength. Marks are left more gestural.

LIBBY JANUARY
The Midlands, England
Libby January is well known
for her vibrant pastels. She’s
a member of the Pastel
Society, exhibits nationally
and has won many prizes
throughout her career.
www.libbyjanuary.com

Follow these steps...

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4
I use artists’ soft pastels. I begin by placing tape This dark but rich So as to keep the work
The wider the range of the around the edges of the background is my way of lively and the colours
colours and the higher the picture. This helps me building up an interesting intense, I leave the final
quality of pastels, the better the focus on the scale of the work. It texture and sets up the lighter, surface mainly unfixed and the
result. I like to use fixative also leaves a crisp, clean frame softer colours beautifully. I last marks are made as
liberally and recommend using at the end when I remove the loosely mark out the shapes and spontaneously as possible.
a face mask, because breathing tape. Using the side of the colours of the image and correct
in too much pastel dust and pastels, I cover the surface two freely with the fixative. The
fixative is unhealthy. Sturdy or three times with different colours will drop in intensity
cartridge paper is a good choice: colours, fixing each layer as I go. after fixing but don’t be alarmed.
it won’t buckle under the stress It enables them to be reapplied,
of this many-layered process. adding to their strength.

30
 Quick tips

Add dimension to your work

with paper collage and acrylic
EXPERIMENT and develop your art with
collage and open up all sorts of ways of
working. Look at home for paper, such as
letters, books, magazines or wrapping
paper. You could also buy handmade
and decorative paper. Spend an
afternoon experimenting on something
new that is personal to you. Create layers
and texture with paper, glue and paint.

SYLVIA PAUL
Dovercourt, Harwich, Essex
Sylvia’s work has featured in
many shows including the RA
Summer Exhibition. She has
also exhibited in Japan.
www.sylviapaul.com

Present your work

Foreground leaves and
I always varnish my acrylic/paper collage art with a UV
twigs are the last to be
filter varnish. This protects it from light and dust and no added to give real depth
glass is required when framing. I work over the edge of in this rich and exciting
the canvas and this gives a neat finish. piece. It was great fun tool

Follow these steps...

1 2 3

1 2 3
A woodland theme is perfect for this More colour is painted over different I adjust the tones to create depth. Dark
textural work. I am using a 12 x 12in papers. I have used letters and the papers or paint provide contrast and
canvas but you could use primed board. edge of an old map. Magazines can some papers are cut with scissors to
With PVA glue, I attach torn pieces of textural provide great colour and interesting text. The give a sharper edge. Other areas can be
paper and pages from an old book. I’m not paint can be applied thinly, allowing the softened with paint. I dry the painting with a
trying to be accurate but just creating an paper to show through, or thickly to cover it hair dryer and use thick acrylic and a dry
interesting surface. I add acrylic paint and up. I am thinking about the composition here, brush to drag over the textural areas so the
scratch into this to create more texture. keeping it free using a large brush. underneath colour shows through.

31
Workshop

Paint an epic
New York scene
Mick McGinty demonstrates how he paints expressive
strokes to capture the mood of this impressive structure

or this workshop I’m painting one

F of my favourite subjects: a New

York City bridge. I’ve painted the
Brooklyn Bridge many times now
in different light, so for this project
I’ve chosen the Manhattan Bridge.
I grew up reading about New York
from my little hometown in the Midwest
and have always loved the history and
ageless beauty of the city. Since finally
visiting for the first time in 2007, I have
taken photos of its landmarks to paint.
When you look at a bridge, building or
park from New York, you appreciate the
hard work that went into constructing
it – the detail, style and craft that the
labourers of that city put into creating
its wonders. These landmarks evoke
beloved memories for many people.
When painting these magnificent
structures, I look for angles that best fit
a certain format. Some subjects work
best in a more horizontal format, and
some look better in a vertical one. I take
many photos to pre-compose paintings
in my viewfinder, knowing that I have a
Mick likes to make his own
great layout for one format or another.
panels using quarter-inch or
three-eighth-inch chipboard

Materials MICK
Arizona, USA
n Oil paints n Winsor & Newton Liquin Original Freelance illustrator Mick has
n 8x10in panel n Winsor & Newton Liquin created movie posters, album
art and advertising campaigns
n Variety of brushes including sable Impasto Medium
for top global companies for
flats and sable filberts n Cobalt Drier 35 years. He tries to paint two
n Gamblin Flake White Replacement paintings a week and blogs at
twiceaweek.blogspot.com.
mickmcgintyfineart.com

32
33
Workshop

Select an image Set up your palette

1 First, pick a photo to work from that

contains an aspect that would be
fun to paint, such as reflections on water,
2 Arrange your palette to suit you.
I use white the most, and then
greens. The greens blend with blues,
or the massive feeling of an object within which I keep in the corner, and then to
the scene. Then, use Photoshop to crop, create cooler yellows I place those hues
adjust and compose the image to fit the next to the blues. Beside the yellows
aspect ratio of your panel, to make the I have a warmer red and then a cooler
laying in and adjusting the drawing much red. I hardly ever put browns on my
easier. With this identically proportioned palette, but it depends on the image.
reference image, you can more easily I often use black but I try to limit it, so
decide if your drawing is correct. I put it as far away from me as possible.

“Pick a photo that

3
Choose your brushes
Depending on the size of the panel,
contains an aspect choose different sizes of brushes.
Soft sable flats are ideal for loading up
that would be fun the oils’ thickness on the panel and for
Prepare your

4
dragging colour across a shape, and the
to paint, such bristles create texture within the paint paints and media
strokes. Sable filberts are my favourite Beside the ordinary odourless
as reflections” brushes for any kind of blending. paint thinner to clean your brushes,
make sure you have a puddle of Winsor
& Newton Liquin Original nearby. The
Liquin speeds up the oils’ drying time
and also adds a deeper wet look when
the paint is dry. You can’t use a lot of
Liquin because it makes the mix too
soupy, so it’s a real balancing act. Also,
Gamblin Flake White Replacement
colour is great for its sticky texture and
super opaque quality. It’s also a very
cool white – Titanium White has always
been too warm and too transparent, in
my opinion. Winsor & Newton Liquin
Impasto Medium is great for adding
body to your mixed colours.

34
 Oils

On the panel
Making my own wood panels is inexpensive compared to using canvas.
They are a great surface to paint on for only about one dollar! I can
experiment on them or throw them away if I don’t like where the painting
is going. I can throw paint more freely without worrying about the cost.
My paintings have a fresher, more free feeling, which I like!

5
Prepare the panel
To calm the white of the panel, lay down
an undertone by mixing a little warm colour
such as an orange with white and black. Add a drop
of Cobalt Drier to this mix (being careful not to get
any on your skin, because it’s toxic). Don’t wait for it
to dry, so when you start to sketch in the shapes and
landmarks, your brush will pick up some of the drier
and help to dry the sketch in place within 10 minutes.
Always put down the faster-drying paint first. Adding
faster-drying paint on top of slower-drying paint can
create curdling, because the top layer is drying up on
top of still-wet paint and will peel off if it’s rubbed.

6
Sketch your lay-in
The lay-in sketch indicates shapes and acts
like a blueprint. This drawing has to be solid,
to save you from the frustration of having to make
corrections later. To sketch it, take advantage of
having your prepared image that is cropped to
the same dimensions as your panel. Study and
understand the lines within this reference. Are they
horizontal? Vertical? Where is the most important
line, the horizon? All of the lines of perspective
need to meet somewhere on that horizon line, and
understanding the perspective of every object will
greatly affect the beauty of your design.

7
Place the darks
and create structure
Placing each object with the
correct structure in your composition
is important. There are many
elements in most scenes and you
should strive to have a main focus,
or what many artists call a centre of
focus. This is the element that you
want your viewer to see first. The
most detailed structure should
appear there. The other elements
become support and are less
detailed or have weaker value or
colour so that the object of focus
can be fully appreciated.

35
Workshop

8
Establish values
Know where your darkest darks
are, as well as your lightest lights.
One way to make your centre of focus
stand out more is to put your lightest
tone right next to your darkest tone, to
lead the viewers’ eyes straight to that
spot. Try not to have too many areas of
high contrast in your compositions that
may compete for attention, though.
There are bound to be some, but there
are also ways to lessen their impact
(we’ll look at these as we go). Besides
wanting to emphasise your main objects,
you also want to control the other areas
so they support, but don’t overwhelm,
the elements you want the viewer to see
first. Creating a value pattern that is less
contrasting is important too.

Simplify the scene

9 Don’t depict the scene exactly
as it appears in a photo or as if
you are viewing it live. I can see detail
everywhere, and it is sometimes hard
to resist putting it all in. But it’s editing
out unnecessary detail, and instead
painting the essence of the object and
the key details only, that gives paintings
their charm, mood and subtle beauty.
John Singer Sargent could paint a
subject’s hand in a portrait in just seven
brushstrokes. He didn’t have to indicate
knuckles, wrinkles or even fingernails to
give you a beautiful and elegant hand,
and as a viewer you didn’t miss or want
them. Don’t paint details that distract or
weaken the big picture.

36
10
Develop
colour harmony
They say if you get your
values right, the colour doesn’t really
matter. It’s true that this will ensure the
subject of your image is recognisable,
but it’s the colour that sets the mood.
You need to cover the whole panel to be
able to analyse all the colours and values.
Analysing your reference in minute detail
is the key here. Know the direction of
your light source and really seek out the
bounce lighting and local colour of all the
objects within your image.

Build up paint

11 thickness and textures

I like a lot of body in the final oil
application, so don’t thin the paint with
turps in these later steps. Where you
started with thin, fast-drying applications
in the laying-in process, now finish off
with thicker, slower-drying applications
of paint. If everything goes perfectly, your
darks should be close to what they were
in the beginning, thin and fast-drying
areas, and lighter areas should be heavy
Quick work applications of stiff, thick colour.

My oil painting is freer than

my slick and detailed digital
illustrations that form my daily
work. I’ve promised myself
that I will never work on a
painting for more than a day.
My illustration pieces take
weeks, and I decided I wanted
none of that in my oils. I love
that my oil paintings, when
viewed up close, are made

12
Finishing touches
up of globs and gashes of In this final step, make any
instinctively applied paint. last-minute corrections and
then go beyond the reference to brush in
touches of colour or texture that will add
interest to what could be a boring space
or shape. You don’t need to add detail as
much as marks that may help it look like
a painting instead of a straightforward
depiction of the subject. This includes
adding off-colour marks to the sky or
bridge in places that don’t distract but
will add interest and break up the
monotony of some areas.

37
Workshop

WATCH THE
VIDEO
bit.ly/pad8_pencil

Improve
your pencil
shading
Discover how Melanie Phillips
uses a selection of pencils to draw
a pencil portrait that captures a
pet’s unique personality on paper

38
 Pencils

MELANIE
Pencader, Wales
A professional pet portrait
artist since 1997, Melanie
works from her garden studio
where she draws dogs, cats
and horses for commission.
She shares her studio with her
artist husband Nicholas and
Tibetan terrier Lily.
www.pencil-petportraits.com

P
oppy’s owners asked me to draw a
portrait, so that they can remember
the happy times they spent with her.
It’s my job to not only create a
drawing that’s pleasing to the eye,
but one that captures Poppy and not just any
dog. That’s the job of a pet portrait artist. Easy?
Let’s find out…
My favourite support is Italian
Fabriano Hot Pressed watercolour

1
paper. It always has been since I visited Get the drawing right
Italy in 1994. I had the opportunity to try Artists use a variety of different techniques
out different Italian papers, including to achieve their initial drawing. These include
hand-made varieties. I found Fabriano to using a grid method, sketching, tracing and
be a good smooth surface to draw on, projectors. However you get your initial drawing on
and it’s readily available here in the UK. paper, the key is to take your time and don’t press
My students have loved using it over the too hard. I use a 2B clutch pencil. Make sure your
years. It holds lots of layers and can be outline drawing is correct before adding tone.
forgiving if you need to erase areas.
I use a variety of pencils. In this

2
drawing I have used three brands: Straight in with tone
Derwent, Steadler Mars Lumigraph and Once I’m happy with my initial drawing,
Faber Castell. These pencils are I start with detail and tone. I’m using a 4B
available from most art shops. For Faber Castell pencil. It’s possible to work across
rubbing out, I favour Faber Castell’s the entire portrait at once and build up, or to
Putty eraser. I also use a Helix battery- work on single areas at a time. I take the latter
operated pencil sharpener and it’s approach in this portrait – I prefer to start with
brilliant. Who said drawing wasn’t fun? GET THE the eyes to bring the dog alive from the outset.
SKETCH
www.filesilo.co.uk/pad02

Ma terials
n Italian Fabriano Hot Pressed
watercolour paper (12x10in)
n Derwent graphite pencil HB
n Steadler Mars Lumigraph 4B
n Faber Castell pencils 4B and 6B
n Clutch pencil 2B
n Faber Castell putty eraser
n Derwent battery-operated eraser
n My go-to pencil grades are HB, 4B
and 6B. These give me a variety of
different tones and weights, varying
with the brand.

39
Workshop

3 4 5
Get the eyes right Build out Move on to the ears
The eyes are key, because it’s the I’m not worried about the eyes The ears are great fun to shade,
first place that anyone will look. being finished because I can work as I’m dealing with a different
They must have the illusion of being back across the entire portrait as I go. texture to the rest of her. They’re
shiny and alive, and so it’s imperative to I start to build out from the eyes into smooth with a few light hairs on top.
take your time in this area. I try to look the fur, still using the 4B. I shade the I’m paying attention to the direction
at my reference photo and then back to negative spaces and leave the fur as the I shade in, to match the undulations of
my drawing constantly as I work. I also white of the paper. I then shade over her ears. I tend to work outwards,
leave the white of the paper for lightly, knocking back areas that are beginning nearest the head and shading
highlights and white fur. overbright and stand out too much. out to the tips of the ears.

6 7
Slowly build up Tackle fur!
I’m slowly building up my layers,
starting to employ the 6B Faber
B ack to basics I’m taking the time to build up my
layers gradually on the top of
Castell pencil, too. This helps to achieve Draw from life whenever you can. My art Poppy’s head. I use my 4B Faber Castell
some darker tones. I don’t need the ears teacher told me never to work from a photo, pencil, keeping it sharp. I work in the
to be completely finished at this stage; which is ironic as that’s the basis of my job. direction of the fur, shading the darker
I can check back once the main part of He meant however, learn to draw from life areas in between the lighter flecks. I use
Poppy’s face is in. I can then judge how too because it’ll teach you the fundamentals. my putty eraser moulded to a point, to
much darker they need to be. lift off any unwanted tones.

40
 Pencils

B uild layers
Don’t forget you build up your
layers slowly. Starting with a
4B for instance, add each
layer gradually instead of
using a hard pencil pressure
from the outset. You’ll find that
your drawings have much
more depth to them.

8 9
Shade Poppy’s face Work on her nose
I continue the same kind of fur Starting on Poppy’s wet nose I
texture as I work through Poppy’s block the entire area in at once. I’m
face. With more surface area filled, I using less pencil pressure with my 4B
realise more tone needs to be added Faber Castell pencil. Poppy’s muzzle is
across Poppy’s forehead and ears. I very much lighter in tone. To convey the
work back into those areas with a Faber delicate shape of her mouth area, I
Castell 6B and the Steadler Mars shade between the white hairs on her
Lumigraph 4B. The Lumigraph creates upper lip. If I cover too many I use my
a darker tone. Keep your pencils sharp! putty eraser to bring them back.

10
Bring it
all together
Using my 4B Steadler Mars
Lumigraph I start to add some darker
tones into the nose, nostrils and darker
fur. I’m balancing tones across Poppy’s
face and ears at this point, making sure
the tones work overall. I soften the
transitions and shading over areas
using my Derwent HB pencil to pull
everything together.

11
Know when to put
down the pencil
I take my time shading the
collar to make sure it’s correctly drawn
noting the highlights and shadows.
It’s essential to keep my pencil sharp.
I keep my fur tones fairly light as I move
down the chest to the edge of the
To the poin t drawing, so that it fades off nicely.
Knowing when you are finished with a
Keep your pencils sharp! I’ve found portrait is tricky. Stand back, look at it
that the safest and fastest way to with fresh eyes and compare it with
sharpen a pencil is by using a your photo. If you feel you’ve captured
rotary pencil sharpener – a great the dog in your reference photo, then
piece of kit and fun to use! you’ve achieved your goal. I hope you
feel that I’ve captured Poppy!

41
Paint like...

42
 Monet

Paint like... Monet

Rob Lunn guides you through a study of Monet’s
winter scene ‘The Magpie’ from start to finish

43
Paint like...

ROB
Bath, UK
Rob is a self-taught painter,
and loves to paint in oils. His
influences are Vincent van
Gogh, Caravaggio and Ilya
Repin. He has taught art
workshops since 2012.
www.roblunn.co.uk

W
ith this masterclass we will
attempt to get inside the
head of Monet a little, so we
can think and paint in his
style. But, don’t worry, we’re
not trying to fool the Wildenstein Institute (the
family that decides what is and what isn’t an
Lay your ground

1
authentic Monet original). However, there are
still painters working today who can trace their
taught method right back to Monet himself, so
Ma terials Spend a bit of time getting
everything you need close to hand.
we still have a good idea of his approach and The colours used offer a good Working from a photograph (or an
how he painted. Saying that, don’t forget that representation of the colour original) saves on some of the set-up,
even though we’re using a masterpiece as our spectrum while retaining the but you still need to plan ahead. The
inspiration, it’s important to let your own marks most saturation when mixing. Impressionists famously worked
shine through. Here, we’re going to dissect and n Michael Harding Oil Paints: directly onto white canvas, but they also
analyse Monet’s painting method, looking at Ultramarine Blue, Blue used grounds when necessary. As there
how he applied his paint – but because you are Lake, Green Lake, are so many chilly blues and greens in
the one painting it, there’s no need to get Monet’s The Magpie, I’ve chosen a pink
Bright Green Lake, Bright
bogged down by trying to replicate every single acrylic ground that will add a bar or two
Yellow Lake, Yellow Lake,
brushstroke. Observe and evaluate, but don’t of warmth, and will especially help boost
Yellow Lake Deep,
miss the bigger picture. that magnificent winter sunlight.
Permanent Orange,
We’ll start by setting up our
Scarlet Lake, Alizarin
workspace and equipment. Then we’ll
Crimson, Magenta,
work our way through the painting
Ultramarine Violet,
step-by-step, breaking the process into
Titanium White
digestible chunks. The long drying times
n Acrylic-primed 3mm
of oils (and also its sculptural qualities)
MDF board, 6x8in
gives the paint huge advantages over
n Rosemary & Co. Ivory
other mediums, but the workshop could
also be adapted for acrylics, short-handled Filberts,
watercolour, pastels or even pencils. sizes: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
One last tip – try not to think too n The Masters Brush
much about the finished painting and Cleaner and Preserver
try to see each stage as an end in itself. n Bartoline Brush Cleaner
Enjoy the moment of creating each one. n Kitchen roll
Expectation and pressure can often
affect creativity and confidence,
especially when faced with the daunting
task of re-creating a famous work of art.
For now, let’s enjoy experimenting with
the beauty of Monet’s style.

44
 Monet

Start on the gesture drawing

2 Once your ground is dry, you can start on the

gesture drawing. We’re testing and getting a
feel for Monet’s composition with this simple
charcoal sketch, much like a dress rehearsal. Don’t
forget that even though we’re copying Monet’s
painting you’re still free to change elements if you
wish. Now is the time to test your inspiration! Once
you’re happy with your gesture drawing, you’ll be
wiping it all off ready for the next stage.

3
Construct
Now use a dry-brush
technique (take a little
paint on your brush and wipe
it a few times on some kitchen
towel – you want it to be as
dry as possible) to construct
over your gesture drawing.
I’ve gone for a very cool black
that I’ve mixed myself from

4
Pre-mix colours Alizarin Crimson, Blue Lake
It’s not an exaggeration to say that at least 50% of your
painting will be done in this stage. If you don’t believe in
and Bright Yellow Lake.
Remember that every new
All white!
White is actually a very very
pre-mixing then I urge you to give it a go. It can be frustrating at brushstroke should be from
very light blue… So when
first, but it gets quicker with practice and it prevents any notion fresh observation. Quick,
you’re adding it to colours to
of ‘it’ll do’, which is common when your colour scheme is not simple and full of life is key to
make them lighter you need to
prepared. Spend time getting your colours right and you’ll reap this stage, just try and
keep this in mind. Adding
the benefits later. You won’t mix every colour, but you’ll be identify the main elements in
white to a mix will always
starting off on the right foot. your composition.
desaturate colours, especially
those on the opposite side of
the colour wheel to the blues,
e.g. the yellows and oranges.

WATCH
THE VIDEO
https://bit.ly/
monet_vid

45
Paint like...

5
Build up darks and mid-tones
Using the dry-brush technique again, start to
add your darks and mid-tones with a
scrubbing action (forefinger on top of the ferrel with
the end of the brush running under your wrist). It’s
tricky in a painting such as The Magpie because
there’s so much snow, but try your best to plan out
your tonal range. Keep squinting to simplify the tonal
range you see and start with the larger areas. Tweak
your colours if necessary and play around with the
balance of light, dark and mid-tones until you’re happy.

6
Reconstruct
With so much light (0–35% tone)
in our painting, there aren’t many
In the know
tonal differences to define with the Monet started his artistic
reconstruction stage, and so planning career as a talented
out the composition can be tricky. caricaturist poking fun at
Nevertheless, keep your lines quick his elders. Although they
and full of energy and keep them fun. were fun, his pencilled
See this as bringing back a bit of caricatures completely go
definition to your foundations. Always against the monumental
take the opportunity to observe again effect he would later have
and measure again – don’t be scared to on the history of art.
correct if needed!

Release the colour

7 Using fuller and more loaded

brushstrokes, release the
pre-mixed colours onto your painting.
You’ve done plenty of prep, so it’s time
to trust the process and gorge on
some colour! Keep observing your
source and keep checking your tonal
scale, but take time to enjoy the simple
pleasure of applying all that lovely
paint. Don’t be worried if your painting
doesn’t ‘appear’ straightaway – keep
to the large shapes to begin with and
once they’re all in place you can start
adding more layers of detail.

46
 Monet

8
Think tonally
Top tip Monet spent a lot of
energy observing tone
Monet loved dappled brush and laying it down
marks, but it’s hard to keep brushstroke by meticulous
them looking fresh over large brushstroke. To follow in his
areas. Don’t just repeat, footsteps, use a tonal scale
always look for the way the to measure and test the
light travels across the forms tones you’re viewing, mixing
and then describe them using and painting. Squinting helps
your dapples. break down the range of
tones you’re able to see and
so simplifies the image. Start
with the large shapes and
add more observed detail as
you go. The Magpie is mostly
light (0–35%) with a
secondary bias to mid-tone
(35–65%) and just a small
amount of dark (65–100%).
It creates an airy and almost
magical feel to the painting.

Observe Monet’s brushwork

9 Monet described himself as just ‘an eye’.

Viewing his paintings was intended to be a
personal experience – you were not just seeing the
gate, tree or haystack that Monet saw, you were
seeing the atmosphere, the air and space between
his eye and his subject. He applied his colours as
dapples of light streaming across his paintings.
They were fleeting moments that sometimes took
weeks to capture. Follow where your light is
travelling through your painting and describe
it with your own dappled strokes.
Have fun and experiment.

10
Begin to fine-tune
Once your larger areas are
in place, you can start to add
layers of increasing detail. Try not to get
lost in the repetition of brushstrokes,
keep looking back at your source and
checking your tones and colours. Try to
look for repeating colours (colours that
share each other’s spaces) that create
harmonies throughout the painting.
Try and hold off applying any really
fine detail until last – and remember
knowing when to stop is an art in itself!

47
Workshop

Simplify painting with

a strong composition
Margaret Merry demonstrates how to use watercolour to capture the
charm of a summer garden, with its ephemeral light, shade and colour

S
MARGARET ince ancient times, gardens have
Almeria, Spain been a source of inspiration for
Professional artist Margaret
artists. However, they can be
lives in Almeria in Spain. She
has art training from Falmouth tricky subjects to tackle
Art School, Hornsey College because, when the eye is
of Art and the West of England confronted by a confusing array of tone,
College of Art. form and colour, it’s difficult to know where
margaretmerry.wordpress.com
to begin. The answer is good composition,
and the best way to compose a garden
painting is to find a point of focus, such as
an ornament, a chair or a fountain. Old,
weathered walls are a favourite of mine.
For my demonstration, I chose this quirky,
painted sewing machine table, set against
the plain background of a white wall. The
dappled light shining through the trees
cast interesting shadows.
For all my work, I use a limited palette
comprising: Ultramarine Blue; Cobalt
Blue; Yellow Ochre; Raw Sienna; Burnt
Do a

1
Sienna; Burnt Umber; Lemon Yellow;
Alizarin Crimson; Cadmium Red. preliminary drawing
However, when painting flowers or With well-sharpened 2B pencils, I
similarly colourful subjects, it’s useful to make a fairly detailed drawing of the
have one or two extra pigments, such as composition, altering things I don’t like,
the Brilliant Opera Rose and Cobalt such as the position of the chair. I have
Turquoise I’ve used in my painting. included the cypress tree on the right and
Transparent pigments, not opaque a few fronds of palm leaves because I like

Materials ones, are best for painting flowers.

Light is an important consideration
the sense of enclosure they create. Use
soft strokes for drawing and don’t be
Margaret uses tubes of Schmincke when painting gardens because it is tempted to use an eraser because this
watercolour paints. She likes to paint on constantly changing. I painted this will mar the surface of the paper.
Arches 300gsm paper, approximately watercolour in strong, afternoon light,
11x15in with a fine surface stretched on to a shaded by trees. For a more romantic
board. This is her preferred paper because effect, early morning is the best time
the surface has just the right amount of because all the colours are softened.
GET THE
resistance to enhance the inherent Green is the predominant colour in a SKETCH
transparency and brilliance of the medium. garden and to maintain colour harmony, www.filesilo.co.uk/pad02
Margaret uses synthetic round brushes. I always mix my own greens using my
basic pigments.

48
49
Workshop

2 3 4
Begin painting Continue to apply Finish the background
I apply a transparent wash of Cobalt background shadows When the Raw Sienna has dried,
Blue for the sky, using a synthetic I continue painting the shadowed over-paint it with a mix of
size 12 brush, extending it over the tree. areas with my Cobalt mix and with a Ultramarine Blue, Raw Sienna and
With a mix of Cobalt Blue, Yellow Ochre smaller synthetic brush (size 6) I Alizarin Crimson. While the paper is still
and Rose Madder, I paint the shadows in carefully work around all the various wet, allow some touches of Burnt Sienna
quick, bold strokes, softening hard lines objects so that the paper remains white. to flow into the grey, giving warmth to
with the brush loaded with clean water. I I paint rapidly because I want to finish the foreground. Again, I let the pigments
allow the water to separate the pigments this stage before the pigments dry. separate and I use my size 2 brush to
to prevent the background from being Lastly, I lay a transparent wash of Raw quickly draw around the various objects
too uniform. Sienna on the ground. before the paint dries.

5
Draw with
the brush
Now that all the unnecessary
white has been eliminated, I can begin
working on the main feature: the sewing
machine table. This involves detail, so
I continue using my size 2 brush, which
has a fine point yet is large enough to
hold a reasonable amount of water.
I use Cobalt Blue with a touch of Cobalt
Turquoise and I vary the tones by
diluting the lighter parts with water.

Know your tools

When I first began to paint with watercolour,
I used it mainly to lay flat washes over pen
and ink drawings or pencil sketches. In this
way, I familiarised myself with the medium
and developed my technique from there.

50
 Watercolours

“I never use
black pigment
because it
contaminates
other
pigments”

6 7
Add more detail Draw with a fine brush
Now that the table has been The little metalwork chair is relatively simple
painted, it looks as though it’s to paint as it involves mostly drawing. For
floating, so more shadow is needed. I use this I use my finest synthetic brush, size 0. The
my dark grey Ultramarine mixture to chair is painted black but I never use black
paint around and below the table and pigment because it contaminates other
add more definition where the blue tends pigments. I mix, as an alternative, Ultramarine
to merge into the background. The Blue with Burnt Umber. I use less water than
marble top is painted with a very diluted before and with a steady hand, draw the details.
grey and I add some dabs of Yellow With the Ultramarine grey mix, I add more shadow
Ochre to the wet paint. around and below the chair.

8
Paint the flowerpots and lamp
I return to my size 2 brush to paint the lamp
and the flowerpots on the wall. In order to
avoid overworking them, I use plenty of clean water
to soften the outlines and give just an impression of
detail. I introduce more colour by adding Burnt
Sienna and Cadmium Orange for the terracotta pot
and the lamp, and Cadmium Red for the decoration
on the ceramic pot. I paint the shadows on the pots
with a watery grey, using circular brushstrokes for
a rounded effect.

9
Embed with shadows
As was initially the case with the
table, the lamp and the pots look
as though they’re floating. This is fixed
by adding shadows around and
underneath them. For this, I use the
subtle Cobalt Blue mix with which I
began painting the background. Again, I
soften some of the hard lines with a
brush loaded with clean water.

51
Workshop

10
Work on the
terracotta pots
My method for tackling
terracotta flowerpots is to paint a
transparent base coat using Cadmium
Orange, Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna.
The shiny kettle has a transparent coat
of Cadmium Red and where the light
falls, I’ve left white patches. Before I
continue with the second stage, I make
sure the base coat is completely dry.

11
Create form
Speed To create form, I paint a second

painting coat using my Ultramarine mix

and, as before, my brushstrokes are
Watercolour is a medium best curved to follow the shape of the pots. I
suited to rapid, spontaneous like the patterns cast by the shadows
painting. I find that if I spend and so I make a feature of these, but still
too long on a work, inspiration keeping the paint very fluid to maintain
wanes and I’m invariably transparency. I apply the same
dissatisfied with the result. technique to the red kettle and finish by
painting the decoration on the pots.

12
Paint flowers
I give the flowers and the leaves the
same treatment as the pots. The first
task is applying a base coat. I use Cadmium Red,
well-diluted, for the flowers and a mix of Lemon
Yellow and Ultramarine Blue for the leaves. The
pink geraniums in the foreground are painted
with Brilliant Opera Rose mixed with Cadmium
Orange. I use two brushes, size 2 and size 4.

52
 Watercolours

Lesson learned!
When I was an art student, we once spent
an entire session painting vertical stripes, in
oils, using just Cobalt Blue, Yellow Ochre and
Alizarin Crimson. The point was to
demonstrate the wide range of greys that
were possible using just these colours – and
it’s a lesson I’ve never forgotten.

13 14
Add definition Finish the flowers
I begin with the leaves, adding I paint the darker tones on the
a touch of Raw Sienna to the flowers as I did with the leaves,
green mixture to make it darker. I have using just a hint of Ultramarine to define
to take care not to paint too much detail, the shaded parts. When painting
but, at the same time, I want to make a flowers, it can be very easy to lose the
feature of the leaves. Knowing what to freshness and transparency of the
paint and what to leave out comes with medium if they are overworked and for
experience! Again, the hard lines are this reason, I keep the pigments as pure
softened with water and it’s the latter, as possible, bearing in mind that it is
rather than the brush, which works to difficult to rectify mistakes when
blend the greens into each other. painting flowers in watercolour.

15
Complete it
As the painting nears
completion, it’s time to paint
the cypress tree and the palm fronds to
form a frame. For these, I use my basic
green mixture (Ultramarine Blue and
Lemon Yellow) darkened with Raw
Sienna and Burnt Sienna. For the lightest
areas, I drop pure Lemon Yellow into the
wet paint and with a fine brush, I draw
the pointed leaves, from base to tip,
using a flicking movement. A few last
touches of shadow complete the painting.

53
 CLAIRE
Essex, UK
Claire is currently studying
Art History at the Courtauld
Institute in London. She
reached the finals
of BBC One’s The Big
Painting Challenge
www.claire-parker.weebly.com

S
elf-portraiture is one of the most
rewarding challenges an artist
can attempt. Because we know
the landscapes of our own faces
better that anyone else, we know
when the painting looks right. While self-
portraiture can be a way of projecting a
certain image of yourself onto a canvas, it
can also be a process of self-discovery.
Capturing a likeness takes practice,
but the trick is not to get frustrated.
I don’t tend to use drawing aids such as
a projector or grid (though these can be
useful). I like the process to feel organic,
and making mistakes is part of that.
Here, I’ll be using a palette of Lamp
Black, Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, and
Cadmium Red. It’s surprising how great
a range of tones can be created with just
four colours and a limited palette often
creates a subtle, harmonious portrait.
To set up, position a mirror on a table
or wall so that you can easily glance
between the canvas and your reflection.
Make sure your workspace has plenty of
natural light – if the light hits one side of
your face and casts the other in shadow,
it will help you find form.

Create a self- Materials

“Oils are extremely receptive: easy to rub off,
easy to blend, and great for subtle work.”

portrait with n Four oil colours: Cadmium Red, Titanium

White, Yellow Ochre and Lamp Black
n System 3 acrylic paint in Raw Sienna
n Stretched and primed 18x 22in canvas

just four colours n Large decorator’s brush for ground

n Daler Rowney Georgian Oil Brushes
n Winsor & Newton Liquin™ Original
n Transparent plastic/glass palette,
with paper painted the colour of
BBC One’s ‘The Big Painting Challenge’ finalist the ground underneath
Claire Parker guides you through capturing your n Palette knife
n White spirit (or turpentine) and rags
own likeness in oils using a limited palette

54
 Oils

Set up your canvas and palette

I’ve painted a thin Raw Sienna
ground to add warmth to the work.
I’m using a transparent palette
and have put painted paper of a
similar colour to the Sienna
ground underneath it, so I know
what the colours will look like on
the canvas as I’m mixing them

Draw it out

1 Using a thin mix of

Cadmium Red and
Yellow Ochre, I start drawing
what I see in the mirror. At this
point, I’m trying to capture
the basic movement of the
figure, as well as the angles
where the head meets the
neck and torso. I build up the
sketch, using expressive
strokes to mark out the areas

2
of light and dark, and use Test your colours
these areas to find the eyes, Before adding colour, I explore
nose, and mouth. A likeness the range and qualities of the
isn’t important at this stage – four colours I’ve chosen. On a separate
you just need to see how the canvas, I try out different combinations
portrait will take shape when in a grid, as well as mix a few skin tones
you begin to add colour. to see what the effect is.

3
Block in
Adding the first blocks
of colour really breathes
life into a portrait. Using the
red, yellow and white, I mix
a light, mid and darker skin
tone. Using these mixes
I roughly block in the colours
using my tonal sketch as a
guide. Keep looking in the
mirror and be receptive to
changes and discoveries.

4
Work on lips, hair and eyes
I mix light, mid and dark tones for the hair and the lips. For both, I’m
using proportions of red, black and white. To paint hair, keep it light
and suggestive without painting heavy blocks of colour or tiny individual
strands. My eyes are blue-green, but there’s no blue or green in my palette.
However, a mix of black and white creates a blue grey. I’ve added a small
amount of Yellow Ochre to the grey to create a greenish hue. I mix an off-
white for the whites of the eyes.

55
Workshop

5
Deepen and darken
Now that I’ve added the dark hair, the balance
of tones in my painting has changed, and
suddenly my face looks pale, even where it is in
shadow. To restore the balance, I’m darkening the
shadows on the right side of my face, using tones
similar to those in the hair. I’ve also started trying
out a colour for the background to see how it looks
against the skin tones.

6
Start on the
background
You need the
background colour to set
off the foreground without
upstaging it. I’ve decided on
a warmish brown, which I
want to pick up some of the
purple and orange tones in
the face. Once I’ve chosen the
colour, I start picking it up in
the right-hand side of the
face and neck, which helps
make the shadows recede,
bringing them closer to
the background.

Quick pic
This masterclass is the first
self-portrait I have attempted
since the one I did on The Big
Painting Challenge (above).
We were only given three
Colour

7
hours and there was
the clothing bucketloads of pressure, and I
I am wearing a white top can see the stress and panic I
but, as with the whites of the felt all over my portrait!
eyes, I don’t want to use pure
white to block it in. Instead, I
use all my colours to create a
warm grey, which I block in
with three tones. I can now
add establish lights and darks
on the neck, and bring out
some of the more yellow tones.

56
 Oils

8
Work on the detail
G rea t idea! I pay attention to where the
shadows might be more blue or
Avoid black-and-white yellow, and to where the highlights fall on
thinking. Even when adding the face, defining the features. I add
the darkest darks or lightest warm, orangey tones around the eyelids.
lights, I never use pure black Here, I take a lighter touch with my brush,
or white – it saps the colour and blend the colours carefully without
out of a painting in an instant. losing the individuality of each stroke.

9
Nip and tuck
As I’ve been working,
I have inadvertently
thinned the neck, lowered
the left shoulder and lowered

10
the chin. My left eye is also Highlight
too high up and needs Using a small round-tipped
repositioning. As you make brush, I add some highlights
tweaks, don’t worry where the light hits my hair – again, not
if you lose the likeness at pure white, but a very light ochre. Don’t
this stage. be afraid to use thicker paint.

11
Soften up
I am getting close to finishing, and don’t
want to overdo the painting. I start to add
thin layers of paint to areas of dry canvas, which
helps to soften, unify, and add finish to the painting.
12 Sleep on it
When I went away
from the portrait
and came back to it in the
I’m creating the layers by adding plenty of Liquin to morning, it became clear
my paint until the mix is almost transparent. This what wasn’t quite right. So,
technique also works well for the background, I thicken the hair, raise the right
deepening its texture without making it distracting. shoulder, change the direction
of the gaze, and darken the
eyebrows, hair, and neck. I’ve
also added some small curls
of hair. Small details can make
all the difference.

57
Workshop

Use a light touch for

spontaneous results
Margaret Merry demonstrates the versatility of pastels and the
medium’s ability to capture the ever-changing nature of a seascape

58
 Pastels

MARGARET MERRY
Almeria, Spain
After studying at Falmouth
Art School, Hornsey College
of Art and Bristol University
Margaret has worked as a
artist specialising in
watercolour and pastel. She
GET THE now paints in Spain.
SKETCH http://bit.ly/pad_merry

www.filesilo.co.uk/pad02

hrough this workshop, I hope

T to convey my enthusiasm for the

ancient medium of pastels and
inspire readers who might feel a
little daunted by it. The
wonderful range of colours available to artists
is in itself an inspiration: all that’s needed is a
suitable subject to paint (nothing too intricate
or detailed, mind) and a little confidence.
Before beginning a painting, I spend
some time studying my subject and
imagine myself going through all the
stages of its execution. Only by this
mental process can I feel confident
that my painting will be successful. If
I can’t visualise the finished product in
my head, then I know there’s no point
in beginning the project.
I chose this particular scene because
I liked the composition with the distant
volcanic peaks and the boats for
foreground interest. I also liked the
effect of early morning sunlight
sparkling on the water and the crisp,
white waves breaking on the shore.
These factors make the subject ideal
for a pastels painting.
I selected a range of blues and some
warm colours to complement them.
It’s important to bear in mind the
overall colour harmony when selecting
Ma terials
For this workshop I use Sennelier Pastel card (360gm),
the pastels. For my pastel work, I
measuring 50x32cm, Naples Yellow and Unison and
always use Sennelier pastel card and
Sennelier pastels. The pastel card has an abrasive surface
prefer a neutral tone for most subjects.
over which the pastels glide easily, and I appreciate their
This ensures that the colours of the
superb softness and good colour range. For drawing detail
pastels aren’t distorted and, where the
I use Derwent pastel pencils.
paper shows through, it isn’t obtrusive.
Pastel is a rapid medium to work in,
and because it’s not suitable for
detailed pieces, it enables the artist to
be more spontaneous. It also
encourages a looser approach –
something that those new to pastels
often find difficult.

59
Workshop

1
Sketch the
preliminary drawing
I use a soft pencil (2B) to sketch
the scene, making sure that the
horizon is well above the centre of
the paper, in accordance with the
basic rules of composition. I place
the boats in a similar manner,
off-centre, to balance the
composition. The slight diagonal of
the breaking waves contrasts nicely
with the horizontals.

2
Paint the sky
I began with the sky because it’s best to
work from top to bottom when using pastels
– you’ll avoid dragging sleeves and other items of
clothing across the paper. Before applying a pale
tint of cerulean blue, I put down a base of pale
tangerine, using broad strokes. Over this, I rub
in the blue to develop a smooth finish and allow
the warm tangerine tint to show through on the
horizon. I want a lighter effect on the left, where the
sun is shining, and darker blue on the right.

3
Work on the
middle ground Try them first
With the sky
established for the time Artists’ quality pastels are
being, I begin working on the expensive. Before investing in
mountains, using warm a range of colours, I’d advise
colours combined with cool experimenting with a single
shades of violet-grey to pastel – the palest tint of
determine the light and dark yellow ochre, for example – by
areas. I sketch in the most using it to highlight a charcoal
prominent lines with a burnt or charcoal pencil drawing.
Sienna pastel pencil, and add This will help you gain a feel
some touches of green on for the medium.
the lower slopes.

60
 Pastels

4 5
Develop distant perspective Focus on the sea
Having established the basic shapes and Now I can begin working on the most challenging part of
forms of the mountains, I need to soften the the painting: the sea. I lay a base of pale blue,
hard lines and strong colours by overpainting with a graduating to a darker blue on the right. Having established
very cool, lilac tint, using the pastel on its side and this preliminary stage, I now need to create an even darker
taking care not to pick up any underlying pigment. blue, with undertones of red, below the mountains. So I paint
This unifies the whole composition and helps to a base of dark violet, using the point of the pastel to make
create a sense of distance and perspective. broad strokes. On top of this, I rub in a medium blue.

6
Capture
the sunlight
I’m happy with the blue
tones, over which I can
continue working on the sea,
so I’m concentrating on the
more interesting part: the
effects of movement and
sparkling sunlight. For the
sunlight, I use the lightest
shade of yellow ochre
together with a pale, pinkish-
white, employing the same
finishing technique I used for
the mountains, with the
pastel on its side. A very light
touch is required here and
it’s important to avoid
overworking. I also sketch in
the distant boats.

61
Workshop

7
Illustrate the gentle
movement of the waves
In this step, to indicate the waves
as they approach the foreground, I apply
a dark blue and blend it into the base
colour. To create a sense of texture, I
crosshatch lines in an even darker blue
over the waves and highlight them with a
pinkish-white pastel. I add a warm tint to
the sea on the right to give the
impression of the mountains that are
reflected in the water. I paint the rocks
on the shoreline using tints of brown,
grey and Raw Sienna and a base layer of
the same colour underneath the
breaking diagonal wave.

8
Develop the shoreline
I paint the white foam above the
dark underside of the breaking
wave. I never use pure white; instead,
I prepare a selection of warm and cool,
very light tints that serve as white. A
medium mauve-grey creates the parts
of the foam in shadow and I use a warm
brown for the reflections in the wet
sand. Now that I’ve completed the sea,
I add the finishing touches of sparkling
sunlight by dotting little marks, using
the tip of a yellow-white pastel stick.

9
Work on
the foreground
I’m happy with how the horizon
and middle distance are looking, so now
I tackle the foreground. Using a warm
brown and shades of Burnt Sienna, I
apply broad strokes to make a dark base
for the lighter colours I intend to overlay
later. One of the hazards of pastel
painting is dust and it’s at this point that
I sneeze and make a mark on the paper!
I have to disguise this by painting in a
few clouds.

Why pastels?
Pastel is a rapid medium that’s ideal for
capturing atmospheric effects, such as misty
mornings, or moving subjects like animals and
children. Because it’s applied with the fingers,
the artist has more control than with a brush
and there’s the added, tactile pleasure of the
pastel stick crumbling against the paper. The
fact that no other tools are required makes it
an ideal medium for working outdoors.

62
 Pastels

10
Illustrate
the boats
I’m keen not to introduce too
much detail when it comes to painting
the boats, and so I apply the pastel in
thick, rapid strokes, softening any hard
lines. The shadows under the boats are
painted in dark brown overlaid with a
dark blue-grey. The orange around the
upper edge of the smaller boat
generates visual interest in the
foreground and complements the blue.

11
Add texture
To contrast with the
smoothness of the sea and sky,
I need to create plenty of texture in the
foreground. I achieve this by applying
thick layers of pastel in warm, pale tints
and use warm browns and greys for the
shadows in the sand. Because I’m
working on an abrasive paper, the thick
layers of pastel adhere well – a key
factor when employing this technique.

Preserving pastels
I dislike the use of fixative because it spoils
the natural bloom of pastel. In addition, I’ve
found that, over a period of time, the
humidity in the air helps pastel work to fix
itself. I prefer to protect my paintings by

12
Finish up mounting them on to a lightweight foam
Now that most of the work is done I can board, secured with adhesive mounting
concentrate on the finishing touches, corners, and putting them into plastic
such as the stones in the foreground and the ropes sleeves where they remain until they’re
attached to the boats that help to draw the eye into framed. Using this method, I have sent
the picture. I add a few more highlights here and pastels by post all over the world.
there and soften any lines that appear too hard.
Finally, I give the paper a good thump to remove
any loose pastel dust.

63
Workshop

Tips to paint
vibrant water
Jennifer Branch shows you the secrets
behind painting energised water and
realistic reflections in any situation

P
ainting water can sometimes
Paint still water first

1
seem overwhelming. Water JENNIFER
moves constantly, so capturing Northwest Georgia, USA Start practising when the water is
a moment without the aid of a Watercolour artist and calm and reflective, then later you’ll
camera may appear impossible. lifelong teacher Jennifer be able to use the techniques you develop
Branch travels the world
But paintings can convey the constant here to paint any other type of water, from
with her husband and two
movement of water in a way that photos sons, to find inspiration for raging surf to a rippling pond surface. All
struggle to, as long as you have a good her next painting. of the wave and wind action makes the surf
water-painting technique that ensures your paintingwatercolor.com seem far more complicated to paint, but
pictures are as full of life as the real thing. the principles are the same as for still water.
The following top ten tips explain a few If you learn to paint reflections and subtle
basic skills and techniques you can use ripples on that calm pond, a crashing wave
to paint water that looks spontaneous at the beach will be easy to paint. A wave is
and vibrant. Although I use watercolours, just a very big ripple, after all.
these tips also translate to the medium
of your choice. Practise en plein air
whenever you can, but you can work
from photos when you need to.
You can’t paint the same water twice,
since it’s ever-changing. Capturing the
energy in that movement is what makes
water so amazing to paint. I love to sit by
a lake or the ocean and paint at different
times throughout the day, using several
sketchbooks to capture these fleeting
scenes. One sketch dries while the
others are in play. Take a photo before
you start, so that if the light changes you
can finish the last wash at home.
Water can be opaque, transparent,
choppy or smooth, but you use the
same techniques for painting it. Follow
these tips to make sure that all of your
water paintings are vibrant and lively.

64
 Vibrant water tips

3
Notice colours Flatten distant water
Water is only blue if it’s reflecting
blue! Look at the colours in the
reflected trees, sky and objects and use
4 Water appears flatter as it grows
more distant, and horizontal lines
can convey this flattening of the water’s
these colours as your palette for any surface and the shortening of reflections.
water that’s not white foam. Even the hull Use a few connecting horizontal dashes
of a boat or sky not seen in your painting to show the distant water and reflections
might still be seen in a reflection. To from the shore or objects on its surface.
connect the water and landscape, pull Streams and rivers also appear to flatten
the colours from the reflected objects at a distance. Almost the same strokes
directly into the water reflection, then you use for a reflected squiggle (as seen
go back and sharpen the shoreline with in the tip 2 picture) can look like an entire
a few strokes of strong darks. river as it snakes away.

2
Reflect down
No matter what angle you’re
painting from, reflections
always come directly towards you
from the source. It’s simple physics,
but sometimes people may expect
reflections to follow the same rules
as shadows and perspective. To
paint them, first pick a simple line
in the reflected object such as a
tree trunk or building façade. The
reflection of that line will always be
perpendicular to you, or the bottom
of your page. This makes it easy to
pull some pigment down from the
reflected object into the reflection.
All you need are a few dashes of
movement on the next wash.

65
Workshop

5
Make reflections dull
Light rays scatter on the surface
of the water, so a reflection is
never a perfect mirror. Therefore your
palette of reflecting colours should be
duller than the objects being reflected.
Many artists continue their first wash
from the objects into the water, then
finish by adding duller washes with more
movement on the surface of the water.
Most bright whites in water are sunlight
reflections. Darker colours usually look
lighter in reflections and lighter colours
darker. Add a touch of complementary
colour to your pigment to get very close
to the colour you need.

6
Paint pointed Know your light
ovals for waves
The shape of a wave is
an oval, curved in the middle
7 Your light direction in a
scene will tell you how
dark or light the water looks.
with sharp points on both Backlit trees will be dark, but
ends. Use a pointed round their reflection will be lighter.
brush to paint waves. A flat Conversely, bright front
brush gives you great broad lighting will give you a darker
strokes, but it fails you on the reflection on the water. The
points. Start by painting one light direction will also tell
point of the oval with the tip of you whether the top or the
the brush, add more pressure bottom of the wave should
for a broader stroke in the glow with lovely Caribbean
middle, then finish with the tip translucency. If the light
of the brush. The ovals can be comes through a wave at the
evenly distributed or skewed right angle, the wave acts as
depending on the wind and a lens, focusing bright spots
your perspective. of light on the bottom.

66
 Vibrant water tips

Cobalt Blue
tin ted gouache
Wax crayon
White p aper

Mix it up Adjust texture

9 Use a variety of techniques for
capturing textured whites. I always
like to leave more white paper than I use,
10 Hot press paper gives you
rich colours and a smooth
texture, which is ideal for painting water
as paper is the most sparkling white you on a foggy day with no sparks of white
have in your toolkit. It’s easy to paint over reflection. You can use a lot of wet on wet
whites, but you can never get the white brush strokes for blurred edges. Rough
paper back. However, don’t limit yourself press paper gives you dull colours with
Paint in layers
8
to just one shade of white. Permanent reflected sparkles and texture, perfect for
Since crystal clear water, wax crayon preserves whites, while white the seashore with white reflections, surf
where we can see rocks on or tinted gouache in a pale colour can and rocks. Cold press paper falls between
the bottom, is actually separate give you highlights on the water surface. hot press and rough press, giving you
layers of water and rocks, the Lifting pigment softens edges. Wait until a little texture and brighter colours, which
simplest way to paint these scenes your painting is dry, then use a damp rag is great for re-creating a peaceful pond
is in layers. The key is to separate to pull out pigment. scene with vibrant flowers reflecting.
the different layers by letting them
dry completely between washes.
Don’t be afraid to use strong dark
colours in the first wash. Dry
brushing gives you texture that
shows up under the water. Paint
the water in one bold wash, making
wave-shaped strokes. Let your
brush dance. You can use gouache
for reflected sky or preserve the
white paper with masking, wax or
precise strokes (see next step).

67
Depict a dynamic
urban environment
Guillaume Menuel shows how he created a snapshot
of urban life painted in oils in a loose, rough style

efore I began painting in a evolves over time, the decrepitude and

B
GUILLAUME
Montreal, Quebec, Canada traditional way, I worked for years renewal tangling with each other, how it
Born and raised in Paris, as a digital artist in the videogame creates tons of shapes, colours and
Guillaume moved to Canada
industry. With that background, materials, depending on time of day or
eight years ago to work in the
videogames industry. He’s I felt the need to come back to year. That’s what I really enjoy painting!
been both a concept artist something raw, something I could feel, smell Sometimes my subject is a wide
and professional painter. and manipulate with my hands. Oil painting was landscape, or sometimes I focus on a
http://bit.ly/gmenuel a revelation, and I have been practising in this street corner, as in this project. I’ll show
medium for almost two years now. you how I paint in a spontaneous and
My favourite subject so far has been loose way, working with layers of colours
the city (Montreal by default). I’ve and never adding too much detail. The
always been a city guy. I love how cities idea is to capture as much atmosphere
move, their dynamism, how everything and dynamism as possible.

68
 Oils

Guillaume says this

street corner has
became a favourite
subject of his, and
he has painted it at
various angles

Materials
Guillaume is using an 18x24-inch wood
panel, gessoed and sanded smooth. To
apply his oil paints, he uses a selection of
flat, soft synthetic brushes, paper towels,
painting knives and his fingers. His style of
painting doesn’t usually require high-level
tools, and his brushes are relatively cheap.

1 2
Choose the right picture Prepare the surface
My first step is as important as all I don’t like to paint on traditional
the other ones – make sure you canvas, I prefer wood panels for
find the right reference! I take a lot of their hard and smooth surface. You can
photos of Montreal, so I always have buy wood panels at most art supply
some good reference pictures in reserve stores – they’re not very expensive and
if I need them. I like to choose something are very solid. Before I lay down any
with a nice contrast. For this project, I brushstrokes, I prepare the surface to
chose a particular street corner I used prevent the wood drinking up the paint.
to pass every morning on my way to I apply two layers of a gesso (usually a
work. I took the reference photo on a white acrylic primer) and then roughly
freezing winter morning and the light sand it when it’s dry. That gives me a nice
was absolutely fabulous. smooth surface to paint on.

69
Workshop

5
Sketch the scene Find good tones Create the mood
3 For me, the sketching is the most
important part. Now’s the time to
be sure my perspective and composition
4 The dominant colours in this scene
are deep blue for the shadows and
a yellowish white for the highlighted parts
Time to have some fun! At this point,
I’m using a very cheap large brush
and paper towel. I apply my first lot of
will work, to get everything in the right – a nice winter-morning palette! To set colour very roughly, spreading it a bit with
place. I don’t add details at this point, the mood, I start with a very diluted glaze the paper towel. I want to give a clear idea
just rough shapes and lines. Even if I’m of Aquamarine Blue, turquoise and olive of the mood as soon as possible, and it’s
working with a photo reference, I won’t (olive is a nice choice to darken colours already taking shape. My approach doesn’t
stick to it if something doesn’t work – I and keep them vibrant), which I mix with need too much preparation and is really
feel free to move elements if I want to. nut oil. The highlighted parts will be a mix open to change and fluctuation.
of white, Naples Yellow and nut oil. The sky
will be turquoise and white.

6
Shape the scene
After having this rough coloured
composition, it’s time to be a bit
more precise and define what’s what,
shaping the vehicles, architecture and so
on. I know that each brushstroke could be
replaced by another one sooner or later,
but I continue to make everything more
clear for the next steps. My paint here is
less diluted than the previous steps, as I
want it to be more opaque.

“My approach
doesn’t need too
much preparation
and is really open
to changes”
70
 Oils

Add texture and Add in rough texture

7 depth of colour
I’m now making everything more
precise, while still keeping it a bit
8 To add some depth, I use my
painting knife to paint in rough
texture with undiluted paint, which I
sketchy. To get texture, I’m using very quickly apply here and there (mainly to
little paint on a small, flat, flexible brush, the road and walls). The effect is built up
so I can see the strokes. This is really quickly – it’s very satisfying!
helpful for walls, for example. I pick my
colours here and there off the palette,
using some “mixing accidents” so I can
add depth to my colours. This gives a
nice range of shades.

A rt tip
I like to find a good tool to
create some nice textures.
Sometimes the tool can be
as unexpected as a piece
of cardboard directly taken

9
Get smoking Add life with detail

10
from the breakfast cereal
The exhaust smoke from the car It’s only the key details that box that morning.
in the foreground needs some are missing now – and this will
more attention. Here I’m adding white make a big difference and bring the last
paint on the right, and, with my finger, bits of life to the picture. The yellow traffic
I’ve blended the edges to get that nice light, the car exhaust smoke, the walking
contrast of raw paint that blends to man, the reflections in the windows. Here
smooth edges. This is almost one of the I’m using my smallest flat brush for the
only spots of the painting that deserves small details, and a bigger one for the
a more delicate treatment. finishing touches to the exhaust smoke.

71
Paint like...

72
 Cézanne

Paint like... Cézanne

Rob Lunn guides you step-by-step through
an interpretation of Cézanne’s painting
method from initial sketch to final flourish

ROB
Bath, UK
Rob is a self-taught painter,
and loves to paint in oils. His
influences are Vincent van
Gogh, Caravaggio and Ilya
Repin. He has taught art
workshops since 2012.
www.roblunn.co.uk

P
aul Cézanne was known for
his experimental style, always
pushing to expand the viewer’s
experience of conventional
subjects. Here, we’ll observe his
painting method, with blocky, stabby
brushstrokes and muted notes that emphasise
his eye for colour. We’ll try to re-create a
painting with the feel of one of his works.
Notice I don’t say “copy” – we want to be
inspired by Cézanne, not slavishly knock out a

1
version of one of his paintings. Brushstrokes Get the setup
are like handwriting. We all have our own Make sure everything you need is
individual marks and it’s important to close to hand. A viewfinder can be
recognise this and embrace it. fashioned from A4 paper and used to aid
I paint in oils because I love the drawing and composition. I added marks
freedom they offer, with long drying to break the height and width into thirds.
times and sculptural qualities. This can then be relayed to your panel if
Portraiture is my main passion and
I always like to add a bit of character
Ma terials you feel less confident drawing accurately.
Play with your objects and lighting to see
to my still-life elements too. This Rob likes these oils as they’re what different effects you can create.
gives them personality and informs realistic colours and retain the Move elements around until you’re happy.
the way I paint them. most saturation when mixing.
We’ll leave the composition simple so
we can concentrate on technique. Feel n Michael Harding Oil Paints
free to add any still-life elements you n Acrylic-primed 3mm MDF
wish, but I’d advise staying away from n Rosemary & Co. Ivory
any objects with a very decorative finish. short-handled Filberts
We’ll start off by setting up our scene n Kitchen roll
and getting ourselves prepared. Then n The Masters Brush
we’ll work our way through the painting Cleaner and Preserver
step by step, breaking the process down n Bartoline Brush Cleaner
into easy-to-manage chunks.

73
Paint like...

Make a gesture drawing

2 First make a gesture drawing using charcoal.

This is like a dress-rehearsal for your
composition – it’s much easier to rub charcoal off
than paint. This drawing should only be about the
placement and general flow of objects, plus marking
out any big divisions in tonal value. Keep your marks
light and energetic. Once you’re happy you’ll be
wiping it off, so get your composition working now.

Construct the image

3 Now re-create your gesture drawing, but in oil

paint. Use a dry-brush technique – take a little
paint on your brush and wipe it a few times on kitchen
towel, so it’s as dry as possible, and sketch your
composition back in. Don’t just copy the charcoal
lines; take this opportunity to remeasure and retune
your drawing. Identify the main blocks of tonal value
and colours again. Keep it simple, quick and full of life.

Pre-mix colours

4 It’s a good idea to pre-mix as many colours as

you think you’ll need before you start painting.
You’ll obviously mix other colours as you go, but this
is a good start. Hold a little of the colour on your
palette knife up to the subject in place. You’ll get a
better idea of accuracy under the correct lighting
conditions. To keep colours brighter, mix together
complementary colours around the colour wheel
instead of automatically reaching for black or white.

74
 Cézanne

Build up darks

5 and midtones
You can now apply colour.
Using a dry brush with a scrubbing
action (forefinger on top of the
ferrule, with the end of the brush
running under your wrist), work in
the mid and dark tones. Squint,
measure and adjust as you go. Keep
it light and don’t worry about staying
within your construction lines. You
can see this technique in action in
Cézanne’s unfinished Still Life With
Water Jug (circa 1892-3).

Think tonality

6 Tone is vital to a successful

painting, and knowing how to
manage it is an important skill to
practise. My composition is mainly
midtone with a secondary bias to
light and just a small amount of dark.
It creates a fun and relaxed feel to
the painting, reinforcing the angle we
chose to begin with. Use a tonal scale
tool to identify the tones and make
sure you’ve got the right balance for
the effect you want.

G reat idea!
Try squinting at your subject.
This will break down the
different levels of tone and
colour, and it can stop you
getting swamped down with
too much detail, especially at
the beginning of a painting.

75
Paint like...

Reconstruct

7 construction lines
Next, reconstruct your
construction lines and redefine the
tonal areas. Remember to keep the
lines light and energetic, and take the
opportunity to remeasure and reassess
your composition. Always be ready to
change an element if it isn’t working. Its
adaptability is one of oil paint’s most
useful qualities. Don’t be afraid to wipe
or scrape back and start again, if you
need to. A scrunch of kitchen roll has
saved many a painting from disaster!

Release the colour

8 With fuller, more loaded

brushstrokes, begin to apply
your premixed colours, but be ready to
adjust them as you go. Work in large
shapes to begin with. At this stage
things can sometimes seem a little
clumpy. If your painting doesn’t
immediately appear in front of you,
trust the process. Keep squinting at
your subject, stand back now and then,
and keep your kitchen roll close at
hand. Be open to change.

76
 Cézanne

Re-create

9 Cézanne’s brushwork
Cézanne loved to create intricate
patchworks of colour and balance them
off with stabby, energetic brushstrokes.
He often gave his still-lifes quite solid
outlines, repeating the reconstruction
phase later on in the painting. An outline
defines a form so solidly that even a
humble apple can stand out next to
decorative jug or armless cherub. Have
fun playing with your brushstrokes to see
the effects.

Begin to fine-tune

10 Work into the larger

areas and add layers
of detail as you go. Look for
unusual colour details that pop
out. Cézanne liked to make a
feature of these, so run with
them if you spot them. Strong
colours will bleed out into
their environment, and adding
touches of complementary
colours next to each other will
help the colours sing. The last
touches should be the highlights.

77
Workshop

Capture a
night atmosphere
David Farren creates an evocative after-dark
scene using a limited palette of acrylic colours

78
 Acrylics

ainting busy streets can seem like

P a daunting challenge, but they are

also an extremely rewarding
subject matter. All the things that
make up an urban scene –
buildings, trees, cars, people and street
furniture can combine to create an exciting
painting. Here I’m doing a studio painting of a
street in Périgueux, using an on-location
sketch and photographs for reference.
Sketching the scene

1
I was drawn to the warm yellows of
the artificial lights on the stone of the
buildings, and the strong contrast
Materials First I make a sketch of the street in
the old town area of Périgueux using
n Winsor & Newton Artists primed
between the reflections on the pavement a 0.5mm fineliner pen. I then add colour
canvas board, 60x60cm
and the silhouetted figures. The street over the top using gouache, trying to get
already has a good composition with the n Artists quality acrylics: Titanium White, down the main elements of the scene.
buildings framing the bright cobbled Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light, I also take reference photos to help with
road that leads the eye into the painting, Raw Sienna, Cobalt Blue, Cadmium details in the finished painting.
while the people added life and Yellow Medium, Ultramarine, Cerulean
movement. When painting a complex Blue, Burnt Umber
n Brushes: Flat – 1in and ¾in; Round –

2
subject it’s good to simplify what you see Preparing the palette
or you’ll get bogged down in detail. It’s size 6; Rigger; 1½in decorator’s brush Back in the studio I start by laying
also important to stay focused on what out the acrylic paint on my palette.
inspired you in the first place and make it I use plenty of paint and lay the colours
the focal point of the painting. out in groups of yellows, reds and blues.
I’m going to be painting with a
limited palette of acrylics. One of the
main features of this medium is the
quick drying time, so if you want to blend
or smudge you have to work quite
quickly. I like the brushwork and texture
that comes when making rapid marks
with heavy-body paints.

DAVID
Périgueux, France
David Farren has exhibited his
paintings across the UK for
more than 20 years. He
recently moved to France
where he has found fresh
inspiration in the Dordogne.
www.davidfarren.com

79
Workshop

Reflect on
your work
Use a small mirror to view the
painting as this helps you to
see it with ‘fresh eyes’ and
spot any errors, such as leaning
people or wonky buildings.

3
Prepare the board Identify the
I apply a thin wash of Raw Sienna
and Alizarin Crimson to a sqaure
canvas board, using a 1½in decorators
4 major elements
I load a ¾in flat brush with some
Raw Sienna and Burnt Umber, then
brush, and let it dry. This provides a outline all the major elements, paying
warm base colour for the painting and will attention to the scale of the buildings and
take away the whiteness of the board. figures. I try to be reasonably accurate,
Areas of this wash will still be visible in the but also try to keep it loose. I add more
finished work. figures and change their positions.

5
Block in the shapes
I am now thinking about tone, i.e
how light or dark an area is. I quickly
lay in some bigger shapes of the shadowed
buildings using variations of a mid-tone
mix of Raw Sienna, Crimson and
Ultramarine using the ¾in flat brush.

Add the shadows

6 Using thicker paint, I brush in the

darker areas of the awnings and the
buildings in shadow. Keeping the strokes
loose and painting quickly, I work on all
parts of the painting in the same way to
give the painting a consistent feel.

80
 Acrylics

Add some light

7 Now that the mid to dark tones are

painted, I add some of the warm
yellow colour where the walls are lit by
artificial lights. Using a mix of Raw Sienna,
Cadmium Yellow and Titanium White,
I use the ¾in flat brush to bring in the
colour, gradually increasing the Titanium
White nearer to the light source.

“I work on all parts Paint the foreground

of the painting the 8 I’ve come to the lit area of cobbles
in the foreground. I want to keep it Wanderlust
same way to give it
simple and suggest it with just a few
strokes of the flat brush. I vary the colour inspiration
as I paint from a creamy green on the right
a consistent feel” to a lighter pink colour on the left.
My first trip to New York in 2001 was a
breakthrough moment for me. I felt really
inspired by this amazing city and spent my
time walking the streets and sketching.
I exhibited a series of paintings from the trip
at a UK art fair, where it received a fantastic
response and all my paintings sold. This
gave me the boost I needed to become a
full-time artist.

9
Work on the figures
At this point I need to do some
more work on the figures. I paint
them quickly using a dark mix of
Ultramarine, Crimson and Burnt Umber
and let the edges blur and merge to
suggest movement. I also darken the
reflections and define some of the lines
of cobbles, which helps lead the eye into
the painting.

81
Workshop

10 11
Add highlights Use the shape of the brush
Now I add the lightest tones in the painting – the lights and their Here I’m painting the building on the right
bright reflections – using Titanium White with a little Cadmium using the square shape of the flat brush to
Yellow to give some warmth. While it’s still wet, I smudge the paint with my indicate the blocks of stone. This wall is lit by white light
thumb to blur the edges. I use a size 6 round brush loaded with paint to so I use a pinkish mauve mix of Titanium White and
add the highlights to the awning and some detailing to the windows. Cobalt Blue with a touch of Raw Sienna and Crimson.

12
Add furniture
I use the round brush
to paint the tables and
chairs outside the restaurant.
It’s quite a complex grouping,
but I keep it simple by using just
a couple of brushstrokes for the
table tops and chair backs, and
then using the rigger brush to
add the long chair legs.

82
 Acrylics

13
Paint the blue reflections
Now is the time to add the blue reflections from the
distant lights. Loading a brush with Titanium White and
Cerulean Blue, then adding some Cobalt Blue for the darker
areas, I roughly brush in the paint in varying strokes trying to
create some interest and suggest the uneven nature of the cobbles.

Add texture

14 The area of bright white reflection is strengthened

using a 1in flat brush, which I also use to add more pink
to the reflections on the cobbles, dragging the brush down over
the surface of the board to create texture. I also add more texture
to the yellow walls with further brushstrokes of thick paint.

“I drag the brush

down over the
surface of the board
to create texture”

15
Make final
adjustments
At this stage I make final
adjustments to various elements of the
painting. I decide to darken up and add
more texture to the foreground cobbles. I
also make the lights in the far window
brighter with some Titanium White
applied with my thumb. Finally, I add the
writing on the sign in the top left, which is
kept very loose and just hinted at. A few
minor changes to the figures and that’s it!

83
Workshop

Create a modern
Impressionist scene
in four stages
Tony Belobrajdic shows how he uses a loose and
spontaneous method to paint a lively indoor scene

84
 Watercolours

TONY
Sydney, Australia
Self-taught Tony works mostly
in watercolours. His work has
been published in several
books and he regularly
teaches and paints overseas.
Tony was born in Croatia,
but now lives in Australia.
www.artiscon.com

1
Start with light colours

O
ver the years I’ve developed my
style of painting by looking Find the focus of your painting. For
closely at the work of the my picture, this will be the window
Impressionists. Their art was and the waiter. I mix a light wash for the
fresh and spontaneous, and was walls and paint in that area. Making sure
executed with bold brush strokes, which didn’t I follow the correct perspective, I have
reveal too much detail. For this workshop, I’ll the left and right window visible in the
paint a contemporary café scene in picture. I then start to paint in the
watercolour using their methods (and a background around the waiter.
photograph) for reference.
Impressionistic techniques also

2
match the essence of painting with Add the figures
watercolour. Washes are applied with Using a thicker mix of black,
one decisive brush stroke, and are never Ultramarine Blue and a bit of
corrected or smoothed out. This gives red, I paint the person on the left,
the painting an almost unfinished look, as well as the waiter’s trousers and
enabling the viewer to finish the picture. head. I leave an unpainted area for
I usually try to create a painting in the two chairs in front of these
four stages. First, I visualise how I want figures. I will use this negative-
the final painting to look. You can space painting method
produce a small pencil sketch or tonal throughout the scene.
study, if it helps. This stage will help
cement the composition, the focal
points and sources of light.
I then start to paint very basic shapes
with a large brush. This sets the tones
and overall mood of the work. At this
stage you should avoid adding any
details and leave large areas of paper
untouched. Next, once everything’s dry,
I turn the basic shapes into more 3D
objects by painting shades and
shadows, reflections. I also start adding
in people (though I did this early in this
painting), while still avoiding any details.
Finally, it’s the fun part: adding in
details and accent colours. Painting
with either the tip of the brush or a
smaller brush, I use thicker pigments
In fron t of you Ma terials
and explore dry brush effects. At this Inspiration can come at any time. More n Royal Talens Rembrandt
point, it’s best to hold back in case you often than not it’s always there, just waiting watercolours (tubes)
overwork the compostion. Slow down to be triggered by visiting an art gallery, n Arches rough watercolour paper, 300g
and paint decisively and then leave it opening Turner’s book or even having a n Japanese/Oriental style soft goat-hair
alone. Remember, it’s for the viewer good cup of coffee. brushes, medium to large (8, 10, 12)
to ‘finish the picture’.

85
Workshop

3
Paint the foreground
Moving to the bottom of the paper,
I paint the foreground. Using lots
of water and pigment, I create swift,
spontaneous brush strokes with my
largest brush. I leave the top of the
chairs unpainted.

4
Add the tables
Continuing with a dark colour,
I make the paint a bit thicker
and hold the brush at a steeper angle
to the paper, to paint the round tables.
I leave the tops white and paint in the
reflections with vertical strokes, using
more water. Every brush stroke is done
once, then left alone.

5
Paint the curtains
and reflections
I paint reflections on what looks
like two mirrors in the centre. For the red
curtains I apply a dark tone on the top of
them, using wet-in-wet. The colour will
run a bit with this technique, but don’t
try to correct anything. It’s tempting to
add details, but leave them for last.

6
Paint quickly
Now I go to the top left-hand side
to add in a grey/blue colour. I try
not to be precise, because this isn’t an
important part of the painting. It’s even
better if it’s painted quickly in an almost
abstract manner. I now step back, take a
break, and assess what I’ve done so far.

B rush strokes
The soft goat-hair brushes that
I use hold plenty of water and
make broad strokes. They also
add looseness and spontaneity
to the painting because they
can produce some unusual
marks. I hold them halfway up
the handle to free the stroke
even further. For the initial
brushwork, I lay them flat, and
for adding detail I hold them
perpendicular to the paper,
using only the tip of the brush.

86
 Watercolours

7
Paint the ceiling
I mix dark greys and use more water and a
larger brush to paint the ceiling. This is the
last area to be finished before I start on the
shadows. With the tip of the brush, I roughly paint
in some details, such as the cornice details where
the walls meet the ceiling.

8
Fill in the shadows
In the reference photo the light is
coming through the windows, so
I paint the shadow line at approximately
45 degrees on the wall. For shadows,
I use a grey-blue mix. It should be watery
and transparent, but with enough
pigment so that I only have to paint it once.

9
Add details
I take a thick dark pigment and
practice on a piece of paper to
check the brushstrokes. They should
look like they were painted with a dry
brush. I work with short, thick strokes,
only adding in a few details from the
photo. I have also added some light
ochre to the bottom of the pane.

10
Observe the
La te starter final picture
If you stand back, you’ll see
I came to watercolours quite many areas that could be improved or
late in life. The simplicity of areas where more details could be
the setup and preparation added. Don’t do it! The only things I add
was an attraction. I soon are a few broad strokes indicating
discovered the other side creases in the fabric at the bottom of
of watercolours: no the picture. I also make the very bottom
over-painting, correcting of the picture darker, so as not to draw
or changing anything in the attention to that area.
process. After several years
of learning, I’m painting
more freely now, and not
using a pencil sketch
as a base.

87
Workshop

Draw a figure in
under five minutes
Get the most out of your life-drawing sessions with
Chris Legaspi’s quick tips for quick figures

S
ketching a five-minute pose is a instantly make the subject more believable,
CHRIS lot of fun because it offers just while filling in the key features and details to
Pasadena, California, USA enough time to capture a strong help bring the whole figure to life. Next,
Chris is a painter, illustrator, sense of the pose, but not enough adding limbs as flowing tapering rectangles
videogame concept artist, and time to overwork (or overthink) adds movement and energy to the pose,
health-nut with more than
20 years of drawing, painting
the drawing. Keeping things simple and being with added cross sections defining their
and teaching experience. economical is a recurring theme throughout position and direction. I start the hands and
www.drawwithchris.com the five-minute process. feet with simple ovals, squares or triangles
The main thing to remember for a to capture their shape.
successful quick pose is to keep the gist of Finally, if the lighting is flat, I’ll add
the subject, so I’ll show how to first create details with line and construction. If the
three defined sections of rib cage, lighting is good and the shadows are
abdomen and hips. Then, I’ll add in the clear, I’ll use tone to define the anatomy.
natural tilt and rotation of the head to Let’s get started!

Three sections Indicate openings for

of the torso Construct
legs and arms
1 the torso
Once the gesture
is established, separate
the torso into rib cage,
abdomen and hips. Then,
indicate the openings for
the limbs. Next, group the
muscles using simple forms.
Finally, suggest planes to
give the torso structure.

Simplified upper
back/shoulder joint
anatomy

Add corners and

box structure
and planes

88
 Drawing in five minutes

Opening Refine
for arms wrist and Define the limbs
hand
shapes 2 I start the limbs as long,
tapering rectangular
shapes that flow from the torso
down to the fingers or toes. Next,
I add cross-sections to indicate
their position and direction of
movement. Finally, I use simple
ovals to add muscles and indicate
kneecaps and elbows.

Cross- Add
sections for secondary
Tapering direction forms, such
cylinders as the thigh
muscles and
Indicate cal ves, etc
knee caps
(and elbow)

Add outer layer

of muscles such

3
Simplify the anatomy
Starting with the torso, I group the upper-back muscles as the deltoids
(which surround the shoulder) into simple forms. Where and trapezius
visible, I emphasise hip bones, knees and elbows. Finally,
I emphasise the parts where muscles overlap, which creates
the illusion of more detail and brings the drawing to life.

Simplified grouping
of shoulder join/
upper-back muscles

Sacrum
triangle

Emphasise
muscle
overlaps

89
Workshop

Begin the head

4 For quick head sketches, I begin with

the gesture and outer shape, making
sure the tilt and rotation is correct. Next,
Refine
shapes
I add the major planes, such as the side of
the head and brow. Finally, I add in the
features, and define the neck muscles.

Refine
Indicate features
features

Indicate
planes

Box shape
Sketch
5 the hands
Hands can be complex,
so I start with either a box or
Group
fingers
Separate fingers
(if needed)
oval shape, depending on how
the fingers are arranged.
Next, I refine the shape,
but keep the fingers grouped.
Refine
To finish, I separate the
wrist
forefinger and thumb, or any
finger necessary to make the
hand come to life.
Oval shape

90
 Drawing in five minutes

6
Sketch the feet
The feet are fairly easy to simplify since the toes are short and
clustered together. Start with a triangle shape to capture the gesture,
making sure to emphasise the contact point. Next, refine ankle and shape of
the grouped toes. Finally, separate the big toe, or any other toes as needed.

Separate toes,
add anatomy

Gesture of Refine ankle, Separate other

ground toes operate big toe toes if needed

Head Finer
overlap overlap Shoulder muscle
overlap
Emphasise
hip-bone

Get to grips with

7 side view poses
In a side view, much of
the figure is hidden. To make
the drawing work, I emphasise
and exaggerate overlaps. When
Legs available, the limbs are also
overlapping great tools for creating overlaps
at the torso. For more depth,
I exaggerate the top layers of
anatomy, such as the shoulder
muscles and hip bones.

91
Workshop

Use torso sections

for overlaps
8
Work with foreshortened poses
Similar to a side view, I emphasise overlaps. If the torso
is moving away, I emphasise the overlap of the hips and
abdomen. If the torso is coming toward me, I use the rib cage
and anatomy to create overlaps. If visible, the limbs drawn
with good cross-sections can also create depth.

Clean up construction
to show overlaps

Use torso sections Exaggerate anatomy Clean up

for overlaps for overlaps construction

Cross-sections
show direction Exaggerate
pinching Exaggerate
anatomy pinching anatomy

Exaggerate
outward
bulging
forms

Emphasise
outward
bulging forms

Straight lines to
emphasise contact
points

Define
ch r/surface
ai

9
Master reclining poses
For reclining and seated poses, you
can exaggerate the anatomy that
Emphasise contacts the surface. When visible, I
ground plane
Emphasise anatomy with straignts
emphasise the hands making contact by
at hand and wrist adding more detail at the fingers and wrist.

92
 Drawing in five minutes

10
Add tone
If the lighting is good, I will often
finish the sketch with tone. One
way I do this is by blocking in the shadow
and filling in the shape with a suitable tone.

Shadow shapes
describing
anatomy

Shadow shapes
describing form

Define shadow Shadow shapes

pattern describing
anatomy

93
Workshop

WATCH

Add dramatic light to THE VIDEO

bit.ly/cheetah_vid

your wildlife paintings

Wildlife artist Tony Forrest shows you how to paint warm
sunlight to give your animal paintings depth and colour

94
 Oils

TONY
Bodmin, Cornwall. UK
Tony Forrest has been
painting wildlife for nearly
30 years. Oil paints portray
light and depth in his work
and create a texture and
vibrancy that he uses to
recreate the sunlight of Africa.
www.tonyforrest.com

ven though I’ve been painting the

E
wildlife of Africa for nearly three
decades, it never fails to captivate
me each time I visit. Africa has
seemingly endless sunlight that
flows across the landscape like a golden river.
The animals themselves attracted me at first,
but I soon began to realise the importance of
Keep checking your
portraying sunlight in my work. painting against the photo,
This workshop explains how to but try not to copy every
convey warm sunlight in your paintings. GET THE detail. Be creative
Don’t feel daunted by the subject and SKETCH
detail; with careful use of colour you will www.filesilo.
have great fun! Africa is a blaze of colour co.uk/pad02
Draw a basic outline

1
and light, and this is what you need to
concentrate on from the start. The Start by drawing the outline of
detail will be applied later on, refining as your subject using any oil colour
we progress. Even though this cheetah that has been thinned with Liquin or
has a lot of detail, I focus more on the similar. Using a grid, make the drawing
warm colour of the light, and cool as accurate as you can. Don’t worry
colours in the shadows. Exciting warm about details for now – you just need
sunlight will always make a simpler to make sure the main areas are in the
painting far more appealing than a right place. Make sure the eyes and
detailed painting with dull flat light. At mouth are the correct proportions.
the beginning, you need to use quite Check the drawing against your
strong colours. reference photo.

Ma terials
n Oil colours: Burnt Umber,
French Ultramarine,
Quinocridone Violet or
Crimson, Cadmium Red,
Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium
Orange, Lemon Yellow,
Winsor Blue or Cerulean Blue,
Winsor Green, Titanium White
n Brushes: Hog (No.7 Long
Flat, No.1 Long Filbert),
Sable (No.0 Round), Sable/
Synthetic mix (No.0 Rigger)
n Stretched linen canvas 10x12in
n Winsor & Newton Liquin

95
Workshop

4
Mix your colours Block in colour Check the light

2 Using Cadmium Orange,

Cadmium Yellow and Titanium
White mix a warm mid-orange/yellow.
3 Noting the main areas of tone,
start blocking in colour, applying
the paint using Liquin – be careful not
Check the sunny effect is
working – it should be
unmistakable. At this stage, you
Now add a little Ultramarine Blue, to to lose your original drawing. Use subtle can rub the paint off with a rag if
calm down the brightness slightly. You variations of colour and tone to retain you need to correct it. If you need
will have to judge the strength of the life and interest. The shadows can be to correct the colour, try not to
colour as you paint, but it can be fairly quite strong cool colours at this apply more paint on top, as you
bright at this early stage. Try to vary the stage, contrasting with the warmer will get into a mess! Add warm
colours to add interest. colours in sunlight. greens to the background.

5 6
Start adding detail Add the spots
Once the first layer is dry, add in Paint in more darks and
detail. Don’t use white, but add lights with a fine round
Time to shine! orange or yellow for the lightest areas. For
the darker markings, mix any dark, warm
sable-type brush, creating the
spots and other details. Look
To get a sunny effect from the start, mix tones using Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red for subtleties in the fur. We’ll
warm colours with cool shadows. This is or orange and yellow. Use Ultramarine be refining these details later,
the most exciting part of the entire process! Blue in the mix for the cooler tones in the so there’s no need to get too
shadows. Avoid black. bogged down.

96
 Oils

Mix your greens Paint the background

7 Mix some Winsor Green with

Cadmium Yellow Light or Lemon
and a bit of white. Add Cadmium Red if
8 The background is deliberately
left very loose. Here, I now pay
attention to the contrasting colours
Find your style!
I remember my first sold-out show when all
you need to reduce the intensity. Mix on the left of the face and the bright ten of my paintings went in about four hours.
some light, bright greens and some warm greens just behind the neck on I knew I was doing something right. It’s
darker tones to apply around the the right. With thick paint I hold the important to have faith in your art – when
cheetah’s head. There is no specific rule filbert brush very loose and let the paint you find your own technique, nurture it and
here, just do whatever looks right to you, drag across the canvas to suggest foliage it will become your best friend.
retaining the sunlight effect. and twigs.

9 10
Break the edges Make
Study your reference, and add finishing touches
detail to any areas that seem At the end, study the painting
blotchy. Use a fine brush to add flecks of to see if it needs anything you think might
lighter thick paint to break up the edges of improve it. It might need a bit more
the darker spots. Make sure your shadows contrast here and there, or maybe
and sunny areas are still obvious. And slightly brighter highlights on the face
make sure the ‘white’ parts of the fur are and so on. Spend a bit of time with your
pale orange/yellow. work and modify it until you are happy.

97
Workshop

Make spontaneous
bees and butterflies
Kate Osborne reveals the secret to creating unique art with
wet-in-wet watercolour, gouache and unusual printing techniques

98
 Watercolour & gouache

N
ature offers so much inspiration to paint through tissue. This conveys separate from the blacks, and also to
for art. I began painting some of that less-than-perfect, hang onto the delicate transparency of
butterflies after a visit to my local crumbling texture at the edges of the their wings.
natural history museum in wings. It’s also fun, and has results that Working small does not necessarily
Brighton, where I was able to are a little unpredictable and exciting. mean working dry, and remember that
access drawers and drawers of beautiful and Painting bees doesn’t need the same puddles of paint can dry in a very
fragile specimens. treatment as butterflies, but you still dynamic way. This workshop encourages
I felt particularly inspired – after seeing need to keep looseness and wetness in you to keep it simple, taking a risk by
the butterflies up close – to recreate your approach to painting them. This, of allowing the paint to do its own thing, and
some of the interesting textures. There course, requires the right brushes and find new ways to make marks and
are many ways to do this, and one way is careful timing in order to keep the yellows textures, and enjoy the dynamic results!

KATE
Brighton, UK
Painter Kate is also a textile
designer and figurative artist
whose subject matter is the
natural world.
www.kateosborneart.com
www.watercolourdiary.com

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Workshop

Bee insp ired

Begin with yellow

1 Start by mixing good puddles of Cadmium or Hansa Yellow,

Burnt Umber and/or Burnt Sienna, and Paynes Grey. Now
take the palest colour (the yellow), and paint the whole body
Best brushes
It’s best to use a round brush with a good
and head, keeping everything wet by dropping in more paint, or
point; sables are brilliant. Look for a brush
adding clean water. Add the wings in a pale mix of brown, and if
that has enough body to hold a significant
the yellow bleeds into them, mop it up and drop a little clean
amount of paint, but can still keep its point.
water into the area – this will ’push’ the yellow away.
For very fine detail of the veins on the wings
or the end of the legs, a sword brush is
ideal. For the darker hair on the body, you
can use a round Chinese brush with the tip
flattened into a comb.

2
Try a bit of alchemy Add the legs
Now drop in a rich shade of brown
(or brown/grey mix) for the darker
areas of the body furthest away from the
3 With a darker mix of
brown/black, find the
negative shapes of the legs
Wa ter ways
The paint in your palette
yellow. Depending on how wet your paint that are against the body, and should, when you pull your
is, how wet the area you are dropping it paint the body around them. brush through it, move like
into, and how loaded your brush is, will Try not to put in every detail – water. It should also have
dictate how much and how far this darker sometimes the smallest enough pigment in it
tone bleeds. Learning this bit of alchemy suggestion is enough and lets so it doesn’t merely look
will take some practice and patience! the viewer ‘complete’ the ‘tinted’ when it goes down
Now let your painting dry completely. picture for themselves. on the paper.

100
 Watercolour & gouache

S ay i t wi th flowers
If you want to give your bees context, you can introduce
flowers to the scene. Treat the flowers in much the same
way as you would the bees, working loosely, keeping
your paint flowing at the initial stage, not separating stalk
from flower but allowing them to run into one another. It
may be tempting to be exact and keep the petals apart
from the green areas, but this blending echoes the
organic nature of the subject. Once this first stage of the
painting is dry, you can ‘separate’ the flower from the
stalk or leaf with the next layer of tone. When painting
with flowers, be more impressionistic with the bees and
keep the detail down to a minimum. It’s amazing how
little information is required to describe these creatures!

101
Workshop

Be t t er b u t t erf lie s

Shape, colour and texture Add in the detail

1 Because butterflies are symmetrical, you can draw one half onto a
folded sheet of tracing paper, turn it over and trace onto the other half.
Once you’ve transferred the outline onto watercolour paper, create the initial
2 I take a strip of masking tape and tear it down
the middle, before sticking it onto the image,
leaving a small gap. I then paint over the gap with
stage of your painting, using some nice puddles of paint – make sure the blue gouache. When the tape is removed, it will leave
whole area is covered. Before it has a chance to dry, place a layer of kitchen an irregular-edged blue stripe for detail on the wing. I
roll over the image and let it absorb the paint. You can now add rich, vibrant then make another longer stripe, this time running
(and very wet!) colour on top. I’ve used mixes of Cobalt Teal, Perylene Red, the entire length of the wing. There are now two
Viridian and Indigo. Leave the tissue on until it is a little short of dry, before stripes on the top wing, and just one on the bottom
peeling it off for some lovely textures. wing. I repeat this on the other side.

3
Add more detail
The hairs of the butterfly’s body can now be
painted on with a round brush flattened into a
’comb’. The wing veins are painted with a sword
brush. For the red part of the wings, I’ve taken some
Chinese/tissue paper and painted it with a rich mix of
red paint. Once dried, I tear it into two circles. Next, I
paint some textured craft paper with bright red
gouache, and use this to print onto the tissue. The
circles are then stuck onto the wings with glue. Finally,
I print on the yellow gouache dots using my finger.

Wi th a trace
You are looking to get the pattern as near symmetrical as
possible, so it may be worth using your tracing paper
again to ensure this, if you’re not confident doing it by eye.

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 Watercolour & gouache

Find your edge

If the outline of your butterfly has been lost in the painting-through-
tissue stage, find it again using opaque gouache that more or less
matches your paper colour (add a little Yellow Ochre to the white if
you need to). Just paint around some of the outline, such as the areas
where the wings meet, where the tail and wings meet and around the
butterfly’s head.

103
Workshop

Paint your pet

from a photo
Kate Oleska reveals her approach to re-creating
the fluffy fur of your pets in this fun workshop

ainting pets can be a lot of fun.

P
KATE
Kent, Uk While it’s great to see the artwork
Kate is an artist specialising in finished and ready to hang on a
portraits and pet portraits. wall, the process itself brings a
She mainly works in oils,
lot of satisfaction. And, it’s not
charcoal and pencil. You can
find more of her art at just about copying a photo. An important part
www.purelypetportraits.co.uk is also expressing yourself through your
brushstrokes and artistic decisions. In other
words, take the reference and make it your
own, because that’s what really makes a
painting stand out!
I admire the grace and beauty of
animals, and I love painting fur and
seeing brushstrokes come to life and
become something you could almost
touch. And, although you can use
different mediums to achieve that effect,
I use oils because it’s my favourite
medium. In this workshop, I will show you
my technique and offer tips on how to
improve your painting. Some of the tips
ole_thunder)

also work if you’re painting a portrait of a

person or even a landscape.
(www.instagram.com/th

I will also tell you how to prepare your

painting surface. Painting on board will
allow you to convey the texture of your
Materials
n Daler-Rowney Georgian oil paints
Courtesy of Dhezy Novie

subject more effectively. However,

painting on canvas works just as well. (Titanium White, Ivory Black,
Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber, Yellow
Ochre, Cadmium Red)

P icture purr-fect
n Brushes: ¾” flat wash synthetic sable,
1/
5” flat, 00 synthetic sable, 1½” flat (for

gessoing), palette knife

To paint a good pet portrait you’ll need a good n 40x60cm 6mm MDF board
photo. That means the pet should be well lit and n Acrylic gesso
lying, sitting or standing in a comfortable n Sandpaper
position. The photo needs to clearly show the
n Low-odour thinner
pattern of fur – use the image to establish
n Paper towels
anatomy and likeness but don’t obsess about
n Mahlstick
each strand of fur.

104
Oils

105
Workshop

1
Prepare the board
If you are using MDF, you will need to sand the board first.
You can then apply three to four thin layers of acrylic gesso
to the surface. Let each layer dry and sand it, before applying
the next layer. Try and keep the layers thin, as thick layers are
harder to smooth out.

2
Apply a wash
I create a wash using a mixture of burnt umber paint and
thinner and apply it onto the board. White board can be
very overpowering, so toning it with a wash will help you see
the values better once you start to paint. I use burnt umber
because it dries quickly.

3
Do an initial sketch
The more time you spend getting the
anatomy and proportions correct at
this early stage, the less correcting you will
need to make later. Keep your reference
photo to hand – or print it big – so you can
compare it with the painting at all times.

Be up standing!
I always stand my brushes upright when
they’re not in use – this way they will
last longer.

106
 Oils

Paint the background

4 The background of a painting can

strongly affect how colours work
together, that’s why it’s the first thing I
paint. It’s also easier to focus on the
subject when a large part of the painting is
already established. I use a flat brush and
palette knife to create the background.

Work on the eyes

5 Eyes are very important when

establishing likeness in a portrait.
It’s important to remember that
highlights appear on the surface of the
translucent cornea, while shadows are
created underneath, on top of the iris.
This is especially visible in cats’ eyes as
their pupils are very narrow.

See the light

Make sure you have a steady
and strong light source that
falls onto your board evenly.
It’s also good to have your
palette in an upright position
(for example on a separate
easel) next to your painting.
Having the palette in the same
light source helps when
comparing colours.

107
Workshop

6
Paint the face
For the face, I first add a base colour
to establish shapes and likeness.
Once I have this, I start working on details
(fur, ears, nose) using a fine 00 brush. I then
gradually apply thicker layers of paint on
top, working with two or more shades and
trying not to mix them.

Time trial
It’s worth knowing that different oil colours
can dry at different speeds. Burnt Umber and
Ivory Black dry very fast, while Titanium
White can take days, even weeks to dry.

7
Add the fur texture
This cat is very fluffy and long and
therefore fun to paint! Fur consists
of different types of colours layered on top
of each other. Each strand has a shadow
and highlight defining its shape. I paint fur
in sections applying darker colour (shade)
first, then lighter colour (highlight) on top.

108
 Oils

8
Create soft edges
In most paintings, you will have sharp edges while
others are left soft. The transition between the fur and
background should be fairly soft, but not blurred. Make sure
soft strands of hair are still visible. Oils are very good for
creating soft and hard transitions, so experiment a little.

9
Make hard decisions
Sometimes I have to make last-minute decisions even
when the painting is almost finished. At first I liked the
composition, but when I finished the portrait the tail going out
of the shot started to bother me. I decided to paint over it,
therefore hiding it behind the cat. In the end, I feel it really
helped the final composition.

10
Add whiskers
Whiskers should be painted
after all the other layers have
been rendered. You can wait until the
painting dries before you apply them,
but it’s not absolutely necessary. I use
the smallest 00 brush, applying paint
slowly, but with a degree of confidence.
As with the rest of the details steadying
my hand with a mahlstick is essential.

Sign off!
Signing your painting might
not seem important, but it is -
this is your art! Make your
signature visible but don’t let it
overshadow your painting.

109
Workshop

Find joy
in painting
outdoors
Concept artist Bill Robinson
shows you how to get the
most out of plein air painting

P
lein air painting has been used by the masters
for centuries. That alone can make it seem
intimidating! I’m here to help you demystify the
painting process, the gear, and show you how
it’s going to help you improve all aspects of
your artistic work. I spent years thinking plein air painting
was for serious artists, when the truth is that it’s for
anyone who wants to get out in nature and have some fun.
I first started painting outdoors because of peer
pressure – a group of artists at the film studio I was
working at had an established practice. I asked
them how they had become so accomplished at
painting colour and light and the answer was always
the same: plein air. I got up the courage to join them
and immediately understood what they were talking
about. With daily practise, my paintings improved
rapidly – and yours will too.
In this workshop I’m going to cover the gear that
will make plein air painting comfortable and
portable. We’ll take a look at the keys to composition
and how to hone your observational skills, then we
will walk through a step-by-step painting out in the
Get the right gear
1
real world. Let’s get started!
The equipment you use can determine whether or not you
enjoy your plein air experience. You want everything to be
as portable as possible. I use a Kelty Redwing backpack
BILL designed for trail hiking because it has room for everything and
Los Angeles, USA is comfortable. You will need a lightweight tripod as well as a
Bill loves to explore new places with his
plein air kit. He works in film, TV, games,
pochade box to mount to it. The pochade box is a small box
and children’s book illustration. that unfolds and holds paintings and supplies. You may also
www.flimflammery.com want an umbrella to block out direct sunlight.

110
 Paint outside

2
Choose your tools
Plein air painting is suitable for any
medium. My personal favourite is
gouache paint, which is water soluble,
dries quickly, and is very easy to
transport. I use Holbein or Winsor &
Newton gouache, and generally only use
two or three brushes in the field. I work
small, usually around 5x7in, and always
start with my biggest brush, a 1-inch flat.
I work down to small brushes as I get
into details. I prefer hot press illustration
board for gouache.

3
Pick a location
Do you like privacy when you’re out creating
your art? If you aren’t comfortable with
strangers commenting on your work you probably
want to head deep into nature and avoid busy streets.
Both urban and natural settings offer a wealth of great
subjects to paint, and you will be able to practise and
learn the same amount from either. A good tip is to
wear headphones if you want to avoid chatting with
passersbys – or carry business cards in case people
are interested in purchasing your paintings!

What should I paint?

4 Once you’ve picked a location,
scout the area for a subject. I tend

5
to look for great lighting but keep in Set up for success
mind that it may change quickly. Also A great plein air set-up will put all of your
consider how much time you have – supplies at your fingertips. Your pochade box
don’t pick something complicated if you should be able to hold your paper or canvas, as well
only have 30 minutes to paint. Don’t be as a palette, towel, water, brushes, and at least a
afraid to focus on small subjects like a few tubes of paint. You don’t want to interrupt your
flower. It’s an idea to snap a photo of flow every few minutes to dig up a brush or colour.
your subject when you first start to Pour out plenty of paint and mix any major colours
paint, in case you want to finish at home. you need before you get started.

111
Workshop

Find an

6 interesting composition
Your composition is perhaps the
biggest factor in whether or not you
create a successful painting. I like to use
my fingers to form a viewfinder that will
frame my subject. I then transfer the
framing to my canvas as quickly as
possible in a simple pencil sketch.
Utilising the rule of thirds and avoiding
tangents will go a long way to getting
something decent.

1 2 3 4

7
Work big to small
G reat idea! Try painting with the largest brush
possible, for as long as you can.
Even a relatively simple scene This will help you to see shapes instead
will contain lots of detail that of details, and will make you focus on the
can overly-complicate your overall colour and value relationships of
painting. To avoid getting the image. When you feel like you simply
overwhelmed, squint as you can’t get the detail you need with the
observe what to paint. Not large brush, jump down to a slightly
only will this simplify what you smaller one, but avoid hairline brushes
see, and thereby help you for as long as you can.
decide what information to
leave out, but it makes colours
Observe colour

8
and tones easier to identify.
One of the most common
problems for beginners is
properly identifying colours. It’s a lot
harder than it sounds! We all know red
from blue, but when you begin to get into
the muddy world of browns, greys, and
purples, things get a lot more
complicated. Shadows can be warm,
light can be cool… there are no hard and
fast rules, just try to observe and
exaggerate colour when necessary.

112
 Paint outside

Walkthrough
Put it all together
1

Don’t be afraid to just

9 try something out

1
Believe me, not every painting Before you worry
you do will be a masterpiece but that’s about colour or value,
how you know you are pushing yourself. take a few minutes to
It’s important to leave your ego at home sketch in your composition.
and take some days to mess around This can be a 30-second
– try a new brush or a different type of scribble, as long as it
paint. Set up a page of tiny thumbnails contains all the major
to study colour relationships. Try elements of your subject.
working big, try mixing media. Find out Don’t worry about making it
what works best for you. pretty, as it will be covered
in paint shortly.

2
Lay in basic shapes 2
with your largest
brush. The goal here is
to get rid of the white
canvas and lay in simple
colour and value
relationships. Try to stay
loose and really observe the
light and shadow that
describes the forms.

When you can no

3
3
longer use that large
brush, it’s time to get
into the fun part: details!
Pace yourself
10
This may be only the last
It would be wonderful if we few minutes you spend on a
could spend all day painting painting. This is your
outdoors, but chances are you will have chance to make objects
a limited window of time. I like to have a specific: the shape of leaves
couple of hours to create a painting that and grass, the texture of the
captures all the major elements of my tree bark and rocks, etc.
scene. If I know I only have 30 minutes, I
will approach things differently and am
sometimes pleasantly surprised at how
much looser and more alive my work
feels with limited time.

113
Workshop

114
 Acrylics

Express your abstract

scenes with texture
David Body describes how he paints colourful, expressive
landscapes with layered acrylics and emulsion on canvas

115
Workshop

DAVID
Inverness, Scotland
David trained as an illustrator,
but worked as a potter for 30
years. He now concentrates
solely on painting, with the
Highland landscape being his
main source of inspiration.
www.davidbody.co.uk

hen I create my paintings, perspective and making them all the

W they’re all about colour,

composition and memory
of a place, rather than a
faithful representation of
somewhere. I like to have fun and use paint in
a decorative way. When painting scenes like
the one in this workshop, I tend to use houses
same size. The opposite to what would
be seen in real life!
I paint with heavy body acrylics and
emulsion paints, which I get mixed for
me as the colours are not readily
available in the standard range. I start by
laying out a basic colour palette of white,
Materials
David used Daler-Rowney
Cryla Artists’ Acrylic paints,
Homebase tester paint pots
and Berger satin emulsion
paints. He paints with hog
brushes for drawing and
for a compositional affect rather than reality, Yellow Ochre, Phthalo Blue (red hue),
underpainting, and uses fine
and I always paint places I know well – Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, a mixed
liners for the detail. The canvas
working this way gives me the freedom to be cyan, a mixed mauve emulsion paint
was a 76x51cm Winsor &
flexible. I find if I work from drawings or (satin finish) and black. Sometimes I add
Newton primed canvas. The
photos of places I get bogged down with the Cadmium Yellow Deep and Chrome
paintings are finished with
detail and realism. Green, too. I also use tester paint pots as
Golden – MSA Varnish (Satin).
I tend to reduce the landscape to a they give ready-mixed clean colours,
pattern of flat coloured blocks, so I can ideal for the underpainting.
then play around with the composition, The canvases I use are ready made
size and tone in an almost abstract and pre-primed and I give these a coat of
way. Tone is also used to flatten out flame-red matt emulsion for the
the painting by putting the darkest background to give the painting a good WATCH THE
colours furthest away, and placing the colour key overall. This also means you VIDEO
lighter ones in the foreground. This can leave accidental areas showing http://bit.ly/davidbody
flattens out the houses, removing through the painting to good effect.

Do the initial drawing

1 After the background has dried,

it’s time to paint the initial drawing.
I do this using black paint, and use a fairly
worn and pointed hog brush to lay out
the outlines and composition. I also
include some details, such as doors and
windows on the houses.

116
 Tackle the

2 underpainting
I now add in the colour. I use a
round hog brush and paint quickly. For
the houses and finer details, I use smaller
synthetic brushes. The same colours are
used in different places over the canvas
to give unity and balance.

“Leave areas of canvas

showing through the
painting to good effect”

3
Add texture Trail, flick and blot
Splat!
Use cardboard boxes to build
Through pottery I’ve developed
skills in working with texture and
fluid glazes – techniques that I have also
used in my painting. My trailing started
4 The cyan and mauve colours are satin Berger
paints I get mixed because they trail easily.
However, the red is stiffer and more flicked about
rather than trailed. It’s a random process and any
a splash booth. It will help
keep all the mess in one place off as pure texture using a grey paint on larger blobs are sponged off, as these would
(rather than all over you!). its own and was discovered by accident. become too dominant. I work from top to bottom
I now use three main colours – cyan, mostly, but I will use newspaper to mask off areas
mauve and red. I use a teaspoon to trail (such as the sky), and repeat the process over that
these paints. area in a different direction.

117
Workshop

5
Work over the texture
I now do a second layer of painting
– mostly with a palette knife
where possible – using heavy body
acrylics by themselves or with a mix of
emulsion. The paint can be applied,
then scraped back to reveal the textures
underneath. Accidental areas of
background colour are left showing
through. The small unifying flashes
of red give the painting warmth.
I do not paint up to the edges.

6
Layer colours
I now build up layers of paint,
skimming them over one
another to highlight the texture rather
than making brush or palette knife
marks. This offers a random texture
that adds movement to the surface.
To me, this suggests elements such as
moving water, grass or wind and rain
moving over the landscape. I am an
impatient painter, so I use a hairdryer
to speed up the drying process.

7
From dark to light
The red background darkens the
initial underpainting, so even the
same colour applied again will appear
lighter. As the colours are built up I work
from dark to light. This brings out the
texture to its best affect. The layers can
be either a lighter version of the same
colour or something completely
different depending on what I’m trying
to achieve or suggest.

118
 Acrylics

On the shelf
I use old Formica shelving for
a palette. To remove any
dried-on acrylic paint lightly
sponge on some water, and
leave to soak for five minutes.
You can then use a scraper to
remove it.

The detail

8 I paint as much as I can

with a palette knife but
for fine lines, such as the rock
cracks, the seagulls and
windows and doors in the
houses I use a very fine liner
brush. These behave like a
pen as they hold a lot of paint
that is fed into a fine point.

10
Varnish the final piece
I find Golden MSA UV satin spirit varnish
is the best for my work. It suggests on
the tin that it should be thinned, but I get the best
results using it as it comes. It needs to be used in
a well-ventilated area. My studio used to be in
the house, but because of the fumes, I now have

9
Do more flicking and splattering a studio in the garden that was built last summer.
I take a stiff hog brush and load it with colour to flick over This varnish also has UV-filtering properties to
the canvas in selected areas. I use the three colours to start protect colours from fading.
with and then add any colour I feel will give accent to certain
areas. The final part is to use a watery mix of Alizarin Crimson,
splashed on the canvas, then sprayed with just enough water to
make it run. This highlights the texture in a different way and is
more like glazing. I add in the seagulls afterwards.

119
Workshop

Capture
spring light in
watercolour
A visit to Derbyshire's Peak District provides
Robert Brindley with the chance to paint a rural
springtime scene filled with crisp light and colour

S
pring is a wonderful and exciting lead in to the focal point under the
time of year. As we move from the bridge. In my painting I decided to
cold, damp, and dull conditions reinforce the focal point with the
of winter, many artists feel the introduction of two figures.
desire to venture outdoors to I'll be using the controlled wash
paint the fresh colours of the new season. method for painting atmospheric
However, many inexperienced painters watercolours. This method begins with
return to the studio disappointed by their an overall loose and airy, wet-into-wet
efforts. In many cases, failure comes application of colour. When dry, the
from their inability to simplify the subject tonal relationships from light to dark
matter and also to reduce the are developed, before adding the final
overwhelming strength of colour. darks and details.
In this painting, The Bridge at Milldale, The reference photographs for this
I hope to illustrate how clean, transparent painting were taken on a crisp, bright day
colour can be controlled to produce a in mid-April, on a trip into the Derbyshire
more considered, sympathetic rendering Peak District to gather subject matter.
of the British spring light. The
importance of a solid drawing,
composition, colour and especially the
ROBERT
use of tone will be stressed. Whitby, England
I was attracted immediately to this As a member of the Royal
subject for a number of reasons. The Society of Marine Artists, it's
most obvious reason was for the quality unsurprising that Robert loves
to illustrate the light in coastal
of the light and colour, which I felt
and landscape scenes. He
perfectly encapsulated spring. I also felt counts Venice as a favourite
that the composition was sound where painting destination.
the banks of the stream provided a gentle www.robertbrindley.com

120
121
Workshop

Materials
Robert uses these colours
because they're perfectly
suited to replicate the
subtleties of the UK landscape.
n Winsor and Newton
(Professional Water Colour
range): Raw Sienna,
Aureolin, Burnt Sienna,
Raw Umber, Cobalt Blue,
Cerulean, Ultramarine Blue,
Permanent Magenta and
Cobalt Violet.
n Paper: Arches (300lb).
n Brushes: Escoda Perla (4, 8
and 12). Pro ARTE Acryix (2
and 4). Pro ARTE Rigger (2).
n Masking fluid.
n Water spray diffuser.
n Toothbrush.
n 2B pencil.

1
Start with a good initial sketch
A carefully considered drawing is essential to
enable me to place the initial loose, wet-into-wet
washes with confidence and accuracy. To preserve
the most important lights and highlights, I use
masking fluid applied with a number 2 Pro ARTE
Acrylix brush. I always clean the brush thoroughly,
immediately after use.

2
Prepare colour pools
I prepare pure colour pools using
the following: Cobalt Blue, Cobalt
Violet and Raw Sienna. These three
colours are the basic primaries on which
the entire painting is based. In addition,
the following colours are also prepared
using mixes of Aureolin, Raw Sienna,
Cobalt Violet, Burnt Sienna, Cobalt Blue,
Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean, Permanent
Magenta and Viridian.

122
 Watercolours

“A careful drawing is
essential for placing
washes accurately”

3
Do a diffused wash
I wet the entire surface and introduce the
colours as quickly as possible, from light to
dark. The result is a diffused wash. My aim is to
place the colour accurately, hopefully replicating the
subtle colour and tonal changes in the scene. I allow
the colours to mix freely, while at the same time use
the pre-mixed colour pools to adjust colour and
tone as the washes are introduced.

4
Paint the backdrop
I develop the distant diffused trees behind the
bridge using the same colour pools. I want to
achieve just the right level of resolution, so that when
the nearer, skeletal trees are painted, the background
doesn't compete for attention.

123
Workshop

5
Remove masking fluid
to reveal the lights
Now I remove the majority of the
masking fluid with a clean finger. You
should never attempt to remove
masking fluid until the painting is
completely dry. I then soften a few of the
harsher edges left by the masking fluid
to make them sit in naturally.

6
Develop
tonal relationships
I start to develop the middle tonal
relationships. Tone basically means how
dark or light the colour is, and it's vital
for the success of any painting. Without
the correct evaluation of how dark or
light any particular area of your painting
is in relation to surrounding areas,
everything will fall apart.

Tone is king
Tone is key to a successful painting. Colour,
drawing and composition are, of course
important, but if the tonal sequence is poorly
observed then the painting won't work.

7
Paint the water
To ensure that the
painting develops as a
whole, I now turn my
attention to depicting the
water, and introduce wet-into-
wet washes of Cerulean,
Cobalt Blue, Cobalt Violet and
Permanent Magenta. I make
an effort to observe all of the
subtle tonal changes that
are present in the water.
I purposely create a much
darker area at the bottom of
the painting – this helps to
push the viewer's eye further
into the painting.

124
 Watercolours

Take positives
from failures
Nothing is ever learnt from a successful
painting that almost painted itself. Always
be positive, as far more can be learnt from
your failures and mistakes.

8
Paint the skeletal trees
I start to paint the trees using
mixes of Cobalt Blue, Cobalt Violet
and Raw Sienna, along with Viridian and
Cobalt Violet that together make a
wonderful grey/green. I'm careful not to
overdo the number of branches and
twigs in the painting – too many would
detract from the overall effect. I also
employ a lost-and-found approach,
which I feel gives a more convincing
rendering. From time to time I compare
the number of branches and twigs in the
reference photograph to what's
developing in the painting.

9 10
Approach the end Add finishing touches and evaluate
I'm often asked when do I know a painting is finished. It's Time to add the final tones and details. This, for me, is
pretty much a gut feeling. At this stage I'm aware that the most exciting stage of the painting. However,
the finish isn't too far away and that I must be careful not to without careful evaluation it can be the stage where everything
overwork the painting. To complete this stage I work more on can be ruined. Always think twice before committing to any
the skeletal trees and other details, together with giving more addition. The fine details for this painting include small twigs
consideration to the darker tones present in the bridge, the and taller blades of grass. I also paint the ducks, introduce some
banks of the stream and the cottage. daffodils and add two figures within the focal point.

125
Workshop

Use a rich
colour palette
Influenced by the 17th-century Dutch Masters, Georgia Cox
shows how to create a flower composition in a rich palette

ast year I visited an exhibition of

L 17th- and 18th-century Dutch

flower paintings at the National
Gallery. It was a breathtaking show
and included work by the artist
Rachel Ruysch. She was regarded as one of
the most renowned flower painters,
producing hundreds of exquisite paintings
Materials
Georgia is using a ready-primed
30x30cm canvas. This is
a manageable area to cover
if you’re working from actual
size. She also uses Winsor &
Newton oil paints, Pro-Arte
right up to her death at the age of 86. The
short handle brushes, and Zest-
thought of her always inspires me and it’s
It Oil Paint Dilutant and Brush
great to find an artist that you can connect to
Cleaner. She uses bigger
in some way.
brushes for the background.
Rachel Ruysch worked with some
complicated arrangements and a
daunting level of technical expertise,
Create
1
but here I will simplify my painting –
just selecting a few carefully chosen the composition
elements. To create your composition, Arrange your plants. Here
find some interesting plants, twigs, fir I’ve used a block of floral foam
cones, flowers, or visit your local florist to put them in (this can be
for dried flowers. If you’re just beginning, bought from florists). Play
dried flowers are a great idea, as fresh with the arrangement and mix
flowers are forever changing and can be it up a bit – you want a variety
more difficult to capture. Also, working in of shapes and colours,
oils offers the flexibility and time to paint nothing too symmetrical. Ask
the dried flowers, and once the paint is yourself what the main focal
dry, you can paint over any mistakes. point is going to be? Which
For this workshop, I will use an colours work well together? Is
arrangement from an old bouquet of the arrangement top-heavy?
roses and eucalyptus, all set against an You’re aiming for a well-
exciting contrast of beautiful teal. composed harmonious effect.

Bath, UK
GEORGIA
Straight up
Georgia Cox is a graduate of
Falmouth College of Art, and
Remove any dents in your
has exhibited widely including canvas by lightly sponging
at the National Portrait Gallery just-boiled water over the
and Mall Galleries. Her current back of it. The dents will
work sees flower compositions instantly disappear like magic!
painted in oils with gold leaf.
www.georgiacox.com

126
Oils

127
Workshop

Colour
of ground
A blank canvas can feel
intimidating, so get a layer of
paint on it – a ‘ground’.
Experiment in holding
different coloured card or
fabric behind your
arrangement to see which
colour works best. To add
more interest, add a thin layer
of another colour over the
ground after the first has
dried. You’ll need to do this
over a couple of days.

3
Place the larger elements Block in colours

2 After your coloured ground is dry, you can

roughly start to place the larger masses. I’ve
started with the roses. You can keep rubbing out
With a larger brush, block in the
dominant colours to get down the
general shape and proportions. I’ve
with your rag until you get it right. Check the decided the yellow dahlia is going to be
placement of each element by holding up your the focal point of my painting. Don’t
paintbrush in front of your arrangement, as if you spend too long working on just one
are following an imaginary plumb line. aspect – you may still have to change it.

4
Start to
define edges Get your pallet
in order
If you’re happy that
everything is where it should
be, you can use a small brush
I always lay out my paint on the palette in
to define the edges. Try to get
the same order each time, so I don’t have to
a feeling for the nature of the
think about it. This is a good habit to get into.
plant. How does that stem
Usually oils are laid out from dark to light as
join a leaf? Where do those
this is the order in which they are applied to
petals overlap? Reserve the
the canvas. Highlights come last.
sharpest edges for the focal
area of your painting.

5
Add colour
Start to bring in colour. Once the paint has
dried, you can add thin layers of colour over the
top to build up rich hues. Try to avoid using pure black
and white straight from the tube. If you like, you can
accentuate some colours – here I’ve made my roses
a lot pinker than they actually are.

128
 Oils

6
Consider shadows
and light
Be aware of where your light
source is coming from. Make sure you
think about this when you’re putting in
the shadows. Shadows aren’t black,
rather they are darker and lighter values
of colour within the shadow.

Negative
space
Create a smooth finish

7
Pay attention to the negative
space. This is the space that Take some time to closely observe your
surrounds the object and the subject. You want to convey the silkiness of a
spaces in-between. It is as petal, the hairiness of a stalk, the crispness of a
important as the subject itself. curled leaf. You can achieve a more realistic effect if
Giving yourself enough there are no obvious brushstrokes and they are
negative space will help give well blended (as seen in the paintings of the great
your subject more definition. Dutch flower painters).

Work on

8 small details
By now the colours
should have been built up in
stages, with the shadows all
in the right places and the
brushstrokes blended in. So

9 10
now, using your smallest Add highlights Is it finished?
brush, add in the top layer of When you’re adding a highlight, try Cast your eye over the painting. Have you
smallest details – tiny hairs, to avoid painting a hard line around spent more time on some areas than
blemishes, the veins on a leaf. its edge. Squint your eyes to see exactly others? Viewers will be able to tell which parts you’ve
I’ve found that a miniature what colour it is. Remember to mix struggled with or haven’t enjoyed working on. Have a
painting brush in size 10/0 colours into your highlights. No straight look using a mirror to get a different perspective. Can
works best for this. white from the tube! you rework any of the problem areas?

129
Paint like…

Paint like… van Gogh

Rob Lunn reveals how to build up a self-portrait from
initial charcoal sketch through to finished oil painting

ROB
Bath, England
Rob is a self-taught painter, and loves to
paint in oils. His influences are Vincent van
Ma terials
Rob has used the following colours because
Gogh, Caravaggio and Ilya Repin. Rob’s
taught art workshops since 2012. they offer “a good representation of the
www.roblunn.co.uk colour spectrum while retaining the most
saturation when mixing”.

n Michael Harding oil paints: Ultramarine

Blue, Blue Lake, Green Lake, Bright

D
utch post-impressionist, Vincent Willem van
Gogh (1853 –1890) created many self-portraits in Green Lake, Bright Yellow Lake, Yellow
his career, and some of them are not so obvious. Lake, Yellow Lake Deep, Permanent
For example, Irises, painted at the Saint Orange, Scarlet Lake, Alizarin Crimson,
Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de- Magenta, Ultramarine Violet, Titanium
Provence in the last year before his death, is a perfect White, Yellow Ochre, Alkyd Burnt
example. A white flower stands alone and defiant in this very Sienna, Alkyd Blue Lake
moving painting. (Griffin Phthalo Blue)
The self-portrait can take many guises and gives n Acrylic-primed canvas board, 10x12in
the artist the opportunity to say something about n Rosemary & Co. Ivory standard-handled
who they are, what they are, and importantly, what Short Flats (sizes 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10)
and who they want to be. In this workshop we’re n 0.8mm Schmincke Aero Color liquid
going to go through the stages of developing a acrylic marker
self-portrait from start to finish and also try and n A mirror and stand
give it a hint of the great master, Vincent van Gogh.

WATCH THE
VIDEO
http://bit.ly/pad7_vincent

Set up your environment

1 Get yourself comfy and make sure you have

everything close to hand. Spend time getting
your mirror and easel in the correct position.
You need to make sure you’re facing the mirror
or canvas and can see the other by simply
moving your eyes, and not your whole head.

130
Vincent van
Vincent van Gogh
Gogh

131
Paint like…

3
Add
Construction lines
I fix the drawing in place using a
liquid acrylic marker. I’ve chosen
a purple acrylic ink for my construction
lines, but an earthy red or blue would
work just as well. Just as long as the
colour is dark enough to show through
the tonal stage that’s coming up next.

2
Do a charcoal sketch
Using a sharpened stick of willow
charcoal start to sketch the main
features in. Remember to begin with the
larger forms and add increasing levels of
detail as you go. This is just a dress
rehearsal, so don’t worry about adding
form shadows. However, it’ll be helpful
to add the extreme edges of cast
shadows at this stage.

4
Create a
tonal painting
Creating a tonal stage helps break
down the painting process. When I’m
thinking about tone, in this case Alkyd
Burnt Sienna thinned down with a little
bit of turps, I’m not thinking about
colour at all. I’m just concentrating on
tone, which I’ll use as a guide when I get
to releasing the colour later.

132
 Vincent van Gogh

5
Pre-mix your colours
I start by mixing a base tone for my
skin using Yellow Ochre and Scarlet
Lake, along with a touch of Green Lake to
knock the scarlet back. This orange-
brown is then lightened for skin tones
and darkened for shadows. I also mix my
own black from Alizarin Crimson, Blue
Lake and Bright Yellow Lake and create
greys to mix with the skin tones.

6
Block in the composition
I begin to block in the main areas of light and dark.
Squinting my eyes helps me to keep this stage as
loose as possible, to retain a feeling of spontaneity as
colour goes on the panel. You’ll be working more into this,
but the brush marks you make now will inform the ones
you make later, so start off on a good footing!

7
Add more detail
Once I’ve established the main
areas of light and dark in the face, I
break them up into further areas of
different tone and colour. I also start to
block in the torso and look at a colour to
use for the background. Allow yourself
to experiment at these early stages.

133
Paint like…

S tay relaxed
8
Unify the elements
You should aim to have all of the
Keep your face neutral, quite canvas worked at this stage. You
often a resting face can look need to see the painting as a whole and
expressionless, but try not judge how the tone and colour of each
to over-smile to compensate – area relates and affects each other,
it’ll look unnatural! even if you still need to add further
details to certain areas.

134
 Vincent van Gogh

9
Add some van Gogh
Now that I have my base, it’s time to bring in
some touches of Vincent. This painting is
mainly based on a self-portrait Vincent painted in
Paris in the summer of 1887 before he moved to
Arles, so he’s still heavily influenced by the
Impressionists, and Pointillists in particular.

10
Add dabs of colour
Using the blocking-in as a guide, I apply
Vincent-style dabs of colour, allowing the
brushmarks to follow and describe the form as I go.
I pay close attention to areas of dramatic shift in
tone: they enable me to create some interesting
and bold marks. When trying this for yourself, look
out for colours that jump out at you, and don’t be
afraid to exaggerate these for effect.

11
Fine-tune and finish up
Hearing aid! When adding details, knowing when to stop is an art in
Listen to music or audio books. They can help keep the itself, so hold off adding highlights until the very end.
logical part of your brain busy while painting and this Try not to work over areas too much. If there’s a problem just
frees up your creative side to get really stuck in! scrape it off and try again. You should have plenty of pre-
mixed colours left – remember you don’t have to use them all!

135
Workshop

Improve
portraits
with layers
Jake Spicer reveals how
gradually adding detail
will help you achieve
a more engaging and
accomplished portrait

GET THE
SKETCH
www.filesilo.co.uk/pad02

136
 Pencils

JAKE
Brighton, UK
Jake is an artist, author of a
best-selling series of
how-to-draw books and head
tutor of the independent
drawing school Draw. He is a
passionate advocate of
drawing as a tool for
communication and inquiry.
www.jakespicerart.co.uk

he best portrait drawings aren’t just

T pictures of faces, but records of a

long moment shared between artist
and sitter. Whether you are able to
ask friends or family to sit for a
portrait, or can attend a drawing class with a
model, it is always an engaging and exciting
experience to draw another person from life.
If you don’t have a sitter, set up a
mirror for a self-portrait, and when
necessary, you can always resort to
working from photographs. The drawing
in this tutorial was made over two hours
from a combination of photographs of
the model, Gigi, and sketches made
during an hour-long portrait sitting.
There are many ways to draw a

1 2
portrait and if you are aiming to improve Start with a sketch Establish big shapes
your drawings it is important that you Take some time to think about how With an HB pencil and a light,
find an approach that works for you. you want to compose your sitter on energetic line, establish the simple
Learning to draw is just like playing a the page – make a handful of simple, shapes of your sitter on the page. Avoid
musical instrument – it takes practise two-minute compositional sketches in getting caught up in detail and aim to
and application. As you develop your 2B pencil to allow you time to look at capture the shape of the whole figure in
drawing, focus on improving your your sitter from different angles and to one or two minutes, paying particular
process rather than fixating on arrange them in different compositions attention to the proportion of the head to
outcomes. The more confident you on the page before committing to a the shoulders. Lightly erase and re-draw
become in making clear observations of long study. until you are happy with the composition.
your subject and establishing a sound
personal process for translating what
you see into marks on a page, the better
your drawings will be.
This tutorial will focus on a layers
Ma terials
process suitable for those occasions Graphite pencils are one of the most
when you can dedicate a little bit of time ubiquitous and accessible drawing mediums
developing a long study – starting with available – Jake uses a range of grades on
loose, light sketches that help you plan smooth, heavy paper. In a long study, hard
your composition and capture an pencils (2H/HB) can be used for pale greys
impression of your subject, developing while the soft pencils (6B) can be reserved
line later with tone added last. I always for the darkest tones.
find the gesture of the hands add n Graphite pencils 2H, HB, 2B, 6B
something significant to the portrayal of n A4 200gsm cartridge paper
a face, so I have made this drawing a n Eraser
study of the whole upper body. n Sharpener

137
Workshop

3
Add guidelines
for facial details
The proportions of the face will
affect the proportions of the rest of the
pose – lightly erase your earlier sketch
and dash in a line that would join both
eyebrows, a centre line for the eyes, a
line beneath the nose and a centre line
for the lips. This is the scaffold on which
you can hang the features.

4
Draw in the eyes
and the nose
Lightly erase your construction
lines and use a 2B pencil to draw in the
shapes of the features as you see them
– start with the sweep of the eyebrow
and look at the distance between
eyebrow and eyelash. Look out for the
triangular relationship between the eyes
and bottom of the nose as you draw,
treating the long line of the nose simply.

5
Work on the
mouth and jaw
Spend more time looking at your

6
model than at your drawing – when you Build up hair detail
draw the lips start with the dark centre
line before drawing the lips themselves, D raw wha t you see The hair often defines the shape
of the face and fills a large
lining up the corners of the mouth with Our idea of how we think the world should portion of the head – especially when
the eyes above and making an look often stops us seeing our subject for seen in profile. Start with a simple
expressive mark that captures what it really is – always draw the shapes shape first, building up textural marks
something of the model’s expression. of the face in front of you, not the idea of a in the direction that the hair is flowing.
Don’t underestimate the size and face in your head. You can add further tone to the hair
importance of the chin and jaw. later in the drawing.

138
 Pencils

7 8
Block in the hands Flesh out the hands
Once you are happy with the face, clarify the shapes of Break up your big simple blocks by drawing the
the body, leading down to the hands. Don’t be negative spaces that surround the hand – as you draw
intimidated by their complexity – start simple with the large the triangular wedges of space between the fingers you’ll find
overall shape of the back of the hand from wrist to knuckle that you are defining the shapes of the fingers at the same
and the space filled by the fingers, as if you were drawing the time. Use a simple line to capture key shapes without giving
model wearing mittens. undue prominence to fingernails and minor creases.

“When drawing
9
Build form
Flee ting with light tones
expression Sit back from your from life,be
drawing and make sure you
A photograph only has one are happy with the ready to record
expression – the one that was proportion of the figure. Use
captured when the camera a 2H pencil to build up grey the fleeting
clicked. When you are drawing tones without going too
a model from life, be ready to dark, too fast. Add tone shapes of the
record the fleeting shapes in using confident, parallel
the eyes, eyebrows and line of hatching in the direction of eyes,eyebrows
the mouth. All these make for a the surface of the skin, using
truly engaging portrait. blocks of shadow to create and mouth”
the illusion of form.

10
Dark tones
Finally, use a soft,
dark 6B pencil to
create striking contrasts in
your drawing. Pick out the
darkest shapes in the face
and hands of your sitter, then
build up masses of dark tone
with blocks of parallel
hatching, making use of the
broader tip as the pencil
blunts with use. If you need
to, use your eraser to draw
light back into areas that
become too dark.

139
Workshop

Paint your family

in watercolours
Sue Sareen shares her methods for drawing
and painting children using watercolour

W
ith this workshop, I will Children will sit still for a while when
SUE explain the watercolour watching TV, or playing on their
Nottingham, UK techniques I use to paint the computers, for example, and this will give
Sue enjoys painting a wide young people in my family. you the chance to make a fairly detailed
range of subjects from life, It’s important to practise sketch. But it’s worth remembering that
sketches and photographs.
She also runs workshops and
drawing from life – this way you’ll soon find even unfinished drawings will fix
courses for artists of all levels. your own way of translating from three knowledge in your mind, and also enable
www.sareenarts.com dimensions to two. you to use photos more successfully.

1
Get the proportions
Note how the proportions of children
differ from adults. An adult’s body is
roughly seven and a half times the length
of its head, while a baby’s body is roughly
four times its head length. Note how the
eyes of an adult are roughly situated
halfway between the top of the head and
the chin, and a child’s eyes are lower. The
eyes are large and the nose is small in
comparison to the overall face.

Ma terials
Sue uses Bockingford watercolour paper,
300g, NOT surface. She prefers this surface,
as it’s “not too smooth and not too rough”.
Bockingford is also more heavy than other
papers, making it easier to sponge, and if
necessary, remove paint. She uses
squirrel-hair mop brushes in sizes 2, 8 and
11. These brushes hold a lot of water,
enabling her to paint more freely, but at the
same time “they keep terrific points”. She
also has a small synthetic brush, which can
be useful when she needs drier, more
precise marks.

140
Watercolours

141
Workshop

2
Start the sketch
Working from a photo, I lightly draw
the figure onto the watercolour
paper in pencil. I make sure I get the
angle of the boy’s legs, as well as his
playfully splayed fingers. I leave extra
space at the bottom of the paper to allow
for the sea and sand, and notice how light
comes from the left to create dark tones
on the right of the figure. I will paint the
picture working from light to dark, one
layer at a time.

3
Paint in the tone
In this first tonal study, I aim to
understand how the light affects
the figure, creating highlights and dark
tones. I use indigo for this – a clear,
transparent inky blue. This is initially
painted mainly as one layer, keeping
the white of the paper to represent the
lightest tones. Once this layer is dry,
I add in darker tones. If necessary, I can
add in even darker tones to create a
third layer. You may need to increase
the thickness of the paint to obtain a
greater depth of tone for this.

4
Adding in colour
With a pencil, I redraw the figure.
Next, using a large brush filled
with watery paint, I paint very light
colours over it, changing the colours as I
go. At this stage, I don’t worry if the
colours run into each other a little.

Si tt ing-
st ill li fes
Get into the habit of observing
and sketching children.

5
Blot to control They sit still for longer while
If you want to lighten any colours watching TV or playing
further, you can control the paint by quietly. Observe how
blotting it with tissue. This both lightens, they move when playing
softens and dries the paper. Here, I’m in the park, on the beach
keeping the colours light, so I can then or wherever.
paint in darker tones over the top of them.

142
 Watercolours

6
Paint the
sand and sea
I now add sand into the
scene, using Yellow Ochre
mixed with a little Burnt
Sienna. I add water to dilute
and lighten the paint – this
will make it fade out as it
recedes into the sea. When
this part is dry, using a large
brush, I paint light tones of
Cobalt Blue around and
behind the figure. Some of
the paper is left unpainted, to
represent foam in the water.
I wash blue over some of the
foreground sand.

7
Add
darker tones
Now that the paper is
dry, I paint in the darker tones
and shadows on the figure. I
use a mixture of the original
colour with another to make
it darker, making the paint
slightly thicker than the first
layer. I also add in the tones
and colour in the water,
aiming to keep the

8
Add the background simple.
darkest tones
I now add even
darker tones where
necessary, again making
the paint slightly thicker.
Increased contrast can
really liven up a picture,
making it more dramatic.

9 10
Allow the Move on
colours to run Having mastered
Occasionally, it’s one figure in
useful to tip the board and watercolour, it’s now possible
painting while the paint is to add an additional figure or
wet. This allows the colours two (or maybe a dog), and
to run into one another and further develop the waves
mix a little on the paper. and beach. Painting the sea
is another challenge, and
would be another exercise in
its own right!

143
 Pro tips and
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 Contemporary Watercolours Light, shade and colour
9021

Paint a lively scene Control colour Create charm

Create a modern Impressionist Harness the beauty of the Simplify painting with a
scene in four stages springtime light strong composition

Plein air painting Oils Portraiture

Get outside Utilise rich colours Use a limited palette

Discover how to make the Create a composition inspired by Depict your own likeness in oils
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