Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 48 i Artists Drawing and Inspiration

Hi I am from Rockhampton Qld. I am a late starter to Art. Only enjoying this in my late 30’s. Being creative all my life I happened to see a girl on the side of the road in Byron Bay sketching and I thought what an amazing gift to give to yourself! Took myself off to lessons in watercolour to find myself loving life art and portraits. I love pencils and sketching! I've included a sketch of my late Brother. He passed away in August of 2015. Sketching him has brought my love of portraits back to me, with my art space being set up permanently! Would love to share my passion with you and your readers! Love your magazine and can’t wait to receive it in my mailbox! Tracey…

When an art tutor opened a studio in the mid-1990s in the suburb where Gail Higgins lives, she enrolled in the pencil drawing lessons. Though leading a very busy life at the time she absolutely loved the classes and believes enrolling was one of the best decisions she ever made. “I think I was always the first to arrive and the last to leave!” she said. That basic graphite drawing instruction laid down all the foundations for her future artwork – the importance of tone and the attention to detail. “I was amazed at what could be achieved with a pencil in my hand,” said Gail. The Faber-Castell 9000 series of pencils were the pencils of choice then and they are still the only graphite pencils she uses. After nine…

Tricia Reust was born in Sydney. She attended the Newcastle Art School for more than two years, and holds a Basic Art Certificate from the Art Instruction School in Minnesota, USA. She is also a graduate with Distinction from the Open College of the Arts, Queensland. She has continued her artistic studies through classes and workshops, and gained instruction under Judith White, Reg Campbell and Max Wilks. An adventurous approach to the often mundane pastel medium has led this artist to evolve her own special way of creating lively pictures. “Pastels look especially vibrant when applied over a surface that has already been coloured,” Tricia explains. “I have put pastel over watercolour paintings; over acrylic paint; in many of my mixed media works; and also over paper prepared with acrylic…

Perseverance. My key word. If I can instil one word in anyone wanting to pursue art, it is to persevere. It doesn’t always work, it doesn’t always go your way, but keep at it, as good things can happen if you want them badly enough to work hard, and if one person can take that away from my story then I feel I have passed on some important knowledge gained through being knocked down, getting up again, brushing myself off and persevering. It is the key you are never taught or told about, talent is only part of being an artist. Perseverance and practice combined with talent make an artist. As far back as I can remember, I have loved drawing, colour pencils and crayons. All the colours of the…

There is something magical about pastel. The luminescence, the immediacy, the vibrancy and the feeling of that small stick of pigment being an extension of the hand all contribute to pastel being my favourite medium. Pastel can be used in so many ways to complete work in an artist’s chosen style. I like to use it to achieve the fine detail required in my paintings of wildlife, particularly birds, and can be carefully blended in backgrounds to suggest environment. Apart from oil pastels (a totally different oil-based medium), hard pastels (square-based sticks), pastel pencils and soft pastels are the basic pastels available. Soft pastels contain very little binder, in fact some are pure pigment, and are generally round in shape but they do come in all shapes and sizes. Because…

I have been experimenting with a process where hard pastel is pushed into the paper with methylated spirits, and then the work is finished with pastel when that surface is dry. It is a fun process, as well as being one where the results can be visually exciting. When beginning the work, I find it is best to break down the composition into broad areas of colour, which discourages me from becoming absorbed in fiddly bits and fussy attention. Also, the base of my composition is applied using the opposite colour (on the colour wheel) to what will be the ‘end colour’ of the subject. This results in splashes and hints of what I call ‘Zing and Zang’! STEP ONE I set the pose on the paper, using hard pastels,…

MATERIALS • Reference photos • Ruler (if using a grid) • Paper • Stonehenge White 245gsm • HB Pencil • Copy paper to rest your hand • Derwent eraser for use with graphic pencils • Faber Castell sharpener with large and small holes • National Art Materials Workable Fixative Polychromos pencils • 101 – White • 105 – Ivory • 130 – Dark Flesh • 132 – Light Flesh • 176 – Van Dyck Brown • 178 – Nougat • 179 – Bistre • 180 – Raw Umber • 182 – Brown Ochre • 184 – Dark Naples Ochre • 187 – Burnt Ochre • 189 – Cinnamon • 199 – Black • 233 – Cold Grey • 270– Warm Grey Acrylic Paint • Matisse Titanium White Brushes • Size…

I have been painting for almost 50 years now, but still consider I have much to learn. Like life itself, the learning process is never-ending. I have always had a passion for art and painting, and during my childhood schooldays, I used to take frequent visits to the Melbourne Gallery/ Museum, then in Swanston Street, Melbourne. I was totally in awe of the magnificent paintings, and dreamt that one day I might produce such a masterpiece. (I wish!). My childhood passion didn’t abate though! Unforeseen circumstances prevented me from taking up the career that I had chosen; to go to teacher’s college, study art, and become a teacher. I left school at the age of fourteen and started working in April 1953. During my teen years I occasionally painted, but…