Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 35 i Artists Drawing and Inspiration

Born in Cardiff, South Wales I realised I was drawn to art during my school years. I looked forward to my art classes, not forgetting drama, and had visions of becoming an artist, or an actress, as some young girls dreamed of. On leaving school I was given the choice by my parents of attending Art or Business College. I would have preferred art but it was decided there would be more job opportunities in business, so my interest in art was put on hold and off to Business College I went. My fingers quickly mastered typing and shorthand skills instead of paints and brush strokes and I settled in to office work. After marrying and immigrating to the lucky country, ‘Australia’, I continued employment as a Secretary to three…

THE PROCESS With my style of painting, I knew I could have lots of fun with Ricky Ponting’s jeans and with cricket. Not being your regular shaped canvas, painting the denim two-legged canvas is a real challenge … but very rewarding when it is finished. The best thing about cricket is that it has such a vast glossary of fun cricket idioms used in the sport. Things like ‘googly’, ‘gardening’, ‘bowling a bouncer’, ‘meat off the bat’ and ‘hat-trick’ just to name a few. That was where my idea came from. After roughing out a few ideas on a layout pad, it was time to start. Funny, it is always hard starting and I think this is because I like to paint the picture in my head first. I stare…

• Don’t try to be too accurate. Your drawings should just be quick sketches. • Don’t analyse scenes; just respond visually to the environment. • Move things around to make the composition more pleasing, if necessary. • There are no such things as mistakes … only your impressions and interpretations. • Experiment with various mediums. • Practice whenever you can. • Use light sources to create interest with shadows. • Don’t neglect perspective. Try for depth in scenes. • Colour can be applied at a later date using photographic references, if time is limited. • Look back over earlier sketches to see how far your work has developed. • Relax and enjoy! It is just a piece of paper!…

MATERIALS • Drawing Board • Acid free masking tape • Arches 300gsm Cold • Press Derwent Rag ‘Sketch paper and Wash’ pencils, HB and 4B • Derwent ‘Graphitint’ pencils, #01 Port, #04 Indigo, #14 Russet • ½” Taklon Dagger Brush • #10 Taklon Round Brush • #1 Series 7 Windsor Newton sable brush • Art Spectrum Artists White gouache • Staedler Mars ‘Karat’ Aquarelle pencils. #129-59 indigo and #124-79 brown • Staedler Mars 2.mm ‘technico’ pencils HB, 2B, 4B • Staedler Mars ‘barrel’ sharpener for Technico pencils, standard pencil sharpener for the Derwents/Karats • Blue tack • Cotton gloves STEP 1 Before I draw I like to meet the animal, to see it move, see it interact with others, listen to it, even smell it! When you sketch from life…

• Use a separate pastels you are using on the current painting. This saves time searching for the colour you used previously. I tend to preselect only a few colours for my work as I am never sure of where the painting will take me. • Keep the pastels clean. Have a rag handy to wipe each pastel when putting it back into the “selection” container. This also gives you a few seconds’ break in which to admire you work, and makes it easier to see the right colour in the container. • If you need a sharp edge for a fine line, try scoring around the pastel with your finger/thumb nail before breaking the stick. This will give a clean, controlled sharp break. • You should always have your…

• When deciding to start a new painting, think about what attracts you to the subject in the first place. • With pastels, it is important to use the right coloured paper as it can affect the whole outcome of the painting. • Stand back from the painting as often as possible to see the overall effect. Mistakes or the wrong colour can sometimes jump out at you if you do this. Perspective mistakes can also be picked up. • If you come to a point where you think the painting is not working, put it aside for a while and have a cup of coffee … or take a walk in the garden. Even forget about it for a few days. If you enjoy painting within a group, ask…

Nola Clark is best known to our readers as a devoted pastel artist with previous demonstrations having been published in issues 45 and 58 of Artist’s Palette. After 30 years at her Heathmont home in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs she has taken her pastel box, pets and husband Alan to the peaceful regional town of Trafalgar in Victoria’s West Gippsland. The tree change has motivated her to rearrange her priorities in front of the easel. A dramatic reduction in teaching, demonstrating and workshops along with other activities has widened her scope to enjoy and participate more often with other mediums. Pastel still remains top of the list but scratch boarding has moved rapidly into second place. Recently she has revisited her love of drawing and enjoys the idea of beginning and…

• Draw from life as often as • If you can do . not live near you a zoo or sanctuary, try drawing from videos. • Test your paper and pencils before starting. Avoid unexpected surprises. • When drawing fur and hair, keep your pencils sharp, sharp, sharp! At all times! • Be careful not to overwork the wet stages • Always allow your paper to dry completely before beginning the next layer. • Use LAYERS, not pressure to create your darks and tones. • Adding layers of colour under your graphite can help create richer darks. • Did I mention it? Keep your pencils sharp!…

• Use quality materials to achieve better results. • Don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun as this is the only way you will expand your creativity. • When you discover a new technique that works, whether it be painting realism or abstract, write it down as it is so easy to forget how you stumbled across it. • You learn best when you enjoy what you are doing, so choose a subject you are passionate about. • Minutes disappear into hours when painting so be prepared and have refreshments at hand! • Count your failures as well as your successes as they too are part of your journey. • Follow your creative inner spirit and keep your dreams in sight.…

Hampshire in England was Anita Stevens’ birthplace. After her family moved to New Zealand in the late 1950s, she lived there for several decades. She relocated to Australia in 2000, and now resides on Bribie Island north of Brisbane. Anita has become a member of the Bribie Island Community Arts Centre, which has much to offer to people engaged with arts and crafts. This is also where she has discovered the world of pastels. “I have always been interested in drawing with different mediums … but apart from attending several workshops I have never had any formal tuition,” she says. “My favourite mediums are now pastels and pen and ink. I also dabble with acrylics and oils,” she continues. “Scratchboard art is another area I would like to pursue in…

MATERIALS • HB pencil or clutch pencil (0.5mm HB). • Pencil sharpener. • Black Pigment Liners or Drafting Pens, water resistant. • Black Pigment Liner, water soluble (for working with black washes). • Sketchbooks: These are available in all shapes and sizes; some with coloured paper. A small pocket sketchbook is useful to carry at all times. Use acid-free smooth paper. A watercolour pad would be the obvious choice if using watercolours – 300gsm Hot Pressed (smooth). A4 pads or offcuts can be cut into smaller (or preferred) sizes and bound later. A good quality drawing paper sketchbook is recommended if using coloured pencils or pen and ink – an ideal weight is 170-260gsm (the heavier quality will also take watercolour washes). • Watercolours: Many options are available including compact…

MATERIALS • Willow charcoal • Charcoal pencil • Pencil • Cartridge paper • Velour pastel paper • Carbon paper • Paper stump • Plastic easer • Hog hair brush STEP ONE Basic drawing was completed in pencil, on plain cartridge paper. STEP TWO Drawing transferred to cream coloured Velour pastel paper, using black carbon paper, then lightly drawn over with “willow charcoal”. STEP THREE Started blending with fingers, eyes blended with a paper stump. Highlights in the eyes were removed with paper stump followed by a sharp piece of plastic eraser. Using the eraser first only smudges the area to be removed. STEP FOUR More charcoal was added all over to darken, following the direction that the hair grows. STEP FIVE Some more blending, using a small hog hair brush.…