Artists & Illustrators 02.2022

Artists&F O R A R T I S T S O F A L L A B I L I T I E S 02
I L LUS T R ATO R S 9 770269 469207

TIPS • TECHNIQUES • IDEAS • INSPIRATION February 2022 £4.99

Seasonal WIN!
scenes
£1,000 worth
of art course

vouchers

In the studio with
Angela Harding

Anthony
Eyton RA

The secret to
staying creative

at 98

Be boldwith colour
Improve your palette choices

How to... Draw perfect eyes O Paint cloudy skies O Mix interesting greys

THE HEATHERLEY JONATHAN FARNINGHAM
SCHOOL OF FINE ART

Chelsea • Established 1845

Part Time Day & Evening Courses

Enrolling now!

HEATHERLEYS

A range of courses for beginners as well as more experienced artists
Also: Full time Diploma courses in portraiture and sculpture

Painting • Ceramics • Life Drawing • Watercolour
Printmaking • Portraiture • Sculpture

www.heatherleys.org

$ # $ # $ # # $
!$! $
" " # " $! !$ $ !$$$ $ #
" " " #

Artists & Illustrators, The Chelsea ANTHONY EYTON
Magazine Company Ltd., Jubilee House,
2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ Welcome
Tel: (020) 7349 3700
www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk Making an art magazine can be a disorienting experience at times.
This is, after all, our “February” issue, yet I am writing to you in
EDITORIAL mid-December and you probably won’t read this until early 2022.
Group Editor Steve Pill Such is the way of magazine dates that I’m never quite sure whether
Art Editor Stuart Selner to wish you a happy Christmas, New Year, or Easter at this point.
Assistant Editor Rebecca Bradbury
Contributors Ravneet Ahluwalia, Hashim What I do know is that the winter months are a good time to take
Akib, Laura Boswell, Terence Clarke, Sarah stock. I often like to pull out piles of old work, finishing up some
Eyton, Emma Leyfield, Adrian Mourby, Rob ideas and discarding others. I find myself developing the detail in a forgotten
Pepper, Laura Smith and Jake Spicer drawing or revisiting portraits where I never quite caught the likeness. There’s
even a pleasure in looking at something made five years ago and admitting that
ONLINE ENQUIRIES perhaps you have improved after all, despite how it feels on those insecure days.
[email protected] When I had the pleasure of visiting the studio of Anthony Eyton for this
issue, he proudly showed me the fruits of his recent tidy up and in our
ADVERTISING interview on page 20, he talks of the revelations that this uncovered.
Advertising Manager David Huntington Eyton is someone who seems delighted by the possibilities of art. Every
(020) 7349 3702 reference photo is a potential subject, every sketch a creative path yet to be
david.huntington@ explored. He may turn 99 next May, yet he talks like a man who is only just
chelseamagazines.com getting started. Art can have that effect on you, whatever month you’re in.
Group Sales Director Catherine Chapman
Advertising Production Steve Pill, Editor
www.allpointsmedia.co.uk
Write to us!
MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING
Chairman Paul Dobson Send us your latest paintings, tips or artistic discoveries and you could win a £50 voucher:
Managing Director James Dobson
Publisher Simon Temlett [email protected] @AandImagazine /ArtistsAndIllustrators
Chief Financial Officer Vicki Gavin @AandImagazine @AandImagazine
EA to Chairman Sarah Porter
Subs Marketing Manager Bret Weekes
Group Digital Manager Ben Iskander

BACK ISSUES
www.chelseamagazines.com/shop

ISSN NO. 1473-4729

COVER ARTWORK ANGELA HARDING

STAY INSPIRED BY
SUBSCRIBING

Artists & Illustrators

Tel: +44 (0)1858 438789

Email:
[email protected]

Online:
www.subscription.co.uk/
chelsea/solo

Post: Artists & Illustrators,
Subscriptions Department,
Chelsea Magazines, Tower
House, Sovereign Park,
Lathkill Street, Market
Harborough, LE16 9EF

Renew:
www.subscription.co.uk/
chelsea/solo

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES
UK £72, US: $126, ROW: £84

Artists & Illustrators 3

Contents 50

60 Learn how to
add colour to
your greys

40 I've got to seize the
moment and let my
28 Art Histor y excitement about the
subject galvanise me
Discover why 2022 is set to be the into going further
year of Thomas Gainsborough
– ANTHONY EYTON, PAGE 20
34 In The Studio
REGULARS 54 In-Depth ywporiMu–othprajeaktogceeeuta6arib6drntreeeiawnak
5 Letters Popular printmaker and illustrator
Angela Harding at work in Rutland A comprehensive guide to painting
Send us your art and stories glazes and washes in watercolour
TECHNIQUES
6 Exhibitions 40 Masterclass 60 How I Paint

The UK's top art shows this month Enhance your subject with this Saturated colours and broad
12-step guide to making a picture brushstrokes are the key to Peter
9 Sketchbook Graham's vibrant paintings from life
46 Principles of Depth
Quick tips, ideas and inspiration 66 Project
To conclude his series, Jake Spicer
14 Fresh Paint looks at the effects of details Why a visual diary can be a useful
way to stay creative every day
New artworks, fresh off the easel 50 Technique
70 Demo
26 The Working Artist Hashim Akib on working with greys
Learn how glazes of colour can add
With our columnist Laura Boswell a softness and depth to skies

27 Prize Draw 74 Drawing Workshop

Win five £200 course vouchers To draw better eyes, Laura Smith
looks at portraits by the greats
82 Meet the Artist

With illustrator Edward Carey

INSPIRATION
20 The Big Inter view

Anthony Eyton RA on the joys of
staying creative at the age of 98

4 Artists & Illustrators

Letters

LETTER OF THE MONTH paint en plein air, to paint from Write to us!
life, and, when it comes to oils,
INTERESTING ANGLE to be able to paint alla prima. Send your letter or email
I relish the challenges I have to the addresses below:
I read the letter from Russell Simpkins faced and the adventures
[Letters, Issue 438]. What he needs is to painting outdoors has given me. POST:
get hold of an old book called The Painter’s I have made the most wonderful Your Letters,
Secret Geometry by Charles Bouleau. It was friends along the way and have Artists & Illustrators,
first published in 1963, but reprinted since, been able to create some great, The Chelsea Magazine
so should still be available. vivid memories of the places I Company Ltd.,
have been. Jubilee House,
This book explains in great detail the 2 Jubilee Place,
geometric underpinnings of lots of paintings Plein air painting is one of the London SW3 3TQ
from medieval to modern. I’ve been trying to put this into effect in areas in art that is growing, and
my own paintings, but it’s not easy! we have many professional EMAIL: info@artists
Matthew Sewell, via email artists from the UK who are great andillustrators.co.uk
exponents of it. Plein air sketches
Thanks for the tip, Matthew. What other art books have readers and studies are a great way to The writer of our “letter of
found useful recently? Send us your recommendations and you build up reference material for the month” will receive a
might also win a £50 Atlantis Art voucher. creating more detailed work back £50 gift voucher to
in the studio. spend with Atlantis Art,
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS FOR PUBLICATION POSTCARD PICTURES piece of hardboard; it had become the UK’s largest art
Several years ago, while browsing in like a part of the furniture. I was at In the USA, plein air painting is materials store.
a local bookstore, I came across a a loss how to occupy my time, then hugely popular and well organised, www.atlantisart.co.uk
little watercolour postcard kit. It had it just hit me: why don’t I do that with clubs and societies holding
everything needed to start painting. painting? So, I set to work. regular outings, paint outs and Share your stories
On a whim, I bought it. even competitions. There are and get a daily
The hardboard measured 37x25” many benefits to painting en dose of Artists &
After painting the 10 postcards and the drawing took me 20 hours plein air in a “paint out” or Illustrators tips,
(mostly people, never mailed) I got to do as there was much careful gathering with a group. It is advice and inspiration
the feeling I was onto something. measuring to do. I encountered healthy in that you are outdoors by following us on
So, I kept going and eventually several problems, the main one in the fresh air and it can be very our social media
branched out into acrylics, pastels being the greens, and I was quite sociable as well. channels...
and drawing. Art has been such an anxious, but I told myself to ignore
unexpected joy for me and quite by this feeling and press on regardless I was wondering if Artists & @AandImagazine
accident. I’m perfectly happy at age – 83 hours and 10 minutes later the Illustrators could not give plein ArtistsAndIllustrators
76 to be a “hobbyist” and learn as I opus was achieved. air painting a boost by publishing AandImagazine
go, taking a class now and then and a regular column which could AandImagazine
even participating in a local art show. Executing this painting has had a promote paint outs and societies
beneficial effect on my other work, that have active plein air groups Artists & Illustrators 5
Thank you for your magazine and as it has given me much more that artists could join if they
for this opportunity to respond. confidence knowing that a piece wished, as well as publish
Sally Ford, Montana, USA will turn out well. articles on techniques,
Evelyn Friend, via email equipment or stories of plein
A LOCKDOWN MASTERPIECE air adventures.
I thought your readers might be LET’S GET TOGETHER
interested to see what I have been I paint in watercolour and in the last It would offer an additional
up to during the first lockdown. couple of years I have also started dynamic to the wonderful world
painting in oils. For me the absolute of art and encourage people to
I made a sketch in 1989 and pinnacle of my art is to be able to paint out in the open air.
produced an edition of linocuts Peter McLeod, via email
from it, but my real intention was to
create an oil painting. The board was Artists & Illustrators has been
primed, ready, and stood against regularly supporting and
the wall in my studio, but there it featuring plein air painting for
remained for 32 years, waiting for many years, Peter – see Rob
work to begin. Commissions, and Pointon’s How I Paint [Issue
life in general, got in the way. 438] for starters – but would
a regular column and listings
When lockdown came, I had appeal to other readers as well?
almost forgotten about that lonely Write to us and let us know.

Exhibitions

FEBRUARY’S BEST ART SHOWS

AUDUBON’S BIRDS OF AMERICA

12 February to 8 May
The great American ornithologist and artist
John James Audubon broke new ground when
he published his ambitious book, Birds of
America, back in the 19th century. Not only
did he depart from his peers by illustrating
birds in their natural setting, but each of the
435 life-size, hand-coloured prints measured
nearly one-metre high.

More than 40 of these plates are to
go on show in this new interpretation of
the ornithological illustrator’s work, which
despite being published nearly 200 years
ago, still proves to be a pertinent reminder
of the fragility and beauty of our natural
environment.
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
www.nms.ac.uk

PISSARRO: FATHER OF go on show alongside pieces by those he © ASHMOLEAN, OXFORD
IMPRESSIONISM inspired, such as Claude Monet, Georges
Seurat and Paul Gauguin. Above all, however,
18 February to 22 June Pissarro’s ahead-of-the-curve versatility will
Camille Pissarro is considered the father of be underlined here, from the early, chunky flat
Impressionism, not least as he was the only marks of Farm at Montfoucault in Snow, to the
artist to show work in all eight “Impressionist” optical mixing of View from my Window [above].
exhibitions in Paris from 1874 to 1886. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
www.ashmolean.org
Now almost 150 years later, paintings
spanning the French master’s entire career will

BEATRIX POTTER: DRAWN TO NATURE © TATE
© NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND
12 February to 8 January 2023
Whether it’s Peter Rabbit sneaking into Mr McGregor’s
vegetable patch or Jemima Puddle-Duck’s search to lay her
eggs, Beatrix Potter’s illustrated stories have enraptured
young audiences since they first appeared in 1901.

Now you can be transported back to your childhood
with this family-friendly exhibition which explores the
artworks, conservation work and personal life of this
talented watercolourist.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London. www.vam.ac.uk

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, TOKYOSURREALISM Dates may
© ROSENSTIELS, LONDONBEYOND BORDERS change due to
ongoing Covid-19
24 February to 29 August
Stories of surrealism tend to restrictions
get stuck in 1920s Paris, and Check gallery
while it can’t be denied that websites before
the movement originated in
the French capital, its impact you travel
has stretched far beyond the
confines of continental PLACES IN TIME: THE ART
Europe, as this extensively OF KENNETH STEEL
researched exhibition proves.
Until 2 May
From avant-garde Japanese There’s a certain familiarity to
artist Harue Koga [right] Kenneth Steel’s classic mid-century
in Tokyo to British painter travel posters, yet unfortunately
Leonora Carrington in Mexico his name remains little known
City, artists across the globe within the art world.
have been united by
surrealism’s subversive ideas Giving the late Sheffield-born
and revolutionary spirit. artist and illustrator the belated
Tate Modern, London. recognition he deserves, however,
www.tate.org.uk is this showcase of work, ranging
from his early prints and iconic
poster designs for British Railways
to the watercolour and oil paintings
he exhibited later in his career.
Weston Park Museum, Sheffield.
www.museums-sheffield.org.uk

Artists & Illustrators 7

Finest artists’ watercolours

140 + 40 colours

NEW in 202240 supergranulating colours in 8 series in pans and tubes

www.schmincke.de

SKETCHBOOK

February

TIPS • ADVICE • IDEAS

PAINTING 4 Create shapes
ALLA Painting is about
PRIMA creating shapes. The
malleability and fluidity
Raw Umber of wet paint makes
Studio tutor this especially fun.
LYD IA CECIL Throw those shapes
has five ways and enjoy the fact you
to keep things can manipulate how
fresh when they interact with one
painting direct another. Wet paint
allows you to create
1 Draw first both soft, merged
Check the route edges and sharp,
before relying on deliberate marks for
your navigator. Use a action or vibrancy.
transparent, quick-
drying mid-tone like 5 Consider
Raw or Burnt Umber thickness
to wash over the Start thin for the
canvas, then map out drawing and build
your plan in thin paint. up the thickness of
I tend to mark out the paint as you go,
dark areas versus light especially for creating
areas and determine points of focus and
a focal point. sharper marks. Use
a palette knife to lay
paint on thick. It’ll
help achieve that
expression that can be
lost in longer, drawn-
out paintings.
www.rawumber
studios.com

2 Organise your 3 Use clean brushes
palette Once you have the
Mix up the main colours blobs of colour arranged
beforehand and organise on your palette, give each
them. I keep darks on one a separate brush.
one side and build up Despite best intentions,
the tonal scale to lights there will be inevitable
on the other. Keep the colour entanglements on
mixes separate to avoid your palette, but keeping
your painting becoming your brushes clean will
muddier than a farmer’s greatly improve your
field in the rain. mark making.

Artists & Illustrators 9



SKETCHBOOK

NEW HUES ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO/OLIVIA SHALER SWAN MEMORIAL COLLECTION

PYRROLE RED

Discover a new colour every month

Developed in the 1980s, this lightfast, synthetic
and intense primary is the red of Ferrari cars.
It has a slight bluish-purple undertone that only

reveals itself when placed against warmer hues;
consider it a slightly darker, more saturated, and
opaque alternative to Cadmium or Quinacridone

Reds. Note that most Pyrrole Reds are made
with the pigment PR254, whereas the Maimeri
Blu and Blockx versions use PR255, which is a

touch warmer and peachier.

EXPERT TIP

Painted in the final years of his life, Paul Cézanne’s The Three Skulls
is a reminder of the power of the blank page and negative space.
Much of the actual colour is reserved not for the subject but the
backdrop. The skulls – which he kept in his Provence studio –
are simply shown via graphite and pigment outlines, the ivory
tint of the woven paper alone providing their colour.

RYAN YLOB/UNSPLASH BOOK OF THE MONTH

HOW TO... Drawing with Charcoal by Kate Boucher
Tutor Kate Boucher admits that this
Paint shadows book was written during lockdown and
it shows – in a good way.
When painting a simple object like an apple, accurate shadows
are key. First, don’t paint a cast shadow as a continuous tone This is a very personal rumination on
– it gets lighter further from the object. Second, pay attention drawing as a means to an end, fleshed
to reflected light. The underside of a shiny fruit is often lighter out with motivational “tasks” and dotted
than the core shadow further up. Finally, remember an apple with quotes from Aristotle and Thoreau.

is not a perfect smooth sphere. Slight irregularities of tone The addition of “What if…?” prompts
will add a sense of realism. encourage you to think more
expansively about the subject too.
Crowood Press, £16.99. www.crowood.com

Why not try…
Derwent Shade
and Tone Set

Replicate the sanguine hues of
Renaissance drawing with this
newly-curated mixed media set
from Derwent. Create lines with
the black, terracotta and graphite
pencils, while adding subtle
washes of muted natural colours
via the dozen pans and mini
waterbrush. www.derwentart.com

Artists & Illustrators 11

SKETCHBOOK The Diary

THINGS WE LOVE... 6 FEBRUARY
Enter up to two works by 5pm to
Hurvin Anderson’s 2008 oil painting Jersey, on display in Tate Britain’s Life Between Islands, be considered for inclusion in the
shows a traditional Jamaican barbershop. The posters on the wall, stripped of detail and historic Royal Scottish Academy of
rendered in block colours of various consistencies, bring an abstract quality to the painting.
Life Between Islands runs until 3 April at Tate Britain, London. www.tate.org.uk Art and Architecture’s Annual
Exhibition 2022 this spring.
www.royalscottishacademy.org

11 FEBRUARY
Don’t miss the closing date for
entering the Royal Society of
Portrait Painters’ Annual Exhibition
2022, which runs 5-14 May at

London’s Mall Galleries.
www.therp.co.uk

28 FEBRUARY
There are more than 70,000 euros

of prizes on offer at the Royal
Hibernian Academy’s 192nd Annual

Exhibition 2022, so enter before
5pm for the chance to exhibit and

win. www.rhagallery.ie

“ART IS NOT ABOUT THINKING Join us online!© HURVIN ANDERSON/TATE
ILLUSTRATION: BETT NORRIS
SOMETHING UP. IT IS THE OPPOSITE The Artists & Illustrators
website is one of the biggest
”– GETTING SOMETHING DOWN
resources for artists on the
— Julia Cameron internet. You can find
drawing challenges,

competitions, interviews and
a huge database of practical
painting and drawing advice.

W W W. A RTI S T SA N D
I L L U S T R AT O R S . C O . U K

12 Artists & Illustrators

Art workshops for all levels

Book now at rawumberstudios.com

Painting the figure in oils

Luca Indraccolo

February 16th - 19th

Figure painting and composition

Nicholas O’Leary

March 15th - 17th

Painting the portrait in oils

Sofia Welch

February 8th - 10th

Painting the alla prima still life

Lizet Dingemans

January 20th - 22nd

Fresh
Paint

Inspiring new artworks, straight off the easel

Daisy Sims-Hilditch

Strolling along the streets of London’s Chelsea, past grand redbrick
Victorian houses, it’s not hard to be transported back to the 19th century,
when the area was an enclave of acclaimed artists. Thankfully this
painterly tradition, led by former residents such as John Singer-Sargent,
JMW Turner and James Abbott McNeill Whistler, is being kept alive by
plein air advocate Daisy Sims-Hilditch, whose in situ paintings of Chelsea
and its surrounds (as well as the snow-covered Alps) are to go on show in
January at the city’s Portland Gallery.

One artist of note who has fed more directly into Daisy’s latest work
is the Camden Town Group’s Walter Sickert. A subtle tribute to the post-
Impressionist awaits in her depiction of the Piano Nobile Gallery’s façade,
painted while a recent exhibition of his work was on display inside.
“He is one of my absolute favourite painters,” explains Daisy. “I was very
pleased when the lady in the red coat came to sit down on the bench as
I was captivated by Sickert’s use of red especially in his theatre pictures.”

More apparent is Daisy’s delicate descriptions of light and shade, a
contrast investigated throughout her plein air work. “Painting in situ is the
only way to effectively interpret and translate the energy and freshness
with my brush,” she explains. “Light in the real world is a transient, fickle
thing which you must be there for, to capture in that fleeting moment.”

Having studied at the famed Charles H Cecil Studios in Florence, the
London oil painter has more recently been developing her palette choices
to better capture the way light plays on different surfaces, whether it’s
the dappled light on lemon-hued shop awnings or the autumn sunshine
reflecting off silver-grey pavements, as seen in the self-explanatorily titled
The Sickert Exhibition at the Piano Nobile Gallery.

Another subject particularly well-primed for capturing these subtle
variations in tone that the changing light brings about (and one Daisy
loves to capture) is the River Thames. “You begin to appreciate how light
plays on the river”, she says. “Over a day it can range from a green colour
to a purple. To this end, I use a lot of Burnt Sienna, a rich reddish-brown
paint, in both the river and on the buildings running along it, which lends a
subtle harmonising effect.

“Both the River Thames and the alpine landscapes lend themselves
generously to a braver use of colour,” adds Daisy, whose masterful
manipulation of paint serves as a reminder of what being more
courageous can result in.
Daisy’s solo exhibition runs 13-28 January at the Portland Gallery, London.
www.daisysimshilditch.com

14 Artists & Illustrators

Fresh Paint
DAISY’S
TOP TIP

“Try painting outdoors
early in the morning
– the contrejour light
creates a strong tonal

composition”

LEFT Daisy Sims-
Hilditch, The Sickert
Exhibition at the
Piano Nobile Gallery,
oil on panel, 25x30cm

Artists & Illustrators 15



Fresh Paint

RUTH’S
TOP TIP

“Placing cool colours over
warm is key to painting
flesh – start cool and it
is difficult to bring
back to life”

Ruth Fitton an emotional response to the storm and a metaphor for ABOVE Ruth Fitton,
facing life’s adversities, while there are suggestions of Gathering Thunder,
Yorkshire-based artist Ruth Fitton has had an impressive broader themes at play, such as climate change. oil on canvas,
couple of years. Since winning the Emerging Artist prize at 61x81cm
the Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition in 2019, she The final painting was developed in the artist’s studio
has since taken home the Winsor & Newton Young Artist outside Harrogate, where she also takes commissions.
Award at the following year’s ROI show and the ARC She built the composition based around plein air studies
Purchase Award in the Art Renewal Center’s prestigious of the model as well as photographs manipulated on her
15th Annual Salon. A copy of her painting Things Not Seen computer. Oil paint was applied not as traditional glazes,
will even be sent to the Moon next year, as part of the but rather subtle layers of opaque colour: “This means
Lunar Codex time capsule project. Far from letting such starting fairly neutral and slightly warm, with cooler, lighter
success go to her head, however, it has seemingly and more chromatic colour notes floating on top.”
hardened her resolve to push her portrait and figurative
work further and have conviction in her ideas. Gathering Thunder brilliantly captures the rosy glow
of her model, while Ruth’s advice for painting faces is
Gathering Thunder is a case in point. “I took a model up to avoid making the nose too long. “We’ve all heard the
onto the Yorkshire moors to make sketches one day last rule of vertical thirds – that the distances from hairline
autumn,” she says of how the painting began. to brows, brows to base of nose, and base of nose to chin,
will be roughly equal – but double-check that rule with
“The weather at ground level had been calm; up in the this: the top edge of the mouth is often located vertically
hills, it was wild. I found myself exhilarated by the stormy half-way between the tear-duct and the bottom of the chin.”
light, the battle with the elements, and the bleakness of
the landscape. I knew I had to try and capture the charge “Try it,” she suggests, proudly. “If you find you don’t have
of this pre-storm atmosphere in a painting.” enough space left between the top edge of the mouth and
the base of the nose, you’ll know the nose is too long.”
The resulting work is far more than simply a record of www.ruthfitton.com
weather conditions, however. Ruth intended the work as

Artists & Illustrators 17

Fresh Paint

Sandra Penstone-Smith Other signature moves, as seen in Blackberries and ABOVE Sandra

When somebody reconnects with their creativity, there’s Willowherbs, include using a lino roller to apply acrylic Penstone-Smith,
often an almost palpable sense of excitement as they
contemplate the many directions their art could take. paint to leaves collected on her daily walk which she Blackberries and
Currently on this precipice of possibilities following a
30-year hiatus is Portfolio Plus member Sandra then prints onto the paper. The detailed marks of the Willowherbs, mixed
Penstone-Smith.
foreground are then made with various tools, with a wax media on paper,
Despite the Hertfordshire-based artist’s optimistic
outlook, it follows a foray into pet portrait commissions crayon-like Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 pencil her preference 42x30cm
which, due to a worry of not living up to client’s
expectations, left her lacking in motivation. The change in for the tangled mass of
mindset occurred while attending Louise Fletcher’s Find
Your Joy workshop. brambles in the midground.

“The course gave me permission to create,” recalls The paper for the collage
Sandra, who enjoyed experimenting with different
materials. “Mixed media appeals because it takes you one elements, meanwhile, is taken Every month, one of our Fresh Paint
step away from putting paint down. It’s not so direct and
there’s not so much fear of something going wrong for me.” from old sewing patterns artists is chosen from Portfolio Plus,

Six months on and Sandra has already developed her and magazines. “I spend our online, art-for-sale portal. For your
own style, capturing the changing seasons of her local
heath where she walks her dog, Millie. Most of the artist’s my evenings going through chance to feature in a forthcoming
works have begun by priming watercolour paper with
gesso before strengthening it with newspaper and sanding magazines looking for pages to issue, sign up for your own personalised
it down to create a grainy texture on which to create.
use,” she reveals. “Everybody Portfolio Plus page today. You can also:
18 Artists & Illustrators
gives me their old ones. I have • Showcase, share and sell unlimited

drawers full of different collage artworks commission free

bits to use now.” • Get your work seen across Artists &

Maybe one day a page from Illustrators’ social media channels

Artists & Illustrators will be • Submit art to our online exhibitions

lucky enough to grace one of • Enjoy exclusive discounts and more

Sandra’s masterpieces. Sign up in minutes at www.artistsand

www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/ illustrators.co.uk/register

sandra-penstone-smith

Hockney to
Himid

60 Years of
British Printmaking

Until 24 Apr 2022
pallant.org.uk

Chris Ofili, Afro Harlem Muses, 2005, Lithograph with embossment on paper,
Pallant House Gallery (The Golder -Thompson Gift, 2020)
© Chris Ofili (courtesy Victoria Miro, London)

Artists & Illustrators 19

THE BIG INTERVIEW

Anthony

Eyton

As he approaches his hundredth year, the Royal
Academician tells STEVE PILL about what it means to be
an artist and why there is a newfound urgency to his work

A t 98, Anthony Eyton would be from a busy road in South London, before as you enter; chairs and bare floorboards are PHOTO: SARAH EYTON
forgiven for taking it easy. The Anthony is eagerly asking if he can show us encrusted with oil paint; every conceivable
senior Royal Academician began his studio. It is only as he climbs the elegant surface is piled high with brush pots and
his fine art studies 80 years ago, winding staircase, adorned with faded well-thumbed monographs. Even the most
yet, he says, there is still much to learn and posters from previous solo shows, that he visionary architect couldn’t envision this
create. He has others to help him today – his briefly shows his age, taking his time to space being anything other than a painter’s
housekeeper and her son, plus his daughter reach the first-floor studio before that gentle studio, yet it is still a surprise to learn that an
Sarah, a talented photographer in her own exuberance resumes. Rosy of cheek and early spring clean has recently taken place.
right – so that he can focus on the things wiry of hair, if Tigger has a grandfather, “The tidy up has made a revolution, which
that have kept him occupied all this time: it is quite possibly Anthony Eyton. also becomes synonymous or equal to
thinking about, talking about, and making art. revelation,” he says, sagely. To illustrate this,
The artist moved here in 1960 and his he reaches for a stack of photos arranged
We’ve barely made it inside the hallway painting room has a wonderfully lived-in in a rack – beach scenes, Indian temples,
of his large three-storey semi, set back quality: a waft of turpentine hits your nostrils

20 Artists & Illustrators

ABOVE Studio
Interior, 2015,
oil on canvas,

140x120cm

a nude figure – all possible subjects, newly to his quick, deliberate mark making rather Bomberg was one of the founder members
rediscovered amid the clutter. than the speed at which a painting is of The London Group, a collection of radical
completed. “I am the slowest in another young artists who came together in 1913.
The east-facing aspect wouldn’t be to sense,” he says. “I always want to get it right.” Anthony was elected to the group 50 years
every artists’ tastes, yet on this bright winter later. “In those days, The London Group was
morning, the room is flooded with a soft, Back downstairs, the walls of the open- extremely important,” he explains.
warm light that makes every object glow with plan lounge and dining room are a testimony
potential. “I’ve been on that a year,” he says, to the artistic circles in which Anthony once “It had the galleries in Suffolk Street and
gesturing towards a large canvas resting on operated. An impressive charcoal drawing by [exhibition at] the Royal Institute of Water
the floor that shows his studio interior. Leon Kossoff hangs beside the patio doors, Colours in Piccadilly, it had several rooms
“I made very great changes just this morning,” while the wall behind where Anthony settles and was done on a very large scale. It was
he adds proudly. Anthony’s late friend, the himself with a coffee contains paintings by the latest thing, because the Royal Academy
artist Euan Uglow, once called him “the Basil Beattie and Patrick George, as well as [of Arts] then was rather frowned on by all
fastest brush alive”, but that was in reference a “minor” David Bomberg drawing. the London Group.”

Artists & Illustrators 21

BELOW The
Range, c.1984,
oil on canvas,
146x180cm

I’ve got to seize “They were a really independent group, Born in Teddington, Middlesex on 17 May © ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS. PHOTO CREDIT: ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS
the moment and always have been,” he adds. “Fiercely 1923, Anthony John Plowden Eyton briefly
let my excitement independent and rather marvellous to enrolled in fine art at the University of
about the subject get them all together.” Reading before conscription came in 1942
at the height of the Second World War.
galvanise me Post-war London was filled with He resumed his studies five years later at
opportunity for young, white, male painters, Camberwell School of Art under the rather
22 Artists & Illustrators and with the camaraderie came creative rigorous tutelage of William Coldstream
frictions that spurred each other on. “I mean, who was a big believer in working from life
it was bound to be a bit competitive, wasn’t and adhering to a strict form of “sight-size”
it? Artists don’t talk about being against one measuring that involved plotting points on
another, but really they’re up for the game.” a canvas around which a composition could
says Anthony. “I wanted to branch out and be constructed.
be my own man, as it were.”

In Modernists & Mavericks, Martin BELOW Still Life THE BIG INTERVIEW
Gayford’s recent biography of the mid-century of Apples, 2015,
London art world, Anthony is quoted as oil on canvas, ABOVE Wall, 1990,
saying he and his fellow Coldstream pupils, 30x42cm oil on canvas,
which included his good friends Euan Uglow 213x155cm
and Patrick George, were a “rather bigoted
lot” too wedded to “the certainty of drawing” Artists & Illustrators 23
to fully embrace modernity.

“It’s always been a battle to break away
from that accuracy,” he says today. “I still
want that certainty, and still to this day I
measure sometimes, but painting is so
much about the excitement of the subject
and being carried away by that. It’s a battle
between certainty and not knowing, losing
that certainty and almost letting a Zen
[state] come when you get magical moments
and accidents.”

Later in the conversation, he returns
to this point as he stops himself in the
middle of reminiscing. “Can I come onto
the present?” he asks rhetorically, before
continuing. “I suddenly feel more alive
now than I was with the London Group.
I’m more alive to change. I’ve got to dig
deeply into the extremes much more, rather
than pussyfooting about. I’ve got to seize the
moment and get to the point of letting my
excitement about the subject galvanise me
into going further, deeper into myself than
I have before.”

Painting, he says, is primarily about three
fundamentals – “Who am I? What have I
got to say? And how am I going to say it?”
– yet ask if there was a point in his career
when he remembers having a breakthrough
in terms of finding the answers to those
questions and he just smiles: “I’ve always
wanted a breakthrough.”

In truth, a breakthrough of sorts came
in 1969 when he was invited to provide
maternity cover for an old Camberwell
friend who ran the art school at St Lawrence
College in Ontario, Canada. He jumped at
the chance as the campus was based in
Kingston, home to the mother of his wife,
Mary. “I loved her very much and we took
the children out there and that’s how it all
began really. This went on for two years.
We went to New York, several visits, and I
was obviously very influenced by the Abstract
Expressionists – Rothko and De Kooning and
all those people. That was obviously going to
change me a little bit and then the vast skies
of Canada and the intensity of blue. How was
one going to express that?”

With 50 students keeping him busy during
the week, his own painting was largely
confined to a series of plein air watercolours
made on regular Sunday trips to Lake
Ontario, watching how friends and family

THE BIG INTERVIEW

THIS IMAGE Uluru,
4 O'Clock Sun I,
2006, oil on board,
122x149cm

BELOW RIGHT
Caught in the Act,
Self-Portrait, 2021,
oil on canvas,
95x72cm

“behaved on the beach with this marvellous “danced with joy” at simply having a piece
light”. Upon returning to England, a canvas accepted to the RA’s Summer Exhibition in
based around his Canadian work found 1929. She sadly died later that same year,
success at the John Moores Painting Prize an experience that still colours everything
in 1972 – though not quite to the extent Anthony paints. “I am very much beholden
that his gallery biography would have you to my mother’s paintings,” he says. “She was
assume. “I did get a prize, but I didn’t such a good painter, and she was on the
actually win it,” he explains. “Euan Uglow cusp of the wave of finding herself, I think.
won it. But the very act of winning a prize I look at her paintings every day – I can’t
counted for something.” help it because they are up there.”

Establishment acceptance finally arrived Several of them take pride of place on the
in 1976 as he was elected as an associate chimney breast in the sitting room, including
of the Royal Academy of Arts, a decade one which was unearthed at a yard sale in
prior to becoming a full member. Though Tucson, Arizona and returned to him recently
Anthony’s London Group peers had once after a bit of online detective work by the
opposed the institution’s output, his election new owners.
carried added emotional weight as his
mother, Phyllis, a Heatherley’s graduate The urban landscape remains a favourite
and accomplished landscape painter, had subject for Anthony. Over the years he has
spent intense periods documenting the
24 Artists & Illustrators

BELOW Brixton
Market, 1998,
oil on canvas,

172x196cm

Anthony’s mind changing structures of Brixton market and fetch him the catalogue from the National
has wandered the developing skyline around Nicholas Gallery’s recent Bellotto exhibition. “It’s in
to the piles of Hawksmoor’s Christ Church in Spitalfields, the bathroom,” he tells her, revealing his
potential subjects as seen from the window of a studio he once all-consuming reading habits. After browsing
in his studio: kept there. “This fascinated me how ancient the catalogue, he points to a painting of a
“I’m 9 8 now… and modern were coming together and one church in Dresden. “Imagine the Vauxhall
I’ve got to get of the best churches in the world should be towers like that,” he says, his eyes lighting up.
threatened,” he recalls.
a move on” His mind has already begun to wander
More recently, he has made regular back up the stairs to the freshly unearthed
sketching trips to Vauxhall, often piles of potential subjects in his studio.
accompanied by his grandson, to document “It’s a mammoth task,” he says. “I’m 98 now,
the modern blocks of flats that have been so I’ve got to get going on the next painting.”
thrown up along the River Thames at Nine
Elms. He rails against the commerce of the Does he feel an increasing sense of
area – “Napoleon was right, we’re a nation urgency nowadays?
of shopkeepers” – and draws comparisons
with the Tower of Babel and the story of “Well yes, I’ve got to get a move on, really,”
Sodom and Gomorrah. Searching for a visual he says, smiling again. “There’s a lot to do.”
reference point, he asks his daughter to Anthony’s work features in Step and Stair, which
runs until 20 January 2022 at Art Space Gallery,
London. www.artspacegallery.co.uk

Artists & Illustrators 25

All artists need
to write at some
point, even if it is
just a quick social

media post

ArtistThe Working You may need to polish it up a little,
To promote your art, you need to learn how to write about but that is easily done once you have
it briefly and clearly, says our columnist LAURA BOSWELL your initial writing finished. Read your
work aloud to highlight any issues like
ABOVE Laura A re you a natural when it Here are a few tips I have learned awkward sentences or over-repeated
Boswell, Winter at comes to writing? All artists along the way. Firstly, be yourself. words that need correcting. Follow
will need to do a little writing It is important to relax and let your that up with careful proofreading to
Corgarff, linocut, at some point, even if it is just a quick writing be authentic. If you keep it check for spelling, grammar and
29x45cm post on social media. The way you simple and honest, you are most of typos. If you can rope in some help
write can make the difference the way there. No need to worry about with these checks, even better.
between catching your audience’s developing a writing style; you have
attention or losing it. that already, even if you don’t know it. Writing needs to be tailored to fit
the task. Think about why you need to
write and plan for that goal before you
start. For marketing, social media and
captions on a website, keep writing
as short and simple as possible.
Try imagining you are writing to a
scatty best friend on a small postcard
with a fat pen: a reader in need of
brevity, wit, and clear information.

For longer pieces such as an
artist’s statement or a description
of your work for an exhibition,
picture someone entirely new to
the information with limited time.
This will help you to avoid jargon,
tell the whole story, and stay on point.
Imaginary readers really help in this
context; they keep it personal and
take the fear out of having to write.

A great deal of your writing will be
skimmed by your readers. This is a
harsh truth, but a real one. When you
are sharing important information,
such as details of an exhibition, never
make people hunt for the information.
The dates, times and address need to
be front and centre. The same goes
for your contact details and website.
Better to repeat the information
several times than expect people to
navigate to a new page on a website
or hunt through a leaflet to find what
they need. Lastly, if you have a word
count, as I do here, do your best to
meet it as closely as possible.
www.lauraboswell.co.uk

26 Artists & Illustrators

PRIZE DRAW

£1,000 TO SPEND MARILYN ALLIS ART
ON A PAINTING BREAKS PRIZE DRAW
HOLIDAY
Name:

Address:

A voucher towards a seaside art break awaits for five lucky
readers, courtesy of artist and tutor MARILYN ALLIS

W  hen the long, dark nights and awaits back at the hotel in the evening. Postcode:
cold, wet weather of the British Tutors making regular appearances include
winter set in, planning a painting Email:
holiday for the year ahead is a guaranteed watercolourists Trevor Osbourne, Paul
way to boost your mood and motivation, and Talbot-Greaves, Denise Allen and Phil Briggs, Telephone:
you can be sure to make it one to remember as well as acrylic artists Jenny Aitkin, Charles
in 2022 with the art getaways organised Evans, Lindsey J Cole and Stephen Yates. The closing date for entries is noon on 17 February 2022.
by art tutor Marilyn Allis.
As for Marilyn, you might recognise her Please tick if you are happy to receive relevant information from
Throughout the year, Marilyn joins forces from her time as a contestant on Channel 4’s The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd. via email , post or phone
with two other popular artists to teach Watercolour Challenge. A loose, or Marilyn Allis Art Breaks via email
students different techniques and styles over Impressionist-style painter, she’s also the
the course of three days. Now we’ve teamed author of three painting books and teaches HOW TO ENTER
up with the artist and tutor to offer five on cruise ships sailing across the world’s
readers the chance to each win a £200 oceans. For a taste of her tutorials, you Enter by noon on 17 February 2022, either
voucher to put towards one of these unique can find some one-off video sessions on at www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/
Trio Breaks in the beautiful coastal town her website, with monthly and annual competitions or by filling in the form above
of Bournemouth. subscriptions also available for those after and returning it to: Marilyn Allis Art Breaks
a regular schedule of online courses and Prize Draw, Artists & Illustrators, Chelsea
Staying in a luxury seafront hotel for four painting content. Magazine Company Ltd., Jubilee House,
nights and working in sea-view studios, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ
students can opt for a watercolour or To find out more about Trio Breaks and
acrylic-themed break, with all abilities the art subscriptions Marilyn offers, visit TERMS AND CONDITIONS
catered for on every course. The workshops www.marilynallis.com.
are run by a different tutor each day and Travel is not included. No cash alternatives
involve live demonstrations in a variety of THE PRIZE are available. Voucher cannot be used
subjects, as well as expert guidance and in conjunction with any existing offers.
feedback. Meanwhile, a three-course meal Five winners, chosen at random, will each For full terms and conditions, visit
receive a £200 voucher to put towards a www.chelseamagazine.com/terms.
Trio Break of their choice in 2022 or 2023.
Artists & Illustrators 27

ART HISTORY

Thomas
Gainsborough

With a major exhibition, the opening of a centre

dedicated to his art, and the return of his Blue Boy, 2022 is
shaping up to be the year of Gainsborough, says ADRIAN MOURBY

King George III and Queen exponent of the Grand Style, Fortunately for the girls, and indeed © HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II, 2021 © COURTESY OF THE HUNTINGTON
Charlotte; actors Sarah idealising his sitters without losing all his sitters, Gainsborough painted LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS, SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA
Siddons and David a genuine likeness. By contrast, quickly, and the works of his maturity
Garrick; Johann Christian Gainsborough’s subjects seem more are characterised by a light palette
Bach, Admiral George Rodney, and real to 21st-century eyes. Compare and easy strokes.
Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of his portrait of the Duchess of
Devonshire. The defining personalities Devonshire with that of his rival With its air of historical unreality,
of 18th-century England have been and they clearly depict the same his fancy-dressed Blue Boy from 1770
fixed in our minds by the brilliant woman, but Reynolds makes her a was a bit of an anomaly. The portrait
Thomas Gainsborough, the Suffolk personification of beauty while is said to be a riposte to one of
portrait painter who would rather Gainsborough makes her a person, Reynolds’ Discourses on Art in which
have been a landscape artist. someone who might cause real Sir Joshua declared that a painter
trouble if she put her mind to it. should not amass too much blue in
Along with his rival Sir Joshua the foreground of a picture.
Reynolds, Gainsborough was rightly Likewise, Gainsborough’s charming
considered one of the most important 1759 portrait of his young daughters, Recent research has shown that
British artists working in Georgian Molly and Peggy, has an immediacy Gainsborough actually painted this
London. In 1768 the two artists were about it, as if dad has just positioned young cavalier (possibly his nephew,
among the 34 founders of the Royal them and they’re wondering how long Dupont) long before Reynold’s dictum
Academy of Arts. Reynolds was the this session is going to last. was delivered (the discourses were
delivered regularly at the Royal
28 Artists & Illustrators

TOP LEFT Wooded
Landscape with
Donkeys, c.1746-'48,
chalk on paper,
40.5x38.5cm

THIS IMAGE The Blue
Boy, 1770, oil on
canvas, 179x124cm

29

ABOVE Cornard Academy and published together in the NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON/ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST/© HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II, 2021
Wood, near 1780s) but the story is characteristic
Sudbury, of the two men: the didact versus the
poet with a remarkable facility for
Suffolk, 1748, likenesses. The eyes of The Blue Boy
oil on canvas, hold our attention with just a touch
of insolence; he may be trussed up in
122x155cm an unreal costume, but he is definitely
RIGHT Study for a real boy.
Cornard Wood,
c.1748, chalk and Despite being a successful and
pencil on paper, prolific portrait painter, Gainsborough
gained greater personal satisfaction
33x34cm from his landscapes. In 1760, while
proving himself a great success
30 Artists & Illustrators among Georgian high society while
working in Bath, he wrote to a friend:
“I’m sick of portraits and wish very
much to take my viol da gamba [a
cello-like instrument] and walk off to
some sweet village where I can paint
landskips [landscapes] and enjoy the
fag end of life in quietness and ease”.

Though Gainsborough never
fulfilled this dream, he did succeed in

ART HISTORY

The Boy is Back
blue portrait

returns to UK

A little over 250 years after it
was first painted, The Blue Boy
by Thomas Gainsborough has
received a new lease of life.
The 1770 portrait was bought
by California’s The Huntington
back in 1922 so to celebrate
the centenary of the purchase,
the institution has
commissioned Kehinde Wiley
to create a contemporary
response.

What’s more, the original
painting will be returning to
London’s National Gallery for a
brief stint. The Blue Boy will go
on display again exactly 100
years to the day since it first
spent three weeks at the
gallery prior to crossing the
Atlantic in 1922. It is the first
time The Huntington has
loaned the painting, making
this a rare opportunity to see
the masterpiece on home soil.
The Blue Boy is on display from
25 January to 15 May at The
National Gallery, London.
www.nationalgallery.org.uk

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON/ANDREW W MELLON COLLECTION © COURTESY OF THE fusing the two sides of his output – is now in the National Gallery, appear to be sitting on a specific ABOVE Mrs
HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS, SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA the creative and the commercial – in London’s collection, situate his bench under a specific tree, even if Richard Brinsley
a series of very well-received portraits subjects within a definite English the artist added in those al fresco Sheridan, 1785-
that placed sitters not in their own landscape. They are often moody elements at a later date. '87, oil on canvas,
drawing rooms nor his studio but in and North European in tone but 220x154cm
dramatic landscapes that he would sometimes verdant and idyllic (as in A new exhibition at the York Art
have been happy to paint without any the case of the Suffolk arcadia that Gallery links much of Gainsborough’s INSET The Blue Boy
foreground figures at all, had there surrounds Mr and Mrs Andrews). early work to the Flemish landscape on display at the
been a market for such images. painters who inspired him as a young National Gallery
Compare these portraits with the man. “I feel such a fondness for my London in 1922
Typical Gainsborough portraits such equally accomplished work of first imitations of little Dutch
as 1746’s Lady Lloyd and Her Son, Reynolds, and the President of the Landskips [sic],” the English artist
Richard Savage Lloyd, of Hintlesham Royal Academy seems only to paint wrote in later life when recalling how
Hall, Suffolk, 1787’s Mrs Richard indoors with just a stage cloth of he would copy the work of Jacob van
Brindley Sheridan and 1750’s highly antiquarian countryside as backdrop. Ruisdael, Jan Wijnants and Ruisdael’s
popular Mr and Mrs Andrews, which By contrast Gainsborough’s sitters apprentice, Meindert Hobbema.

Artists & Illustrators 31

ART HISTORY

home comforts
artist’s house

set to open as

major gallery

Gainsborough’s House [below]
in Sudbury was long a source
of pilgrimage for fans of the
artist’s work, though the grade
I listed house closed in
October 2019 to undergo a
major transformation.

Opening in spring, The
New National Centre for
Gainsborough will incorporate
a three-storey gallery and
research space adjacent to
the original house, with a café
overlooking the artist’s garden.
Works by Gainsborough will
also be on display, including
a series of original prints, as
well as loans of pieces by
artists that he inspired,
including John Constable.
The New National Centre for
Gainsborough will open in spring
2022. www.gainsborough.org

Despite being a highly successful portrait
painter, Gainsborough gained greater
satisfaction from his landscapes

ABOVE Landscape Ironically this connection has only and into portraiture. After training owned by the Barber Institute of Fine © COURTESY OF THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM,
Beside a Lake, recently been traced following the in London, he had married the Arts in Birmingham). AND BOTANICAL GARDENS, SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA
c.1746-'50, reattribution of 25 sketches in the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of
chalk on paper, Royal Collection. Queen Victoria Beaufort at the age of 19. The annuity Moving from Bath to an impressive
39x46cm bought them from the estate of Sir Beaufort had settled on his child house in London’s Pall Mall in 1774
Edwin Landseer after his death in provided a certain amount of financial brought Gainsborough into the orbit
1873, believing they were Landseer’s security for an artist whose scenes of many successful businessmen and
own preliminary works. It turns out of rural Suffolk were not bringing in powerful aristocrats. His skills as a
they were unsigned drawings by sufficient income. Even in 1767 when portrait painter led him to become a
Gainsborough, providing a clear link he was the most famous portrait favourite of George III and the royal
between those “landskips” he copied painter in Bath Gainsborough was family, but when the post of Principal
and finished rural masterpieces like unable to find a purchaser for the first Painter in Ordinary became vacant
Cornard Wood, near Sudbury, Suffolk, version of his painting The Harvest following the death of Allan Ramsay
painted when the artist was only 21. Wagon and so he gave it away to the in 1784, Reynolds threatened to
man who would transport his pictures resign from the Royal Academy
It was money matters that drove to London for exhibitions (it is now presidency if the King appointed
Gainsborough away from landscapes Gainsborough ahead of him.

32 Artists & Illustrators

YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART, PAUL MELLON COLLECTION In his later years, having grown place into these artificial scenes and likes of JMW Turner and John ABOVE Lady
financially secure, Gainsborough then illuminate by candlelight. Constable make British landscape Lloyd and Her
returned to painting landscapes and painting world-renowned in the Son, Richard
there is more artifice in these works Such dedication in his later years 19th century and beyond. Savage Lloyd, of
than might at first appear. When he underlines the degree to which Hintlesham Hall,
could not get into the countryside to Gainsborough loved his “landskips”, In fact, Constable, who was Suffolk, 1745-'46,
sketch, he would create tabletop but for the boy who trained himself born in East Bergholt only 15 miles oil on canvas,
landscapes in his studio. Paintings to copy Flemish artists many of them from Gainsborough’s Sudbury, 63.5x76cm
such as 1780’s Gypsy Encampment, remained generic landscapes of the retained the same affection for the
Sunset (now in Tate Britain) and mind. Hardly any of them are titled Suffolk countryside. The young
1786’s A Market Cart were most likely after a specific place. Nevertheless, pretender said of Gainsborough’s
created in his Pall Mall studio using with fellow Royal Academician landscapes, “On looking at them,
pieces of coal as rocks, mirror shards Richard Wilson, he developed an we find tears in our eyes and
for pools of water, and broccoli for informal school of 18th-century know not what brings them.”
trees. He even had an articulated British landscape painting. The two The Young Gainsborough runs until
figure of a woodcutter that he would men undoubtedly influenced painters 13 February at the York Art Gallery.
of the next generation, helping the www.yorkartgallery.org.uk

Artists & Illustrators 33

1

IN THE STUDIO

2

Angela
Harding

The artist behind some of today’s best-loved prints and book
illustrations talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the delights of the

British countryside and dividing her time between two studios

No adventure seems quite printmaker and illustrator Angela really concentrate on drawing and 1 Shooting
as romantic as voyaging Harding this fantasy is very much a thinking about the images that I want Stars combines
around the British Isles reality, as she spends most of her to create.” linocut and
on board a vintage sailing summers at sea with her husband, silkscreen print
boat. From the wild sand dunes and Mark, capturing the wonders of the Yet with a studio overlooking a field techniques
windswept marshes of Suffolk to country’s charming coastline. “I live of grazing sheep at the bottom of 2 Angela with
the towering sea stacks and about as far from the sea as you can her garden, slap bang in the middle her Victorian
wildlife-rich waters of the Shetlands be,” explains the Rutland-based of the East Midlands countryside, style Rochat
to the hidden coves, precipitous artist, “but we have a little wooden Angela’s more permanent surrounds Albion Press
clifftops and sparkling beaches of boat we keep on the Suffolk coast, still feed into her art – and it is these
Cornwall, the UK’s varied shores are and we spend quite a bit of the scenes that have remained at the
a ceaseless source of inspiration summer on that. That’s the watery heart of her output.
for a landscape painter. element that inspires my work.”
Perhaps the only way to trump As an art student in the early
this vision for many artists would “You always see nature very 1980s, however, it was the more
be to have a loved one at the helm closely when you’re on the water gruesome aspects of rural life that
and a sketchbook to hand. And for with it,” she adds. “It gives you time caught her attention. Cycling through
as well. When I’m on the boat I can country lanes from her home in
Melton Mowbray to Leicester

Artists & Illustrators 35

IN THE STUDIO

3 Angela’s Polytechnic (now De Montfort 3 jigsaw puzzles, tote bags, calendars
Fishing Otter University), she would collect the and more, all available to buy on her
appears on carcasses of dead animals, using them two printing methods that require a website. It’s a demand that’s grown
greetings cards as fodder for her drawing practice. more realistic mode of mark making. since pivoting to focus solely on her
and tea towels It’s possible to spot their influence in own art in 2008 (the year she also
Despite the morbid subject the lines and patterning of Angela’s fully transitioned from etching to
matter, her dedication to honing her work. “How you stylise the imagery linocut and screenprinting) and she
draughtmanship laid a very strong you’re using becomes a natural sort now employs a small merchandising
foundation for the signature graphic of expression of what you’re trying to team who work in a second garden
style in her linocut and silkscreen say in the picture,” she notes. studio built next to her original one.
prints. “I don’t think all the
observational drawing I did as a And today the illustrator is using Before turning to art full time,
student is lost on what I do today her glorious artworks to communicate Angela kept up her practice on the
because all that actual core drawing the joy and magic of “comforting side while working in a variety of
comes out in stylised work,” she says. English pastoral scenes”. Plus, there’s roles, from volunteering at a crafts
“You can tell when people haven’t got an ensemble cast of otters, hares, unit in a rehab centre in Bangladesh
drawing behind them.” whippets and foxes, as well as a to teaching undergrads at De
menagerie of birds – all alive and well. Montfort University and being a
Also feeding into her current director at Leicester Print Workshop.
practice are the two decades spent Angela has become one of Britain’s One exception was when she took a
prioritising etching and drypoint – most popular artists, but she doesn’t four-year break from printmaking
just sell prints. Her images also while commissioning other artists for
appear on tea towels, notebooks, projects on board cruise ships. Yet, it
was this consultancy position that
gave her the confidence to turn her
art into a career.

“It was the other side, as you
might say, but it was actually really
informative [in terms of] how to be
a practising artist,” she explains.

“I saw how people were making a
living from what they were doing and
how they were using their practice
professionally. It gave me a real
insight into how you didn’t have to
be an amateur all the time.”

Bookworms might also recognise
Angela’s illustrations from gracing
covers of their favourite reads. Her
prints front 22 new editions of crime
novels by the author PD James, as
well as James Rebanks’ English
Pastoral, which recently won the
Wainwright Prize for UK Nature
Writing, and, perhaps most
recognisably of all, Raynor Winn’s
much-loved memoir, The Salt Path.

Storytelling appears to be at the
heart of Angela’s illustrations, and
although adding a narrative element
is not always something that she’s
conscious of, it could be a reason
why she is regularly commissioned
by publishers.

Her evocative work has certainly
caught the attention of the Little,
Brown Book Group, who she has
worked with to publish A Year
Unfolding – the first book dedicated
solely to her artworks.

Along with some personal prose,
the illustrations take the reader on

36 Artists & Illustrators

IN THE STUDIO

4 Summer Fox
at Marske Hall
recalls the work
of Eric Ravilious
5 The festive
Scottish Robins
is available in
an edition of 75

4

I don’t like illu strations with too much What’s crucial for this success
going on… I prefer it when there’s is the strength of the composition
something looking you in the eye but, when it comes to printmaking,
there are a few factors that curb the
a journey through the four seasons, arrangement of a work. “You’re
limited by the size of the press and
5 giving context to certain pieces and the size of the paper,” explains the
artist, “but I find that a creative thing.
revealing how ideas always arise from Even though you’re restricting your
her own experiences, even when scale, it makes you more concise.”
creating for a commission.
So how does Angela plan her
As any freelancer knows, conflicts compositions?
of interest are unavoidable. For
Angela, this friction usually surrounds “Usually with printmaking, artists
the notion of what makes a good do a drawing, then grid it up and use
image. “Sometimes you get a brief, carbon paper to trace it out, but I
and you think how am I going to do don’t do that at all,” she says.
that, as they’ve asked for so many
elements,” she admits. Instead, she will use chalk to draw
directly onto the block of lino or vinyl.
“I don’t like it when there’s too “I keep it very free. Then when I’ve got
much going on. It’s too jarring… I like the drawing as I want it, I will go over
it when there’s more of a focus on it with permanent ink and then I’ll
one thing, when there’s something start cutting. But often the cutting
looking you in the eye. They’re the changes from the drawing, so it’s not
ones I think are more successful.” confined by that drawing.”

Once Angela has cut her design
into the surface of this key block,
she then uses it to trace and cut

Artists & Illustrators 37

IN THE STUDIO

6 Angela
checks the
progress of her
latest print
7 Winter Hares
in Conversation
has a limited
colour palette

6

All that core drawing I did as
a student comes out in stylised
work... You can tell when people
haven’t got that behind them

7

a stencil for each individual layer of
colour in a single print. The stencils
then guide where each colour of ink
is printed onto plain sheets of paper.

Each layer is overprinted before the
original key block returns for a final
layer of oil-based, black ink, adding
a sheen that contrasts with the flat,
matt coverage of the water-based
coloured inks.

The colour palette is another

8 feature Angela narrows down in order

38 Artists & Illustrators

to give an illustration strength. When larger works are called for, with her husband and whippets in the 8 Angela’s
Picking just four or five per artwork, however, the illustrator teams up with background), the focus is very much illustrations
the hues are always reflective of the Dan Bugg at Yorkshire’s Penfold on the ominous gaze of the swan in feature on a
British countryside, with a roster of Press. After cutting up the stencils, the foreground. range of recent
spring greens, burnt oranges, dusty she will then send them to Dan, who book jackets
blues and earthy browns helping to will perform the printing and “The character of the swan is quite 9 Southwold
evoke the marvels of the natural world. editioning up. formidable,” she notes. “I think maybe Swan perhaps
the swan represents me.” represents the
The machinery behind much of her One example of a work printed at artist herself
output is a modern replica of an 1828 Penfold Press is Southwold Swan. You can see her point. Angela is
Harry F Rochat Albion Press, which Although rich in both descriptive and a formidable talent and her lyrical,
takes centre stage in her studio personal detail (that’s Angela’s boat engaging and exquisite prints inspire
alongside a smaller etching press. moored in the harbour as she walks the utmost of respect for her craft.
www.angelaharding.co.uk

Artists & Illustrators 39



MASTERCLASS

PiMcAtKuINrGes

Rather than just paint a pet portrait, TERENCE CLARKE wanted
to make more of a chance encounter. He shows you how to take

charge of your subject and create a true work of art

Terence's I t’s hard to define what it is about a
materials subject that makes you chose it as a
starting point. This painting of a cat is
• Paints an interesting example.
Yellow Ochre, Vermilion Hue, Animals are not my usual subject matter
Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Green but as soon as I saw this stray feline [right],
and Titanium White, all I knew I had to paint her. I was on a walk
Daler-Rowney System 3 when she stepped out on to the path. What
acrylics; Yellow Ochre, was interesting was the purely abstract
Lemon Yellow, Cadmium qualities of her unusual markings – there
Yellow Medium, Vermilion, was a tremendous graphic punch to the
Quinacridone Magenta, black and white.
Phthalo Green Warm, The very form of the cat's sleek body and
Prussian Blue, French almost comic-book markings on her face
Ultramarine and Titanium were very attractive elements for picture
White, all Sennelier Finest making. I made one or two very quick
Artists oils drawings then, obviously, took a couple
• Brushes of photos to capture the constantly
Rosemary & Co Ivory moving elegance of her form. There was
filberts, sizes 2, 3, 5 and 6 a personality and quirkiness about her
• Support that I liked. It was also a challenge to paint
Gerstaecker primed cotton something that was unfamiliar.
canvas, 38x56cm Doing something different is always a
• Palette knife good way of refreshing your approach and
• Sketchbook developing your openness to new ideas
• Compressed and subjects.
charcoal You will see, however, that by using the
photo and drawings as a starting point, this
was very much a constructed composition. ORIGINAL PHOTO
An exercise in picture making; far more
than just a cute little cat.
www.terenceclarke.co.uk

Artists & Illustrators 41

MASTERCLASS

1 Sketch your subject 2 Draw in acrylic
I began by making a super quick sketchbook drawing of I began drawing the image onto my canvas using thinned acrylic paint.
my first encounter with the cat using compressed charcoal. Because acrylic dries very quickly, it is useful for making rapid changes as
After a quick line drawing on the right, I then drew a pose the drawing develops. I was working over a warm Vermilion-and-Yellow-Ochre
that I thought might work for the composition. ground with a mix of Phthalo Green and Phthalo Blue acrylic to draw with.

I used the compressed charcoal in a very fluid way and You can see from the line work how I was changing the position of the head
drew without taking my eyes off the subject. This is almost and the drawing of the ear. At this stage, everything is fluid and open.
impossible to get right, but somehow through experience you
get something. This quick compositional pose became the
basis of the whole painting.

3 Set the tones 4 Let things develop
After more work on the acrylic washes, I let the whole I was using thick, impasto oil paint throughout this painting, applied
thing dry thoroughly before starting with the oil paint. I chose over the thin acrylic washes. You can see here how the drawing of the
an underpainting that was very mid-toned as this allowed me to head was quite weak. It’s difficult getting to grips with the unfamiliar
come in with bolder more contrasted tones and feed them into proportions of animal heads – it was almost as if I was painting too much
the drawn image. These subdued tones of the underpainting will of a human face here. This will need correcting as the painting develops.
help to hold the image together as I develop the painting later on.
Don’t be afraid of a bit of a mess at the beginning though, let the
42 Artists & Illustrators painting build and develop.

Top tip

Always soften the
stark brightness
of neat white paint
with a few touches

of colour

5 Soften the contrasts 6 Define forms
Here I was applying thick Titanium White oil paint The background shapes and patterns helped to define the form of the
which has been mixed with a little Yellow Ochre to soften cat. I wanted the arabesque shapes to somehow suggest the movement of
the contrasts. the body, while the sweep of the tail gave a sense of the live quality of the
actual animal.
I was also developing the painting in its own right, rather
than just copying the photographic source. The use of strong At this point, I noticed some real problems with the drawing of the legs and
purple shadows and accents of Phthalo green enlivened the the head. There was an almost puppet-like quality to the face, which I didn’t
background and gave a much more interesting context to the like at all. It’s usually halfway through a picture that the problems arrive, and
space around the cat than my original photo. I used a sketch you have to tackle them with courage.
from my garden to help develop this idea too.

7 Pare things back 8 Rework the drawing
I used a palette knife to scrape back the paint on the left leg and I had somehow made the left leg far too long, so
then used some thin Prussian Blue oil to redraw the right leg. The positions I decided to completely redraw the front legs.
of both legs were just slightly out but adjusting them made all the difference
to the actual pose of the moving cat. When drawing, it’s quite common to draw what you think
you know, rather than what you can actually see. I’d
It’s always my experience that tackling the problems “head on” in a somehow assumed that both legs were the same length but
painting is the best method for achieving good results. Never leave anything of course the photo showed something much more subtle.
you know to be weak or inaccurate – it will live in the painting forever and
always disappoint you. This redrawing also brought the front leg to the very
edge of the composition which was much better too.

Artists & Illustrators 43

MASTERCLASS

9 Use artistic licence 1 0 Focus on brushwork
I continued to build the background, using thickly applied colour to I finally reworked the head, gradually teasing the
define the tail. I also used a little artistic licence by adding one small drawing with paint. This was a delicate process because
spot to the markings. I agonised over this, but in the end the graphic I wanted to keep the brushwork fresh and lively, while also
necessity of that one spot was too important to the composition. improving the forms.
Ultimately, I was making a work of art, not a pet portrait, so the quality
of the image was my primary concern. You will notice that the paint quality moves from very thin
translucent darks, to thick, fat highlights. This is a classic oil
painting technique. Notice too that the thick brushstrokes
behind the head suggest fur, rather than describing it in detail.

Top tip

Avoid using tubes
of black paint
– mixing darks
allows you to

modulate colour
and add interest

11 Mix blacks 12 Add final touches
This really shows how to enliven black as a colour. Essential to any successful painting is its abstract
I never use a tube of black paint, preferring to mix one instead. design. A final flourish of colour adds to the spatial context
Here I mixed a “black” using Prussian Blue, Vermillion and a and energises the painting.
little Phthalo Green. This meant I could modulate the black,
adding slightly more of one colour in places to push the mix The cat was primarily black and white, so I needed to enrich
into subtle changes of hue. Black itself is a beautiful colour the background. I used Vermilion and with a touch of Lemon
but even a mixed black has to be handled with care and Yellow to sketch in the geraniums from my garden. These
subtlety or it can completely deaden a painting. sudden flashes of colour draw the viewer’s eye across the
composition, adding to the sense of the cat’s movement.
44 Artists & Illustrators

MALVE RN GARDE N BUILDINGS

A dedicated space where you can experiment away from rooms which lend themselves to many uses – an office, a
prying eyes will encourage you to take creative risks and music room, an art studio and more.
help grow your artistic confidence.
Pictured above is the Studio Pavilion (or “Shoffice Plus”
Malvern Garden Buildings supply a collection of luxury as it is affectionally known to the Malvern Garden
outdoor buildings, including summerhouses, garden Buildings team), a favourite with artists and families,
offices, greenhouses and sheds, all designed and built to offering extra room to work or paint from home and
the highest standards and specification. You can fitting neatly parallel to a boundary fence.
experience the full range of premium garden buildings
by visiting one of the eleven Malvern Garden Buildings This high end, multi-tasking garden building offers a
show sites across the UK. shed, office and open-sided deck for outdoor dining and
relaxing. It boasts double-glazed windows, five-lever
Available in a diverse range of sizes, Malvern Garden mortice locks and high-quality timber finished in your
Buildings’ garden studios are versatile, multi-functional choice of colours.

To find out more and request a brochure, visit www.malverngardenbuildings.co.uk

PRINCIPLES OF DEPTH

6. Detail
& Pattern

In this sixth and final instalment of his series,
Figure Drawing author JAKE SPICER looks
at how detail can be used to emphasise a
sense of depth in a picture

Iwanted to conclude our sketchers imply space in a
examination of the principles crowded street scene, with
of depth by showing you how detailed likeness picked out in
the manifestation of detail nearby faces, giving way first to an
can emphasise an impression anonymous pattern of simplistic
of space on the picture plane. heads and then to the amorphous
Informed by the limitations of our blob of the crowd itself.
own vision, we expect to see more
detail and clarity in the nearby Like the effects of atmospheric
elements of a picture, and less perspective, the influence of detail
detail and clarity in the distant on our perception of depth stems
elements. from our direct visual experience
By introducing more individual of the world but it can also be
expression to close subjects and manipulated to exaggerate or
allowing distant subjects to recede, underplay that depth, as well as
first into repeating pattern, then being used to draw the attention
into shapes of unified tone or of a viewer.
colour, we can emphasise the
impression of depth. While photographs are often
This third principle of illusory limited to a single point of focus,
depth, alongside diminution and drawings and paintings are fictions
atmospheric perspective, is often bound by fewer limitations. We
overlooked because it seems so can use concentrations of detail
very obvious. Using concentrations to draw the viewer’s eye through a
of detail as a visual cue is as scene, presenting multiple points
much about your choice of subject of focus where required.
and vantage point as it is about
the manner in which that subject The more time we spend
is rendered. drawing a particular part of a
It is this principle of depth- subject, the harder we look at it
through-detail which informs the and the more detail we tend to
propensity for landscape artists see, while the areas where our
to frame a view with foreground hand and eye rest more lightly
foliage – leaves hanging from remain generalised or hastily
boughs above or grasses rendered.
springing from the ground below.
The same principle helps urban So, detail can simultaneously be
an indicator of depth, a device for
drawing the attention of a viewer,
and an indicator of where the
artist chose to dwell.

RIGHT The four tips that follow
show the ways in which I
incorporated illusory depth
into this woodland drawing

46 Artists & Illustrators

PRINCIPLES OF DEPTH

TIPS

Here are some elements to consider
if you are using concentrations of
detail to imply depth in your images.

Tip 1: Express yourself

We typically see nearby subjects
with the greatest clarity, allowing
us to discern individual variations
of similar elements.
In this example, I wanted to draw a
subject in detail to make it appear
close, so I’ve picked out the individual
textures of bracken, grass and fallen
oak leaves at my feet.

The same attention could be
applied to the nearby extremities
of a foreshortened figure in a life
class, picking out the hairs on the
head of a reclining model, or the
grain of wood on the nearby table
of an interior scene.

Artists & Illustrators 47

Tip 2: Select patterns Tip 3: Unify elements

As groups of similar subjects or masses of repeating shapes As we become unable to discern the differences between the
recede from us, they take on an increasingly uniform pattern. individual elements of a distant mass, the shape of the whole
Pattern serves as both a practical device for faster recording of becomes more important.
the view and a visual device to suggest distance, drawing the Here the aim is to mass together distant areas of an image into
attention of the viewer through the space rather than inviting simple shapes. Just as the coloured dots in a pointillist painting
them to dwell on the individual elements of that space. mix optically as we stand back from them, colours and patterns
which might have had individual identity up close become unified
In this example, I wanted to find a shorthand for grouped into shapes at a distance.
subjects in the midground of an image. The individual leaves of
the foreground receded into dashes of sanguine conte crayon in We see the same device regularly employed in comic strips and
the midground. The grass was suggested with a repeated graphic novels, with figures standing just behind a main character
shorthand of marks that speak of overall texture rather than simplified into shapes of colour and the buildings and trees of the
recording specific stems. background unified into a single shape of skyline or forest.

Tip 4: Alter focus

The principles of detail that can be used as an indicator
of depth can also be used to draw the eye to a particular
part of a scene.
Our eyes are drawn to visual complexity. Photographers and
filmmakers use a camera’s short depth of field to ensure that
the viewer’s eye is drawn to the subject, which appears in sharp
focus while the rest of the frame remains blurred.

While we can replicate these effects in our drawings, it is
important to remember that they are not the effects of human
perception, but an element of visual language that we have
learnt to read through watching films and looking at photographs.

By spending more time on one part of a drawing than another,
we naturally draw the viewer’s eye to that area of greater detail
where our pencil dwelt for longer, allowing brief mark making to
replace the camera’s blur as an indicator of detail.

48 Artists & Illustrators

PRINCIPLES OF DEPTH

EXERCISE Drawing 1: Push

Push and Pull In the first drawing your aim is to use the visual cues of detail to maximise the
sense of depth in your image, rendering nearer subjects in individual details,
Each of the principles of depth we have looked allowing distant elements to fall into pattern and simplifying the most distant
at in the articles in this series – diminution, elements into shapes of tone or colour.
atmospheric perspective and detail – can be
used as tools for emphasising or reversing
illusory depth on the picture plane.

Once you have a grasp of these principles
and are able to recognise them in your
subject you can start to play with them in
your images, magnifying the effects of
perspective to exaggerate the illusion of depth
or reducing the expected effects of perspective
to deliberately flatten an image. You’ll see
this push and pull in the work of artists who
combine representationalism with abstraction
– in Gustav Klimt’s landscape paintings or the
imaginative tableau of Paula Rego,
for example.

We can take the shape-based principles
of diminution like foreshortening and
linear perspective and combine them with
observationally accurate, downplayed or
exaggerated atmospheric perspective to play
with our viewer’s perceptions. In this exercise,
the aim is to explore how much control you
can exercise over the illusion of depth on
the picture plane, “pushing” deeper into
the pictorial space or “pulling” the receding
shapes back into the two-dimensional plane
of the paper like a drawbridge. Make two
drawings from the same subject, one that
“pushes” into the picture plane, and another
that “pulls” the shapes towards the viewer.
Next month: Jake looks at detail and pattern.
www.jakespicerart.co.uk

READER OFFER – SAVE £9! Drawing 2: Pull
Artists & Illustrators readers can buy
Jake’s new book, Figure Drawing, for a In the second drawing, you will need to reverse the visual effects of detail in the
reduced price of £16, including UK P&P. drawing to limit the illusion of depth in the image, rendering distant elements in
Order by calling (01235) 759555 and the same level of detail as nearby elements. Think of it as if the view laid out in
front of you were a drawbridge that you were pulling up until everything you can
quoting the code: “9952100052”. see is flat to the picture plane, making the image more about pattern and the
Offer ends 20 January 2022. composition of shapes than about the illusion of depth.

Artists & Illustrators 49

TECHNIQUE

CGolroeuyrfsul

Whether you choose to use pre-mixed neutral colours or
blend bolder hues together, HASHIM AKIB shows how to

create interest in the duller parts of a painting

Dining Out, Compton Street,
acrylic on canvas, 61x76cm
The addition of Neutral Grey suited
this rainy scene and allowed
warmer colours to draw you in.