Tabla de contenidos para October 2025 en Leisure Painter

Dear Readers, As the summer sun reaches its peak and inspiration fills the air, this edition brings with it a moment of both celebration and transition for Leisure Painter. It’s with mixed emotions that we mark the retirement of Ingrid Lyon, who has served as Editor of Leisure Painter with heartfelt dedication for many years. Ingrid has been more than just an editor, she’s been a guiding hand, a champion of accessible creativity and an unwavering supporter of our wonderful artistic community. Her passion for nurturing talent and her warm, approachable editorial style have made Leisure Painter a trusted companion for so many hobby artists across the UK. On behalf of the team and our readers, thank you, Ingrid, for everything. You will be missed, and your legacy will always…

Texture is at the heart of everything I create, driving me to develop a unique approach to painting. In particular, I have always been drawn to seascapes, and from the start of my journey, I sought to portray waves in a way that would stand out. In my early days, I spent hours observing the ocean from above, mesmerised by the movement and patterns formed by breaking waves. Today, I use drone footage to capture these dynamic moments, building an evolving library that spans different seasons, swells, and locations. This footage allows me to experiment with composition before I even pick up a brush. I adjust orientations, add landmarks, and explore the wave’s directional flow, making this part of my process much like a digital sketchbook. Sometimes, the footage alone…

You will learn The effects of feathering ‘Blocking out’ techniques The effect of painting on a primed surface I have exhibited at Patchings Festival for many years and my routine would always be the same. I would have a painting on the go, but then on the first day I would wander around looking for inspiration. Once it hit, I would take my full set of plein air gear out and capture the scene. Due to not having to cart my gear very far, I would use my Pochade painting box and standing for about fifty minutes at a time I would capture the sights and sounds of the festival. I would block in the stationary bits and then add people as and when they walked by or, stood in…

I have a condition known as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP for short), a degenerative genetic disease where you lose your vision from the outside, working inwards, leading to acute tunnel vision. I was registered blind in 1991 and currently have less than 5% of my vision left. I was terrible at art at school, but enjoyed painting hard edge abstracts in acrylics in my early twenties. After many years of not painting again due to other commitments, in the early 2000s after a long illness, I started again. Being unable to do much, I spent a lot of time watching television, especially Watercolour Challenge. I dug out an old set of watercolours and the rest is history. I paint mainly in watercolour and oils and particularly enjoy painting plein air landscapes.…

1 Aerial perspective plays a big part in this scene: colours fade and cool the further they are from you so you want to use cool tones in the distance and warm tones in the foreground to accentuate this. 2 Keep a piece of the paper you’re using to check tonal values and colours before committing to your picture. 3 Paint to the edges of your paper. You can always crop the picture later, but if you’re going to frame the picture, you’ll need overlap for the mount. 4 Remember to keep the edges soft for the distant slopes. This again helps the hill and mountain shapes to recede and give perspective. 5 You can lift off paint with watercolour. Moisten the area of paint you want to remove and…

Want to comment on something you’ve read, or seen? Email me at theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or visit our website at www.painters-online.co.uk/forum Dear Readers, Every magazine has its own creative heartbeat. For The Artist, that rhythm has been provided by Jane Stroud, for many years as contributing editor and most recently as editor. This month, we mark the close of a remarkable chapter, as Jane steps away from her role and into a well-deserved retirement of which Jane is very much looking forward to. Her tenure has not only been long, but deeply influential. With an editor’s eye for excellence, Jane has shaped The Artist into the intelligent, inspiring and beautifully curated publication our readers know and trust, and artists aspire to contribute to. Throughout her years, Jane championed both emerging and established…

KIMBERLEY KEEGAN The Ask an Artist podcast has been releasing episodes for over five years, with total downloads now exceeding 450,000. The podcast aims to assist and support working artists and makers with the administrative and business side of being an artist. This year, podcast producer Kimberley Keegan has been writing this exclusive Q&A feature for The Artist magazine, sharing advice from the podcast and her own wealth of experience. Kimberley, who has a Fine Art degree and is a qualified teacher, is also the co-director of Art Profile, an agency representing over 150 UK artists who teach workshops and deliver demonstrations for art clubs, groups, and societies. You can listen to the podcast on any of the usual podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify as well as…

Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery invites visitors into a vivid exploration of the science, symbolism, and beauty of colour with its major exhibition Colour. Highlights include iconic works by artists such as Hokusai, Kandinsky, Bridget Riley, and Andy Warhol, alongside iridescent insects, bird plumage, textiles, and ancient gold jewellery. Organised around four central themes, Colour delves into how colour is made, used, perceived, and understood across time and cultures. Visitors can also enjoy immersive displays like a new mural by Grace Visions, Rangoli art by Ishita Chatterjee, and engaging activities from lightboxes to optical illusions. Created with input from local cultural advisors, the exhibition offers a vibrant, thought-provoking look at the role colour plays in our lives and identities. Until 14 September 2025, Millennium Gallery, Sheffield. Visit sheffieldmuseums.org.uk for more information.…

1 Experiment freely: Try different materials fabrics, papers, crushed objects. Ensure organic materials are fully dry before use. 2 Use high-quality acrylics: They offer better pigmentation and viscosity, which help in building texture. 3 Apply generously: Acrylic paint acts as an adhesive, so use enough to secure materials without glue. 4 Layer carefully: Let each layer dry completely before adding another to build height and stability. 5 Find inspiration everywhere: Texture can enhance any subject matter, adding depth and dimension that transforms the painting.…

Summer seems the most ideal and inspirational season to paint in. However many artists in Northern Europe prefer not to tackle landscape painting at this time because the land is too solid with vegetation in full leaf, and the ‘bones’ of the land are hidden. However, by approaching the subject of summer slightly differently, and on a smaller scale, you can explore lots of subject matter to express the season with. By thinking smaller and searching for smaller subject matter, there’s a wealth of options available, and gardens are ideal. Even if you don’t have a garden, a few tubs in the yard or a window box can still provide material. “Lines do not actually exist; they are only a convention in order to differentiate one colour or tone from…

Urban sketching is drawing on location, indoors or out, capturing what you see from direct observation. As the ‘on location’ aspect usually involves some form of transport and walking, most urban sketchers prefer to travel light; and as a keen urban sketcher myself, my sketching kit is packed, easy to carry and ready to go whenever the opportunity arises. But it wasn’t until recently, when a new urban sketcher asked me how to put together a similar set-up, that I realised it’s taken fifteen years of trial and error to achieve that! So, whilst recognising that personal preferences differ from sketcher to sketcher with some carrying as little as a pen or pencil and a pocket-sized sketchbook, I’ll show you what I take with me to draw and paint in…

Sarah Edmonds is a painter, art historian and lecturer. She studied Italian and History of Art at UCL and a short course at the Slade School of Fine Art. She works as a communications consultant and as a history of art lecturer in the Cotswolds; sarah-middleton.co.uk As an artist, eccentricity comes with the territory … and yet, there has been no-one quite like Salvador Dalí. As much an exhibitionist as an artist, The Persistence of Memory became one of the most recognisable works of Surrealism, a movement that encouraged creation by the unconscious mind, deeply inspired by psychoanalysis. Themes such as the unconscious, dreams, time and death are being re-examined. At the time of this painting, Dalí is reconstructing himself, both personally and artistically. He takes Surrealism to its limits…

Exhibitions ■ Ambleside & District Art Society The annual art exhibition’s 51st anniversary at Ambleside Parish Centre from 15th to 26th October. Free admission. amblesideart.co.uk ■ Bushloe Art Society Annual exhibition, Cherry Lane Glebe Garden Centre, Foston Road Countesthorpe, Leicester, LE8 5QP. 9th to 25th August, 9.30am to 5pm daily. ■ Chailey & Newick Painting Group Annual exhibition at Chailey Village Hall, Chailey, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 4DA (on A275). 22nd & 23rd November, 10am to 5pm. chaileyandnewickpaintinggroup.com ■ East Kent Art Society Autumn Art Fair, St Mary’s Art Centre, Strand Street, Sandwich, CT13 9HN. 14 to 16 November, 10am to 4pm. eastkentartsociety.co.uk ■ Hempnall Art Club Annual Art Exhibition, Hempnall Village Hall, Hempnall, Norwich, Norfolk, NR15 2NG. 4th and 5th October, 10.30am to 4.00pm. Art for sale, refreshments available,…

As far as boats are concerned, the choice of subject matter available is so vast. Here I will mainly deal with boats towards the smaller end of the spectrum; typically, small fishing boats and other craft that you would find pulled up on the beach or moored in most harbours. Before starting a drawing or painting of any boat, it is helpful to have a basic knowledge of their construction, shape and purpose. Try to understand the essential parts of the boat so that you are able to decide which elements need to be included and which can be left out or simplified. Your aim should be to capture the essence and character of the craft. Over a period of time, observation, a little knowledge, and regular sketching and painting…

DEMONSTRATION Rock Pools at Freshwater MATERIALS ● A4 Aquafine Watercolour Artboard by Daler-Rowney - to preventing buckling ● Drawing board and prop (eg glasses case or something similar) ● Soft 2B pencil and acrylic eraser ● 3 watercolour brushes: one inch flat; a smaller flat; rigger ● Old rigger brush & removable masking fluid ● Palettes with deep wells ● Tubed professional watercolours: From top to bottom: Daler-Rowney - phthalo blue, indigo and permanent mauve; Winsor & Newton - permanent sap green, raw sienna and ultramarine blue; Caput Mortuum - violet and cadmium yellow; Daniel Smith green apatite genuine; Schmincke Horadam; desert brown ● Plastic wrap; water pot; kitchen roll STAGE ONE REFERENCE PHOTO Using photo editing software, I combine and edit two photographs. I arranged the sea groins close to…

MONTH TEN The last month has been a coming together of two passions with themed paintings inspired by the beautiful game. Please don’t be put off reading if you’re not a football fan because the experiences I’ve enjoyed have actually been less about sport and more about community, celebration and connection. You’ll hear about how I’ve challenged myself in ways I wouldn’t have dared or imagined 12 months ago and think I’ve discovered a theme that I want to explore for years to come. I also want to tell you about two prizes I’ve recently won but more about those later. Blue is the colour… To kick off I’m going to report on my first visit to the city of Liverpool for a painting trip with three artist buddies. It…