Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 52 i Artists Drawing and Inspiration

Hi, My name is Tracey Dawes and I live near Mackay and the Whitsundays in Queensland. I started painting with folk art classes in Sydney in the 90’s, and have developed ever since. Art was only a hobby until I moved to Queensland due to my husband’s job 4 years ago. I couldn’t find a ‘proper’ job myself, so decided to have a go at turning art into a career, holding my first exhibition at the ripe old age of 46! I love acrylics, but have recently discovered watercolour and pastels - why limit yourself to one media? I'm sending a copy of Annette Sherratt's work – a 'Creative Artist' reader from NZ. Annette is very taken with the pen stipple style and has incorporated it into her artwork and…

MATERIALS • Black cotton rag board 100 x 80cm• White Colorfix primer• ½” flat brush for applying the Colorfix• Schmincke Aero Colour Acrylic Ink in Primary Yellow and Burnt Sienna• Pastels – I use many different brands and prefer a range of hardness so that my strokes appear different in different areas of the painting. The following are a few of my favourite types: Rusty tone pastels, (particularly the Pamela Pretty set which has my favourite colours) – Terry Ludwig pastels– Schmincke pastels – Art Spectrum pastels, especially the dark shades – Conte pastels STEP ONE My first image shows the initial drawing in pink Conte pastel, which is kept very simple. The light areas are then underpainted with mixtures of white Colorfix primer which have been tinted with Burnt…

During my 38 years as a professional artist, I have become well known for painting animals – more by accident than design; in particular horses, cattle and dogs. Strangely enough, one of my best known works is the bronze sculpture of Matthew Flinders’ cat ‘Trim’, who resides on the window ledge of the New South Wales State Library in Macquarie Street, Sydney. When I was a student at the National Art School, a very enlightened teacher was sufficiently interested in my efforts to point out the similarities in the anatomy of very many animals – which all evolved from basically the same structure. Every such animal has a head, a neck, rib cage, shoulder blades, forearm, elbow, lower arm and a great variety of forms of structure representing the human…

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…

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…

MATERIALS • Strathmore 11”x 14” Toned Gray Paper, 118gsm• B Graphite Pencil• Kneadable Eraser• Metal Pencil Sharpener• Ruler• Prismacolor Colourless Blender• Winsor & Newton White Ink (alternatively you can use a white gel pen)• Fine Paintbrush (10/0)• Spray Fixative• Prismacolor Premier Pencils (Fur):– Ginger Root– Sandbar Brown – Sienna Brown – Dark Brown – 90% French Grey – 90% Cool Grey – 50% Cool Grey – 30% Cool Grey– Black• Prismacolor Premier Pencils (Nose):– Peach Beige – Argile Rose – Sheashell Pink – Peach – Sienna Brown – Sepia – 50% French Grey – White• Prismacolor Premier Pencils (Eyes):– Jade Green – Celadon Green – Apple Green – Eggshell – Sand – Yellow Ocre – Pale Sage – Sienna Brown – 90% Cool Grey – White – Black• Prismacolor Premier…

MATERIALS • 150gsm Acid free drawing cartridge• Pencil grades: 2B, HB, F & 2H (6B used for graphite powder supply)• Faber Castell Dust-Free Eraser x 2 (1 for blending and 1 for• Zest-it (Pencil Blend)• Zest-it (Blending Sponge)• Tortillions x 2 (1 small and 1 medium) 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.…

MATERIALS • Derwent Pastel Pencils• Prussian Blue• Raspberry Red• Process Yellow• Indigo Blue• French Grey• Vanilla Yellow• Spectrum Blue• Cadmium Red• White• Burnt Umber• Orange Earth• Brown Ochre• Yellow Ochre• Magenta Red• Burnt Sienna• Umber• Zinch Yellow• Flesh Tone Tints Conte A Paris Pastel Pencils: Pink No 48, No 49, and No 07• Pastel Sticks: Burnt Umber, Warm Grey, Indigo Blue• One sheet of Canson Pastel paper• Kneadable rubber• Soft brush STEP ONE Start drafting your shapes on Canson Pastel paper with a white Derwent Pastel pencil. I found using this old photo (of when I was only 16) a real skill to practice. The most important thing is to sketch your outline of the picture first so then you will know that the composition will always balance. STEP TWO…

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 lots…