Table of contents for Issue 8 Volume 4 in Artists Back to Basics

Drawing has been overshadowed in the modern era – to some extent – by the emergence of forms such as abstract and cubism which really don’t demand much from the artist in areas like realistic representation of the subject matter, or the effect of light and shade. The waters are further muddied by methods like gridding and projecting having gained acceptance in the fine art world; this too must detract from the motivation needed for an artist to acquire the necessary and difficult skills required for freehand drawing. I want to explore the really basic fundamentals of drawing … to give anyone interested in learning to draw freehand a good foundation from which to begin. There are really only two basic drawing techniques, and many subtle variations on these themes.…

• East Art stretched canvas – 30 x 40 inches. • Atelier Gesso Primer – White. • Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Colours. • Floor easel. • Sandpaper – P240 and P400. • Faithful gesso brush. • Vine charcoal. • Kneadable eraser. • Workable Matt Fixative. • Shaving brush. • Three long-handled bristle brushes. • Twelve short-handled brushes in a variety of sizes. • Walnut Oil and Low Odour Turps. • Winsor & Newton Artists’ Retouching Varnish. • Imagination and memories.…

• The Book of Hours was a devotional book popular in the Middle Ages. It is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript (Ref: Wikipedia) • The Book of Kells (Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais) (Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. (58), sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks ca. 800 or slightly earlier. (Ref: Wikipedia) • In 1466, at the age of fourteen, Leonardo da Vinci was apprenticed to the artist Andrea di Cione, known as Verrocchio whose workshop was “one of the finest in Florence”. Leonardo would have been exposed to both theoretical training and a vast range…

• The initial rough is made up of the most basic lines. I get a pretty good idea from the rough if it is going to work, and it gives me a good idea of the shape (landscape or portrait) and size of canvas I am going to use. • I work as fast as I can in some areas, as I need certain colours to mix together. • Experiment: Your excuse is, it’s being creative. • Experimenting can lead to you accidentally creating your own individual techniques. • Don’t try and get every detail with a brush. Instead, use different colours and grades of pastel pencils. • When drizzling and flicking paint, do it in an open area – so you don’t become restricted with your arm movements. •…

• Do not draw a pen outline on clouds, horizon lines or distant hills. They will lose their sense of distance • Paint a colour chart of the colours in your palette to make it easier to identify and mix colours • Light can change very rapidly, altering colour and shadow. Try to sketch quickly (which comes with practice) to capture the atmosphere, before it is gone forever • Consider weather conditions. If working in the sun take extra water, sunscreen and a hat. • A backpack can contain a cardigan, raincoat, insect repellent and some snacks. Be prepared • Date and identify your sketches. • Always check that you have not left any art materials behind before you leave a location. It is easy to miss small items. •…

I have reached the magical French milestone of being ‘a woman of a certain age’. My life began in Sydney quite a few years ago. Now I live an almost idyllic life with my husband Tom … on our hill near the Queensland town of Agnes Water 1770. Five years ago, I left my professional life as a systems engineer and project manager in computer-telephony interfacing. Tom and I retired and decided to follow a relaxed lifestyle and enjoy the warm winds in our little part of paradise. After designing our new home, I felt an irresistible urge to start painting. That occurred on 16 October 2007, to be precise. My studio looks out over green valleys to blue hills … with the only sound being the native birds as…

• Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium (usually a glutinous material such as egg yolk or some other size) (ref: Wikipedia) • Ox gall is gall, usually obtained from cows, that is mixed with alcohol and used as the wetting agent in marbling, engraving, lithography, and water colour painting. It is a greenish-brown liquid mixture containing cholesterol, lecithin, taurocholic acid, and glycoholic acid. (Ref: Wikipedia)…

An empty canvas is always challenging, but has the potential to become a significant piece of artwork. It was always explained to me that a painting is like a sunset … they’re all nice, but sometimes we’ll stand back and look at one and say, “Wow! How amazing and beautiful it is!” I dedicate every painting to my late brother Steven who inspired me to paint. Wollongong in New South Wales has been my home since I was born. I left school in 1984, to pursue my career as a cartoonist. There were a lot more magazines publishing cartoons back then – like The Bulletin and The Australasian Post. I had my first big break in 1985 with The Bulletin magazine accepting and publishing one of my very first cartoons.…

Sketching is about capturing the moment and is a quick impression of people and place. It is not meant to be a meticulous drawing or a realistic representation but is something anyone can do at any time. Sketching records interesting features in a particular scene. It is always about the passion of place that draws you to it, and the enjoyment of visually recording it. When looking back over sketches, it is amazing what information is recalled. You will immediately remember exactly where you were, whether it was hot or cold, the sights and sounds and even distinctive aromas of various places. It is quite a magical experience. Photographs do not evoke the same emotions. Sketches are usually not intended to be worked into a larger finished painting, but are…

Whenever you dip your brush into beautiful watercolour paint, do you ever stop to think how this medium was created? What is its history? Watercolour paints have a long and enduring history, which spans from the primitive caveman’s pigments that were mixed with water to today’s fantastic range of colours and materials and the plethora of manufacturers who supply them. Sure, early man created cave paintings and ancients Egyptians used water based paints to create wonderful decorations on the walls of temples and tombs and even produced some of the first works of art on papyrus. It is a matter of debate, which was used first, gum Arabic or pigment. However – the medium we know as today as watercolour paints and watercolour painting is said to have evolved from…

Step 1 What came first: The title or the painting? For me, it can be either. There is nothing worse than staring at a blank canvas. Normally I will rough out a couple of layouts (on A4 or A3 layout paper) of the subject I am going to paint. I’d visualised my subject characters and what they might look like. I sketched the characters roughly … this is where things end up in the file (bin). I like my paintings to be moving and not standing still. This was the first time I had painted a boat in one of my paintings, so I was hoping it was going to work. Step 2 Painting the background – this was where I placed the canvas on the easel and looked at…

• Several good quality sketchbooks, 300gsm cold pressed • HB Pencil or clutch pencil 0.5mm HB • Water resistant Black Pigment Liner or Drafting Pens size 0.05mm • White plastic eraser • Water Brushes: 1 small, 1 medium. Has reservoir for water and nylon brush. • Small box Tissues • A small lightweight Backpack is very useful for carrying materials • Light weight portable folding seat • Watercolour Sketchbooks: 300gsm cold pressed watercolour paper. A good size is approx 8x5 in (20x12.5 cms). Spiral binding preferred • Compact Travelling or Sketchers’ Pocket watercolour set (or similar)…

Greetings! In this article, I am going to present my experience of learning from different teachers. When I first decided to go to art groups and/or courses, I chose them on two criteria. First, it had to be cheap, as I had a family to consider and bills to pay. Second, it had to be local. Various Styles of Teaching My introduction to painting was via a 3 day course with a teacher who falls into what I now call the “monkey see – monkey do” category. “Mix a little of this with a lot of that and hold your brush just so”. Of course, our end product never came anywhere near the demonstration. I came to realise, and suggested to others who were also a little disappointed with their…