Andy's Art Blog

My life - latest updates

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:59:00 +0000

It's been a while since I last had time to write in this blog. In the last month I've been on an intensive Spanish course, trying to get to grips with the language in my new home country. The old brain has filled up and there's not been time for much else.

I am still in the process of writing the oil painting course, which I still hope to be able to publish in February. It will be an introduction to using water-soluble oil paints.

I'm also considering breaking the watercolour course down into separate sections (a beginners introduction to using watercolours, how to mix colours, how to create different effects and textures etc...) These would be sold available as an alternative to the complete watercolour course. Let me know what you think.

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and an arty New Year!

Painting Holiday in Northern Spain

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:48:00 +0000

I've just arranged a painting holiday in Cantabria in Northern Spain for next summer (May 30th - 5th June). It's a beautiful part of the country, and I'm really looking forward to it. So why not come along and join me for a week of painting tuition, fun, good food and good company? I'd love to see you there. For more info visit http://www.learntodo.co.uk/html/painting_holidays.html

Hola from Olhao - Painting Holiday

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:17:00 +0000

I've just returned form a great painting holiday in the Algarve in Portu

gal. Seven painters from the Rohampton Club in London joined

me for a week of sketching and painting in the lovely fishing town of Olhao.

The town has everything an artist could want - old crumbling buildings with magnificant wooden doors and windows, cobbled streets full of charm, a large fish and fruit market, a fine white church, a harbour full of colourful fishing boats, and islands in a lagoon which are reminiscent of the caribbean. Plus of course, lots of sunshine and warm weather.

I've now returned with a number of oil and

watercolour paintings from the trip, and with loads of photos to work from in future. The colours, buildings, fishing boats and coastal waters have been a great inspiration.We were accomodated in a very plush and quirky house with it's own studio where paintings could be finished in comfort. And every lunchtime and evening we were wined and dined in one of the many restaurants edging the harbour, often being served the local speciality fish dishes.

I've got another two painting holidays planned for the same venue in 2010 (April 10-17 and October 9-16) so why not join me there. There are more details on my website at www.learntodo.co.uk

Pochade Paintings

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:48:00 +0000

I've recently painted four small water-soluble oils and here they are.

We sat in a little courtyard in the Andalucian mountain town of Competa in Southern Spain and ate bocadillos and drank wine. The sun cast lovely shadows on this little scene in front of me and I tried to capture it in a small pochade painting in oils. The large ceramic pot added character to the picture.

I also painted from the roof terrace of our friends house and tried to catch the sunlight and shadows of the narrow street below. Not sure how well I did on this one.

The beach huts below are on Southwold Beach in Suffolk and reminded me so much of our family holidays when I was young. We used to rent out one of these huts every year and sit and shiver in it as the cold north wind swept past the door!

Finally a small painting of Venice, taken from a photo I took there last year. Yes, I know it's all a bit familiar and there are hundreds of paintings of this very scene, but this is my quick attempt at it.

Counterfeit Banknotes

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:16:00 +0000

I read somewhere recently that banks train their staff to recognise counterfeit banknotes. They do so, not by pointing out defective notes, or letting them study bank notes which contain mistakes, or with lists of how to spot a counterfeit, but by showing them hundreds and hundreds of real notes. The bank employees get so used to seeing the real thing, that when a counterfeit note appears it just jumps out at them.

How does this relate to art? Well, I think we can spend too long looking at the wrong sort of painting! We can study our own mistakes and those paintings that haven't turned out particularly well, we can look at the paintings of others in our evening class who are at our same level and ability, and we can begin to assume that we can then spot a good painting.

However I think it is much better for us to spend our time looking at the Best of the Best in order to understand what a good painting is - immersing ourselves in galleries, looking at books of paintings by famous or professional artists, cutting out and keeping paintings from magazines that we really admire. And as we get used to seeing the 'real thing' I believe our own art will improve in leaps and bounds.

Click, clickaway!

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:10:00 +0000

I've just spent a day at Southwold in Suffolk in the UK. It's a place I know well because I spent many a happy holiday there when I was a child. I've not been back for many years so yesterday was a real treat, especially as I am now looking at it through artist's eyes.

Southwold (and the nearby village of Walberswick) have been a painters paradise for many years and you will often find paintings of these places in magazines and books on art. Yesterday I could see why. The harbour area is particularly interesting from a painting point of view, but because I was with my wife and my sister and we only had a few hours there, I had no oportunity to paint or even sketch. So I snapped away on the camera.

The wonder of digital cameras is that you can do this with great liberty. I took loads of photos - just aiming the camera roughly in the direction of my subject, clicking and hoping to get something. But I know that when I then upload the photos onto my pc I'll be able to edit, crop, lighten, increase the contrast and do all sorts of wobndrful things with them that I will have plenty of great reference material for paintings.

So, my advice is this - don't wait for the perfect shot or the perfect scene before taking a photo. Just click, clickaway and then find the perfect composition later on your computer. And happy painting!

The Balloon Man

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:33:00 +0000

Here's the latest small pochade painting, taken from a photo but painted as quickly as I could. The balloon seller was sitting in deep shadow and looked really bored and he contrasted so well with his coloured balloons he just made a great subject.

I had an 'Aha!' moment whilst doing this painting and I want to explore a new painting strategy which if it works out well, I'll incorporate into a new course on oil and colour.

I've now decided to sell some of my smaller paintings over the net, so if you're interested just look at my website at www.learntodo.co.uk.

New pochade paintings

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:53:00 +0000

Here are a few of may latest small pochade paintings in water-soluble oils for you to see. They are all just 6" x 8" and painted on board. I've used an underpainting in each case - just a mid-toned colour, which gives continuity to the painting in the places where it shows through. Hope you like them.

Superb Sorolla

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:17:00 +0000

I've just spent a few days in Madrid, visiting the Prado (all the great paintings from Velazquez, Goya, Bosch, and so many more), the Museo Nacional Reina Sofia (modern art), and on a trip to Toledo an exhibition of paintings by El Greco. But to me the best artist I came across was Joaquin Sorolla. Visiting his house I was confronted with some of the most exciting oil paintings I've ever seen. We just missed the Sorolla exhibition at the Prado which starts next week, but I splashed out and bought the catalogue of the show. Such amazing paintings. I include two here to wet your appetite.

Just out of interest - whose your favourite painter?

Forum beginning to buzz!

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:08:00 +0000

The online Forum is beginning to really buzz now with 90 members at the last count and almost 400 posts. There's a new monthly painting competition (with prizes!) which has attracted a good deal of entries, and the Forum as a whole is a good place to meet friends and get your painting questions answered.

So if you've not joined up yet, why not do so now. Just click on the Forum webpage from the site at www.learntodo.co.uk

Watercolour Fast and Loose

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:48:00 +0000

My next course - Watercolour Fast and Loose - is about to be published. I'm most of the way through writing it now and have enjoyed every minute of it! It's amazing just how much you can learn from other artists and so in this course I have chosen seven of my personal favourite watercolour masters and have drawn out lessons from their paintings that will help all of us to paint better. They are all experts in the loose and impressionistic style of watercolour painting.

So if you want to loosen up, then I think you'll find this course really helpful. I know it's helped me! Look out for it at www.learntodo.co.uk before the end of April '09.

Fighting the Elements

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:33:00 +0000

I took my long-suffering wife, Donna, with me on an afternoon painting trip last week. She had on her smart high heels as she thought we were heading for a town where I would paint from an outdoor cafe, but on the way I saw this bodega which I thought made a great subject. So we stopped the car and scrambled over some wasteland and up a small hill to get the best vantage point. Donna found a rock to sit on (she had on a posh frock as well), and I set up to do a watercolour.

Up went the easel, and at the same time up came the wind. It started as a gentle breeze, then within minutes had turned into a not so gentle breeze. The easel blew over, the fixing broke so the backing board wobbled loosely, and as the wind grew ever stronger I found myself painting with one hand on the easel to steady it and the other on a brush. The easel wouldn't stand at its full height so I had to lower it, which meant bending over to paint at a back stretching angle. And added to that, it was a warm day and the paint was drying very quickly on the paper and in the palette. Still, I was determined to make something of the scene, so while Donna clung to the rocks I carried on to the bitter - and gale force - end.

Sometimes it's not easy. But it's still great fun! And we did end up at a nice outdoor cafe as a reward!

oils en plein air

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:13:00 +0000

I spent a very happy two hours painting a small scene with my pochade box and water soluble oil paints yesterday in a small town in Spain. The sun was shining on the church tower and I just couldn't resist the composition of the old street leading up to the tower. I have to say it's quite a challenge painting here and gathering local spaniards around who want to talk. My limited spanish only just copes with the basics! Anyway, thought you might like to see the little scene. It's only 15cm x 20cm.
I've also completed a small oil painting from a photo I took a few years ago of some children sitting on a step by a canal in France. Hope you like it.

New Forum A Success

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:18:00 +0000

The new forum that I put online just a few weeks ago is proving to be a success, with new people joining daily and new topics being discussed and added to. To join in just sign up for my free news-and-info emails, and as part of the package of goodies I'll send you is access to the forum.

Thanks to everyone who's taken part in it and encouragement to all of you who haven't yet done so to join in and let's make this the best and most useful art forum on the web! Connect with others, make new friends, ask questions and get answers, or just make comments! It's a great way of turning our sometimes solitary hobby into a social affair!

Proper paper proportions

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:52:00 +0000

Here's a strange bit of info I came across the other day. It relates to the most common proportions that are used in paintings. Did you know that when you buy paper, prepared canvases or ready made frames, they will be almost always in one of these ratios: 1:1, 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 4:5 or 5:6?

Here's how it works out:
1:1 All squares
1:2 10" x 20" or 12" x 24" (about 25 x 50cm or 30 x 60cm)
2:3 20" x 30" or 24" x 36" (about 50 x 75cm or 60 x 90cm)
3:4 9" x 12", 12" x 16" or 18" x 24" (about 23 x 30cm, 30 x 40cm, 45 x 60cm)
4:5 8" x 10", 16" x 20" or 24" x 30" (about 20 x 25cm, 40 x 50cm, 60 x 75cm)
5:6 10" x 12" or 20" x 24" (about 25 x 30cm or 50 x 60cm)

Fascinating isn't it?

Painting Course on Tone and Colour

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:26:00 +0000

I'm in the process of arranging a four day (arrive on Monday and leave on Friday) painting course where I'll be teaching on how to use colour and tone to improve your paintings. The course will be very practical, with plenty of opportunity for you to get your brushes out and experiment. There is only room for 8 people on the course which is based at the delightful Ravenstone Hotel, near Keswick in the heart of England's beautiful Lake District National Park.

I've managed to keep the price the same as last year, and it represents great value for all meals, excellent accomodation, and tuition, all for just £445. The dates are 27th April to 1st May. So why not book in now and spend the week with me learning how to dramatically enhance and improve your paintings. To find out more go to Painting Holidays.

www.learntodo.co.uk

Paint like Picasso

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 11:01:00 +0000

This is just a bit of fun, but someone sent it to me and I'd like to share it with you.

It's a silly site for drawing Picasso heads. Just go to http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html to have a play! You too can unleash your creative potential...

Don't Panic!!

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:43:00 +0000

I've had an email recently from someone who says she is nervous about starting out on a new painting project. Over the years I've realised that this is a very common emotion - the fear of getting it wrong. Most students, and also many professional artists, encounter this on a regular basis. in our heads we think, "I really want to paint this picture, but what if it all goes wrong, what if I can't do it, what if I don't know how to do it...". These 'what ifs' can get so strong that sometimes they even stop us from putting brush to paper.

So what's the antidote? Well, I think it's, "Don't panic!" After all it's only a bit of paper (and that's even got two sides!), and a bit of paint. What's the worst that can go wrong? We waste some materials, and possibly hurt our pride a little. And even if it does go horribly wrong, we will still have learnt something. Yes, even a disaster teaches us something about how not to do it, and there may even be some really good bits mixed in with the mess!

So my advice is this, "Don't panic, don't listen to the 'what ifs' and pick up that brush!"

Onyx Pencils

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:01:00 +0000

I've just been given a couple of the new Onyx dark graphite pencils made by Derwent Pencils to review. They have been developed as a one-size-fits-all type of pencil, that is each one can be used to make the lightest of marks and also the darkest of shades. The jet black tones they create are even darker than can be made with a soft 9B.

Because you can make light and also very dark marks with the same pencil, you just need to take the one pencil out with you when sketching, instead of a small selection of 2H, HB, 2B and 6B. This obviously makes life a lot easier! Also, because they are made of a hard graphite, they don't wear down very much and they keep a sharp point for much longer than a softer dark pencil. It is therefore easy to make thin dark marks with these onyx pencils, unlike with say a 6B pencil that wears down very fast and looses its point.

So why not give them a go. You can get them from Derwent Pencils, or from your local art store.

Beautiful Paintings

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:12:00 +0000

Here are a couple of details from two paintings I came across in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Murcia, Spain. They really caught my attention for different reasons and I managed to snap a couple of photos of them. I forgot to write down who they were by or what they were called, so apologies for that. I'd like to share them with you.

The first is from the 16th century and depicts the visit of the shepherds to the baby Jesus. I was struck by just how 'modern' the style of the painting looked, and how you could still see the individual brush-strokes. Most paintings of this time period had a much more polished appearance, and brush-strokes are hard to see, but in this wonderful painting they are still there, and you can see where the artist has brushed on his oil paint. It's an exciting connection to the past. Just look at the dry brush work on the man's head, and the light paint brushed loosely but so effectively onto his cheek. You can see each brush stroke and can imagine the artist all those hundreds of years ago reaching out his hand and adding them onto the canvas. I just love this sort of thing! I just wish I'd made a note of who he was...

The second painting just grabbed me and held my attention for ages. I think it's the look in the boys eyes. Not many portraits look straight out at you, as it is deemed to be unnerving, but in this case the artist has so caught the tender expression in his eyes, and it is this that makes it such a powerful image. Again there is the connection with the past. You could be looking into the face of the real boy from a hundred years ago.
What I also love about this painting is the contrast between the smooth skin of the boys face and the rough fur on the dog. That contrast alone adds so much to the painting.

I hope you enjoy looking at these two great masterpieces, and can maybe create a few of your own!!

Painting Holiday in Spain

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:24:00 +0000

I've just returned to the UK from almost three months in Spain, which ended with leading a really enjoyable Painting Holiday in a small mountain village inland from Benidorm. We had a great week of sketching and painting in various locations, ranging from the brightly painted and colourful seaside town of Villa Joyosa, to the villages that cling to the mountains, and the ancient terraces of olive and orange groves surrounding our base at Relleu. Everyone seemed to have relaxed and painted well, and we were looked after superbly by our hosts who cooked delightful Spanish food all week.

You can find out more details and see some of the photos by clicking on the Painting Holidays link on my website. I'm now booking up for another one in June 2009, so please let me know if you'd like to come along.

Ways with Colour

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:24:00 +0000

I visited a small village called Hondon de los Nieves a while ago, and did some sketching and took some photos of the colourful Spanish houses there. Yesterday I thought I'd play around with some of these photos and see what I could paint from them.

I chose one and then zoomed in and cropped it on the computer to produce a composition I liked. These windows were full of character and I loved the palm tree running up through the picture and the fronds just poking in from above. The lamp made another interesting feature. All in all there was plenty to have a go at.

I used watercolours to paint the first version using the greens and cool colours that were in the photo, and really enjoyed doing it. But then I thought I'd have a go at using a different warmer colour set, so I painted another version using oranges, reds and golds. (One reason for this is that my wife wants me to do a large oil painting for the living room and this needs to be in oranges to fit the decor - I can't believe I'm painting to fit the decor!!).

Another reason for the colour change was to break away from painting things 'as they are' and to experiment more with creating art, and a third reason is that paintings in warm colours outsell paintings in cool colours by a major factor.

So I've three questions for you. Which do you like most? Do they have a different emotional pull? And have you ever tried painting the same scene in different colours? Why not give it a go - it's a fascinating experiment.

Sunny Spain Part 2

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:39:00 +0000

Well I've found out some of the answers to the questions I had in my last post. The temperatures have been pretty high in the last few weeks, around 33c in the shade and up to 45c in the full sun. My watercolours dried and cracked up in the pans and I thought they were ruined, which was going to cause me problems with the painting holiday coming up at the end of October. However I left them to soak in warm water overnight, and lo and behold, the next day they were fine! I can't tell you how relieved I was to be able to use them again. (It's not easy getting art materials in Spain.)

And there are even some advantages to the dry heat. I have had a go at a couple of oil paintings, using acrylics for the under-painting, and boy, these acrylics dry fast! Which means I can almost immediately get on and paint on top of them with the oils, which also then dry to the touch within a day or two. So, no more wet oils hanging around the house for weeks. My wife will be ever so pleased!

Spanish Sun

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:28:00 +0000

I've just arrived in Spain with my lovely wife and we are here for two months as a prelude to moving out permanently in January '09. The sun is shining and it's very hot (over 30 c in the shade and up to 45c in the full sun), which is in such direct contrast to the UK where it had been raining and cold through the whole of the summer months.
It's going to be interesting learning to paint in this climate - my watercolours will dry quicker, and goodness knows what the heat will make of my acrylics... I've brought watercolours, acrylics, water soluble oils and coloured pencils with me to see how things work out. I'm so used to needing a hair dryer to speed up drying times back in the Lake District. Maybe I'll just need to paint faster!

There is still a little room on the course I am leading in October here in Spain, so if you have a week to spare and want some winter sunshine, then why not join me. Details are on the website.

Just Pick 2

andy@learntodo.co.uk (Andy Walker) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:59:00 +0000

Here’s an idea I came across recently that I thought you might like. It’s a way of getting around ‘painter’s block’ which is a bit like writer’s block, only worse! This is when you just don’t know what to paint, or how. And it strikes every artist every now and again.
So here’s what you can do to get those creative juices flowing again. Pick a subject – any subject. It doesn’t really matter what. It could be a landscape, a photograph, an object from your house, just anything. And then think about how you can draw or paint it using just two from the following list: line, tone (value), colour, texture, atmosphere, blocking in solid colour, using different materials.

So for instance, paint a vase concentrating on using lines and textures; or paint a landscape using just blocked in solid colours and tones. This will force you to look at, think about and paint the subject in an entirely different way to usual and should undo that creative block.