Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 30 i Australian How To Paint

I grew up in Sydney. After leaving school, I won a scholarship and spent three years full-time at the National Art School. Leaving there, I went out into the world to earn a living. In the early 1950s you could count the number of artists actually earning a living from painting on your fingers. Even such masters as Eliot Gruner had worked in a Sydney department store. Others were teaching, which I was disinclined to do; or else they were involved in commercial art. I travelled, and worked on a Moree sheep station as a jackeroo. I loved the life. Riding, mustering and droving, and all that went with a country existence. However, if you were not likely to become a land owner (which I was not), there was little…

STEP ONE The initial block in. Just the most basic lines. This is only to position them on the canvas. No details. Drawing will be adjusted and corrected as I move through the painting. Light Red and Ultramarine Blue in a thin line for the outline. STEP TWO Here I block in the darkest darks of the horses in shadow; and the cast shadows on the ground. By getting these important tones in first, I immediately set the lighting direction. Light Red and Ultramarine for the horses; Ultramarine, Golden Yellow and Light Red for the cast shadows. STEP THREE Now I cover the background area of mid tone, still keeping all edges soft and workable. Any drawing error can be adjusted easily when the edges are kept soft. Ultramarine Blue,…

STEP ONE I saw all these amazing coloured pastel papers in one of the art shops I frequent, and the blue colours really caught my eye. I bought a bunch of different hues of blue and couldn’t wait to get started. For this piece I chose one of the darker colours, something a bit out of my comfort zone. I use several images as reference, usually from my own photographs and the `punter` section in the newspapers is also a great resource for me. I begin the drawing by mapping out the proportions. I keep it very light and loose, and work fairly quickly, as I’m looking at the big picture, not even thinking about details at this stage. I don’t use an eraser so it can get quite messy,…

The subject for this demonstration was inspired by a true story, told by a local gentleman about his grandfather who had the task of training the remounts as they arrived in Egypt during World War I. Riding a quiet horse he would lead three others into the soft sands of the desert, then one by one he would ride them. The soft sand made the going much harder for the horse to misbehave, and if either of them fell it would be a soft landing. STEP ONE I chose a warm sandy coloured sheet of conservation matboard and draw up the main horse and rider with a Prussian blue pastel pencil, and the rest with a Terracotta pastel pencil. STEP TWO Using the side of a broken pastel I roughly…

THE PROCESS Most of my subject matter comes from my immediate environment, memories and photographs. Firstly, I take a picture ‘in my head’ of the subject matter. Then I try to imagine it in my head as a finished work. I use my sketch book to try different compositions of the subject, to see which one strikes a chord. I next produce an A4 sketch – trying to get things as accurate as possible – sometimes doing a watercolour wash to attempt to get a feel for the subject and an insight into how it might look as a completed work. Most of the time (although not always), I will use the image from my sketch and square it up onto a larger surface. I like using Tinted Spectrum Sanded…

TECHNIQUES Scratchboard is an extremely versatile and forgiving medium. When people tell you that you need to get each scratch in exactly the right place first time or your board is ruined, don’t believe them. If you are painting in oils and make a mistake, you simply paint over it. The same holds true for scratchboard where you can re-ink over mistakes. The one important thing to remember is that the goal is to scratch the ink off the clay but not scratch through the clay. Use a light touch, something that needs developing, and you will find you have plenty of opportunity to work in layers just as if you were painting. The fibreglass shaft running through this clutch pen (above) is made up of thousands of tiny fibreglass…

REFERENCE PHOTO I have selected one of my own photos featuring my muse, the Arabian horse. Technically speaking this photo is not focused correctly, but is good enough as a reference. I know I have a great photo reference when I keep going back to it and feel excited and inspired to start drawing! The more I study the photo, the more I see (observe), feel (self-expression) and think (planning). The lighting is perfect with a good balance of values and contrast; a minimal cast shadow and lovely highlight in the eye. COMPOSITION My composition was established in my photo (on purpose). The eye is roughly on the Rule of Thirds, and I ensure there is room in front of the horse to allow space for the horse to move…

I believe every painter can only be taught the basics. After that, we are on our own. Nature has all the answers, and will provide them to painters who ask the right questions. In the early eighties, Gloria Ransom and Allan Fizzell were instrumental in my own vital art training. They were both generous with their teaching and encouragement. Since then, my continuing lessons are from Nature herself. I am passionate about painting sunlight. All subjects are paintable if the light on them is right. The most ordinary subject, in great light, can become an extraordinary painting subject. My subject matter can be anything! Animals, figures, boats, still life, landscapes, seascapes, flowers … If we are to call ourselves painters, we should be passionate and excited about any subject. I…

Why do I paint? Because I was born with a tremendous passionate love of horses... and I didn’t have one of my own! Let me explain. Painting and drawing – especially drawing, has been an integral part of me for as long as I can remember and so has the love of horses – all animals but most especially horses. I was told that as soon as my tiny hands could use a pencil I was drawing horses – and I continued drawing them. I studied every picture of horses I could find, every horse that we drove past on the way to church or to town, and I read every book about horses I could get my hands on, whether fiction or the care of horses or Olympic dressage!…

I took a series of sequential action photographs and the reference chosen was a combination of the front of the horse from one photograph and his rear from the next. I was initially going to suggest a background with a stormy sky and grass, but got carried away while painting and decided I liked the fantasy look better. I felt the great pose deserved something more that would enhance his movement. STEP ONE This painting was a commission of a local stallion that I had been admiring and wanting to paint for years. I have always been ‘horse-mad’ and I think this painting tapped into my childhood horsey fantasies … as it seemed to paint itself. I wanted the sketch to be accurate to Harry, but I also exaggerated the…

I want to take you back to 1993. I am a horse-mad girl with long brown hair and utterly lovesick. I love horses. Then along comes the Arabian horse. On the outside, this breed of horse is famous for its beauty, refinement and movement. This is all very enchanting to me, but what I come to know is what is on the inside of this magical and mesmerizing breed; they are sensitive, people-loving and kind. I am now 14 and Arabian horses are my world. I read and collect magazines about them. I do little sketches of them instead of doing my schoolwork. An opportunity arises for me to be connected with a purebred Arabian gelding. I catch the bus to the stables after school and ride until dark. School…