Tabla de contenidos para August 2024 en Leisure Painter

Rising Splendour at The Arc, Winchester this summer presents a major retrospective of the work of British painter, Fred Appleyard (1874-1963). Bringing together over 100 works from both private and public collections, the exhibition promises a magnificent display of paintings from an artist who, until now, has not received the recognition he deserves, despite his success during his lifetime. Forty-one of the artist’s works were exhibited by the Royal Academy, for example, he received the Turner Gold Medal for landscape painting, and his 1902 mural still hangs in the Royal Academy’s restaurant. Rising Splendour: Fred Appleyard – From the Royal Academy to the Itchen Valley can be seen at The Gallery at The Arc, Jewry Street, Winchester, from 21 June until 18 September; www.arcwinchester.org.uk…

TONY'S PROCESS The following steps only take a few minutes, but together they form a road map for everything that follows. 1 Start by exploring your ideas with quick 4×6in. (10×15cm) thumbnail sketches on cheap copier paper, using simple basic shapes rather than details. 2 Use your chosen layout and one or two grey marker pens to create a tonal plan that makes your thumbnail easy to read. 3 Then make some colour tests. Whether we’re painting on location or from a photograph, as artists we’re free to change whatever we want to improve even more on what attracted us to the scene or subject in the first place. We can move things around, leave them out, change their shape and colour, or even add something new, but lots of…

Welcome to my four-part series on drawing and painting British butterflies using a variety of media and techniques. For this first demonstration, I chose a monochromatic butterfly, called marbled white (Melanargia galathea serena), which is found in grasslands across the south-east of England. I used water-soluble coloured pencils to lay in the background and black ink to draw the butterfly. Demonstration Marbled White You will need ■ Surface • 300gsm watercolour paper 4½×6½in. (11.5×16.5cm) ■ Water-soluble coloured pencils • Purple • Crimson • Dark green • Light green ■ Watercolour brush • Medium Round ■ Miscellaneous • HB graphite pencil • Container of clean water • Black fibre-tipped marker (0.5) • Salt crystals Did you know that there are over 400 images of butterflies, in all different styles and media,…

You will need • Coloured pencils I will be using Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer, Caran d’Ache and Derwent – all these products are reputable. You can use watercolour pencils, but use them dry. • A plastic eraser I recommend an electric eraser that removes tiny areas more accurately. • A pencil sharpener It is important the pencils are kept sharp in order to use the medium successfully. • Reference matter If using photographs, use your own, or royaltyfree from a site such as Pixabay. Be careful if you sell your work that you use royalty-free references. PLUS • A3 or larger heavyweight cartridge paper, or Hot-pressed watercolour paper that has a smooth surface. • Watercolour and large brushes. • If you are stretching cartridge paper, which you will need to do…

In almost any walk of life, being well prepared for what may lie ahead is vital for success, and this certainly applies when we venture forth in search of subjects to sketch or paint. Personally, I take this a step further, for even when I might just be wandering along to the local café for a cappuccino, I make sure I am well-armed for anything exciting that might turn up. Past encounters have instilled a need to respond to imminent action in me, such as a couple of weeks ago on a freezing February morning, while I sketched a bridge, a young lady came along, threw off her clothes and jumped into the icy water; or when sketching on Marloes Sands in Pembrokeshire, without warning a great phalanx of about…

Watercolour Last month, we looked at the splendour of the Scottish landscape through sketches, paintings and photographs. For this demonstration I have selected one of those photos, an iconic view of Black Rock Cottage in Glencoe (below). Seen by everyone who drives through Glencoe, many stop to take a photo with the mountain Buachaille Etive Mor in the background. I hope you enjoy painting this wonderful Scottish scene. I’d love to see your work so do please send them in to Painters Online (see the ‘show your work’ panel at the end of the demonstration). You will need ■ Surface • Saunders Waterford 300gsm Rough 100% cotton rag paper 11x15in. (28x28cm) Artists' watercolour • Ultramarine blue • Cerulean blue • Yellow ochre • Lemon yellow • Olive green • Burnt…

Product report System 3 acrylics are a pleasure to paint with using a brush, a palette knife or a combination of both. They can be applied to a variety of grounds without the need for any special surface preparation. Having worked with these paints for a number of years, I find that the Loxley range of canvas-covered boards give me one of the best surface on which to work. Colours Contained within the range is a comprehensive selection of colours that give excellent lightfastness, permanence, durability and covering power. If you’re just beginning with acrylics, a good starter palette would be: Mars black, titanium white, cadmium red (hue), cadmium yellow (hue), process cyan, deep violet, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and oxide of chromium green. I don’t normally have a ready-made…

As a former architect, buildings and the built environment are subjects close to my heart, and I’m sharing some pointers this month about my approach to them. I sketch buildings because I enjoy the short-lived, usually intense experience. I often uncover interesting details that a cursory glance would not, and the finished (or even half-finished) sketch is a good record of a day spent or a place visited. By the way, there are lots of examples in this series of my building sketches, which might be worth a recap, showing techniques and approaches I’ve used. Similarly, sketching buildings needs a good working knowledge of linear perspective so look back to my December 2023 article in Leisure Painter. Here are some generalities that I look for: 1 A decent overall composition. 2…

TOP TIPS • When working with oils, always ensure good ventilation to prevent the solvents affecting your health. • Do not try to varnish too early. Just because the surface may feel relatively dry, the core can still be malleable and this will affect the varnishing later. • After your work is complete, make sure you dispose of any solvents and left over paint ethically. Having had the good fortune of spending my youth climbing trees in Hirst Wood and swimming in the Leeds-Liverpool canal (which cuts through the woodland on its way from Saltaire to Bingley) my memory of this stunning location is the inspiration for this, the third painting in this series. Standing on the swing bridge which crosses the canal and looking upstream towards Bingley, the dazzling…

You may be thinking, I’m a visual artist and not a writer, but incorporating text into artwork serves as a powerful and versatile means of conveying additional layers of meaning and emotion. The fusion of visual and textual components can offer viewers a richer and more nuanced experience. Text provides a vehicle for storytelling, allowing artists to communicate ideas, messages, or personal stories directly to the audience. Whether through poetry, prose, or symbolic phrases, text invites viewers to delve deeper into the artist’s intended message. Text might also express social, political, or cultural perspectives, providing viewers with a framework for interpreting the visual elements within the piece. This might prompt further contemplation and discussion. Adding text to an artwork may also be a personal self-expression and introspection. Artists can integrate…

Artists are often intimidated by sketching action poses, but this fascinating discovery I had may put your mind at ease. The more dynamic the pose, the easier it is to sketch. Ironically, this means sketching athletes in action is actually easier than sketching idle people. Let’s look at some basics of sketching dynamic figures and poses. 1 Proportions First, let’s look at proportions. Figures can be easily divided into a lower and upper body, around where the pelvis and torso meet (Upper and lower body proportions, left). For practical purposes, these are nearly identical in length, with the head a part of the upper body, but this is only a generalisation. There’s a wide variety of body proportions out there. Some people have longer legs and thus a longer lower body,…

Watercolour Animals are my all-time favourite subject to paint. Capturing the eyes is to me the most important aspect; the rest can be completely blurred and it doesn’t matter. Many years ago, I began my watercolour journey and a talented botanical illustrator taught me how to paint using this wonderful medium. I initially learned to paint in a tight and precise manner – the illustrators’ way. Once I felt more comfortable using watercolour, I taught myself to loosen up but I still use my experience with botanical-painting techniques in order to paint the eyes today. Paint what you see, as they say. It is all about shapes and angles, even on a round eye. The following series of articles demonstrate the techniques I’ve learned over these past years of painting…

NEWS Rayleigh Art Group Chairman, Colin Mossman reports on the recent Rayleigh Art Group exhibition: ‘The Rt Hon Mark Francois MP opened the Rayleigh Art Group’s annual exhibition in April and praised the club for its efforts promoting art in and around the Rayleigh area. There were over 100 paintings on display and, with tea and coffee and homemade cakes available, the visitors had much to enjoy. Other notable visitors to the exhibition included Rayleigh town council chairman, Danielle Belton; vice chairman, Stuart Belton; and councillor Deborah Mercer. They all agreed the standard was as high as ever and, like Mark Francois, bought some of the artworks on display. ‘Over 300 people visited the event over the weekend, which was pleasing for all who had worked so hard to mount…