Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 51 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…

MATERIALS • Sketch book. • Tinted Spectrum Sanded Paper. • Pastels. • Watercolours (optional). 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…

DEMONSTRATIONPastels MATERIALS • Peterboro Conservation Matboard as ground • Derwent Pastel Pencils- to draw up the subject, and my signature ( I often use Conté crayon for this ) • Rembrandt Pastels- my favourite pastel and used for most of this work. • Schminke pastels- for the sky and some dust and highlights • Conté Crayon- for the military bit (it just happened to be the right colour and no pastel had been applied there) • Lots of tissues ( mostly to wipe my hands and clean the pastels, but can also be used to remove excess pastel) • Soft Brush- small and flat to lift off excess pastel to make a correction in detailed areas • Kneadable rubber- only rarely used to lift unwanted pastel when making a correction…

MATERIALS I’m going to keep things really simple because that’s the way I am. You can use any tool you want if it creates a scratch on your board, but I generally limit myself to a select few and for this demonstration, I have used only one tool plus a one inch paint brush and some diluted Indian ink. The tool I’ve used is a small fibreglass brush shown above. You can buy these in some art stores, hobby shops or online. 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…

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…

MATERIALS • Canson mi tientes paper • Charcoal white • Black biro • Black Chinagraph • White oil pastel (brand Van Gogh) 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…

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. MATERIALS • Canvas board. • Artists’ quality oil paints. • Acrylic paints for underpainting. • Liquin. • Reference photography. 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…

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…

DEMONSTRATIONOils MATERIALS • Art Spectrum artists’ oil colours: Ultramarine Blue, Golden Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Light Red, Permanent Crimson, Titanium White. • Gum turps as a medium. • Tara 70 loose canvas. • Brushes: Sizes 2, 4, 6 and 8 long, flat bristle brushes. 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,…

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!…

MATERIALS • Art Spectrum Colourfix pastel paper, Aubergine. The artwork measures 15cm x 19.5cm with a 1.5cm border for framing. • General’s Charcoal pencil, HB • Faber-Castell PITT Pastel Medium 1122-101 (White) • Derwent Pastel sharpeners • Faber-Castell Knetgummi Art Eraser • Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache, Permanent White • Mont Marte Taklon Detailer 5/0 brush • Art Spectrum Pastel Primer, Aubergine. • A4 tracing paper (to rest drawing hand on) • Artist Tape. • Reference photo. • Drawing slant board and/or table/studio easel. 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…