Artists & Illustrators 02.2022

TECHNIQUE

Evening Sunshine Stroll, A GUIDE TO GREYS
Moor Street, acrylic on
canvas, 61x76cm First we have pre-mixed greys that you can
Creating subtle shadow buy off the shelf of your local art shop. Using
greys by mixing blues and
reddish browns allowed a selection of different pre-mixed greys at
me to be adventurous least allows you to vary the temperature and
with colour elsewhere. hue of your greys, rather than just relying on

a mix of black and white. Pre-mixed greys
can speed up your process and also let

brighter colours pop against them.

Neutral Grey Warm Grey Payne’s Grey

Generally, I prefer mixing my own greys from
a simple blend of Cobalt Blue and Burnt

Sienna. This results in a dark grey that I can
adapt to provide a range of interesting greys:

I can lighten this mix by adding Titanium
White, warm it up with more Burnt Sienna,

or cool it down with more Cobalt Blue.

When you’re starting out on your to mix neutral, earthy and grey shades from Cobalt Blue + Burnt Sienna = Grey
painting journey, it is easy to pure colours. This way I have more control
become nervous of bright over the temperature by adjusting quantities The blue and orange of the Cobalt and
colours. Less confident artists of colour. That said, every so often I’ll include Sienna act as complementary colours –
often rely upon certain neutral colours in their a new addition to my palette to freshen up they are opposite each other on the colour
palette as they easily transform stronger tube my work. The latest was Neutral Grey from wheel and when combined they form a
colours by desaturating, tinting or darkening the Amsterdam range by Royal Talens – it’s grey mix. You can try creating all manner
them. These neutral pigments include Flesh light enough not to dominate mixes, yet of interesting colourful greys by adding
Tint, Buff Titanium, Warm Grey, Payne’s Grey potent enough to tame richer colour. together any two complementary colours.
and Neutral Grey and they help to create an
earthy, naturalistic look in a painting without Neutral colours are necessary as they help Cobalt Blue + Azo Orange = Grey
bolder colour clashes. Burnt Umber is to anchor saturated colour as well as create
another popular choice for less experienced a calming presence, but a reliance on the Primary Magenta + Phthalo Green = Grey
artists, who use it liberally in mixes with pre-mixed neutrals can stifle your evolution
other colours to create darks and neutrals. as an artist as you’ll miss out on exploring Azo Yellow + Permanent = Grey
These are quick fixes though. A better and pushing your own boundaries of colour.
understanding of your options when it comes Like most elements in art, it’s about having Lemon Blue Violet
to neutral colours – and greys in particular the discipline to use the component parts
– will improve your paintings no end. sparingly to create balance.

The main issue is that these pre-mixed When using acrylics, it’s best not to heavily
neutrals can generally suck the life out of dilute any neutral colour with water when it
colour mixes and lend a flat appearance is mixed with other colours as this will dull
to artworks. Most of the time this can be the results. Likewise, overly mixing can also
disguised with sharper drawing or an deaden the mix. Try to under-mix colours on
emphasis on tonal ranges, but I prefer your palette so they’ll activate a little more
when applied to paper or canvas.

Artists & Illustrators 51

TECHNIQUE

EXERCISE Hashim's materials

Street Contrasts • Paints
Azo Yellow Lemon, Azo Yellow
For this Malta street scene, Medium, Azo Orange, Pyrrole Red,
I used grey to passively Primary Magenta, Ultramarine
manoeuvre brighter colours Violet, Permanent Blue Violet,
into a softer hue. I also Greenish Blue, Brilliant Blue,
picked up several slightly Phthalo Blue, Cobalt Blue
under-mixed colours on (Ultramarine), Prussian Blue
my brush at any one time, (Phthalo), Phthalo Green, Yellow
so some mixing happened Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Neutral Grey
as the paint was applied and Titanium White, all Amsterdam
to canvas. Standard acrylics
• Brushes
Quantities of grey Daler-Rowney Skyflow large flat
required will vary and need brushes, sizes 1/2”, 1”, 1.5” and 2”
practice to get right but aim • Support
to use more at the start of Stretched cotton canvas, 60x75cm
your painting to create a • Mixing tray
better overall balance. You • Water pot
can then make colours pop
later by using pure versions
of your lightest lights and
darkest darks.

12

3 4
52 Artists & Illustrators

5

1 This sunny side street in Malta had some loose and frenetic to create energy but also the sky became darker. One of the
potent lights and darks. I used Neutral to avoid becoming precious about the scene. advantages of using a vibrant palette is that
Grey to link the two by adding quantities to shifting colours still retain much of their
both my cool and warm colours. As the grey 3 Once the colours had been applied, strength even when neutrals are added.
was neither too light or too dark, it acted as I could introduce more Titanium White
a mid-tone and evened out the balance of into the mixes for the lighter tints. Neutral 5 I made tints of earlier mixes, ranging
the scene. I was careful to only use small Grey was also added in very small amounts. from Azo Yellow Lemon mixed with
amounts of grey to avoid dulling the colour. The yellow highlights could have been easily Titanium White to small dabs of Brilliant
swamped by white and grey so Yellow Ochre Blue. Away from the focal points, very small
2 I used plenty of ochres, yellows and and Azo Yellow Medium played a large part amounts of Neutral Grey were added to the
oranges with touches of green, blue and in the mixes. Likewise, the cyan of the car tints to make them less prominent, while the
violet to create lively mixes for the warmer could easily dominate the light grey, so the same colour helped to define the scaffolding.
areas, adding an occasional dab of grey to lighter road contained more Azo Orange and
neutralise the colour. The Neutral Grey ran Burnt Sienna for balance. I finished by putting aside the greys and
through the cooler colours that represented using purer colours to create lighter highlights
the shaded areas, this time mixed with mostly 4 I mixed Brilliant Blue, Titanium White and more intense darks. Definition was
blues, violets, greens and Burnt Sienna. and a touch of Azo Yellow Lemon for the applied to doorways and windows, while the
These early applications were deliberately lighter part of the sky, adding a dab of grey as exuberant initial marks still penetrated.
www.hashimakib.co.uk

Artists & Illustrators 53

WashesIN-DEPTH
AND GLAZES

Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide
to creating all manner of washes and glazes, plus shows
how they can be incorporated into your next masterpiece

A watercolour wash is a thin application of MULTILAYERING WASHES
pigment mixed with water; there are many
types, each with unique effects. A glaze is In this painting, the artist has overlapped washes in a
when a wash is placed over existing dried variety of colours to bring out the subject’s tonal values.
washes to strengthen colour and tone. The colours bleed into each other, adding dimension and
depth to the face. Around the neckline, layers of flat washes
The transparency created by layering and with more controlled edges complete the composition.
mixing colours is unique to watercolour painting
and, with a bit of practice, can produce
beautiful results. Both washes and glazes
require the same three ingredients: water,
pigment, and paper.

The strength of a wash will vary depending on
the proportion of water to pigment. For example,
for rich colour you would add more pigment, or
to achieve delicate colour, more water is added
to produce a weaker mix. Glazes, on the other
hand, are always weak and transparent, as their
purpose is to alter subtly the colour or tone of
layers that they are applied to. The thinness of
a glaze will affect the way it dries and the effect
this produces.

Washes can be applied to dry, damp, or wet
paper – this will affect the outcome, as will the
paper’s texture, weight, and sizing. The smoother
the surface, the better it will show detail, while
a rougher surface allows for more characterful
washes and looser detail. The paper’s
absorbency also affects the result. Heavier,
more absorbent paper produces softer effects
than lighter paper, which dries more quickly.

You can also control the effect of your wash
by tilting the paper after applying a layer of
colour. Rough paper often causes the pigment
in the wash to granulate (form into particles);
smoother surfaces tend to allow the paint to
run freely in all directions when tilted, so
control is needed.

54 Artists & Illustrators

IN-DEPTH

TYPES OF WASH

You can create a huge variety of effects by changing the amount of water and pigment, the dampness
of the paper, using a rougher or smoother surface, and applying paint with a wet or dry brush.

• Dry brush washes create a textured effect by using very little • A flat wash is a smooth application of even colour, which is laid
paint on the brush. Brush strokes look “broken”, which rough paper on dry paper with lots of paint loaded onto the brush. It is ideal for
will exaggerate. This effect is especially good for impressionistic large areas of background, such as a blue sky, but can also be used
depictions of nature and for creating a feeling of spontaneity for a simple foreground, as shown here, or for laying blocks of rich
in a portrait or a still life detail. colour for strength and depth.

• Graduated washes fade from strong to weak colour. This is • Wet-in-wet washes are applied to paper that’s wet (either with
achieved by adding more water to dilute the colour as the wash clean water or another wash of colour) to create soft edges. This is
is applied, and by tilting the paper to encourage the pigment to a versatile technique for both landscapes and portraits. The wetter
disperse. They are ideal for creating a sense of distance the surface, the more the paint will spread and the less control you
in landscapes. have over the outcome.

Some pigments give Glazes are
a grainy appearance, useful for
adding texture achieving tone
and balance

• Granulated wash • Glazed wash
This technique works best on medium or rough textured paper. A glaze enhances washes by adding or changing colour variations. Its
It uses the natural granulation of pigment particles in the paint to success relies on the transparency of the washes. Keep to a maximum
give interesting textures to washes that may otherwise appear flat. of three glazes to prevent the pigment from appearing dulled.

Artists & Illustrators 55

IN-DEPTH

Colours blend Wet-in-wet
into each
other to set
the tone

• Variegated wash
This is where colours bleed into one another. Use a variegated
wash for a first layer – or underpainting – of a landscape, and for
portraits, where light and colour effects can enhance character.
It is particularly effective on a smooth paper surface.

Separated
washes can
add layers
of depth to
your work

• Separated washes
Mixed pigments in some paints can separate into different colours
when combined in a wet-in-wet wash. When used with bright colours,
the effect is excellent for florals, still lifes, and even for the
impression of foreground detail in landscapes.

GRANULATING PIGMENTS

Different colours, brands, and grades of paint vary widely in their granulating
properties. Cheaper watercolours, such as student grade paints, often
contain less pigment so don’t granulate as well as professional grade paints.

Light red French Ultramarine Mix of the two

Mixing certain pigments together can encourage granulation and enhance the effect.

Dry brush Glazed wash

56 Artists & Illustrators

IN-DEPTH

APPLYING THE TECHNIQUES

A combination of washes in this landscape produce detail
and depth. Dry brush washes add small details on the
land; flat washes depict large features such as the hillside;
a separated wash suggests shrubbery; while a granulated
wash brings detail to clouds, and glazes add tone.

Here, a graduated wash
moves from darker
to lighter, producing
reflections in the water
that give a sense of depth.

Flat wash Variegated wash Granulated wash Separated wash

Artists & Illustrators 57

IN-DEPTH

WET-ON-DRY Wet-on-dry is used
here to achieve
Layering colour washes over dried ones is a layers of intense
classic method for building up a colour and defined
watercolour painting. Overlaying washes in shapes, giving a
successive layers in this way creates sense of movement.
intense areas of colour and detail.

Painting wet-on-dry allows good control
over brush strokes because the paint will
not flow beyond the edges of the shape
you’ve painted, making it ideal for creating
detailed and defined shapes. With this
technique, you can either paint flat, uniform
shapes by applying wet paint onto dry
paper; or you can apply wet paint over
areas of dry paint; or you can paint shapes
of variegated colour that vary in hue, tone,
and intensity.

Working wet-on-dry requires patience
because previously laid paint can be easily
disturbed. Always allow each wash to dry
and don’t be too vigorous when adding new
layers of paint.

CONTROLLING EDGES BLENDING HIGHLIGHT LAYERS BENEATH

Hard, crisp edges are created when you Working wet-on-dry gives you more control Removing layers of paint is a useful
paint on dry paper or paint, giving the illusion when blending colours. With wet-in-wet, new technique to create subtle highlights in
of both nearness and depth. Areas of light colour laid into wet paint connects the two watercolour paintings.
and dark are clearly defined, as are the as the fresh colour flows into the first wash.
sharp edges, which brings parts of your With wet-on-dry, you still have the control of • Lifting out
work into focus. flat washes but with added visual interest. Using a damp brush, tissue, or sponge to lift
out areas of paint will form a textured
highlight that adds dimension and visual
interest.

Start with light values and work towards darker Paints with
layers. Keep overpainting to a minimum so as not staining qualities
will leave some
to overwork or muddy the painting.
colour behind

1. To control the edges of your painted shape, CREATING INTENSITY Lifting out when a wash is dry gives harder edges
wait for the previous layer of paint to dry than the diffused effect made when lifting wet paint.
When you paint small passages of paint on
completely before applying more paint on top. top of another layer of dry paint, you are in • Scraping out
essence using glazing techniques to create You can achieve a sharper highlight by
new colours. Layering paint in this way is scraping off layers of paint as it dries –
useful for altering the colour and intensity of scraping out when the wash is still too wet will
your painting, and it is ideal for building up result in colours running back into the area.
flesh tones or layers of foliage.

Reveal the lighter
areas beneath
scraped layers

2. Stop colours bleeding into surrounding areas Where each new layer overlaps, the optical mix Experiment with different tools to scrape. Try a
by using only the amount of water on your brush creates a new colour and adds to the overall tone. credit card, plastic spoon, palette knife, and more.

needed for it to glide easily over the surface.

58 Artists & Illustrators

IN-DEPTH

WET-IN-WET Add a stiffer mix of
pigment to a wet wash
Commonly used with watercolours, this technique describes adding to darken, yet soften,
pigment or water to an existing wash on paper that has not reflections and create
completely dried. It is a must-have skill for watercolour painting. moodiness

The wet-in-wet technique creates a soft and sensitive effect in • Creating hard and soft edges
watercolours, and beautifully complements harder edges or areas of Wet-in-wet can create diffused, soft edges, which tend to recede,
detail. Depending on how wet the first wash is and the consistency of helping harder edges to stand out. Aim for a balance of both in your
pigment in the second wash, the timing of adding the second wash is work; too many soft edges can lead to a lack of any obvious focal point,
crucial to its success. while too many hard edges can make a painting look overworked.

Successful paintings have a good balance between light and dark
tones. To change a tone in watercolour there are two techniques:
glazing (see page 54) and wet-in-wet. Wet-in-wet allows you to
control tone before the wash dries and lightens, making it an
effective method when time is short.

Flick water and wet paint The blue evening sky merges
into a damp wash to convey with the warm setting sun
heaths and scrubland for an overall soft and
atmospheric effect

• Suggesting detail • Merging colours
Watercolour can have an impressionistic quality while retaining Use wet-in-wet to merge two or more colours and achieve a
realistic detail. Wet-in-wet is a good technique for suggesting detail, variegated effect. Some pigments maintain their hue, while others
such as cornfields, thistles, sea spray, and beaches, without being dominate or combine to make new colours. Tilt the board to 45
too time-consuming. degrees to achieve this effect.

Wet-on-damp Using a wet wash on Spraying water
defines near hills soaking wet paper on a damp wash
suggests distant hills
is particularly
effective for
suggesting
reflections

• Building depth • Adding natural reflections
Paint dries much lighter when the wash is applied to a soaking A spray bottle can be used to add water to a strong damp wash,
wet area. To create depth, add the first wash to soaking wet paper. to create a very fluid, dynamic painting. To create a wet and misty
As the paper dries, add the same mix to bring parts of the effect, try tilting the paper before spraying so that the wash runs
foreground into focus. down the painting.

This is an edited extract from The Artist’s Manual by (ed.) Rob Pepper, published by Dorling Kindersley. www.dk.com

Artists & Illustrators 59



HOW I PAINT

Peter
Graham

This daring Glaswegian artist is a modern
successor to the Scottish Colourists and here
he shares his thoughts on bold brushwork,
pigment choices, and knowing when to stop

Born in Glasgow in 1959, There are plenty of far-flung
Peter Graham studied destinations in your paintings. Have
at Glasgow School of the travel restrictions of the last two
Art under a number of years changed your focus at all?
high-profile and influential My range of subjects takes me to the
tutors including Barbara Rae. south of France on a regular basis
After a short career as a film and then also the north of Scotland
editor at the BBC, he turned to – the Western Isles is a big part of the
painting full-time in 1986. work that I do. Then there’s
Cambridge, London, New York.
Peter was elected to the
Royal Institute of Oil Painters All the UK work is continuing but
in 2001, serving as vice the foreign work, that’s been put on
president for two years from hold and I’m not travelling to those
2004. He is also a member countries at the moment. And then, of
of the Paisley Art Institute. course, the studio work has become
He wrote a book, An the centre of my universe. That’s
Introduction to Painting Still been the progress. I always like to
Life, which was published by think of it as “progress” – you have to
David & Charles in 2002. have a positive outlook.

THIS IMAGE What shape has that progress taken?
Cambridge Style, Because I’ve had so much time on
my hands, I’ve been able to look more
oil on canvas, closely. I’ve been painting for 40
91x91cm years and I almost couldn’t imagine
I could dig deeper, but of course
painting is all about digging and
finding out. It’s an endless voyage

Artists & Illustrators 61

HOW I PAINT

BELOW Blue Vase, of discovery and this lockdown is no that, because it is hit or miss when You’d get the lovely ochres and
oil on canvas, different. You certainly start noticing you go at your subject with the alla whites of the sides of the buildings
86x86cm the minutiae – how important the prima approach. With the lockdown, blazing in the sunlight and then you’d
small decisions are within the I have found a renewed ability to get a band of violet below the pantile
painting and how crucial these small slow my thinking down and that bright orange, and that little break
differences are to it working or not. has brought in that subtlety – I’ve between the very light and the
harnessed it now and I’m very, shadow, that was a revelation to me.
Could you give an example of those very excited by it.
small differences? I love buildings and I love
One of the paintings in the recent ROI Are there certain qualities that you reflections so when the two things
show is called Blue Vase. It’s a large look for in a subject? come together, I’ve got a ready-made
still life that centres around this I’m looking for light and colour, they subject, then the interplay of light
beautiful Danish modernist vase. lead to my ideas. For example, when brings in the subtleties.
I would normally hesitate to start a I’m working outdoors, I’ll do a reccy
painting at this scale with a limited and I’ve got my favourite places I will Your watercolours are surprising.
subject matter. return to. I particularly remember It’s rare to see the medium used in
several years ago, there’s a particular such a saturated way…
But with the subtlety of the colour harbour that I paint in the south of Do you know the work of Shirley
blue, I was really able to observe and France at Menton and I really began Trevena? I met Shirley about 30 years
take my time and try out very subtle to paint the port morning, noon and ago and we had a great chat. I liked
contrasts. I’m not a person who night. I began to notice the noon light the way she glazed to get an intensity
usually considers and carefully plans was particularly exciting and it began of colour. My approach to watercolour
a painting, I like to attack a subject. to clip all the eaves of the rooftops. is not a purist’s approach. I like to use
However, there are down sides to very strong, rich pigment, I’ll ladle it
on, and I’ll use the heaviest paper –
it’s the 850gsm Arches paper, it’s the
heaviest that they do. I don’t stretch
it, but I can still do a wash or a glaze
and I’m not going to ripple the paper.

People say I have an oil approach
to watercolour and a watercolour
approach to oils. I’ll use thin layers of
oil and because they dry so quickly
you can glaze on top, you can get
“under” light quite quickly with oils.
With watercolour, I use a hairdryer I’m
afraid to say – it’s got to be bone dry,
otherwise you cannot layer it.

Will a subject lend itself to one
medium or the other?
The watercolours are better when
I’m travelling. If I’m over in the States,
I will work exclusively in watercolour
because you can get the stuff there.
In Britain, if I’m in a nice interior – I’ve
worked in the Savoy and Claridges
– and that is the only medium I could
possibly work with in those interiors.
With the oil, you’ve got to have the
clothes, the ability to store the work
and transport it, you know?

How does a painting typically begin?
I don’t draw my subject first [in
pencil]. I start with a broad brush and
sketch in my shapes using a neutral
colour – I might use the siennas, a
light yellow, or Terra Rosa, something
like that. I block in what I instinctively
feel is the compositional positioning.
I don’t like to give myself bits to

62 Artists & Illustrators

If I tighten up too early, I lose the and I like drawing with Conte [crayons]. ABOVE The Balcony
painterliness... It becomes a battle You can get that fantastic range of Table, watercolour
mark making – the most solid black on paper, 30x40cm
between drawing and painting right down to the subtlest soft tone.

“fill in” – I’ll come in with a broad will look like. The draughtsmanship Is drawing ever about testing out
brush so I can then move things comes more towards the end of ideas for compositions or is it just
around. The structure appears quite the work because if I tighten up too exercise: developing muscle memory
quickly and, once I’ve got it in my early, I lose the painterliness of my and keeping your eye in?
mind’s eye, then I can start anchoring composition and it can become I can sit down and make a small
things. It’s nearly all blocks of colour more of a drawn work. It becomes sketch of a composition, but I almost
and instead of drawing a line, I will a battle between the drawing and wouldn’t classify that as “drawing”.
paint a shape that will produce the painting. I would call that a “plan”, you know?
negative lines which can be very With drawing, I have consciously
useful when describing an object. Is there a place in your practice for moved away from using a pencil or an
sketchbooks at all? ink pen; I have moved to colour, and
When you say a large brush, what Yes. When I attended the Glasgow painting as if it were drawing, which
size are we talking? School of Art, I was really lucky to gives me as much information as
I quite like the little varnish brushes, benefit from the focus on drawing, I possibly can.
so about half-inch or an inch wide. particularly life drawing. Drawing sits
Using a broad brush gives you an at the core of what I do but I don’t When you’re painting with
early indication as to what the work exhibit that work. I keep sketchbooks watercolour, you can still draw with
the fine tip of a sable and get a lot of
work done that way. I’m a big fan of
Rodin or Renoir in that respect – the
use of line, a nice watercolour line.

Talking of brushwork, do you use
certain brushes for certain jobs

Artists & Illustrators 63

ABOVE Les in a painting? a sable for fine detail, and that is You’ve got that flexibility. I’d
Tuileries, oil on I love the chisel work of the flats – possibly right, but if I also felt that particularly wanted to explore the
canvas, 91x91cm that blocky mark making really suits something has worked, I’ll leave it. impact of the greenery of the leaves
what I am trying to do. I’m very A lot of painting is about recognising and the stems against a very hot
TOP RIGHT Du Café, interested in pointillism, but what has and hasn’t worked. background. It’s quite optical, so I
oil on canvas, pointillism is carefully planned out. had a particular idea that I wanted to
65x65cm Looking at the flowers in Blue Vase, make that jump out. The background
What I like is working instinctively you say a lot with very few marks. was done and dried and ready to
FAR RIGHT St Paul but making separate colour With a passage of bold marks such paint onto. That allowed me to
du Vence, oil on statements on the canvas, so you as that, are you ever removing paint create that very nice dynamic that
canvas, 76x76cm get an optical, pointillist effect that if you make a mistake? I can’t get when I am working wet
is a freer way of using the brush. With oil, you can just work on top. on wet.
So I might say to you that I use

64 Artists & Illustrators

HOW I PAINT

Less confident artists often shy away Ken Howard told me your palette for luck. I like the Old
from bold colour. Have you got any when you start dotting Holland Naples Yellow and the King’s
advice for handling multiple bold and dashing then it’s Blue is a cracker. I think their pinks
colours within a single work? time to stop painting are superb too.
I think you’ve just got to persevere
and if you’ve got a notion, you’ve just Your brushwork is really expressive,
got to push it. I discovered an artist but that seems like something that
called Matthew Smith, he was could be easily overworked. How do
described as the only English you know when to put the brush
colourist, he’s a very interesting down and stop painting?
painter and his work is saturated I’ve struggled with that, I still do when
colour, heavily saturated. I’m tired. Ken Howard told me an
amazing thing, which I really do use
I came across his work at an when I’m working. He said when
early point in my career and that gave you’ve got a big canvas in front of you
me confidence because I needed and it’s full of big marks, when you
role models in my life, and I didn’t tighten right down and you start
have any. I looked at Henri Matisse, dotting and dashing, doing little
obviously, but I didn’t feel his work marks, then it’s time to stop painting.
connected enough to what I was
doing at the time. There isn’t any science to it. There
are artists who have to turn their
One of your tutors was Barbara Rae, canvases to the wall because they
an artist who handles bold colour kept retouching them and then
really well in her own work. Was she sometimes you have work that just
helpful in that respect? sits in the studio and I’ll turn it around
Yes, Barbara Rae was a delight as a after six months and think I’ve got an
tutor. What I liked about her was that idea there. It might even take years
she didn’t criticise. A lot of the tutors to produce but it suddenly clicks.
at the School of Art criticised you and That’s the magic, isn’t it?
would say do it like this. Barbara Rae www.petergraham.org
was always positive with everything
and I enjoyed that. Artists & Illustrators 65

I was very lucky to be honest.
Tutors sit in the background of your
life and you can refer back to them if
you need a boost. The other thing I
always say about the Glasgow School
of Art is that they never taught you
anything – I used to get so annoyed
that I had to learn all of these
techniques from talking to other
artists. I thought people at art school
had taught me nothing and then it
dawned on me, that actually what
they taught me was to develop my
own style – and that’s everything.

Staying on colour, do you have a fixed
palette for every painting?
Generally speaking, I use the Winsor
& Newton colours and I’ve introduced
a couple of the Michael Harding
colours. I met Mike, a very interesting
man and wonderful colours he’s
producing. His whites are
tremendous, the Titanium White and
the Zinc White. They’re wonderful.

I use Old Holland paints as well but
only specific colours – I find one or
two just make sense to me. You get
attached to them, you have them in

PROJECT

DiaryVISUAL

Why not put the kettle on, pick up a pen, and try your
hand at keeping a “tea” diary? EMMA LEYFIELD shares
advice and tips to get you in good habits in the New Year

D iaries can have all sorts of commitment. In addition to this, numerous
purposes. With the growing artists and hobbyists aspire to regular
popularity of bullet journals, practice in the form of a daily sketchbook.
sketchbooks, and gratitude Many of these books end up unfinished –
diaries, their positive effect on mindfulness or worse, not started – tucked away on a
and mental health are widely promoted. bookshelf, first page still intimidatingly blank.
To keep a journal in some form is a popular How do you form this habit and stick to it?
ambition but rarely seen beyond the first few And how do you get past the first hurdle?
pages, which is understandable; writing an
entry every day can seem a daunting Tea diaries are a great solution to these
dilemmas and an example of how your daily

66 Artists & Illustrators

PROJECT

journal doesn’t have to take the standard HOW TO…
“Dear diary” format. MIX WATERCOLOURS

It is a well-known stereotype that the Watercolours have a reputation for being
British drink tea, and it is entirely true for notoriously tricky to use, but you can
many. We drink tea morning, noon, and
night; sometimes five cups a day. We drink speed up your progress by actively getting
it at work, in the garden, and on a train; to know your paints. Learning how your
we greet strangers with it and offer it to
loved ones, on good days, bad days, and paints mix – and dry – is important. When
truly awful days. It is this that makes it the searching for a specific colour, it’s all too
perfect companion to a diary. The routine easy to settle for the closest one in your
of regular tea (or coffee) breaks is already set, resulting in unrealistic depictions and
incorporated into our daily lives and
associated with the ups and downs which disappointing results. Here are three
that entails. You don’t need to start a new things you can try in your sketchbook...
habit from scratch, just alter your pre-
existing one with the inclusion of drawing. Next, try experimenting. See what
happens as you mix complementary
Tea diaries can be filled in a variety of colours or vary the water-to-paint ratio.
ways and I tend to mix them all together.
Some days, the motivation to draw First, test out all the colours you have Finally, dedicate a page to mixing colours
something or write about a bad day eludes in your palette. Make a swatch of each seen in your chosen subject: a shadow in
me. On these occasions, I take my mug the morning sun or the pale cream of a cup.
of tea and create a ring on the page, then for reference in your sketchbook – I do this before most pieces I embark on.
write a few words with the date to represent labelling them can be helpful.
my mood. This method adds great visual
intrigue, breaks up the text, and takes the
pressure off.

There’s no rule that you have to draw
every day, so don’t beat yourself up if you
miss one. I do recommend making a longer
drawing or painting at least once a week.
However, doing something small in your book
each day, with a few notes about what’s
going on inside your head, encourages the
habit. If you’re stuck worrying about the first
page, skip it and come back to it later, or
stick in a postcard that inspires you.

Artists & Illustrators 67

PROJECT

PROJECT is one of my favourite pastimes and I usually there are a variety of ways you can do this.
set out to do so in the time it takes to drink Try sticking in your tea packets or tags with
Tea diary my tea (although a longer sitting requires a annotations. The designs are often beautiful
refill). In itself, this is a productive exercise to and sometimes include sayings or uplifting
Aim create an illustrative still life, while improving comments. You can print your teabags or dry
and exploring observational drawing. This them to use the filter paper in a creative
To establish a routine of regular painting, isn’t limited to the realistic; small thumbnail manner, stitching them decoratively or
drawing, or sketching in the form of a visual images of decorative teacups, line drawings, priming them as a paint surface. To create a
journal. You may also include mindful and zen-doodle styles would also work to fill tea or coffee ring, take your mug and carefully
contemplation through written elements your diary with tea-based paraphernalia. spill a little of your beverage onto a saucer.
as an additional goal. Dip the base of your mug into this and
Cake and biscuits are a similar temptation. transfer it to the page, leaving behind a print.
Duration I often paint these while I’m waiting for the You could paint the base with watercolour for
first wash of my mug page to dry, with warm a stronger ring. A mixture of Raw and Burnt
20 minutes to one hour daily, or several siennas and touches of blue or violet. It is Sienna make an accurate tea colour.
times per week. invariably a joyful and indulgent painting;
a quick glimpse of an illustratable and Taking your diary to a café is a worthwhile
What you will need thoroughly delicious looking pastry is all the task. Stick in your receipt or pay-and-display
excuse I need to stop at a café and purchase ticket for good measure. Paint your chosen
An artist or student grade sketchbook and such a treat... purely for artistic purposes, beverage or take a photo for a later (longer)
any medium you choose. of course. This can be a nice way to improve study. For more of a challenge, try sketching
a particularly bad day; drawing and quiet the café and people nearby. Alternatively,
For my tea diaries, I have used: creativity is cathartic, and in the form of friends or family often settle at home with a
• A Royal Talens Art Creation 140gsm a regular journal, encompasses the mug of tea, making excellent, if fidgety, muses.
sketchbook, 12x12cm contentment you can find by writing your
• A black Uni PIN Fine Line pen, 0.3mm woes on the page. Tea diaries are fundamentally indulgent.
• Artist’s grade watercolours They can be adapted to your style and ability,
• A Rosemary & Co Kolinsky sable brush I’ve already touched on the use of whilst holding a lot of potential. Keeping one
• A pencil and rubber non-drawn elements in your tea diary and is a particularly good pursuit for those who
are inspired by visual journals but not
What you will learn confident enough to start a sketchbook.

In addition to basic observational drawing It’s your diary; no one else has to see it
and painting techniques, the most important and there are no rules. You can rip out pages
aspect of this project is the regular practice you don’t like, cover things up, make every
it entails, which is both the hardest and page beautiful, or fill the book with messy
most crucial part of improving a skill. sketches splattered with ink and tea. Mine
always include a few scruffy shopping lists
Process and mind-maps dotted between paintings;
they are never perfect.
There’s no right or wrong way to keep a www.valerian.co.uk
visual tea diary, but here are some
suggestions for subjects to try and
techniques to focus upon. Painting a mug

68 Artists & Illustrators

PROJECT

DAILY DRAWING TIPS

• Keep your sketchbook and your
travel art supplies with you at all
times – this could be a portable
watercolour set, or a single pencil.

• Draw and write spontaneously;
in a five-minute window waiting for
the kettle to boil, at a train station,

or waiting for a Zoom meeting.
Don’t worry if these end up

unfinished. Quick, rough sketches
often capture more than the ones

you pore over for hours.

• Use simple but good quality
materials. You don’t need to
spend much, but learning to draw
or paint using cheap materials
is like climbing a mountain in
shoes that give you blisters.
Make sure that your sketchbook
is one designed for artists, not a
supermarket own-brand one.

Artists & Illustrators 69

THEglazing
METHOD
70 Artists & Illustrators

DEMO

STEPHEN COATES shows how carefully planning A s an alternative to starting a
the wetness of your layers and applying glazes of painting with the sky first and
colour can allow you to build a soft, atmospheric then building up the landscape,
set of clouds in a landscape painting it is possible to paint the mountains first
and then glaze the clouds on afterwards.
For this to work safely, it is essential to
use a more absorbent cotton paper.

This method requires that the
mountains are painted first on dry paper.
Once this has dried completely, the
entire area of the paper can be glazed
with clean water and the sky then
applied in the traditional way.

I used a small sheet of Saunders
Waterford paper for this example and
prepared a strong mix of Ultramarine
and Burnt Sienna. I also squeezed
out a small blob of Raw Sienna.

Stephen's materials

• Paper
Saunders Waterford 300gsm
cold-pressed watercolour
paper, 31x23cm
• Paints
Lemon Yellow Hue,
Ultramarine, Cerulean Blue
Hue, Raw Sienna, Burnt
Sienna, Light Red, Burnt
Umber and Payne’s Gray, all
Winsor & Newton Cotman
watercolours
• Brushes
ProArte Ron Ranson hake
brushes, small and large

Artists & Illustrators 71

DEMO 2
1 4
6
3

5

1 Layer the landscape 2 Soften the edges clouds, making sure that the lower ones
I created three layers of mountains, all Once the mountains were dry, I filled a passed across the mountain tops.
done using a Mini-Hake and varying large hake with clean water and stroked the
strengths of the grey mix. After painting the brush slowly across the paper from side to 5 Build contrasts
first distant mountain, I added a little water side, working my way down until there was an To finish the sky, I picked up strong grey
underneath it while it was still wet to blend even film of water on the entire sheet. If you and, using just the corner of the brush head,
with the grey paint and create a smooth look at step 3, you can see how this water flicked in a few smaller patches of dark
graduation of colour. I left this first mountain loosened a little paint on the foreground cloud. I let the paint develop naturally.
for a moment and next painted the middle mountain as the brush passed across.
mountain, dragging the paint across into the 6 Glaze to finish
wet area. This gave the mountain a crisp top 3 Add sky colour Although a minimal study, the end result
edge and a lovely misty effect to the left. I then immediately picked up some was rather effective. As the glazed water
Raw Sienna and paddled some patchy passed across the mountain tops, a little
Once dry, I simply painted the foreground shapes into the upper sky area. paint lifted away. However, most held firm as
mountain with a loose mix of the grey then it was embedded deep into the cotton paper.
immediately dropped some stronger grey 4 Darken the clouds This is an extract from Stephen’s new book,
along the top edge and blended it into the wet Then I plunged into the strong grey mix The Easy Guide to Painting Skies in Watercolour,
paint below. Again, this gave the impression and created an arrangement of stormy published by Search Press. www.searchpress.com
of some mist around the lower area.

72 Artists & Illustrators

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Part 1: IDRAWING IN DETAIL f you were an apprentice artist in a large
15th-century workshop, perhaps in Italy or
Japan, you would know exactly how to paint
eyes. There would be a recognised way to
approach the subject and a specific method
to follow. These days however, there are
almost as many ways to treat painting an eye

as there are pairs of eyes in the world. This is

Eyes both a help and a hindrance when it comes
to actually painting a portrait, because we
have wonderful artistic freedom yet almost
too much choice.

I believe what we are all searching for is

our own way of responding to a particular

problem. A good strategy for finding that

Award-winning artist LAURA SMITH presents unique path is to be inspired by other
the first in a new four-part series that takes people’s attempts and then experiment

a closer look at details within masterpieces ourselves. The exercise at the end of this
to help you improve your own art article is about doing the first part with the

hope that it will give rise to the second.

It can be useful to investigate paintings

with regards to a particular topic. Whether

from life or from another artwork, drawing to

me is just a slower, deeper way of looking at

something and I think we can learn so much

74 Artists & Illustrators

DRAWING IN DETAIL

ANDREW W MELLON COLLECTION/NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON ABOVE Rembrandt from the experience. Over the next four
van Rijn, Self- issues, we are going to look in turn at eyes,
Portrait [detail], hands, animals and flowers, while comparing
1659, oil on different ways of painting them. In this first
canvas, 85x66cm exercise we will be looking at eyes. I have
selected four depictions of eyes from four
LEFT Johannes different portraits; two are from the 17th
Vermeer, Girl century and two are from the 19th century.
with the Red Hat,
c.1665-’66, oil on Tiny changes
panel, 23x18cm
People often ask, “How do I paint eyes?”.
Very often the features are treated in exactly
the same way as every other area of the
painting. However, eyes are quite complicated.
The smallest alteration to the look of an eye
changes the whole expression of a face and
we are biologically wired to pick up the most
minute variations. If you move the pupil one
millimetre the viewer will notice so it requires
very precise brushwork. Eyes are also a
different texture to every other part of the
body, catching the light with their moisture.

Here’s a fun warm-up exercise to try. Feel
the bridge of your own nose and how much it
protrudes from your cheeks. Touch your
forehead, bringing your fingers down towards
your eyebrows and then, with your eyes
closed, gently feel your eyeball sitting softly
in your eye socket. When we use touch and
think about the three-dimensionality of our
head, features such as eyelashes appear
physically insignificant by contrast. All these
details – the cheek bone, the brow, the nose
– communicate a deep understanding of the
underlying structure of the eye sockets within
the skull. It is useful to remind ourselves that
the features of a face are not floating in a
skin-coloured void but situated on the turning
surface of a head, with light coming from a
particular direction.

Looking in detail

Let us attempt to get inside the minds of
these artists by comparing their depictions
of a few of the key details of an eye in turn.

The white of the eye is very often not the
lightest part of the painting. Just because the
local colour of the white of the eye is light,
does not mean it is not in shadow – and
therefore darker. Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with
the Red Hat, for example, is highly illusionistic
and yet look how dark the “whites” of the eyes
really are. In Rembrandt van Rijn’s Self-Portrait
from 1659, even the lightest part of the
“whites” of the eyes are nowhere near as
light as the highlight. By contrast, the “whites”
of the eyes in Edouard Manet’s George Moore
are not even defined. There is very little
differentiation between eyeball and skin.

Artists & Illustrators 75



HO HAVEMEYER COLLECTION, BEQUEST OF MRS HO HAVEMEYER, 1929. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM Even in Auguste Renoir’s By the Seashore, DRAWING IN DETAIL
OF ART, NEW YORK/ ANDREW W MELLON COLLECTION/NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON the “whites” of the model’s eyes are not
white so much as blue. There is a lighter LEFT Edouard
section of the “whites” of the eyes in every Manet, George
depiction and that is because the eyeball is a Moore, 1879,
reflective sphere and we are seeing a section pastel on canvas,
of that round, wet ball which is inevitably 55x35cm
catching the light. Often the nose casts a
shadow over one eye but, regardless of this, BELOW LEFT
the whole head is a form. We are not reading Rembrandt van
two flat eyes next to one another. They are Rijn, Self-Portrait,
within a turning surface. 1659, oil on
canvas, 85x66cm
Now let’s look at pupils. The Rembrandt
and Renoir paintings are the two whose OPPOSITE PAGE
pupils are clearly visible, despite them being Auguste Renoir,
separated by so many years. There is a hint By the Seashore,
of one in the Manet, but in the Vermeer, 1883, oil on
it is impossible to make them out. In the canvas, 92x72cm
Rembrandt, look how similar the tone of his
right pupil (our left as we look at it) is to the themselves are invisible but nevertheless
iris. In Vermeer’s painting, the red-hatted girl there is a lot going on. You have a subtle
has quite dark eyes, so the irises show up. but distinct sense of the form of the head
This is true also of the Manet. Both painters and an eyebrow being raised.
emphasised the irises over any lashes or
preconceived “eye” shape. The Rembrandt is so much more to do
with the craggy form of the brow, rather than
Highlights are important to eyes. The one, any row of hairs. Manet does no more than
clear, turquoise highlight in the Vermeer suggest his model’s brows with a couple of
is extraordinarily impactful and important. deft dabs of the brush.
Without it you would lose a huge amount
of the sense of what you are looking at. You might expect, from preconceived ideas
Sometimes it can be tempting to add equally of what goes to make a well-painted eye, that
strong highlights to both eyes in a painting, Renoir’s would be most realistic. However, I
but it is important to remember that each eye would argue that his painting is furthest away
is in a different position in relation to the light from the way we actually see another person.
source – and to our own viewpoint. He has constructed a pictorial world into
which we are invited; things are not just
This is why so often in a great painting, translated but reinvented.
there is a significant difference between the
highlights used in the two eyes. Sometimes, I thought I knew quite a lot about these
like in the Vermeer, there is only one; in other artists’ works, but I have learnt so much
paintings, such as this Rembrandt, one more by drawing from them and I have an
highlight sparkles while the other is more even deeper respect for the precision and
like a dying star. intelligent decision making that has taken
place. If you attempt even one small drawing
You might think eyelashes are an of your favourite of these details, I hope you
important detail yet look closely at these will come away feeling the same.
four masterpieces and you’ll see that’s often
not the case. Eyelashes appear clearly only Artists & Illustrators 77
in the Renoir, as two arcs of gradated blue.
We can guess that she wasn’t wearing blue
mascara and so the colour choice is
interesting. Renoir has in fact lifted the
colour of her eyes and used it on her lash
line in order to intensify the colour of her
eyes. It is worth noting that no individual
lashes are discernible.

When we imagine an eyebrow, it usually
amounts to an arc of dark hair somewhere
above an eye. The closest we get to that is
with Renoir. Two gentle arches are beautifully
connected to the hair and sit on the head in
space. The biggest contrast from their clarity
is the Vermeer. In his portrait, the brows

DRAWING IN DETAIL Drawing 2: Rembrandt

EXERCISE In this drawing, try to become very aware of
the structure of the brow and nose. The form
Draw your own conclusions of the head is inextricably linked to the features.
Because of the tones, you cannot see the
Make a tonal or coloured drawing from each eyes as separate from what is going on around
of these four details of paintings, responding them; they are truly embedded in the planes
to the dissimilar mark-making. of the head.

Drawing 1: Vermeer Drawing 4: Renoir Top tips

The soft brushwork of this painting forces you With this final drawing, it might Here are Laura’s
to draw in tone rather than line. Pay attention be easy to overlook what is six takeaways for
to how subtle the shifts in tone really are. happening between the painting eyes…
Half close your eyes from time to time to features. There are subtle yet
clarify the lightest and darkest areas. Notice important shifts in tone which 1. Think about
how relatively dark the whites of the eyes are connect the eyes and eyebrows the eye sockets
and how much is said with very little detail. and situate them in the head.
Guard against floating eyes! 2. Whites may
Drawing 3: Manet Next month: Laura looks at be darker than
how great artists drew hands. you think
You will probably feel like you www.laura-smith.com
have to alter your mark- 3. You may not
making in response to this be able to distin-
drawing. Notice the fact that guish the pupils
the features have no definite
contours. An impression of 4. Highlights are
eyes is created with extreme important but
economy of stroke; see if it include with care
speeds up your pace.
5. Half-close your
78 Artists & Illustrators eyes to assess
the tone of
lashes or brows

6. Establish the
light source

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Wide range of tools available to try www.harrismoore.co.uk
in our store (near Tate Modern). Specialists in Artists Canvases and
Professional Painting Supplies.

To advertise here please call 020 7349 3702

I illustrate every book
I write… It makes no
difference if it’s for

kids or adults

MEET THE ARTIST Like many kids, I drew all the time. I would scribble EDWARD CAREY/ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN/PATRICE BOUCHARD/UNSPLASH/ROYAL PAVILION & MUSEUMS, BRIGHTON & HOVE
on anything. I would sometimes draw on the walls and
Edward it would drive people mad.
CAREY
I illustrate every book I write. It makes no difference
The UK-born, Texas-based author and illustrator if it’s for kids or adults. I can’t know my characters until
on shifty birds, the perfect pencil and his drawing I can see them, so I need to draw them.

hero. Interview: REBECCA BRADBURY The drawing and the writing always argue with each
other. I like to do them both in tandem, so I’ll do some
82 Artists & Illustrators writing, then draw the character. But then the drawing
will contradict the writing and push it in a new direction.

My new book of pandemic drawings, B: A Year in
Plagues & Pencils, is different. During the lockdown I
drew something new every day and posted it on social
media. Sometimes I’d find something to draw, sometimes
people would write asking for a drawing, and sometimes
the day seemed to demand a certain drawing.

One of my favourite things to draw is the grackle.
It’s this awful, small black bird, which I love. They look
very shifty. They’re everywhere in Texas and they make
these odd squeaks which sound like they’re rusty inside.

William Blake is one of my big heroes. He kept me
going when people questioned why I was illustrating
my novels. Bruno Schulz, Leonora Carrington, Mervyn
Peake, Alasdair Gray – they showed me I could do both.

William Hogarth’s work touched me so much as a
child. I first saw Gin Lane in a history book at school
and it so terrified me – and so fascinated me.

The Tombow Mono 100 B is a perfect pencil. It can do
hard and soft. I spurn all others; this is the one I love.

Drawing is like a muscle – you want to keep it
exercised. Find anything to draw, it doesn’t matter how
simple it is. Maybe focus on portraits of the artists you
love or the characters from literature that you love –
that’s what I did during the lockdown.

I’m not trained as an illustrator. I haven’t done art
classes since my A Levels, but you can learn by going
to art galleries. Just stare at the work of an artist you
love and try to understand how on earth they’ve
achieved what they’ve done.
Edward’s new book, B: A Year in Plagues & Pencils, is
published by Gallic Books. www.edwardcareyauthor.com

Atlantis Art, Unit 1, Bayford Street Industrial Centre, Bayford Street, London E8 3SE
Tel: 0207 377 8855 | www.atlantisart.co.uk | offi[email protected]

IN ASSOCIATION WITH BBC WILDLIFE

ARE YOU THE NEXT
DSWF WILDLIFE
ARTIST OF THE YEAR?
CALL FOR ENTRIES 

DSWF’s internationally renowned
wildlife art competition welcomes
entries by amateur and professional
artists in aid of endangered wildlife.

Entries open from

6th January 2022
to 31st March 2022

OVERALL WINNER: 
£10,000 prize package*
RUNNER UP:
£2,000 prize package*

* made up of a personal cash prize and‫ژ‬a
conservation donation to a DSWF project
of the winner’s choice

Artwork: Malaurie Auliac

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