Table of contents for Issue 34 in Creative Artist

Growing up in England, my interest in art was sparked by a school trip to the National Gallery in London, where I marvelled at the beautiful works by the masters, and wondered how they could capture all the intricacies of shading, tonal contrasts, etc., and make them look so realistic. I particularly enjoyed the works of John Constable, who managed to convey the rich greens of the English landscape. Art as a career was not really encouraged during my school years, although at home I would spend some time dabbling in painting and drawing, and I particularly enjoyed seeing an object in front of me, such as one of my mother’s houseplants with flowers, come to life on a blank piece of paper. My interest in biological sciences was considered…

• To keep the acrylic paints I’m using for a painting from drying up too quickly, I use an oblong, shallow, plastic storage container with lid. I first line it with a piece of kitchen roll which is sprayed with water to keep moist, and then on top of this I put a sheet of ‘disposable palette’. I also add a couple of drops of retarder medium to the paints after I’ve put them out onto the palette. • It is a good idea to practise the Glad Wrap technique first on spare canvas or paper to work out how much ink is required, whether to dilute it, how to apply the Glad Wrap, etc., before actually using it on the painting.…

Step One I brush in with a turpsie wash of Ultramarine Blue, looking for the right composition, and only worrying about the large shapes. Step Two Now I am happy with the composition. I use a turpsie wash of Burnt Sienna for the foreground. In go the darks made up of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. Step Three Starting from the sky and working forward, I cover the canvas with the appropriate colours and tones, not worrying about detail. The aim is to cover the canvas in paint. Remember that darks become lighter and bluer as they go away into the distance. I exaggerate this slightly. Step Four Work is now done on the cliffs using Crimson, Cadmium Orange and White. The foliage colour is basically Ultramarine Blue and Burnt…

• 10oz Caravaggio Italian cotton canvas stretched on 101 X 66 cm stretchers • A selection of Art Spectrum and Art Basics flat brushes sizes 12, 8, 6, 4, 2 • Media • Odourless solvent (Art Spectrum) for underpainting • Art Spectrum medium number 1 • Langridge Oleogel • Paints: – Titanium/Zinc white mix 50:50 (Art Spectrum) – Phthalo Blue (MasterClass Extra Fine Artists’ oil) – Cadmium Orange (Old Holland) – Cadmium Scarlet (Winsor and Newton) – Payne’s Grey (Maimeri Puro) – Lemon Yellow (Michael Harding) – Cobalt Blue Light (Schmincke Norma) – Cerulean Blue (Art Spectrum) – Raw Sienna (Art Spectrum) – Alizarin Red (Art Spectrum) – Burnt Sienna (Langridge) – Ultramarine Blue (Winsor and Newton) – Quinacridone Magenta (Langridge) – Sap Green (Art Spectrum) – Yellow Ochre (Schmincke…

• I buy my canvas by the roll and cut it to size, and for large paintings I use stretched canvas. My cut canvas is taped to a board for painting. To frame, I either glue it to a primed MDF board or tape it as in a watercolour sheet to a backing board to frame under glass. • I use a limited palette of six to eight colours. I enjoy mixing my colours, and also this gives a consistency to my painting. My colours are placed out in the same position so I can find them instinctively. I only clean my mixing area after each painting session, leaving the colours where they are and adding more colour next time. • I mostly stand to paint so I can step…

• Good quality deep edge stretched canvas, 610mm x 760mm • Matisse white gesso • Mediums – Matisse spreader medium, Atelier liquefying medium, Atelier retarder • Matisse structure acrylic paints – Australian Blue Gum, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red, Dioxazine Purple, Green Grey, Phthalo Green, Phthalo Blue, Antique White, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Primary Yellow, Yellow Deep • Atelier Interactive acrylic paints – Titanium White, Naples Yellow, Alizarin • Atelier Free Flow acrylic paint – Titanium White • Art Spectrum Acrylic Inks – Turquoise, Phthalo Green, Burnt Sienna • Brushes – Flat bristle, some filbert, sizes 16, 4, 2. Taklon round brushes, ranging in size from 0 to 8 (use the larger brushes for larger areas, and the smaller ones for detailed areas) • Small sponge, either natural or…

The aesthetics of colour composition becomes the challenge. For artists and photographers who have studied Aesthetic Colour Theory, Science of Colour, Colour Physics and Colour Wave Lengths, would have spent hours on the realm of aesthetics that are general rules and laws we look to follow. We invest time in executing colour wheels and charts that are a good practical reference when planning our masterpiece. This is where we develop knowledge of our three primary colours, red – blue – yellow, and from these we get our three secondary colour mix, green – orange – violet, and from there we mix our 12 basic shade hues of our colour wheel and charts progress from there. It can become a daunting prospect to know just what to mix with what and…

• Before starting, try to identify what you love to paint, and then pick up your pencil and paintbrush. • Looking through old photos, magazine or searching the internet helps me to get into the zone and get my creative juices flowing. • If you are anything like me, staring at a white canvas can be very intimidating. It would take me ages to get started and paint that first stroke, so I now cover my canvas with a watered down wash of Burnt Sienna to get rid of the stark whiteness. • View your painting in a mirror, in stages. This can give you a better perspective on things, making slight imperfections stand out. • Use a watercolour pencil to sketch. It is easier to rub out pencil marks…

• Always use good quality canvas and artist quality paint. Experiment with different brands to identify your preferred colours, since there might be variations of the same colour between brands. Don’t be too fussy about the quality of brushes as long as they do not leave hair on the canvas while painting. • For oils, use a big flat palette, preferably of glass or Perspex to facilitate cleaning when ready. You need a big mixing space on the palette. Keep pure paint squeezed from the tube towards the edges of the palette and try to always place each colour in the same position. After a while you will learn where the colours are, and won’t need to spend time looking for them. • Never use a permanent varnish on an…

Hi Brett, Just to let you know I have been inspired by your magazine “Drawing with Brett A. Jones”, I haven’t done any drawing for years but now I am retired I have more time on my hands, great. So I am back into it, with all your very useful tips my drawing must improve. The article on your “Two Bee Debris” masterpiece is fantastic and I loved the subject, that pencil extender used in the drawing adds so much interest to it. As I get older my fingers are not as nimble as in the past, I think a pencil holder of that ilk will help me, I am not into the plastic modern extenders. Brett I would really appreciate if you can point me in the right direction…