Innholdsfortegnelse for Artist Palette 162 i Artist's Palette

I was born, raised and educated in Mudgee, New South Wales. After marrying at the age of 19, I moved to Gladstone in Queensland and I have resided in this area for more than 35 years. My only ‘formal art skills’ were acquired at high school … I guess you could say I’ve been self-taught and I have developed my own style from what I’ve observed in art reference books. One artist who I greatly admire is Claudia Nice, an American. I enjoy drawing specific aspects of the landscape, as opposed to panoramic views favoured by most artists. My inspiration to start drawing again (following a 30-year break) came after I visited a local farm hosting an abundance of subject matter. I began by taking photographs of old wrecked cars…

STEP ONE Using my selected photograph as reference, I do some small thumbnail sketches to work out a composition and decide on a focal area. I then prepare the canvas with a red underpainting (warm red and a touch of raw umber). In this case I have used acrylics for quick drying, but oils could also be used. As the painting will be predominately in cool tones the red underpainting will warm it up and give it sparkle. When this is dry, I sketch in the composition with a piece of white chalk and when I am happy with it I go over the lines with a thin wash of raw umber. When the thin wash dries, the chalk can simply be dusted off. STEP TWO Using a larger brush…

• Saunders Watercolour Paper 300gsm – 20 x 24 inches. • Mediums: Matisse Polymer Gloss Varnish; and water (used to thin paint). • Brushes: Art Basics Golden Nylon – large flat bristle (one inch); medium flat bristle (half inch); small flat bristle (quarter inch); Number 2 liner and Number 4 liner. • Stepped palette knife. • Matisse Structure Acrylics (other paints may not give the same result): Titanium White; Mars Black; Burnt Sienna; Cadmium Red; Magenta; Cobalt Blue; Ultramarine Blue; Yellow Ochre; Cadmium Yellow Deep; and Permanent Green Light.…

STEP ONE I did a small thumbnail sketch to work out composition and tone, and a small colour sketch to select my colours. STEP TWO Using the grid method, I enlarged my subject. After making sure the drawing was correct, it was transferred onto my watercolour paper using a lightbox. I applied masking fluid to the rim of the cup and the flyaway wisps of hair using a twig. STEP THREE Using a Number 6 Mop, I wet the face and hands – making sure not to wet the eye and the sunlit parts of the fingers. I dropped in Raw Sienna and some Permanent Rose. Wetting the tracksuit (leaving the sunlit parts and the sleeve bands dry), I dropped in Permanent Yellow Deep and tipped and tilted my board…

• Saunders 300gsm rough watercolour paper. • 25mm masking tape. • Clutch pencil with 2B graphite. • 10mm thick ‘Gator’ backing board. • Atelier AM (Absolute Matte) professional artists’ paints: Raw Sienna; Cadmium Scarlet; Cadmium Orange; Burnt Sienna; Burnt Umber; Cobalt Blue; Cobalt Turquoise Light; Titanium White. • Masterson’s Sta-wet palette. • Assortment of brushes including small Number 2 synthetic round for the detail work, Number 8 synthetic round for the larger shapes in the fur, and a large round or mop brush for the background. • Tissues. • Plenty of clean water.…

• As a matter of interest, I recorded the time it took to complete this picture. I was surprised that it totalled 50 hours. • Ink pens are a great medium to use when travelling as there isn’t a lot of equipment to pack – just the pens and a good quality drawing pad. • Photographs of my subjects are essential for this type of work, because of the detail and the time factor involved in achieving a finished drawing. • I always take a camera with me on holidays and excursions.…

Cheryl Garrett was born in Brisbane in 1961. As a young girl she spent much time exploring wilderness areas with family members who were passionate birdwatchers and bushwalkers. As an adult she has travelled extensively throughout Australia, observing and studying birds and marine creatures in their natural surroundings. At the age of 19, Cheryl moved to the Lake Macquarie district of New South Wales where she revelled in the bushland features of the area and enjoyed rock climbing, camping, caving and wildlife photography. For some time she also bred parrots. In the mid ’80s she relocated to Cairns. The next 17 years of her career were spent amongst lush tropical rainforests which provided her with seemingly boundless inspiration for her painting passions. Tropical bushland areas and coral reefs became familiar…

• Arches 640gsm hot pressed watercolour paper. • Grumbacher Finest Watercolour Paints: Yellow Ochre; Burnt Umber; Burnt Sienna; Thalo Yellow Green; Sap Green; Cadium Yellow Deep; Grumbacher Red; Manganese Blue; Crimson. • Art Spectrum Gouache: Lemon Yellow and Jet Black. • Winsor & Newton Laser White. • 2B pencils. • Winsor & Newton medium kneaded putty rubber. • Air brush. • Liquitex Concentrated Artist Colour Acrylic: Phthalocyanine Blue. • Taklon round brushes: Sizes 5/0, 000, 0, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 10. • Tracing paper. • Masking fluid. • Tissues.…

THE LOVE OF A GOOD BRUSH A good brush – what makes you love it? Have you ever stopped to consider how your favourite brush came to be in you hand? The making of a brush is a skilled craft, even on a mass production level. An expert brush maker rarely trims the pointed ends of the brushes, but will comb and arrange the hairs by hand and adjust them within the ferrule (the metal grip) to give just the right shape, even utilising the natural curve of some bristles so that they form a gentle inwards curve called an ‘interlocking bristle’. Everything else also comes into play – the quality of the Gum Arabic (the glue) that holds the hairs together, the brush handle (the wood type, the handle…

Noeline Millar was born in Sydney. She began to paint in 1962. This lady has now spent more than 44 years learning her skills – practising and experimenting with many types of media in her quest for creative expression. During an extensive stay in Townsville (north Queensland), Noeline was a volunteer diver with the Marine Institute. This life experience inspired many of her amazing paintings of the Great Barrier Reef; and also her ‘Rainforest’ series from that period. She has captured numerous scenes in paint – along Australia’s east coast, and frequently beneath it. After acquiring her scuba diving certificate in Townsville, she began to take special drawing materials underwater with her – to sketch seascapes. “I am inspired by the effects of light and shadow,” she explains. “And it…

Throughout my life, I’ve been impressed by the Australian landscape. As a child holidaying on the coast; at my homes at Lightning Ridge and Narrabri. The landscape has always evoked a deep emotional response. At times the immediate response to the landscape can be best caught with the spontaneity of the humble pencil. When I was young, it was rare for me not to be drawing – preferring to have pencil in hand moreso than anything else. As I matured, both physically and artistically, I felt it necessary to take a logical step and paint. Painting was seemingly an acceptable medium to produce ‘finished’ works. It wasn’t until I met the magician of landscape painting, Les Graham, that I discovered that drawing could be an end product in itself ……

•Iusesynthetic asI find them ideal for ‘drawing’ a shape. They spring back to have a beautiful point, and they are reasonably priced so I have no fear of ruining them. • If you forget to clean your brush when using acrylics or oils, and your brush has set rock hard, try a product called ‘incredible by . sounds like an advertisement, I know. But it works! • I love the saying: ‘By failing to plan, you are planning to fail’. • Always complete one shape before moving on to the next, so a comparison and judgement can be made on the next shape.…

Patricia Williams readily admits that she has had no formal background in art, although she loved to draw as a child many years ago. She did not study art at school – she has simply developed her creative skills by learning from books and observing the work of other people. After leaving school at the age of 15, this lady trained in the Public Service and became a secretary. She married young and raised a large family; simultaneously completing nursing and midwifery training in her late twenties. Circumstances led to her remarrying before she was blessed with another daughter (together with several stepchildren). During all those busy years she was primarily occupied with work and had no time for hobbies apart from reading. “When I retired in my fifties, I…

STEP ONE I first sketch the birds in my sketchbook, usually from photographs I have taken, working on them until they are perfect. I then trace them onto tracing paper, turn them over onto my painting paper, and move them around until they are in what I consider to be the best position – taking into consideration whether they are on the ground, on a stump or on a branch. These laughing kookaburras are pictured on a fence post, so I positioned the birds on the post and traced them on. Another reason I traced them on was because I was airbrushing the sky – you cannot rub out any areas you are airbrushing as it ruins the paper. I decided to put in some gumleaves and flowers to make…

• When airbrushing, make sure that everything on the painting that you don’t want airbrushed is completely masked in – and always make sure the masking fluid is dry before you start painting. • If you accidentally put too much paint on something, rub it with a clean brush dipped in water, then dab it with a tissue to mop up excess paint and water. You can keep doing this until most of the colour is gone (although this tactic will not work on thin paper). • Make sure each wash or layer is dry before applying the next one. • For fine detail, always select fairly new brushes that have very fine points. • I enjoy propping the painting up on a chair and sitting down to study it…

Robert Robertson was born at Dunfermline, Scotland, in February 1944. After arriving in Sydney in 1961, he studied at East Sydney Tech and Alex Mackie Teacher’s College from 1963 to 1966. Robert taught art in New South Wales from 1967 to 2004. He worked at Newcastle and Singleton; and also as Art Master at Tamworth High School. He is a highly accomplished and much awarded artist, having won prizes at Currabubula (three times), Goondiwindi (twice), Inverell, Blackwater, Barraba, Raymond Terrace, Kiama (non representational), East Maitland and Tamworth – to mention a few. He has participated in exhibitions at Demar Gallery (Sydney), Cook’s Hill Gallery (Newcastle) and Weswal Gallery (Tamworth). Robert Robertson’s work displays a definite affection for the game of cricket, but he does not limit his talents to this…