Table of contents for June 2017 in Paint & Draw

“Cobley enjoyed drawing as a child and was encouraged by his Uncle Don” To anyone who dreams of making a living from art, David Cobley may seem like he’s had a charmed life. Recognised as one of the UK’s leading portraitists, he regularly gets to paint some of the nation’s most interesting people, including actors, writers, business figures, politicians, sports people and even royals. But it hasn’t been an altogether smooth ride for the Devizes-based artist. It all began conventionally enough. Born in Northampton in 1954, Cobley enjoyed drawing as a child and was encouraged to do so by his Uncle Don. “He used to draw with me and seeing what I could do, told me I could be rich and famous one day. On my 11th birthday I received…

Lovelys Gallery Kent’s oldest art gallery exhibits and sells a diverse selection of artwork from local and international artists, it also offers a framing and restoration service in addition to selling art materials. www.lovelysgallery.co.uk caroline@lovelysgallery.co.uk Pie Factory Margate This pop-up gallery space changes every week or so, with new local and national artists selling original pieces to collectors and the public. It’s also home to five workshops, which are let on an affordable basis to creatives needing space. piefactorymargate.co.uk Lombard Street Gallery Located in Margate Old Town, Lombard Street Gallery represents a diverse and eclectic range of artists and makers. Alongside its gift shop is a well-lit, spacious gallery that holds contemporary art exhibitions all year round. lombardstreetgallery.co.uk York Street Gallery Take a trip to Ramsgate and visit award-winning not-for-profit York…

For this workshop I’ll be interpreting a photograph of The Aldwych, which is in central London. I’d be happy to paint this scene en plein air, but of course this isn’t always possible. Yet the process is identical, inside or out. The materials are also the same, and this gives me confidence whatever the situation. The initial line drawing is just an idea of composition, looking at features as abstract shapes. The people and vehicles aren’t fixed in stone and I’ll use them to add dynamism to the composition. I also try to theme the painting with a colour scheme, such as complimentary or analogous. About ROGER Hindhead, England Self-taught Roger has been a professional artist and tutor for the past 24 years, teaching on art holidays both in the…

“We get a masterclass in bringing out the essence of a scene” Publisher : APV Films Price : £28.55 (DVD); £25 (streamed on-demand) Web : www.apvfilms.com ADVD in which an artist walks you through a series of paintings is not a new idea. But this is one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. And that’s partly due to the artist’s personality. Roger Dellar takes a cosy, casual approach to describing his plein air oil painting. He likes to finish his pieces quickly, he says, and keep them “as simple as possible”. He only uses three colours, excepting Titanium White. He even calls himself “lazy” for only using a few brushes. He’s being slightly disingenuous there, though, because the sights he chooses to paint in the south of…

The best portrait drawings aren’t just pictures of faces, but records of a long moment shared between artist and sitter. Whether you are able to ask friends or family to sit for a portrait, or can attend a drawing class with a model, it is always an engaging and exciting experience to draw another person from life. If you don’t have a sitter, set up a mirror for a self-portrait, and when necessary, you can always resort to working from photographs. The drawing in this tutorial was made over two hours from a combination of photographs of the model, Gigi, and sketches made during an hour-long portrait sitting. There are many ways to draw a portrait and if you are aiming to improve your drawings it is important that you…

Watch a winter sunset “The winter sunsets are the most spectacular – the sun sets as a backdrop illuminating the harbour boats and Margate Harbour arm,” advises Darren Lewis. “Make sure you view the same vista at different times of the day. The magical light is forever changing.” Visit Botany Bay “My top location for artists would be either Botany Bay with its long sandy beaches and chalk cliffs,” says Mike Samson, “or just a few miles inland to the countryside at Stodmarsh nature reserve.” See Ross Andrews’ work “Ross Andrews is a sand artist and extreme photographer who immerses himself in the sea and pushes himself physically to capture waves in full force – offering a unique view of Margate’s coastlines, unseen by many,” says Darren. Hang out at…

Surrounded by stunning views, the Isle of Skye is the perfect place to soak up some artistic inspiration and bring ideas to life on the canvas. Run by former graphic designer and Adult Community Education tutor Lesley Linley, these watercolour and drawing classes are geared towards artists of all levels who want to improve upon their skills. “My aim is to make everyone feel at ease,” explains Lesley, who lives and works in the Scottish Highlands. “I still work in this way; I start at the beginning and rarely use jargon.” This logical and methodical approach helps her to challenge anyone who says that they can’t draw or paint: “I believe that 99% of the skills needed can be learned; maybe that remaining 1% is the elusive ‘something extra’.” With…

IAN PROBERT I’m a Northerner exiled to Islington in London. When I left art college I became a journalist and then an author. I completely abandoned painting until three months ago. I’d forgotten how much I loved watercolour. http://ianprobert.com GERALD PORTER Gerald Porter has been an artist for several years and is a teacher and lecturer for many organisations including Northampton College, the University of Leicester, as well as being a curator at Tate Modern. ADY MEDCALF I am 67 and live in Wrexham, North Wales. I have always been interested in art, oil painting in particular. I sell the majority of my paintings, mostly portraits. After a lifetime working in pubs and factories, I decided to retire, buy a shed and paint. Send us your artwork and get…

THE MYSTERIOUS MISS AUSTEN Winchester Discovery Centre , until 24 July A rarely seen portrait of Jane Austen is on display at the Winchester Discovery Centre until 24 July. The painting is soon to become very familiar – it forms the basis of Austen’s depiction on the new £10 note. Five other portraits of Austen will be on display at the exhibition, which marks the 200th anniversary of the author’s death. There’s more information at: http://bit.ly/pad9_jausten QUENTIN BLAKE: THE LIFE OF BIRDS House of Illustration , until 1 October Beloved children’s illustrator Quentin Blake is curating an exhibition of his own drawings of one his favourite subjects – birds. These exuberant pieces are on display for the first time at House of Illustration until 1 October. Blake’s ability…

About MARGARET Almeria, Spain Professional artist Margaret lives in Almeria in Spain. She has art training from Falmouth Art School, Hornsey College of Art and the West of England College of Art. margaretmerry.wordpress.com Materials Margaret uses tubes of Schmincke watercolour paints. She likes to paint on Arches 300gsm paper, approximately 11x15in with a fine surface stretched on to a board. This is her preferred paper because the surface has just the right amount of resistance to enhance the inherent transparency and brilliance of the medium. Margaret uses synthetic round brushes. Since ancient times, gardens have been a source of inspiration for artists. However, they can be tricky subjects to tackle because, when the eye is confronted by a confusing array of tone, form and colour, it’s difficult to know where…

Plein air painting has been used by the masters for centuries. That alone can make it seem intimidating! I’m here to help you demystify the painting process, the gear, and show you how it’s going to help you improve all aspects of your artistic work. I spent years thinking plein air painting was for serious artists, when the truth is that it’s for anyone who wants to get out in nature and have some fun. I first started painting outdoors because of peer pressure – a group of artists at the film studio I was working at had an established practice. I asked them how they had become so accomplished at painting colour and light and the answer was always the same: plein air. I got up the courage to…

For part 3 of this series, I am using soft pastels and Conté Crayons for drawing, rather than painting. There is always a debate about whether pastels are a drawing or painting medium, but I think it depends entirely on the way you use them. Here I will be using limited colour, to capture the energy and texture of natural forms by changing my mark making and feeling for the flow of line. As I draw each piece, I hold it in my hand to feel its weight and use other senses as well as sight. I want to convey more than just what it looks like. What does it feel like? Is it hard and spiky, and heavy to hold? Or light and fragile, and easily crushed in my…

Plein air painting workshops Wapping Group of Artists member, Michael Richardson, offers plein air painting workshops around Margate harbour over select weekends throughout the warmer months. It costs £75/day or £130/ two days. www.michaelrichardsonfineart.com michprich@aol.com Life Drawing Artist Roy Eastland teaches life drawing at the Margate Adult Education Centre. Aimed at beginners and those looking to refresh or develop their skills, a one-day course is £50. www.kentadulteducation.co.uk/brands/mnid_123/Mr-Roy-James-Eastland.aspx royeastland@hotmail.com Hello Print Studio Hello Print Studio runs printmaking workshops in a variety of processes, including screenprinting, etching, linocut, woodcut and letterpress. Courses vary from one-day workshops (£70) and evening courses for beginners through to more in-depth summer courses. www.helloprintstudio.com/ workshops helloprintstudio@gmail.com…

When asked what makes me want to paint, light is always the first word that comes to my mind. Whether it’s the sun shining on the stones of a building, or a flower in a vase catching a ray of sunshine, light remains at the centre of my work. In fact, I would rather paint a dustbin in an interesting light than a beautiful landscape in a dull light. Depicting light with oils can be challenging but it is always rewarding. I find it has more to do with tones than colours. Getting a correct relationship between all the different tones of the painting is what will make the light effect credible. A typical mistake is to paint elements with their original colour rather than the colour they appear to…

About PHIL Davenham, Cheshire Phil is a fine and digital artist specialising in expressive portraiture. His MA in The History of Art has helped shape his artistic style. He's a proud father, an outdoors lover and a keen beard enthusiast! http://bit.ly/pad8_phil In this tutorial I create a believable digital portrait using only the pixels on a screen. I’ll take you through each step of my work process, from creating a new file and loading up a reference image, to sketching out ideas and thumbnails, making initial pencil drawings right through to blocking in and adding thick textured paint. I also show you how to add some final digital flourishes before explaining how to save your finished work, ready for printing. I paint digitally in pretty much the same way as…

Contemporary Landscapes in Mixed Media Author : Soraya French Publisher : Batsford Price : £19.99 Web : www.pavilionbooks.com THE VIVID, SEMI-ABSTRACT mixed-media art of Soraya French will open your eyes in terms of what’s possible when it comes to painting landscapes. But while this book is full of her wonderfully vibrant and unusual artwork, it’s not a guide to copying it. A great believer in artistic growth through experimentation, French doesn’t want you to follow in her footsteps. She would rather you try things out, make mistakes, and find your own path. She does offer some solid technical advice to get you on your way, though. There are guides to mark making and composition, plus detail on how to use different media, from paints, pastels and inks to materials like…