Table of contents for October 2021 in Leisure Painter

If you are going to paint in oils, the first thing you will do is lay out your palette and lay it in such a way that, to you, seems logical and convenient. I suggest that you do it in the same way every painting session, so that your brushes become accustomed to the layout and get to know where to go for a particular colour without you having to look away from the scene you are working on, just as fingers learn to press the right keys on the piano or laptop. The usual way I offer is to squeeze out the colours along the back of the palette, encroaching into the two sides, thumb hole permitting. This way leaves plenty of room for your mixtures. If you think…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ Paint a semi-abstract or abstract painting from a photograph ■ Don’t be too prescriptive – leave the subject to the viewer’s imagination ■ Tips & techniques for painting with acrylics In the previous two issues (LP, August and September) I explained the process I use to paint abstracts from photographs using acrylics. Last month, I introduced you to this seascape (below) then cropped the scene to make a good subject for this painting project (right). I then suggested you could make preliminary sketches using coloured pencils to prepare yourself for producing the finished painting. I hope you enjoy following along with this demonstration, perhaps even using your own colours. I look forward to seeing your finished work. You will need ■ Surface ● l Stretched box canvas…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ Observation is key ■ Work with a limited palette ■ Practise essential watercolour techniques A few years ago, I came across a completely unexpected idea for a painting in my garden. The sun was shining after a short sprinkle of rain. The multi-pronged leaves of a lovely fatsia Japonica shrub lay horizontal in one of the borders and some of the perfectly formed raindrops were still sitting on the leaves. I took a photograph looking down onto the leaves from above (top right). The shadows and the raindrops were dramatic and there were background areas between the leaves that were almost black, which created fantastic contrast. The entire photograph appealed to me, but in particular, I was fascinated by the behaviour of the light on the raindrops.…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ How to paint with acrylics ■ Loosen up your style ■ Work in layers In looking for subjects for my workshops, I often scour my art history books to pick up ideas on different styles or methods of painting and, if I am looking for a quintessential English scene, I’ll settle on the landscapes of Constable – or rather his sketches. Constable’s large studio pieces, although spectacular, can be quite detailed and tight in comparison to his, sometimes equally as large, sketches. Take his views of Salisbury cathedral, for example, where the ground of the canvas shows through the thick swirls of paint, which are quickly and sparsely applied and details roughly blocked in. There is an energy and spontaneity that is lost in the studio pieces.…

Colour & Light Sharing a passion for painting outdoors, The British Plein Air Painters is made up of leading contemporary artists, with a broad range of styles, subjects and media. The group held its debut Colour & Light exhibition in 2018 and this new exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London will be its second, showcasing the work of 23 artists. Colour & Light is at the Mall Galleries, London SW1 from 7 to 12 September. During the week a programme of talks, demonstrations and painting days will take place with an opportunity to meet and paint with the artists. For more information visit www.mallgalleries.org.uk LONDON ■ Bankside Gallery 48 Hopton Street SE1. 020 7928 7521; www.banksidegallery.com ‘September Showcase’: contemporary original work by members of the Royal Watercolour Society and the…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ Know your materials ■ Practise essential techniques, including scratching out, wet in wet and wet on dry, salt and splattering Although I spent most of my working life as an illustrator, my journey into watercolour came relatively late in my career. I had always been a great admirer of the artists, Edward Seago, John Blockley and Rowland Hilder. I can clearly remember marvelling at a giant print of a Kentish oast house by Rowland Hilder that used to hang over the fireplace of my childhood home in Kent. I always thought that watercolour was far too difficult and it would take me years to learn but, at the age of 30, I took the plunge and enrolled in a watercolour evening class at my local college. After…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ How to paint the illusion of form and perspective ■ Build colour-mixing confidence with a limited palette While browsing the internet I have often come across inspiring photographs and paintings of lavender fields. Most have been taken or painted in parts of Europe, very often Italy. I know of one lavender farm in North Norfolk, but it is quite rare to see lavendar in my home county of Essex. During the hottest part of last summer, I decided to drive from my home to north Essex, looking for a landscape subject to paint. After passing through the village of Finchingfield, my eye was drawn to, what appeared to be a lake in the distance. Driving closer, it became clear it was a small lavender field. The distinct…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ Build your oil-painting confidence with bold brushstrokes and thick paint ■ Look at your subject in an abstract way – look at shapes, not objects ■ Learn to paint fast and small When it comes to the painting support, size has clearly a strong impact on the final result. Often, larger works help the artist to add more details and depth to the painting, while smaller artwork is often considered as a spontaneous sketch or study of the subject. While both options are valid and worth experimenting with, let’s explore here how painting small can help us grow as artists in some obvious but also unexpected ways. Below are some of the reasons why I often encourage my students to have fun with producing mini-oil sketches. Simplifying…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ Top tips and techniques for painting with knives and oils ■ Explore cold wax medium ■ Follow a step-by-step painting process This month we look at creating rocks and other natural textures with palette knives. Only a limited number of knives are needed to create great effects. I tend to use the RGM 109, which has an angled blade with a nonstick coating, and the teardrop shaped RGM 4. These become the workhorses when creating mountains and rocky textures. In addition, the oval-headed RGM 60 comes in handy when tackling distant trees and foliage (above right). These tools need very little maintenance, apart from a large bundle of kitchen roll to wipe the blade constantly and keep it clean. Dry paint can be removed with odourless thinners,…

We have great pleasure in presenting the three winners of our recent landscape painting competition, chosen by David Bellamy. Each winner received five Search Press books, worth over £69. Our sincere thanks go to David for judging the entries and to Search Press for sponsoring the prizes. Here are the winners… Marieke Ackerman ‘Sometimes you are lucky,’ says Marieke. ‘I always wanted to paint a sea lighter than the sky. We rented a little beach house for my birthday weekend. The sky was spectacular; it looked like rain, wind and the sun were fighting each other. Luckily, I could paint from the beach house; does that count as en plein air?’ ‘I chose Marieke for Light Sea, which shows a deliciously moody sky and a sea enlivened with energetic brushstrokes.…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ The importance of observation ■ Learn the characteristics of a rose ■ Make tonal studies and recognise shapes As one of the most popular flowers, roses are the perfect painting subject to brighten up any day. They are accessible to buy all year around and can be found in many gardens – even at this time of year, I will find a solitary bloom appearing. If you can’t find a live specimen, reference photographs are always available. For consistency of light and shade, a photograph provides the perfect starting point. I tend to take lots of photographs in the summer when the roses are at their best. Although I love to paint flowers directly, there is never enough time to paint all that inspires me. Observation The…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ Use wax to finish your watercolour paintings ■ Understand your materials ■ How to prepare for waxing Watercolours need protection against humidity, ultra-violet light damage and accidental scuffs so they are usually framed under glass, with a mount to stop the glass touching the paper. What if there were another way of protecting and displaying your paintings, however, without the need for glazing? If you are fed up with broken glass, the hassle of bevelling corners on a mount and chipped edges on your frames, you could mount your paintings onto a cradle board and finish with wax, giving a clean contemporary look. The process takes time, but it is simple, and each individual stage is quick. A few artists like to mount their paper to the…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ How to handle a traditional pen holder and nib ■ Develop your drawing skills ■ Hint at your subject rather than draw every line There is nothing like drawing with black ink to encourage directness and boldness. A black line is so uncompromising that it forces us to make firm drawing decisions and, when accompanied with the purity of transparent watercolour, we achieve the beautiful hybrid medium of pen and wash, long favoured by book illustrators and cartoonists for its great clarity of expression. Not any black line pen will do though, as the lines must be waterproof if they are not to run when watercolour is painted over them so, traditionally, we use a dip pen and Indian ink, which contains shellac fixative. A few years…

TIP I suggest beginning with a small piece of paper as the rice paper is quite delicate when wet and can tear if you are not careful. A small piece will enable you to practise and gain confidence before moving on to a larger piece and more complex designs. LEARNING OBJECTIVES ■ How to work with the basic equipment needed ■ Try something different ■ Loosen up your approach to painting I have always liked batiks; they have a timeless appeal and are a lovely combination of both art and craft. Traditionally, batik is made on fabric using wax and dyes but as a primarily watercolour artist I wanted to make use some of the materials I had to hand and without the mess of using dyes. In this demonstration,…