Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 23 i Australian How To Paint

• Painting eyes: Eyes are like water – they reflect the sky. They’re also fluid and transparent. Looking into an animal’s eye is a bit like looking into a moist marble! Eyes are not a flat colour – they are layers of different colours and often have flecks of colours such as amber, gold or green. To achieve this layering, I paint the eyes as a series of glazes, making sure each layer is completely dry before applying the next. If the pet you are painting is being depicted in bright light, the eyes will have significant catch lights (reflections). (Examples 1 & 2) There are two types of catch lights – primary and secondary. Generally the secondary catch light will be darker and less well defined than the primary.…

• Take lots of photos for future reference. • Always add Titanium white to the three colour ball combination as it allows extra colours to be added later. • Keep all your fish patterns for larger future paintings in your visual diary. • Alternately you can paint in your background weeds if the printing of the leaves is too hard, so long as your background colours are dry! When attempting the bookleaf pine leaf printing you can use a wet Chux to wipe off if they don’t turn out the first time. • When you twist your round sponge in a circle, the paint will form ridges. Fine line the ridges in with paint, as it give the impression of fish eggs, or just edges of the rocks. • As…

• Always use something under your hand to protect your work, as there is nothing more disappointing then a smudge mark. • Sweep away your pencil crumbs as you work as these can also lead to a mark being left on your paper. • As an artist, the most difficult thing I find is selecting a reference photo that resonates with you, and I am not a great photographer (that too is a work in progress), and one thing I have learnt is great reference photos make all the difference. • I seem to find myself drawn to dramatic photos or lots of light and shade, which is not always easy to draw, as getting the tonal values correct is the key to a nailing the drawing. As I am…

• 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…

• A few hints on using soft “Willow Charcoal” • Willow Charcoal is actually made from willow branches (burnt to a crisp so to speak) and being powdery when used it obviously creates a bit of dust, is messy and definitely not good for the nose! However a little care will solve these problems. (Same treatment as for pastels). • I use an upright easel with a small ledge at the bottom of the work surface, and any dust just falls down to the ledge where it can be wiped straight into a bin with a tissue or rag etc. If an upright easel is not an option, a drawing board or table easel can be used, just use a firm piece of paper about 5 or 6cm wide and…

• You don’t always need to be adding medium to your painting. Sometimes it is better to remove some paint to achieve the effect you are after. • Before you ‘scrap’ a painting, ‘just try something’. Remember: You have nothing to lose if you were going to scrap it anyway. • If you decide to try ‘splashing’ the paint on, take your work outside – unless you particularly like the effect of splattered walls and furniture. • Don’t rule out advice from non-artists. They still know what looks right to them, and non-artists buy paintings. They know what they like. • When you get stuck, view your painting in a mirror for a fresh look. • Don’t give up if the composition doesn’t seem to be coming together. One small…

• Discover creative techniques • Meet talented Australian artists • Easy to follow demonstrations • All the latest gallery reviews Look for it in your newsstand soon – or become a subscriber to ensure that you never miss an issue! On Sale Soon We would love to hear your views on almost anything to do with art. Please don’t hesitate to write to us at Australian How to Paint. Send your letters to: The Editor, Australian How to Paint magazine, PO Box 8035, Glenmore Park NSW 2745.…

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…

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)…

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…

MATERIALS • 8”x10” Art Spectrum ColorFix paper – Raw Sienna colour • Saral Yellow transfer paper • Premier Prismacolor coloured pencils • Kneaded eraser • Wide soft drafting or watercolour hake brush • White gouache paint • Round synthetic brush size 1/0 • Workable Mat Fixative • Permanent Gloss or Satin finish 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…

STEP ONE Pencil drawing in sketch book. STEP TWO Using carbon paper, I transferred the drawing onto cream coloured velour paper, then drew over the outlines with “willow charcoal” followed by a paper stump (lightly dragged over the lines) to set the charcoal and stop it being smudged, then I proceeded to fill in some of the gear, once again with willow charcoal. STEP THREE I started from the top, using my finger and a small hog hair brush to soften the lighter areas where necessary. STEP FOUR I continued to fill in and blend with fingers, working left to right and top to bottom (as I am right handed). STEP FIVE A light application of charcoal was applied to the face and blended with fingers, lightest areas on the…

• Convert the image to greyscale on a computer as this helps to show the highlights and shading. • The fibreglass brush has been used to achieve the intense highlights in the dog’s hair. Once you have put the initial scratches in place with the craft knife, brush over the top with the fibreglass brush to create the highlights. Use it in the same manner as you would the craft knife; the more pressure you use the more ink will be removed. • Make sure as much detail as possible is shown in the drawing before transferring to the board i.e. hair direction, the graphite lines will not show once scratched over. Pay specific attention to the light and dark areas. • When the drawing has been completed and the…