Tabla de contenidos para March 2017 en Paint & Draw

Although it would be great if every painting was created with the real-life scene or subject in front of you – a quirky city sketch made on the fly, painting a person you admire, capturing a breathtaking sunset from a faraway beach – working from a photo is often a far more practical option. And one of the most photographed subjects is surely our beloved pets – so it follows that they should be our most popular painting subjects. The idea for this issue’s cover arrived after I saw artist Kate Oleska’s posts on Facebook. She’d recently been commissioned to paint a friend’s pet dog, and the amount of character she managed to capture in such a small area of canvas was amazing to me. With a young Maine Coon…

About CARIEN Senior Curator, William Morris Gallery, London Carien has worked on many high-profile shows at the gallery, including exhibitions on David Bailey and Yinka Shonibare. The exhibition at the William Morris Gallery brings together three different connections: Frank Brangwyn as a collector of Japanese art, his relationship with a Japanese patron, Kojiro Matsukata, and his collaboration with Urushibara, a young Japanese printmaker. When Kojiro Matsukata, the director of a shipping company, decided to build a museum in Tokyo to house his art collection, he asked Brangwyn to design it. The Museum would have been called ‘The Sheer Pleasure Arts Pavilion’. As well as referencing this story, which features in the exhibition, the title also refers to Brangwyn as a collector, and his real passion for Japanese art. The association…

About KATE Kent, Uk Kate is an artist specialising in portraits and pet portraits. She mainly works in oils, charcoal and pencil. You can find more of her art at www.purelypetportraits.co.uk. Painting pets can be a lot of fun. While it’s great to see the artwork finished and ready to hang on a wall, the process itself brings a lot of satisfaction. And, it’s not just about copying a photo. An important part 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,…

Head for higher ground “My favourite view of the city is from the Tyne bridge, overlooking the rooftops of the Quayside, towards the Millennium Bridge,” says Jim Edwards. “It’s a great vantage point above the rooftops, and it began my interest of painting from an imagined raised perspective. I’m interested in compositions that don’t stick to a ground-level vantage point.” Paint the coastal light “I live by the coast – the light is unlike anywhere else,” says Helen Kerrigan. Bernie Wisniewski agrees: “Visit an area up the coast towards Alnmouth, Warkworth, Bamburg – it’s impossible not to be inspired.” Woodhorn Colliery Museum “One tip is to visit Woodhorn Colliery Museum in Ashington, which is about 20 minutes’ drive from Newcastle,” says Ray Campbell. “There’s a permanent exhibition of work by…

About VALÉRIE Bath, UK Originally from Belgium, Valérie has lived in the UK for the past 11 years. She works mainly in oils and enjoys working en plein air. See more of her paintings at www.valeriepirlot.com Oil paints offer the ideal medium for achieving strong and interesting brushwork. To me, an artist’s style of brushstrokes is what defines their work and gives it personality. It also plays a big part in the emotional response with the viewer. I have fallen in love with paintings simply because a couple of amazing brushstrokes in them caught my attention. Two paintings from two different artists might have the same subject, composition, tones and colours, but a different style of brushwork can convey completely different moods or emotions. Here, I share some tips that…

About 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 Nature offers so much inspiration for art. I began painting butterflies after a visit to my local natural history museum in Brighton, where I was able to access drawers and drawers of beautiful and fragile specimens. I felt particularly inspired – after seeing the butterflies up close – to recreate some of the interesting textures. There are many ways to do this, and one way is to paint through tissue. This conveys some of that less-than-perfect, crumbling texture at the edges of the wings. It’s also fun, and has results that are a little unpredictable and exciting. Painting bees doesn’t need the same treatment as butterflies, but you…

“It takes the paint well and creates some really defined textural areas” Company : Clairefontaine Price : From £7.99 Web : www.clairefontaine.com There are several options in this fine range, which are available as sheets, spiralbound pads and blocks. Here, we’ll look at two. First up is the 24x30cm block of 15 sheets with ‘cloud’ texture. The paper is 100% cotton, 300g and acid-free, with a manufacturer guarantee of no yellowing or deterioration. Glued on four sides, you can launch straight into a watercolour painting without the need for stretching paper. (You can, of course, remove a sheet and stretch as normal if you prefer). This makes the pad convenient for outdoor painting, allowing you to indulge in big washes without uncontrollable buckling. It was interesting to experience the paper’s…

SELF-PORTRAIT COMPETITION OPENS FOR ENTRIES The Ruth Borchard Prize is back with £10,000 up for grabs ART COMPETITIONS can often see the professionals competing against each other for big-money prizes, while hobbyists rarely get a chance to shine. However, this isn’t the case with the Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize, which is now open for submissions. Anyone can be in with a chance of scooping the £10,000 prize. In fact many of the entrants have never painted a portrait before, let alone one of themselves. And, unlike most competitions, there are no size restrictions, and any medium (besides photography and standalone sculpture) can be used. So, now is the chance to prove yourself! The competition is open for entries until 12 April 2017, with the winner chosen from 120 finalists…

North East Art Collective Located in the heart of Eldon Garden, Newcastle’s North East Art Collective gallery showcases and sells the work of local talent across a range of disciplines. www.northeastartcollective.co.uk The Biscuit Factory Housed in a Victorian warehouse in the heart of Newcastle’s cultural quarter, The Biscuit Factory is the UK’s largest art, craft and design gallery. The work of some 250 artists is exhibited each season. www.thebiscuitfactory.com Vane You’ll find a wide range of both British and international artists in contemporary art gallery Vane. The venue also hosts a performance space, plus a shop to buy a selection of artworks. www.vane.org.uk Ouseburn Open Studios Ouseburn’s open studios event is held in November, with 200-plus artists and makers from the Ouseburn Valley showcasing their work. A smaller sprint event…

LIAM O’FARRELL Whether Somerset-based artist Liam is working in oils or watercolours, fundamentally he is all about the drawing. That’s where his art is. He has exhibited at the RA Summer Exhibition, The Royal Society of British Arts, and as far afield as Tokyo. www.liamofarrell.com Zennor Church, Cornwall “I pulled on my boots, and dropped into the church – a lovely tough structure, all battered by centuries of merciless storms.” Study of cows, Pilton “I moved to the country and drew these cows… until they chased me out of the field.” Stives Beach “My subjects rarely see me. However, the lady on the left quickly spotted me, and that is the look I drew here.” Chrysler Building “A steely, gleaming, Art Deco beauty – the Chrysler Building was a must…

About GEORGIA Bath, UK Georgia Cox is a graduate of Falmouth College of Art, and has exhibited widely including at the National Portrait Gallery and Mall Galleries. Her current work sees flower compositions painted in oils with gold leaf. www.georgiacox.com Last year I visited an exhibition of 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 right up to her death at the age of 86. The thought of her always inspires me and it’s great to find an artist that you can connect to in some way. Rachel Ruysch worked with some complicated arrangements and a daunting level of…

JÁN VAJSÁBEL Ján is a graphic designer and artist, based in Slovakia. The strongest inspiraton for his work is the countryside. He says, “I am interested in different fragments of nature and the places people tend to overlook”. www.behance.net/Vajsabel 1 The Water in the Grass Oil on board The simple motif that emerged from blades of grass in the water really caught Ján’s eye. He painted this piece on smooth wooden board (instead of canvas) to create the long continual lines. 2 Bushes Oil This piece offers an interesting interplay of light and shadows, with the contrast of the dark bushes, snow and light coming through from the sunset. 3 Grassfield Oil This picture is inspired by Gustav Klimt. Ján created the lines of the long grass by scraping into…

WATER, PAPER, PAINT With a unique consistency and pigments, watercolours can produce some of the most diverse and unique paintings. To celebrate the crucial ingredients needed to create a watercolour painting, ‘Water, Paper, Paint’ is a showcase of stylistic variations, techniques and genres. See it at the Bankside Gallery until 22 April. www.banksidegallery.com TICKET TO RYE Explore the whimsical pastel artwork of Richard Adams in this exhibition at the Rye Art Gallery until 23 April. Depicting an enchanting bucolic world peopled with everyday and fantastical characters, the charming pictures take you to an eccentric English countryside filled with delight and humour. www.ryeartgallery.co.uk REVOLUTION: RUSSIAN ART 1917 – 1932 To mark 100 years since the Russian Revolution, the Royal Academy, London, explores the first 15 years under Soviet rule with this…

About 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 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. Follow these steps... 1 I’ve drawn my image using a DotsPen (see the review in Issue 2) 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…

Newcastle Arts Centre From oil painting to landscapes, acrylics, pastels, portraits, drawing and more, Newcastle Arts Centre runs a wide range of one-day and longer art courses. www.newcastle-arts-centre.co.uk/courses Mushroom Works Mushroom Works studio and gallery regularly hosts evening life-drawing classes (£60 for six weeks) plus other select classes, including pottery. www.mushroomworks.com/whatson Laing Art Gallery Print-making, self-portraiture and line-drawing are among the varied classes (£35) offered by Laing Art gallery, which also runs a three-day half-term art academy for kids. www.laingartgallery.org.uk/whats-on Northern Print The gallery and printmaking studio runs a programme of print-related courses, from screenprinting to collagraph, letterpress, linocut, etching and more. Classes from £5. www.northernprint.org.uk/whats-on.html…

About 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 When I create my paintings, 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 for a compositional affect rather than reality, and I always paint places I know well – working this way gives me the freedom to be flexible. I find if I work from drawings or photos of places I get bogged down with the detail and realism. I tend…

The artist Chris Forsey is a UK landscape artist. He is celebrated for his paintings of country, coastal and city settings, and for beautifully depicting the light, weather and atmosphere found in those locations. He is a member of The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours and The Society of Graphic Fine Artists. Chris works and teaches out of a studio in Dorking, Surrey. www.chrisforsey.com Emphatic and expressive landscapes are what artist Chris Forsey is known for, and he is pleased to share his approach: “I always try to appeal to the viewer by creating dynamism of composition in my paintings, a full range of tones from strong lights to deep, dark shadow. An interesting painting is one that attracts the eye of the viewer from across the other side…

About 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 Painting busy streets can seem like 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. I was drawn to the warm yellows of the artificial lights on the stone of the buildings, and the strong contrast between the reflections on the pavement and the silhouetted figures. The street already has a…

About CHRIS Pasadena, California, USA Chris is a painter, illustrator, videogame concept artist, and health-nut with more than 20 years of drawing, painting and teaching experience. www.drawwithchris.com Sketching a five-minute pose is a lot of fun because it offers just enough time to capture a strong sense of the pose, but not enough time to overwork (or overthink) the drawing. Keeping things simple and being economical is a recurring theme throughout the five-minute process. The main thing to remember for a successful quick pose is to keep the gist of the subject, so I’ll show how to first create three defined sections of rib cage, abdomen and hips. Then, I’ll add in the natural tilt and rotation of the head to instantly make the subject more believable, while filling in…

Company : Clairefontaine Price : From £5.99 Web : www.clairefontaine.com First and foremost, these chunky multi-technique pads are really great value. The white option has 40 sheets, while the 'naturel' pad has 30 sheets. At 250g/m2 , the paper is good quality and weighty enough to take on a diverse range of materials, such as gouache, acrylic, ink, pastels and glued collage work. In fact, it’s amazingly resilient – we started with splashes of watercolour, blocking in solid areas with acrylic and then added charcoal and pencil on top (see image above). The surface didn’t lose its integrity, and there was minimal buckling and no show-through. But, if a considered and delicate approach to art is more your thing, then this paper is also perfect for ink work, pencil and…

“The skill with which she combines intricate details with soft washes to build seemingly simplistic scenes is quite breathtaking” Distributor: Teaching Art Price: £16.50 Web: www.wendyjelbert.co.uk Combining the precise, fine lines of pen drawing with the free-flowing nature of washes may result in some stunning effects, but it’s not the easiest way to create art. And so this DVD from artist and teacher Wendy Jelbert provides all the insight you need. Wendy begins by detailing tools and materials, and how to use them to make your first pen and brush marks, she then quickly moves on to sketching shapes with your pen to start building up a scene. After this brief introduction, we spend most of the 60 minutes watching the artist at work, as she creates a variety of…

Bright ink pigments Jill Tisbury demonstrates http://bit.ly/pad_parrots Petals in watercolour Jarnie Godwin’s simple style http://bit.ly/pad_petals Leaf structures Jarnie Godwin’s technique for perfect foliage http://bit.ly/pad_leaf Bright and abstract David Body explains more http://bit.ly/davidbody The artist’s studio With Leo Davey http://bit.ly/leodavey Subscribe now at: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/paint17 or call 0344 848 2852 and quote PAINT17…