Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 52 i Australian How To Paint

My full-time occupation is Principal for a behaviour school in Sydney’s western suburbs. My home is at Lawson in the Blue Mountains. I completed an Art Certificate course at Meadowbank TAFE in 1987 and then went on to what was then known as City Art Institute to complete a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Arts in 1989. I returned to university in 1994 to do a Diploma of Education at the University of Western Sydney. I have continued to paint and draw since leaving University; and although I never did art at high school, I had always drawn as a kid. My Year Six art teacher withdrew me from the class to talk with me because I had shown potential in rendering form – a concept that was apparently…

This is a description of the processes and techniques I use to draw a pencil portrait. This is the sixth pencil portrait I’ve drawn. I have a connection with all of the people I have drawn previously, with my husband René being the first subject; then four close friends; and this one of my brother Phillip. Because I know each of the people well, I believe it makes the process easier … as I can tell when I have the ‘personality’ of the person on the page. I am yet to attempt to draw a portrait of a person I don’t know; but I would probably use the same techniques. STARTING POINT I needed a reference picture and I managed to snap this original photograph of my brother Phillip. This…

One day while having lunch with friends at an artist cottage, I saw people enjoying art lessons on the veranda. I knew instantly that was where I wanted to be, having always loved drawing and arty crafts. That was nearly three years ago; at first all that I wanted to paint was anything to do with water especially beautiful waves. My teacher encouraged me to look outside the square and do a portrait. I didn’t really think it was my thing at all, but it has turned out to be my passion. I just love seeing the face come to life. The first medium I worked in was graphite and then I graduated to acrylics and pastels and now I am enjoying oil. Pastels and oil are my preferred mediums.…

MATERIALS • 320gsm watercolour paper (to enable me to work the drawings hard).• Two pacer pencils with HB and 2B leads My subject is a fellow called Damien. I took a few photographs of him on my mobile phone under fluorescent lights. The quality is not great, and the angle I used to shoot the photographs is kind of awkward and distorted. However the image offered a challenge . . . and Damien’s strong features created shadows and an overall dark image. In this drawing I deliberately overstated the features and pushed the darks as hard as possible. The beard and elongated shape of the face gave the image a ‘tribal mask’ type of quality, and for this reason I completely obliterated the neck and shoulders and worked the face…

I completed my Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2009, specialising in painting with a minor in photography. Being in an educational environment was the best experience for a training artist. The opportunity to surround myself with practicing teachers and share a studio with groups of artists was a buzzing experience. The three years were very experimental, focussing on exercises, techniques and different mediums. My highlight and most influential experience during this time was my six-month exchange in 2008. I was awarded a travel grant which allowed me to study in upstate New York in Buffalo. Their teaching techniques and focus into the history of American art has been a huge influence on my work. I chose to complete my Honours degree as I felt I was not ready to leave…

MATERIALS • Primed canvas or board• Brushes (flats, all sizes) very fine round brushes• Odourless solvent• Liquin Original• Paints. Ultramarine Blue Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, Alizarin Crimson, Indigo, Flesh Tint, Australian Grey, Terre Verte, and Zinc White. STEP ONE I begin by rendering quite a detailed drawing of the subject first in charcoal then very thin paint. STEP TWO I wash in the shadows using thin indigo to establish the values and tone and to create form. STEP THREE Add first coat of colour going from darks to lights using paints still quite thin. Allow time to dry well between each coat. STEP FOUR Second coat of colour is added using thicker paint in light areas blending edges. I started the first coat on background and dress. FINAL STEP Second…

MATERIALS • Pure Cotton Duck Canvas – 18 x 24 inches. Triple Primed with Acrylic Gesso; acid free; staple free edge.• Artists’ Acrylic Paints: White; Yellow Ochre; Cadmium Red; Burnt Sienna; Raw Umber; Cobalt Blue.• Art Spectrum Oil Paints (Professional Quality): White; Yellow Ochre; Cadmium Red; Burnt Sienna; Raw Umber; Cobalt Blue Deep; Viridian; Phthalo Blue.• Various Artists’ Brushes; Pencil; Palette Knife; Brush Cleaner; Water; Paper Towel and Rags. STEP ONE With acrylics, I undercoat the canvas roughly with a light blue mixture of White, Cobalt Blue and a touch of Yellow Ochre. I sketch my subject with pencil on tracing paper and transfer the drawing onto the dried canvas before outlining with Burnt Sienna. STEP TWO I begin painting the background using a mixture of White, Yellow Ochre, a…

Claire Foxton wasn’t brought up in an artistic household. She believes, however, that she was born with a passion for art – and she is grateful to her parents for nurturing the seeds of her creativity. Claire has developed an amazing talent throughout her youth with the encouragement of her family. “Apart from a few folk art classes as a grommet, I developed skill on my own – always observing with my eyes and my imagination and mixing the two,” she explains. “Mum tells me that when all the kids were still drawing stick figures, I was drawing full figured people and chairs and tables in 3D perspective! Mum has kept every scribble I have done since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I love going back through…

Since being introduced to Genesis paints three years ago, I’ve used no other medium. I found the simplicity of achieving subtle blending (required in my style of portrait painting) a surprise and joy which I take full advantage of. I don’t use China brushes, preferring to work with Taklon because of the delicacy of the work I do – however, this is very much an individual choice. For this particular project my palette consisted of basic Genesis colours which allowed me to produce any hue I required. Genesis doesn’t vary in tonal depth due to the reliable consistency of the medium in the pots. It is important to find a subject that holds your attention. Someone who has strong or unique features will allow you to depict the character of…

As a child, handing over my drawings of dragons and surreal animals is when I first realised I was creative. I would imagine scenes that didn’t even exist, piecing together a drawing. I was interested in the Surreal and Fantasy, artists like Salvador Dali and illustrations by Marc McBride. I remember my parents buying me a step-by-step drawing book by Marc McBride, but instead of following the steps and drawing the one dragon, I would take parts of each one and create my own, placing it in a scene of castles and sky. As I reached my early teens and my sights broadened, I started to branch out into other genres and away from fantasy art. Handing my drawing to others, such as my parents, they would point out what…