Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 30 i Artists Drawing and Inspiration

I remember always being passionate about drawing, from childhood right through to now. I always knew, deep down, that being a pencil artist was my career path. Even as a youngster, I was never prolific ever, but would spend many hours absorbed totally, drawing a carefully considered work with lots of detailand . Pencils have always been my chosen medium, even though I learnt all other mediums. I thoroughly enjoy the feeling of using pencil and the effects created by pencil and can happily spend many hours with a pencil in hand. At university, I studied all forms of 2D and 3D art, but majored in printmaking, etching and lithography – both being a form of drawing. Graduating with a Diploma of Visual Arts and a Graduate Diploma of Visual…

MATERIALS • Colourfix paper. • Selected artists’ pastels. While driving down a bush lane one afternoon, I noticed an abandoned property. It seemed so sad to see the old telegraph pole still standing – even though it had not been in use for many, many years. The post and letterbox were from another time, and the fences and wire were all put there by folk hoping for a future in farming. I felt I needed to tell this story. Before I begin a painting, I ask myself: ‘What attracted me to this subject and what story is it telling me’? I need to determine what to leave in and what to take out. Once I have decided how I will paint the subject, I start making many sketches and doing…

I live and work in the eastern Adelaide suburb of Rostrevor, in South Australia. I was born in Gawler. My home is in the lower foothills with water catchments running past the front of the house. This attracts all kinds of wildlife from the hills – like possums and koalas. An abundance of birds visits the garden. My ‘studio’ is a small room crammed with two large desks (one for the art, one for the computer); storage cupboards filled with art gear; and other things that don’t fit anywhere else in the house. As an artist, I am fully self taught and always looking to improve my technique. I am passionate about wildlife, Nature and realism. I like to work in a way that shows the subject as it really…

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…

MATERIALS • Fabriano Artistico Hot Press 300gsm paper • Faber Castell Series 9000 greyleads in F, HB and 2B • Faber Castell Polychromos colour pencils in Dark Sepia, Prussian Blue, Sky Blue. • Violet, Rose carmine) and Brown Ochre • Light Violet, Grey Green, Light Blue and Terracotta. • Derwent Artists colour pencils in Sky Blue and Blue Grey • Knitting needle STEP ONE Fairy wrens are very social birds and spend a lot of time on the ground, so the theme of this image is the welcoming of one bird to a new group against the complex backdrop of the floor debris. All my works are carefully designed, including all the background details, negative spaces and the amount of colour to greylead. The latter is kept in my mind…

MATERIALS • Half sheet of ‘pinkish’ pastel paper with a smooth surface. • Six shades of Caput Mortuum pastels. • Caput Mortuum pencil. • Pastels in Blue and Lamp Black. • Newspaper photograph. There are times when something hits me in the eye and I know I have to draw it. The moment I saw this man’s face in a newspaper, I knew I had to have a go! As I am now a confirmed user of pastels, I decided to approach the painting from a different angle. I always seem to have difficulty using the method of measuring the different lengths and spaces required, so this time I used the grid method. For a change, I used one colour (mainly) with just a touch of black in the eyes.…

• Pastel dust always seems to be mentioned when I give demonstrations. My solution is to always start with a dust-free area and table; and clean up after every painting. ‘Wet Ones’ or baby wipes are just the thing for this (and also for cleaning your hands). They don’t wet your fingers, so you don’t have to wait before using or blending your pastels; and they don’t dry out your hands. Some things you may notice are that your fingertips will become sore, and because you have to wash your hands so often they can become very dry … both problems can put a stop to your masterpieces. • Clean your hands between each colour. It is demoralising to have a wonderful sky and, after using red pastel in the…

MATERIALS • Strathmore Bristol paper 300 series, in this case A3 size. • Rotring Rapidograph pens; 13mm and .20 mm. (Edding Pitt and Aristo produce fine line pens which could easily be used as an alternative ) STEP ONE Whether I am working from a sketch made at the scene or from a photograph I always square up the page using 4, 5 or 6cm squares, depending on detailing shapes of buildings for accuracy, and in this instance I used 5cm squares. The sketch was slightly smaller and that I had also covered with squaredtracing paper. Using a pencil I prepared an accurate outline of the picture. STEP TWO Carefully draw the outline of the buildings, using finer point until you have an accurate outline of the picture. STEP THREE…

• Pencil is a wonderful medium to use, you can pick it up and draw for a short time with no cleaning up or preparation needed. This is very handy when you have lots of interruptions in the studio. • I use a hot press paper that is a pale cream colour (Fabriano Artistico 300gsm) as the smooth surface takes lots of layers of pencil and doesn’t disrupt any of the detail. • Keep your paper and work clean, use a piece of paper under your hand at all times and I wear a pair of white cotton gloves that have the thumb and first two fingers removed. This keeps any grease from your hand away from the paper. • Keep your pencils very sharp and use only light pressure,…

• Work out your drawing completely before beginning – it is extremely difficult to fix a big mistake neatly on Claybord. • Claybord is great for highlights and shadows. Identify the light source and shadows for your subject before you begin. • Be sure your blade is always very sharp. A dull blade will not cut through the clay smoothly. I keep a sharpening stone nearby and discard any blades with broken tips. • Your scratches should follow the direction of the fur or feathers and the shape of the body to help add to the feeling of volume and roundness. • Do not start scratching if you have wet ink on the Claybord, as the clay ‘dust’ will adhere to the wet ink and your washes will appear dirty…

Melbourne in Victoria was my birthplace. I have spent 34 years in Tasmania, however – where I did most of my painting. I moved to Ultima in Victoria (in the Mallee) one year ago, after my husband died. The town is located 30 kilometres from Swan Hill with a population of 61. I work every day painting, studying or reading about art in my studio at my home. Before I became ill, I lived in Tasmania at Murdunna and I worked at the Port Arthur Historic Site for many years. After the massacre of 28 April 1996, I became very ill with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which is a debilitating mental illness. I had a mental breakdown. I was very sick for years. Because this illness is incurable, I have…

The Queensland Wildlife Artists Society recently presented the Faber-Castell 250th Anniversary exhibition at the Richard Randall Studio Gallery, Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens in Toowong, Brisbane. Count Andreas and Countess Virginia von Faber-Castell are patrons and major supporters and sponsors of QWASI and, certainly, 250 years operating as a family company is something to celebrate! Over fifty paintings from QWASI members and non-members were hung and subsequently judged by acclaimed artist Judy Scotchford and Faber-Castell representative Anne Wilsteed. The judges were very impressed by the standard of the work and the diversity of subject and media used. Native flora and fauna worldwide as well as wild places were the subject matter and entry was restricted to work produced using at least 80 per cent Faber-Castell product. Paintings in pastel, ink, colour…

CANSON PAPERS HAVE A HISTORY OF SATISFYING THE NEEDS OF ARTISTS For over 450 years, artists such as Delacroix, Van Gogh, Degas, Matisse, Picasso, Maillol and Warhol have expressed themselves on Canson Papers. Degas preferred tracing paper for his pastels; Matisse had a fondness for C’ à Grain paper and many of Picasso’s pen and ink drawing and sketches have been reproduced on C’ à Grain paper. Indeed, Montval paper was created as a result of a request by Maillol. Today, the Canson tradition of quality and innovative papers continues with a broad range to cover the needs of every applicable artisan – from painters, to sketchers through to pastellists and fashion designers. Pastel paper – Mi-Teintes TEX and Mi-Teintes Mi-Teintes TEX is the latest innovation in Canson’s broad stable…