Innholdsfortegnelse for Artist Palette 160 i Artist's Palette

Now in her sixties, Jocelyn Girle is a latecomer to the fascinating world of art. Seven years ago she was asked to contribute to an art and craft exhibition at Goondiwindi. Life was challenging for Jocelyn at that time … her second husband (who has since passed away) was being treated for cancer …but she accepted the invitation to submit some creative work. “I exhibited about 30 pieces of fine embroidery and about 20 paintings,” she reveals. “The pieces which sold most readily were my pen and ink pictures, using Burnt Umber acrylic ink. My motto, since then, has been: ‘When you’re on a good thing, stick to it’.” Jocelyn and her husband, at that time, had a mixed farming business – broadacre cropping (mainly barley for the local cattle…

• Keep in mind that observing buildings at acute angles can give dynamic impact … but one needs to be very careful to keep the perspective accurate. • Early morning or late afternoon can give dramatic effects with the sun lighting up one side of the street (while the other side is in shadow) and casting interesting shadows across the road. • Keep your colours clean and glowing. The way to achieve this is to use a limited palette of colours. Four or five colours should be plenty for each painting, and this approach also helps to avoid mixing mud. • Working in low light gives the painting more sparkle. If outdoors, work in the shade. If indoors, work in natural light. You will find that if your painting looks…

• This glazing technique with acrylics (either with water or another medium) works very well on canvas, but not so well on boards. Boards absorb the moisture too fast, so you cannot work very well ‘wet in wet’. • Tone is, to me, nearly the most important factor: If the tonal values are not right, no colour can make the painting work. • Do not cling to the photograph, it is just a reference. As an artist you are allowed to add or subtract to enhance your idea. • If the mood is not right, the painting will not talk to the heart of the viewer.…

MATERIALS • Artists’ canvas. • Artists’ quality oil paints in a suitable range of colours, as outlined: The background – Titanium White with a tiny mix of Burnt Umber; the face – Flesh Tint for the skin (with a small amount of Burnt Sienna and Cadmium Yellow Hue to give a warm look); the eyes – Prussian Blue with Black, and Burnt Umber around the eyes and eyelashes; whites of the eyes – Titanium White with Grey shadow and Flesh Tint inner eye area; glow around the eyes and forehead – Titanium White mixed with a hint of Artlamide Yellow; hair and beard – a mix of Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber, with the light streaks in Cadmium Yellow. • Various brushes. STEP ONE I always start with a wet…

In Issue 45 of Artist’s Palette magazine, we featured some of the work of pastel artist Nola Clark. We also presented a demonstration of pet portraiture. Nola described seven steps for creating her picture of ‘TC’ – a handsome feline who happens to be one of her family cats. Beginning with a simple outline, she crafted a warm illustration infused with character. a panel and dog eyes to highlight the difference between two of the world’s most popular domestic animals. Many requests stemmed from this particular segment and Nola has expanded the theme to include eyes, noses, ears, paws and hands from dogs and cats. She has also included features of the possums who visit nightly at the Clark residence. For those who love their gardens, one picture incorporates both…

MATERIALS • Fabriano Artistico 640gsm Watercolour Paper. • Brushes: A variety of Flat Hoghair Brushes from about Size 12 (and some lower). • Atelier Acrylic Paints: White; Ultramarine Blue; Phthalo Blue; Burnt Sienna; Green Light; Cadmium Scarlet; Burnt Umber; Yellow and Orange. STEP ONE Over a loose drawing using oil crayon on watercolour paper, I start painting with some colour. Mainly some blue for background, some orange on the teapot and some Burnt Umber in the immediate foreground. I allow this to dry while I consider my next move. STEP TWO I add more colour – more blue; some red and yellow in the flowers. I also add some yellow to the small pot, and a dark red flower – with that colour repeated in the orange teapot. STEP THREE…

The telephone rings, breaking the silence. Jenny grabs her diary and another commitment is entered. Husband David wonders what has been written. When and to where are they are heading this time? Trying to keep up with Jenny Macnaughton is an art in itself. For as long as David can remember, he has been tagging along with her on painting trips; to exhibitions of her paintings; to workshops and demonstrations; delivering paintings to galleries; and on remote trips to find inspiration and subject material. Jenny Macnaughton is a small package of pure energy who always seems to be ‘on the go’. As a painter, Jenny is fast and dynamic. Her paintings exhibit an eye-catching brightness, a result of her fascination for light and the way the sun illuminates her subjects.…

AN EXCITING RANGE OF CHOICES FOR ARTISTS Make art EASY with an EASEL! Now is the best time of year to think about buying an easel for painting or drawing – but before you do, artists should give careful consideration to what they need and what each style of easel has to offer. An easel is a stand designed to display artwork, or to hold and support an artist’s canvas during painting. It is usually made of wood or metal and ranges in size from small tabletop easels to large professional studio easels. Which easel to choose depends on your working methods. You should consider the size of the work you will be creating, and also which media you are planning to you use. There are many types of easels,…

Larissa Kanevsky immigrated to Australia in 1977 from Ukraine (former USSR), complete with a degree Engineering from the University School of Engineering at Odessa. Beyond occupation as an engineer, she has always nurtured an admiration and passion for art. She has travelled widely in Australia and overseas; finding much inspiration for experimentation in the wild beauty of Australian Nature. Natural materials appeal to her, and she uses them within her art to great effect. “My work is the creation of fantasy which lies beyond our world and a journey of unknown destinations,” Larissa says. “Working in mixed media such as acrylics, oils, wax, ink, gesso, watercolours, collage etc, gives me a great freedom of expression. Art for me is an adventure in experiments which encourage the unexpected and foster new…

MATERIALS • Genesis Heat Set Oil Paints: Burnt Umber; Burnt Sienna; Yellow Ochre; Phthalo Blue 04; Carbon Black; Titanium White with small amounts of Bismuth Yellow 07; Phthalo Green 03; Gray 02. • Air Dry Gloss Varnish. STEP ONE I decided to paint the stone buildings fronting a canal framed by the curves of an old wrought-iron railing. For the design, I combined three photographs I had taken of the buildings, balconies and bridges around Venice. Originality and freshness of approach to a painting can often give special appeal. I love painting with pastels and heat set oils. For the depth and strength of this particular painting, I chose to use oils on canvas. I started by painting a very rough ‘block-in’ of colour and line, but soon decided that…

• Study the animals you wish to paint at every opportunity. It is valuable to ‘know’ your subjects. • After getting your drawing correct, run a ‘paper stump’ over the lines with a little pressure. This will set the lines in place without fixative, and stop them from smudging. • Don’t be afraid to erase pastel, but there is a secret to doing it well. First, you need to remove the loose pastel with a brush, paper stump or rag; then use a plastic eraser, just like you would on a pencil drawing. You can use a plastic eraser in a holder, like a mechanical pencil – this makes it easy to use and keep clean. • Take particular notice of the shape and size of the pupils in the…

• Applying the gesso base is a good way of re-using discarded watercolour paintings. It works just as well for watercolours as it does for acrylics or even oils. Because it is so white and dense, the pigment sits on top and reflects the white. It also lets you remove paint by wiping it back. Knowing that you can rework watercolour makes for a fun painting session. • Any part of a painting that is not working can be re-coated with gesso, thus creating a new surface. In a transparent watercolour painting, a little touch of gesso can re-establish your lost whites and so save a painting. • Spray the pigments laid out on your watercolour palette first thing when you are preparing to paint, so that the paint is…

• To prevent this style of work from becoming clinical or formal, it helps to include people and/or animals, or evidence of their presence (things left lying around or about to be used). Loose brushwork also helps. • Use plenty of contrast and depth. • Drawing long straight lines can be hard: Align a ruler close to your line and use it as a guide – but don’t touch the ruler with your pen (it will leave a bad smudge). • You cannot remove ink once it has dried. Painting white over it, scratching with a knife, or rubbing it, won’t help at all. Swab the offending blot, smudge, error or pen line immediately with lots of water, and blot with clean tissue. Repeated rubbing with clean brush bristles, and…

MATERIALS • Artists’ acrylics: Quinacridone Rose; Quinacridone Magenta; White; Cadmium Yellow Medium; Yellow Oxide; Burnt Sienna; Burnt Umber; Emerald Green; French Ultramarine Blue; Payne’s Grey. • Medium: Gloss Varnish for glazing. • Two flat nylon brushes – three-quarter inch and one inch. • Hake brush. STEP ONE When I visited Cania Gorge, I was not only impressed by the surroundings, but also by the soft evening light. The bluish and orange sandstone reflected the colours of the sky beautifully. So later I drew a sketch, searching for the right colours. STEP TWO On an enlarged photograph (A3), I used a grid; and did the same on the canvas. The canvas had been prepared with a soft wash of Raw Sienna. After that, I started drawing in the outlines very lightly…

• Start with a concept, not just a composition. Think through a painting. Originality of concept and design may attract people to your work. • I enjoy painting while listening to music – combining the arts! • With Genesis Heat Set Oils, I always have a small container of odourless solvent and some paper towel to freshen up my brushes between colours. Although this is not a thorough clean, it is enough to avoid ‘muddying’ the paint. Much time is saved by not having to clean the brushes and palette for each painting session. • A daylight bulb is wonderful for making sure that colours are true-to-life, and it provides a strong clear light. I like working with two lights coming from different directions, helping to avoid shadows being made…