Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 32 i Artists Drawing and Inspiration

I was born in Russia and as a child I always spent my spare time painting and drawing. At that time in the former Soviet Union, art materials were quite expensive and hard to find. But thanks to my mother I have always had good brushes and paints to work with. Later in my teenage years I visited Moscow’s and St. Petersburg’s famous art museums and was fascinated with the masterpieces of Russian, Dutch, Italian, English and Spanish masters. As a keen dressage rider at that time, I was especially deeply impressed by paintings depicting horses and riders. So it was quite a challenge for me later to learn to paint and draw something else, not only horses. I started my career as a visual arts teacher in Almaty (Kazakhstan)…

I was born in Swan Hill in Victoria. I attended the local primary school. I later went to Swan Hill High School where I was fortunate to have an art teacher who was happy to let me explore my painting, and encouraged me to develop my own style. After I left school, I moved to Melbourne to study nursing. I did not know it at the time, but I was not destined to return to art until after retirement. I spent some time living at Nelson Bay and at Darwin; then returned to Melbourne to have a family and continue working. Upon retiring, I moved to Phillip Island where I was able to attend art classes. A six week drawing class started me on the way to exploring other mediums.…

We all have fond memories of drawing on scraps of paper when we were kids. Smudging those messy oil crayons around a giant sheet of butcher’s paper drawing Mum, Dad and your brothers and sisters in front of that square house with the mandatory smoke billowing chimney was where it all started. It was here and throughout school that most young artists were inspired enough to pursue art as a career. Some of us loved those art classes where others loved mathematics and chemistry. But once the call of art is heard, it is nigh impossible to deviate from that calling. To be a good artist I believe one must be able to draw proficiently first and those skills need to be honed on a regular basis; pulling them out…

Although I have lived in Queensland for most of my life, I was born in Wagga Wagga where my father was in the Air Force. As children, my brother and I both loved to draw and ‘colour in’. I remember my mother keeping the plain white butchers’ paper so that we could use it for drawing. She also kept the inside wrapping paper from biscuits for us to use as tracing paper. I have always been interested in art, as far back as I can remember. At the age of seven, at primary school, I won a first place for Art and Craft (my brother excelled at Technical Drawing). Some years later with encouragement from my mother who was my greatest supporter, I entered an oil painting in a YWCA…

• The fibreglass brush has been used to achieve the highlights and fluffy appearance of the koala’s fur. Once the initial scratches are in place using the craft knife, brush over the top of these areas very lightly with the fibreglass brush, use it in the same manner as you would the craft knife, as the more pressure you use the more ink will be removed. If you do not have a fibreglass brush, scratch a second layer with the craft knife and again, use more pressure to remove the ink. • Make sure as much detail as possible is shown in the drawing before transferring it to the board, ie fur direction. • Wear cotton gloves whilst working on the board particularly in hot and humid weather to prevent…

Shelena Russell’s life of painting started in early 2002 following her move from New Zealand a year earlier … while in the later stages of pregnancy with her first child. It was at this time that her partner Warren asked her what she wanted to do with her life once the baby was born. While her working life had previously consisted of holding down office administration jobs, Shelena said her dream was always about a ‘creative’ future such as fashion design. Warren immediately bought her a sketch pad, with the first page etched with the words ‘let the creative juices flow’. The drawing of fashion garments quickly gave way to a more artistic bent as Shelena began to sketch and colour artworks. After buying Shelena all the equipment she needed…

For this demonstration I have chosen to do a close-up portrait of a beautiful Australian Shepherd dog which I photographed some time ago at a dog show. This Blue Merle coloured dog has a unique “painted” coat pattern and intelligent golden eyes, so I needed to decide what colour of the paper would be better to use. I love to use dark or strong colours for my art, which are base colours of the subject. For this portrait I could have used a grey colour which is the base colour for the blue-ish grey fur, but as I wanted the eyes and golden “cheeks” to be a focal point, I decided to use Raw Sienna Art Spectrum ColorFix paper. STEP ONE I cropped the photograph, and then drew the dog…

STEP ONE My selection of colours is chosen from autumn flowers in my garden. These are set up on a plate. The colours may change as the work progresses. After taping the card to a padded board, I’m ready to start. The masking tape gives a clean edge to the finished painting and makes framing easier. A quick charcoal sketch places the flowers and helps to keep them clean and fresh. STEP TWO For the background, I layer a few tones. When I’m happy with the colours I push them into the card with my fingers, around the sketched flowers. I am careful to keep the light in one corner. The background is very important. I like to get the shading right at this stage. STEP THREE At this point…

All artists need to be able to conceptualise their final work in their mind. To ensure your compositions are correct you need to be able to draw well enough to ensure your perspectives and tonal variations are true. I have hung up my brushes for the past two months and reverted to the world of monotone; re-honing my drawing skills to speak. I have commissioned myself to draw 36 portraits in pencil before moving back to the canvas and splashing the paint around again. This should act like changing the oil in a car before driving off again. To ensure I had quality equipment I went online and purchased a good set of Faber Castell drawing pencils (4H to 8B), an A5 Helix Pencil Sharpener which I believe is the…

Ampersand Claybord is a Masonite board which is covered with white Kaolin clay and this is then covered with India Ink. Scratch art is a form of etching which is done by scratching lines and dots with the white areas being achieved by removing the black ink to show the white clay underneath; and for very dark shading, the black is left ‘as is’. There are a number of tools that can be used for scratching. I have used a craft knife that has a number of different blades (which can be purchased from the ‘dollar’ stores). Animals with fur and hair are ideal subjects for scratch art; although portraits and still lifes can also be done. Scratch art is very unforgiving if a mistake is made during the progress…

PEROCI DRAWING RANGE FROM ARTWORK ESSENTIALS… BUT WHICH ONE IS BEST? Pencils are often associated with schoolchildren and many of us were proud owners of pencil sets and pencil cases when we first started school. Of course, sooner or later we begin to use ballpoint pens and pencils become something representative of our younger years. But a quick look in any art store typically displays rows of shelves containing an array of pencils and sketching equipment, each own uses . Graphite (lead) Pencils Graphite is commonly used in the manufacture of these types of pencils and it is typically derived from carbon. Once called lead pencils (not the metallic element lead), graphite pencils are readily available in a range of grades. The core of the pencil is fabricated by mixing…

• When a pastel painting is complete, use glasseine paper and – with a credit card – swipe the whole surface, pressing firmly. This helps to hold the pastel and prevent any fallout of odd specks of colour. • Be passionate about what you are painting. Paint what sparks your senses and fires you up … the sooner the better, while the fire’s still hot! The energy and feeling you have for that particular place, view or scene will show through. • The scenes I paint are of places where I spend a lot of time; and places I feel emotionally connected to. Sometimes it can take a couple of years of visiting somewhere before I have absorbed enough to feel ready to paint what I see and feel. Looking…

• When drawing animals always use linear strokes, allowing your hand to move freely in the direction of hair growth even in the base layout, as this helps to achieve realistic results more easily and quickly. • Allow your paper to do some of the job for you – use paper colours that compliment your artwork. • It is not a bad idea to brush your work often with a soft desk brush during the process, as wax coloured dust is sticky and could smear and ruin your work. • Keep your pencils sharp at all times – it will help to achieve realistic fur and feather textures. • When using transfer paper or graphite pencil for the initial outline, always remove most of it before the colour stage as…

ELIZABETH GUZSELY GALLERY Cooktown School of Art Society Inc operates the Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery at 125 Charlotte Street, Cooktown, in far north Queensland. This history has been compiled with the assistance of member Elizabeth Johns. THE HISTORY OF OUR GALLERY In 1979, Elizabeth Guzsely with several other very enthusiastic artists decided to start an art society in Cooktown. Elizabeth was born in 1934 in Budapest, Hungary – into a family of painters, musicians, singers, actors and writers. So, from an early age, art became a way of life. Surviving the Russian invasion of Hungary during the World War II, she gained a Diploma of Fine Art at the Hungarian National Institute, and worked as a graphic artist within the main Hungarian Military Academy – surrounded by Old Masters and teachers…

• Always buy quality pencils and get to know your B, F and H ratings. • I recommend at least 6 Faber Castell Dust-Free erasers. • Over the years I have never had an ounce of trouble with the A5 Helix Pencil Sharpener. • Never buy paper less than 150gsm. • Always put down a lighter grade pencil first as it is easier to darken an image than lighten it. • Look after your pencils by packing them in either a wrap or a tackle box with bubble wrap as there is nothing worse than sharpening a pencil with broken lead segments every 3mm or so.…