2020-11-01 Australian How To Paint

d e m o n s t r at i o n reedveld

Oils

Amber
Rowy’s H

This artist in Western Australia urges you
to take your time with your work, and
don’t rush it. It does not matter if you
finish it today or next week – as long as
you’re happy with the end result.

FINal STEP M aT E R I a l S

48 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint • Canvas: 10 x 12 inches.
• HB pencil.
• AS No.1 Medium.
• Mineral turpentine.
• Background colours: Titanium

White, Manganese Blue Hue.
• Coat colours: Ivory Black,

Payne’s Grey, Titanium White,
Tasman Blue, Pilbara Red.
• Eyes colours: Payne’s Grey,
Vandyke Brown, Titanium
White, Yellow Ochre, Venetian
Red, Jaune Brilliant.
• Nose colours: Ivory Black,
Payne’s Grey, Titanium
White, Tasman Blue.
• Tongue colours: Titanium White,
Pilbara Red, Payne’s Grey.
• Brushes: Taklon Short Shader
5/8; Taklon Angular Shader 3/16;
Mop 9mm; Taklon Angular Shader
1/8; Taklon Mini Liner 18/0.

d e m o n s t r at i o n

STEP ONE STEP ONE

Here, I used a photograph of my Border Collie STEP TWO
(Amber) as a reference. With the pencil, I sketched
the outlines and basic features on the canvas. STEP THREE

If the sketch is good, the rest of the
painting is so much easier to do.

STEP TWO

I chose a background that would go well with
the subject. For a black dog, blue or green
will do great – the dog will stand out.

I usually mix the colours on the canvas,
blending with a shader and adding more white
until I am happy. I decide on one colour, so it
won’t take the attention away from the subject.
I then start with the face, working from the
top of the head down. With a short shader, I
put the paint on the canvas – deciding where I
want the darker bits and the highlights. This is
where I can add dimension to the painting.

Notice where the light in the
photograph is coming from.

STEP THREE

I took a mop brush and gently blended the
colours together, following the way the
hair would naturally fall. I didn’t worry
too much about detail at this stage.

I like to use some blue in the shady parts of the
white coat and in the highlights above the eyes and
on the cheeks; it makes the painting more ‘alive’.

I also used some Pilbara Red mixed
with white where the light highlighted
the ears and the top of the head.

STEP FOUR

My favourite part: The eyes. These
reflect the character of the animal, so
the right expression is important.

Amber has a very intense look, and I
tried to convey that onto the canvas.

I can spend hours working on the eyes! I
started by putting in Payne’s Grey and Venetian
Red as my basic colours. I referred to the
photograph to determine where the darker areas
and the lighter bits were in the eyes. With a
liner, I kept adding some brown, Ochre and
Jaune Brilliant until it felt right. I then added the
white eye highlights. The inside of the eye was
white with a bit of pink in it. I decided to lower
the right eye, because it was a bit too high.

Australian H P t 49

d e m o n s t r at i o n

STEP FOUR MaSTER HINTS
aND TIPS

• Take your time, don’t rush it. It does not
matter if you finish it today or next week – as
long as you’re happy with the end result.

• Don’t be afraid to try new techniques; you can
always paint over your work if you don’t like
it! Experiment with different brushes; blending;
different colours and materials. It is the only way
to learn something new, and it might surprise you!

• Practise sketching. If you start out with a good sketch,
it is so much easier to do the rest of the painting.

• Study the works of the painters you admire.
Why do you admire them? What makes
you like their paintings so much?

• When you’re outside, look around you. How would
you paint that fence, or the grass in front of it … the
cattle in the distance? What colours would you use?
Where are the shadows and the sunny bits? You can
learn a lot from just observing your surroundings.

• Make time to paint. Usually, when I’m tired, I
have to make myself sit down and start a painting
– but once I’ve started, I lose track of time and I
am concentrated, and I don’t feel tired anymore.

• Buy a good mop brush (one that doesn’t lose
the hairs while you are painting). I discovered
blending colours together with a mop brush
by chance, and I love using one now! I can
achieve a velvety soft texture with it.

STEP FIVE STEP FIVE

FINal STEP I continued with painting the nose; again using the way the
light fell on the nose on the photograph as a reference. I
50 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint also put in some blue and blended the colours with a mop
brush. I used Pilbara Red and white for the tongue, blending
on the canvas until I got the shadows and lighter bits I
wanted; and I used some grey for the lines in the middle.

Think about how the tongue curls around the
outer teeth as well … it will make it look more
real if you make those bits a shade lighter.

The lips had a lot of lighter areas to them. I did the
black bit first, and added white where I wanted highlights
– picking up some of the black in my brush as I went.

FINal STEP

I finished the white coat, adding some grey parts
under the chin so the mouth would stand out more
and look more natural. With the liner, I added the
last details: Some fine hairs on the ears and right side
of the head; the whiskers; and the white collar.

I left the painting on my kitchen table for
a couple of days to see if it was finished.
I then signed the painting. n

EUAN MACLEOD. Alice. Archival Oils on canvas, 2006, 137 x 180 cm
Image courtesy of Watters Gallery. www.wattersgallery.com

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INSIGHT

Corinne Smith-Rush

From Calligrapher
to Wildlife Artist

A passion for nature has helped develop
the amazing talents of this prolific artist.

Iwas born in Brisbane and have have acquired a deep respect for our (NSW) TAFE, and subsequently studied
spent a large part of my life here. native flora and fauna. long distance through the Roehampton
The sub-tropical climate makes College in London. Calligraphy
it easy to be outside, consequently I have been drawing and painting since taught me how to write and paint with
I constantly have my camera at the primary school, earning the Art Prize in watercolour and gouache. A great deal
ready. I have travelled extensively my last year at high school. In Grade 7 of my learning with other mediums
throughout our wonderful country I was introduced to Calligraphy, further has come from experimentation
from the outback to the coast, and down the track I gained a Certificate in supplemented by the occasional
Advanced Calligraphy from the Maitland

The Grasshopper
52 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint

INSIGHT

workshop and classes with contemporary Beaks
artists I admire, and local colleges and Sleepy
community groups all over Australia, and
has seen me change from Calligrapher to
Wildlife Artist. On occasion I try to combine
both disciplines.

My inspiration and passion is nature
and all it has to offer an artist’s eye. My
travels have allowed me to see animals
in the wild in many different places. My
other great interest, gardening, has given
me an insight into how plants grow and
which insects, birds and animals live
on and around them in all the different
climatic extremes of this country.

Presently my favourite medium is
pastel; I use both soft and hard pastels
and pastel pencils. Which type of pastel
I use depends on the support used. For
example I find Colourfix paper and rough
watercolour paper hold the soft pastels
beautifully. The harder pastels seem to be
better on Velour paper or Mi Teintes pastel
paper. Hard pastels and pastel pencils are
very good for drawing up and when detail
is required. Soft pastel can be used to
cover large areas and adding highlights.

There are no hard edges in nature so
the discovery of velour paper has proved
to be very good for animals as this paper
leaves all edges soft and muted. There are
many different ways of applying pastel, the
method chosen will determine if the work is
considered a drawing or a painting.

At the moment I am experimenting with
pastels on canvas. I usually start with an
acrylic background, then the subject is
drawn on top of the acrylic and is primed
with a translucent pastel primer gesso. Soft
pastel is applied over the top of the gesso
and when the subject is completed I spray it
with pastel fixative. Lastly the whole canvas
is sprayed with a clear gloss or satin finish.

I am absorbed in, and fascinated by, the
botanical aspects of plants and animals,
but consider my style to be realist rather
than botanical. I greatly admire two
Brisbane based artists, botanical artist
Gillian Rankin for the down to earth
way she imparts her knowledge to her
students and the wonderful bird paintings
of Peter Slater. When it comes to my love
of pastels the Impressionist Edgar Degas’
use of pastels has been a great influence,
giving me courage to ignore those in the

A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint 53

INSIGHT

Curiousity Alfonse the Alpaca

Dragonfly art world who would say pastels are a
54 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint second rate medium.

Recently I have been attending life
drawing sessions and have finally
overcome my life-long apprehension
with drawing the human form. Whether
it be the human form or a bird or
animal, the most important aspect of a
painting is the drawing. My influence
for shape and structure comes from
the Renaissance masters da Vinci and
Rembrandt, for colour and tone I study
the techniques of Impressionists such
as Cezanne and Monet. My painting
style in the human genre seems to be
emerging as semi-abstract.

At the present time an up-coming
joint exhibition with a long-time
friend and fellow artist, and the
odd commission are keeping me
very busy. I am also an Exhibiting
Member of the Queensland Wildlife
Artists Society and the Pastel Society
of Australia. I highly recommend to
every artist to become a member of
a group or society, as sharing what
you know and learning from others’
experiences is very rewarding. I
believe it is necessary to try new
mediums and techniques to keep my
art alive and hope to be continually
learning and eventually leave this
world with a brush or a pastel stick
in my hand. My muse, my friend,
Leonardo the blue-point Siamese sits
with me as my ‘art washes away,
from the soul, the dust of everyday
life’ – Pablo Picasso.

INSIGHT

The Rookery • September 2010, Kenilworth Arts • October 2011, Richard Randall
Council Studio Gallery
Exhibitions
• May 2006, Brookfield Art Show • October 2010, Old Schoolhouse • February 2012, Logan Art Gallery
• May 2007, Brookfield Art Show Gallery • April 2012, Ipswich Art Society
• November 2007, Logan Art Gallery • May 2010, Brookfield Art Show
• March 2008, Royal Queensland Art • November 2010, Richard Randall • June 2012, Articulate Framing
Studio Gallery
Society Gallery, Gallery
• May 2008, Pine Rivers Art Gallery • April 2011, Australia Zoo Wildlife • July 2012, Pastel Society of Australia
• May 2008, Brookfield Art Show Hospital • September 2012, Old Schoolhouse
• May 2009, Brookfield Art Show
• September 2009, Art in the Park • May 2011, Brookfield Art Show Gallery
• December 2009, Pastel Society of • June 2011, Richard Randall Studio
M: 0413 131 744 Email:
Australia Gallery [email protected] n
• May 2010, Brookfield Art Show • September 2011, Old Schoolhouse

Gallery

Stuarts Desert Pea Kate

Australian H to Pai t 55

D E M O N S T R AT I O N

Pastel

Aussie Icons
The Laughing Kookaburra

by Corinne Smith-Rush

I was so pleased with this photograph, I couldn’t wait to start drawing, it was the
very first I took with my new digital SLR camera.

FINAL STEP

56 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint

D E M O N S T R AT I O N

STEP ONE STEP TWO

STEP ONE to remain clear when colour is applied, to blend and drag colour over the
I find this method means I don’t have top of the heads and around the
Firstly I applied a very pale blue soft to put back any detail lost when I eyes and under the beaks, then I put
pastel (gently rubbed in with my put in the rest of the background. black and dark blue into the centre
finger) to the background immediately of the eye and around the edges
around the birds and the very small Next I applied very dark brown of the eye with pastel pencils.
foliage. This allows the detailed edges soft pastel to the eye and feathers
where they are darkest, then a dark Now for the back of the birds,
M AT E R I A L S blue pastel pencil to the beak and mid-brown was gently blended
a mid-pink, light yellow and light into the dark brown, leaving the
• Half sheet of white Colourfix grey soft pastels to the lower beak dark areas under the wings. Next I
paper taped to a backing board blended with the chisel blender, as started outlining some of the feathers
fingers are too big for some areas. with white pencil, as this is not a
• A workable matt spray botanical depiction; I chose only the
fixative and SpectraFix I used the same dark blue pencil most obvious feathers to draw in.
spray for final fixing to indicate the shadow on the branch At this point I spray my work with
under the front bird and put a mid- fixative to help prevent smudging.
• Art Spectrum and Rembrandt brown soft pastel on the inside edge
soft pastels: Pale blue, dark of the vertical branches, light yellow STEP THREE
brown, mid-brown, mid- soft pastel on the lighter side of the
pink, light yellow, light branch and used a light warm grey I continued drawing in feathers and
grey, orange, white, burnt hard pastel to gently blend the colours then blended the sharp white edges
sienna, reddish brown together. Then I applied a light yellow into the brown on the feathers with
soft pastel to the chests and under the pointed blender. I put more colour
• Faber-Castell hard pastels: bellies and chose a burnt sienna and on the tails using the same colours
mid-grey, dark grey, light warm a reddish brown soft pastel to use on mentioned in Step One, again blending
grey, lavender, mid-brown the tail feathers with a black pencil to with the pointed blender. The chests
indicate the darker side of the stripes. were next, I applied a soft white
• Faber-Castell pastel pencils: over the light yellow using the side
Very dark blue No. 157, black, A dark yellow, a mid-green and of the pastel following the direction
white, dark yellow, mid-green, dark brown pencils were used to in which the feathers grow and
dark brown, light grey, mid-grey colour the leaves and stems. then drew in a splattering of feather
detail with a light grey pencil.
• Conte pastel pencil: STEP TWO
Pale blue No.56 Next I tackled the branches,
I applied mid-brown soft pastel applying light yellow soft pastel
• Conte Pastel Pencil No.56 over the dark brown on the heads over all, mid-grey and dark-grey
• No 2 chisel blender and used the chisel blending tool
• No 2 pointed blender
• Putty rubber
• Wet cloth or wet ones

A u s t r a l i a n Ho t Pai t 57

D E M O N S T R AT I O N

STEP THREE blended in with my fingers. When I
reached the top of the branch I started
hard pastels on the bottom of the bottom of the branch and where the adding some soft white to the blue
bigger branch, then using lavender vertical branch joins were keep slightly and gradually using only the white at
and mid-brown hard pastels to darker than the rest of the branch. the very bottom under the branch.
colour the bark on the top.
FINAL STEP Now for the highlights. A small dab
Lastly I used a light warm grey More of the very pale blue is added to of orange was added to the brown eyes
hard pastel to gently drag the colours the rest of the background and gently to give more depth and I used a very
together and around the branch, soft white for the highlight in the iris.
making sure under the birds, the Then using a white pencil I put in a
small line around the eyes. I added
some dark blue to the edges of the
beak and blended in a little white on
both the top and bottom of the beak.
Using a pale blue Conte pastel pencil
I added more colour over some of the
feathers on the wings. More white was
added to the ends of the flight feathers.

With pencils I added some white
and very dark brown lines to the
creases in the bark, and using the
side of the white pastel I put in some
light clouds. Lastly I sprayed the
whole painting with Spectra Fix.

M:0413 131 744
Email:[email protected] I

ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS

• I am sure you all have heard much pastel on your paper fixative during the creative process
this before, a reminder never • I chose a white paper because where slight colour changes
goes astray. It is very important don’t matter, and to help protect
to get your drawing as accurate I wanted the background sky from smudging as you work.
as you can, because putting to be very pale and then I drew • Lastly I use a product called
colour on an imperfect drawing straight onto the paper using SPECTRA FIX from the USA
will not make it better. a mid-grey pastel pencil. which doesn’t seem to dull the
• If you are not confident with colours as much, however I find
• Practice, practice, practice drawing, draw up on cartridge paper you can’t work back over the top
and your drawing will and trace or use the grid method. as with the standard fixatives so
eventually come naturally. • Even though I was pleased with I only use it as a final spray.
this first photograph with the new
• Try drawing upside down, this camera, I left out a couple of the Framing
method frees you of any pre- branches and moved the foliage for • I have seen the most wonderful
conceived ideas you might have the sake of a better composition.
on how your subject should look. paintings ruined with the wrong
Using Fixatives With Pastel choice of frame, the frame should
• I have used a combination of • Some people don’t use fixatives add to your painting not detract
pastel types mainly because I from it, so if choosing is difficult
find that the colours I like are not at all, as they can dull some for you ask your framer or your
always available in all brands. colours if you use too much. My friends for their opinions.
preference is to use the standard
• Use the Putty rubber for
lifting off when you have too

58 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint

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with SUR JAMES RICHMOND

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and Sightseeing

Monday 20th April to
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and click on the “Classes” tab

A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint 59

INSIGHT

Kathy Christian

Working Dogs

Edited by Trevor Lang

A talented artist in Victoria has found significant success through painting
examples of Man’s best friends … a charming subject which she is well
acquainted with.

60 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint

INSIGHT

Kathy Christian has painted the familiar everyday
things that surrounded her for as long as she can
remember. She is self-taught. Although she won two
art scholarships in the United States of America some years
ago, she has never used them.

“When I was a kid and interested in horses, I painted
horses,” she says. “Later I went on to win the Bay Meadows,
CA, Jockey Club Award two years running – for my race
horse paintings. Then I got interested in wildfowl and birds
and focused on those. I entered many State and Federal duck
stamp contests in the USA; but I couldn’t buck the politics,
so I let that go … although I did enjoy exhibiting at the
decoy and wildlife art shows. For about five years, I became
proficient at the art of scrimshaw (miniature etchings on bone
and ivory). The material I used was fossilised mammoth ivory.
When it become unfashionable to do scrimshaw, and my eyes
starting failing from doing the tiny work, I left that behind.”

Kathy went to work as a handler of big cats at a
rehabilitation compound in California. The opportunity
lasted for two years, until the State funding ran out. But that
experience, combined with three trips to Kenya and Tanzania,
gave the artist opportunities to observe big cats and African
wildlife at close range. It was a unique interlude and one
which left a lasting impression on her. She subsequently
became quite engrossed in painting big cats, and although she
has not painted them for a few years she has recently started
some sketches which will lead to new paintings.

“I have raised working stock dogs for about 20 years,
including Australian Cattle Dogs, Kelpies and Border
Collies,” Kathy reveals. “This led to my painting them,
of course. I believe in capturing the personality of the
dog and, if possible, putting an emotion in the painting.
Often it is a ‘sense of humour’ I feel the dogs project. My
painting ‘Too Cool’ is a picture of my old dog ‘Stanley’

wearing sunglasses. This led to my World Sheep Dog Trials in September art is not art) – but I think there is a
doing the design for the ‘Bluey’s 2008 in Wales. place for everyone.”
Utes’ chain. Stanley’s head – with a
pair of sunnies on, reflecting a ute “I love working in watercolour and Kathy Christian has great admiration
– can be seen on a decal on utility gouache. I also use some coloured for the work of international artists
trucks all over Australia. In the past pencil in specific pieces,” she reveals. Carl Brenders, Robert Bateman and
six years (since moving to Australia) “I do intend, later this year, to do some Collin Bogle; and Australian artists Ego
working dogs, cattle and sheep have larger pieces in acrylics. I love detail Guiotto and Greg Postle. She would
been an everyday part of my life. and I am fascinated by the intricate like to see greater interest in wildlife
This, of course, has dominated the work of talented artists such as Carl art in Australia; especially in the art
subject matter in my paintings.” Brenders and Collin Bogle. I was once of native species. There is tremendous
told by another watercolour artist to interest in wildlife art in the USA, but
This artist also regularly writes loosen up my style – but instead I not so much in Australia.
for ‘International Sheepdog News’ have gone in the other direction. I am
(published in the United Kingdom). striving for photorealism. Some say “A lot of Australia’s best wildlife
She is in the process of completing a that photorealism is not art (just as artists have moved to the United States
painting which will be auctioned at the they claim that wildlife art or animal where they can market their work for a
living,” Kathy claims. I

62 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint

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D E M O N S T R AT I O N

Gouache

‘Stalker’
By Kathy Christian

FINAL STEP When painting dogs,
this artist tries to
capture some of their
personality – either
in the stance or by
the addition of a
background or object
that draws people to
the painting.

M AT E R I A L S

• Art magazine.
• Reference photographs.
• Arches Cold Pressed

watercolour paper.
• Air brush.
• Frisket film.
• Winsor & Newton Series 7

brushes: Numbers 2, 1, 0 and 00.
• Winsor & Newton or Horadam

Gouache: Permanent White;
Burnt Umber; Burnt Sienna;
Forest Green; Primary Yellow;
Sepia; Sap Green; Ultramarine;
Indigo; Ivory Black; Winsor
Green; Yellow Ochre; Spectrum
Red; Vandyke Brown.

STEP ONE D E M O N S T R AT I O N STEP THREE

STEP TWO

This painting is of my old is best’. The soft ‘out of focus’ STEP FOUR
kelpie, ‘Stalker’. He has been background vital in photorealism STEP FIVE
gone for about ten years. The is achievable with an airbrush. I
pose is typical of how he used to sit use a Paasche Turbo AB model. A u s t r a l i a n Ho t Pai t 65
all the time. The picture is a great
way to remember a great dog. STEP THREE

STEP ONE I remove the frisket paper and
underpaint the entire dog in sepia tone
From reference photographs, I do a washes. This helps to establish the
simple pencil sketch. I tend not to lights and darks in the painting and
detail the sketch that I am going to also adds depth to the fur. Painting
transfer; instead I put my detail in fur is layer upon layer of washes,
the actual painting – starting with painted from the undercoat to the top.
the sepia underpainting. This method This process gives texture to the fur.
does not work for everyone. Once I Animal fur is many colours and not
am happy with the sketch, I transfer one flat colour. It is important to be
it to my Arches Cold Pressed paper. familiar with what the undercoat of an
For this picture, I did not transfer the animal looks like. This is also when
background to my watercolour pad. I ‘paint’ my detail into the picture.
I prefer Cold Pressed paper because
the paint does not bleed as much STEP FOUR
and I am able to keep the detail.
I start to add colour into the painting.
Too many dog portraits are ‘flat’ and This is a time-consuming process with
boring, and do not capture any of the layer upon layer of washes of paint.
animal’s character. Understanding the It cannot be rushed or it will look
skeletal structure of an animal is vital to muddy or artificial. I make sure each
portraying it correctly. Spend some time layer is completely dry before adding
observing dogs playing, eating and just the next one. Gradual washes on the
being dogs. I cannot stress that enough. tongue and mouth are done, as well
as the light markings on the dog’s
STEP TWO face, chest and legs. I also start to
layer washes in the eyes at this point.
After masking out the area of the dog Doing the eyes this way gives them
with frisket paper, I then airbrush life (or sparkle) – and adds different
the background. It is important not colours that play in an animal’s eyes,
to overwork the airbrushing; ‘less

D E M O N S T R AT I O N

STEP SIX MASTER HINTS
AND TIPS

• Because of the fine detail, I only work on my
paintings for around three to four hours a day.
I often get to a stage in the middle of a piece
where I don’t like it; or I get extremely bored.
That’s the time to set it aside and focus on
something else. Sometimes I have one or two
pieces at different stages of completion.

• When painting any animal, using photographic
references without seeing the actual creature
leads to creating a flat painting. I can usually
tell when looking at a painting if the artist
has an actual knowledge of (or affinity with)
the animal. If you paint what you are familiar
with, it will show up in your work.

STEP SEVEN which are not one solid colour but feature little flecks of
green or yellow or ochre (vital in adding life to the work).
66 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint
STEP FIVE
I build up colour in the tongue and the nose, and add the
irises and white reflection dots in the eyes. It is important to
realise the light source; and I want the eyes to stand out in
the picture. I study the detail of the eyes and the surrounding
area in order to properly depict what is actually there.

STEP SIX
As layers of paint go on, the dog starts to take on depth. I
do not rush this stage, or I will not achieve depth in the fur.

STEP SEVEN
I finish the fur on the dog and start to add a small shadow
under his feet and the side of his body. The beauty of
gouache is that I can do the feet and then paint the grass
over them, to get the proper affect of the dog lying
in the grass.

FINAL STEP
The grass is very tedious work and I must ‘blend in’ the
background grass with the foreground grass. For this
reason, I start with areas that are airbrushed and gently
work into the foreground. I underpaint all the light tones
in the grass and add the green on the top – detailing and
outlining each piece of grass to some degree. I add the dark
tones last. When I think the painting is ‘finished’, I set it
aside for a week and then go back and look at it. Usually,
I end up putting in some miniscule detail that only I can
see and no-one else notices. Then I sign the painting. I

A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint 67

DRAWING INSPIRATION

Pencil & Acrylic

Sole n Pup

By Jenny Stephens

M AT E R I A L S

• Reference photos
• Ruler (if using a grid)
• Paper
• Stonehenge White 245gsm
• HB Pencil
• Copy paper to rest your hand
• Derwent eraser for use with

graphic pencils
• Faber Castell sharpener with

large and small holes
• National Art Materials Workable

Fixative

Polychromos pencils
• 101 – White
• 105 – Ivory
• 130 – Dark Flesh
• 132 – Light Flesh
• 176 – Van Dyck Brown
• 178 – Nougat
• 179 – Bistre
• 180 – Raw Umber
• 182 – Brown Ochre
• 184 – Dark Naples Ochre
• 187 – Burnt Ochre
• 189 – Cinnamon
• 199 – Black
• 233 – Cold Grey
• 270– Warm Grey

Acrylic Paint
• Matisse Titanium White

Brushes
• Size 0 Taklon liner
• Soft brush to remove rubber when

rubbing out (cheap makeup brush)

FINAL STEP

68 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint

STEP ONE STEP TWO

As an avid animal lover, the details more clearly. The photo eyes are the window to their soul.
this artist prefers to is only for the colour reference. I start with the lighter colours then
draw animals, and is I have been using Canson Dessin change to darker for the pupils. I
always on the lookout for unique drawing paper, A3 size, 110gsm have used Acrylic Matisse Titanium
photographs to inspire her work. that comes in a book of 50 pages White with a 0 size liner brush for the
This is a photo that I downloaded from and is quite inexpensive. For the highlights on the eyes. You only need
Facebook. It caught my eye as I thought demonstration I purchased a sheet of the smallest amount of paint and thin
that the pup had a very solemn look. I Stonehenge white 245gsm paper from it down as it will make the application
chose this pup for my demonstration an art shop. It comes in a large sheet easier. I find using the paint with a
because it is not too complicated. I so I have cut it down to A3 size. liner brush is a simpler way rather
love this photo as she looks like she than leaving the paper white for the
is waiting for a family to adopt her. STEP TWO highlights. As I get more proficient
with time I will be able to leave
STEP ONE Carefully transfer a matching grid the areas white to achieve the same
pattern on to your chosen art paper outcome as I do with the acrylic paint.
If you are not confident drawing using a HB pencil, making sure the grid
freehand you may wish to use a grid on your art paper is very light. When STEP FOUR
pencilled in on an A4 photocopy of you have outlines and shapes that you
your picture. Using a grid will not are happy with very carefully rub out I start to work around the head
put indentations in your paper like the grid. I use a piece of copy paper to with the lighter shades, putting in
tracing will. To make it easier you rest my hand on so as not to smudge the base colours. As the photo has
can use a grid drawing tool that can the pencil. I then choose the colours the light source overhead I have
be found via Google search. First I will using and de-clutter my desk. chosen to create the drawing in the
upload a copy of the original photo same manner with the head lighter
and choose the grid size and apply STEP THREE than the lower part of the pup.
it to your photo, save it, and then
print it out to an A4 size in black I like to start with the eyes. If I don’t STEP FIVE
and white. Then draw the same get them right then I start again as I
grid in proportion on your paper. have done with this demonstration, I work on the nose and start very
Because the photo I am working discarding the first attempt. I believe lightly, outlining the body in the colours
with is only 6” x 4” I used an A4 the eyes are a very important feature that I will be using for each area and
photocopy in black and white to see of your drawing. I feel that an animal’s start to shade the lightest colours.

A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint 69

DRAWING INSPIRATION

STEP THREE STEP FOUR STEP FIVE

STEP SIX FINAL STEP I then sealed the drawing
with a spray-on fixative.
I finish the muzzle and then work I enhance any distinguishing markings
from top down to the bottom and e.g. for the belly of the pup I used Jenny Stephens can be contacted via
usually experiment blending the Ivory instead of White for a softer Facebook
colours as I go. I continue look, and I checked for any areas that “Smart Art” I
working up the colours until need to be darkened or accentuated.
I have a good covering. Don’t forget to sign your picture.

ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS

• Make sure your working area is tidy small hole as I find it sharpens the • Explore YouTube; it has wonderful
and free of clutter; in my case my Polychromos pencils exceptionally artists who produce great tutorials that
desk, as it can be a distraction when well, and I have not had any can also show you different techniques
you are working. breakages since using this sharpener. and products on the market. You
Be careful not to drop your pencils can generally find how to use new
• Invest in a pencil extender as they as they will break inside. products by following a tutorial.
are quite inexpensive and save you • Value criticism and value others’
throwing out your pencils when they opinions. They will see things • I buy and read “Artists Palette”
get quite short. you may not see to improve or every month. It will keep you
even change the way you see your inspired as well as reading about
• I use a Faber-Castell sharpener that pictures. other artists’ talents and learning
catches the shavings as it is less messy. how they apply their skills.
I use the large hole instead of the

70 A u s t r a l i a n How to Paint

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