Andy's Art Blog

Art Materials Soon Available!

2010-02-11T10:58:00.002Z

I'm in discussion with a supplier who will be able to provide great quality paints, brushes and paper as discount prices to everyone who visits this website! Look out for details coming shortly. If you sign up for my news-and-info emails then I'll let you know as soon as the materials become available. I'm hoping to get everything sorted out in the next few weeks so Watch this space!

10% discount on Algarve Painting Holiday

2010-01-05T10:15:00.002Z

I am now able to offer a discount of 10% on the price of the Painting Holidays in the Algarve this year. This offer is only available until the end of January 2010, so if you were thinking about joining me for a week of painting in the sunshine of this pretty fishing village, then now is the time to book up! The discount has been provided by Art in the Algarve who organise the courses.

Dates are 10-17 April or 18-25 September 2010.

For more info go to www.learntodo.co.uk and follow the Painting Holiday links.

My life - latest updates

2009-12-15T08:59:00.002Z

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

2009-10-20T10:48:00.002+01:00

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

2009-10-16T15:17:00.003+01:00

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

2009-08-27T11:48:00.003+01:00

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

2009-08-14T18:16:00.002+01:00

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!

2009-07-19T10:10:00.002+01:00

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

2009-06-30T11:33:00.002+01:00

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

2009-06-08T09:53:00.002+01:00

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

2009-05-26T19:17:00.002+01:00

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!

2009-04-29T18:08:00.002+01:00

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

2009-04-13T05:48:00.002+01:00

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

2009-03-29T15:33:00.003+01:00

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

2009-03-20T12:13:00.004Z

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

2009-02-23T18:18:00.003Z

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

2009-02-07T09:52:00.000Z

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

2009-01-23T14:26:00.003Z

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

2009-01-03T11:01:00.002Z

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!!

2008-12-18T10:43:00.002Z

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

2008-11-28T10:01:00.006Z

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

2008-11-12T14:12:00.003Z

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

2008-11-01T12:24:00.006Z

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

2008-09-29T17:24:00.004+01:00

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

2008-09-19T09:39:00.004+01:00

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

2008-09-03T15:28:00.002+01:00

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

2008-08-20T11:59:00.001+01:00

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.

Painting Ideas Webpage

2008-08-12T18:38:00.002+01:00

Have you had a look at the Painting Ideas page on my website yet? I'm slowly adding new ideas to it, and have just put on a couple of websites that you might like to visit. One is the Painters Online site that is run by the UK magazines The Artist and Leisure Painter, and the other site is a gallery with lots of video content. I think you'll find both of them interesting!

Wildlife Artist of the Year

2008-08-06T17:19:00.002+01:00

Do you want the chance to win £10,000? Then why not try your hand at painting a wildlife subject for the 2009 Wildlife Artist of the Year competition. For more information visit http://www.wildlifeartistoftheyear.org/index_2009.html

The Zorn Palette

2008-08-05T17:11:00.005+01:00

I recently came across what is known as the Zorn palette, which consists of just yellow ochre, cadmium red, ivory black and white. Now whether Anders Zorn ever used this palette of colours is debatable, but it has been attributed to him. (Anders Zorn (1860-1920) was possibly Sweden’s best known artist and he specialised in painting portraits and nudes. I have used one of his charcoal sketches as inspiration for one of the projects in my online drawing course).

So I thought I’d have a go at using these four oil colours, but actually had a bit of trouble getting any kind of blue out of the ivory black. The theory is that by placing a grey made from the black and white next to an orange made from the red, yellow and white, the orange will make the grey look bluish. This is because the eye picks up the orange and then ‘invents’ the complementary blue colour. However I just couldn’t get it to work. I just got grey!

But this got me thinking about just using three colours for painting (plus white if you are using oils or acrylics). There’s an American oil painter called Kevin MacPherson who paints outdoors a lot, and uses just cadmium red, Cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue and white, and with these he creates every colour he could possibly need, and all with great harmony!
So why not pare down your paints to just these four and have a go at mixing everything else. See what you can come up with.

Painting Vacation in the USA

2008-07-28T09:30:00.003+01:00

Are you looking for a quite and beautiful place to paint for a week or two? Then why not look at this property sent to me by a course member, which is available as a house swap. Its at Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA and is a New England seaside hideaway. If you are an artist, a writer, a globe trotter, or just an escapee from any big city you will find inspiration and enjoy island living in this shingle-style, seaside cottage. For more information, go to http://www.homeexchange.com Listing ID 95348

Summer sketches make winter paintings

2008-07-25T10:52:00.005+01:00

Summer is such a good time to get out and about with your paints and sketchbook. We get so locked indoors in the winter months because of the weather, and it’s good to use the warmer and drier summer months to go outside and collect material to use in the winter days. If you sketch as well as take photographs, you will soon build up a wonderful resource that will spark off ideas from which to paint.

So my advice this month is this – take a small pad and a pencil with you wherever you go, and sketch anything that you see of interest. If you can manage it, keep a small watercolour paint box and a couple of brushes in the car so that you are always ready to paint a quick scene. It doesn’t have to take more than a few minutes to capture the essence of a building, a landscape, a group of children playing, or whatever it is that has caught your attention. And who knows what masterpieces these sketches will inspire in the winter months to come!

Credit Crunch

2008-07-19T17:49:00.003+01:00

The downturn in the economy in the USA and in Britain is hitting us all hard. I've certainly noticed a big decrease in the number of people singing up for my online courses, and this is very unusual in the 31/2 years I've been running them. Money is just getting tight, and I suppose that art courses are one of those non-essential expenses that go first when folks tighten their belts.

However I've always tried to keep the courses at a reasonable price (there are some very expensive courses out there!), and I hope that this will continue to attract people to sign up for them. I've even now reduced the price of the watercolour course for anyone signing up for news and info. So, even though times are tough, let's not let it get us down, and let's cheer ourselves up by getting out those pencils and paints and enjoying our art.

Derwent Pencils winter courses

2008-06-30T19:42:00.003+01:00

I live in Keswick where the Derwent Pencil factory has been for many years and where the pencil as we know it was first invented and mass produced. The company now produces a whole range of graphite and coloured pencils and have asked me if I would like to do a couple of demonstration days for them in November and December this year. So I'm now playing around with some nice new sets of coloured pencils that I've been given to test out (watercolour pencils and inktense). It's great fun to be able to do this, and I am not only planning how to teach on those days, but I am also taking the opportunity to work on a new short online course for coloured pencils. This will add on to the end of the drawing course, or can be taken in isolation. So look out for this if you are interested, or even join in on one of the winter courses at the Pencil Museum in Keswick.

Musical Painters - your comments please!

2008-06-16T14:26:00.004+01:00

Here's a question for you? Do you listen to music when you paint, or do you prefer silence? And if you do listen to music, what type of music do you listen to? Does it inspire you, relax you, or energise you as you paint? I'd love to find out.
You can add your comments by just clicking on the 'comment' link below this article. In fact you can comment on any of my articles - I'd love it if you did.

I have to say that I usually paint without music, but that is simply because I forget to put it on! In the past I have listened to classical music while painting and did find that my brush moved in time to the music!

Pick a Picture

2008-05-20T08:24:00.002+01:00

Following on from my last entry, My Inspirations Box, I have noticed that when I take this box to my art class, my students will root through it looking for something to inspire them. But what is fascinating is to see which pictures they choose. Out of perhaps 100 or 150 paintings, they will regularly pick the same dozen or so pictures.

So why these paintings, and not the others? Well, for some it is the boldness of the colours (people tend to be like butterflies - attracted to bright colours!), whilst for most it is the composition and especially the tonal composition of the painting. The students may not be able to put it into words why they like a certain painting, but it is almost always a strong tonal value contrast that draws their eye and inspires them. This is the hidden secret of many a great painting. If you get the tonal composition right, then people will be attracted to the painting. Good strong tones produce good strong paintings.

As a plug, you can find out more about this in my online watercolour course.

My Inspirations Box

2008-05-07T13:15:00.003+01:00

Are you ever stuck for something to paint? Or do you need inspiration to find a new style or way of painting? Then this may be the answer!
I call it my Inspiration Box, and it is full of paintings that I have cut out of art magazines. There are paintings here that I like, and others that don't particularly appeal at the moment (but may be just the thing in time to come). There are paintings that are very detailed, and others that are painted very loosely; there are oils, watercolours, pastels and acrylics, pencil drawings and pen & wash. There are portraits, landscapes, still life and abstracts. Some are brightly coloured and others almost monochrome. I could go on, but I'm sure you've got the idea...

Now, when I get stuck for a subject, or just want to try a new way of painting, I go to my Inspirations Box and dig through it. I am assured of finding something that will get my creative juices flowing - either by directly copying a painting (you can learn so much by doing this!), sketching ideas from it to create my own new painting, or using the style of painting in a new composition of my own. Ans some days it is just enough to open the box and look at all the pictures over a long cup of coffee. To me it is like listening to soothing music. Aaaaah, it must be good for the soul!

When is it finished?

2008-04-25T18:10:00.003+01:00

I remember watching a video a number of years ago of the celebrated oil painter Fred Cuming RA. It was a sort of masterclass, and he was painting an estuary scene from scratch. It was wonderful to watch him layering on thick oil paint with such confident strokes of the brush as the painting developed. After a while he had created what I thought was a great scene, with just enough detail to define the ebbing water, the decaying wooden fence posts, and the evening light. It was to me the perfect picture.

But then he mumbled something at the camera and wiped a whole portion off the canvas and started again. I wanted to shout "NO! Don't do it! You had the picture there!". But he repainted and wiped away and repainted again until he was satisfied that the painting was what he wanted. I think he must have had a certain quality of light, or mood, or something in his mind that he wanted to catch. (But I still think the earlier version was better!)

Knowing when to stop is really a matter of opinion, and the end result has to be what you, the artist, is striving to achieve. It didn't matter to Fred on his video, that I wanted him to stop earlier. He knew what he wanted to achieve, and to him, he achieved it. The satisfaction was his, and he must have learned something that day. I know I did!

You can see some of Fred Cuming's work at his website (http://www.fredcuming.com/)

April Painting Holiday

2008-04-21T10:50:00.005+01:00

If you happened to be out and about in the hills around Keswick in the Lake District last week you may have come across a group of slightly frozen artists. I had eight delightful painters with me for a week of sketching and painting in the Lake District, and every day we managed to get out into the countryside despite the biting wind. I think they all deserve some kind of medal for bravery! We had many laughs along the way, and really enjoyed each other's company as we had a go at painting this beautiful and slightly over-awing scenery. My thanks to all who took part in making this such a memorable week.

I remember painting in even colder weather once, when my paint froze on the paper before it had a chance to dry, and ice crystals appeared in the paint box. I've heard that you can prevent this by adding gin to your water - but that seems to me to be a bit of a waste!

Drawing on the Masters

2008-04-12T14:44:00.004+01:00

Recently I was down in Brighton for a week and I took my drawing kit and a couple of photos to work from with me (England is cold at this time of year and I didn't expect to get out much!) I was staying at my mother-in-laws house and she has a good collection of drawing and painting books left behind by my father-in-law who was also an artist.

Flicking through them I realised how much I could learn by copying some of the paintings in pencil, as I didn't have any paints. It was a good exercise in seeing and drawing tones and textures, and learning as I went along how the masters before us were able to construct such wonderful pictures. Here are just a couple of examples - Carmelina by Henri Matisse and, by way of contrast, Lady in a Rocking Chair by Pablo Picasso.
Inspired by these I then worked from a photo I had taken in Northern France a few years ago of the massive statues at the Canadian war memorial. I've called them Brothers in Arms after the Dire Straits song.

A handy tip - if you draw in pencil and don't want your masterpiece smudged afterwards, just spray it with a cheap hairspray to fix it. You can even spray it as you go along and still draw on top of it. Much cheaper than the fixer you buy at an art shop, and just as good!

Bring life to dull photos

2008-03-28T13:52:00.003Z

I am indebted to my wife, Donna, for this tip. She uses the free google photo handling software called Picasa (download it free from http://picasa.google.com/), which not only sorts your photos into one easy to use place, but also has lots of fixes, tunings and effects that you can apply to your photos. So I began to play with it to see what it could do.

I chose a photo that didn't show much promise as something to paint from. It was of some rusty bits of junk in an old shed - all darks and rust browns and not terribly exciting. But by fiddling around with it in Picasa I managed to brighten it so the objects hidden in the dark could be seen, and enhanced the colours, so that browns turned into greens, reds, oranges and yellows, and then I sharpened it and cropped it as well. The end result was a photo with much more interest in it, and something that could be used to make a painting (possibly as an abstract).

So, find some of your most boring photos and have a go with a programme such as this and see what you can do. You may not even use the photos in the end to paint from, but the process of changing them may spark off other ideas that may inspire your painting.

Pick a Theme

2008-03-19T15:12:00.004Z

Do you sometimes get painters' block? That's when you are really inspired to paint, and all you want to do is to put brush to paper, but you can't think of a subject. You look around for ages, and nothing seems to grab you, and eventually after half an hour of wandering around in ever decreasing circles, you just give up, pack your painting gear away and sit and watch the TV! This is what is called painters block.

So how about choosing to paint the first thing you come across? Whatever it is. If you are indoors then it might be the computer, or a mug of tea, or the sofa. If you are outdoors, don't spend ages looking for the perfect view, just paint the first thing you see - perhaps a bit of bark, or some rusty furniture, or a cow. Too much precious painting time can be wasted in looking for the 'right' scene.

And you may find that once you have found a subject then there may be other similar subjects lying around. I chose to paint a pair of leather shoes. (To make life easier I painted them in monochrome, using only burnt sienna and burnt umber.) They were quick studies and were very enjoyable to have a go at. And when I had painted the first pair, I then decided that this was a good theme, and found the second pair, the ballet shoes. Now if I should get painters block again sometime soon, I know that I will be able to just pick another pair of shoes and paint away. And perhaps then move on to hats, or coats or even underwear! I need never be stuck for a subject again.

Simple Subjects

2008-03-12T20:30:00.003Z

Sometimes it is the simplest of subjects that make the best paintings. We can spend a lot of time looking for the best view, or the most unusual set-up, or the most detailed of designs, and in so doing we can miss the simple subjects that are all around. This farmhouse in the Lake District is not complicated at all, and yet on the morning I painted it, it was almost magical. The cool spring sun was lighting it up beautifully against the dark wooded hillside, and the simple shape of the building just made a lovely composition. So next time you are stuck for something to paint, just look for the ordinary subjects, and then make them extra-ordinary!

Sketching from Photos

2008-03-01T12:54:00.005Z

If you find that you can't get out much because the weather isn't good, and you are wondering "what shall I draw?", then why not have a go at this exercise. Get a sketchbook and pencil or pen, and find some photos on your computer. Then give yourself just 5-10 minutes to sketch the photo into your book, just as if you were doing it outside with the view in front of you. By taking just a short time you will be forced into just getting the main elements down, and your sketchbook will soon fill up with fresh looking pictures that you can use for inspiration when you come to paint.

The joy of spring

2008-03-01T12:50:00.003Z

Spring is just beginning here in the UK, and it is great to see the buds breaking on the trees, the daffodils in the garden, and the longer days. I shall be out sketching soon, as things warm up. As the seasons change through the year, so does the landscape and the garden. There will be new colours and shapes emerging all the time. If you want a challenge then try to paint or sketch a diary throughout the year capturing these things!

The Quick Draw

2008-03-01T12:36:00.002Z

We have a dozen or so pheasants that have recently decided to visit our garden every day. They've become quite tame and are great fun to watch as they peck around the garden after seeds. So this morning I could resist it no longer, and just had to get the sketchbook out. The problem is, the pheasants don't stay in one position for more than two seconds at a time. They are constantly on the move. So my pencil sketches had to be very quick indeed, just a few seconds each, trying to catch something of the overall shape and movement of the birds.

So why bother if that's all the detail you can get? Well, to my mind, it is invaluable to sketch like this. Firstly it forces you to study and memorise your subject in a flash, and secondly it helps you to become loose and unfussy with your drawing -just capturing the few basic lines that are needed to show what it is. I think your drawing skills are honed by spending a few moments a day sketching something like these moving birds.

Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2008-02-23T18:21:00.005Z

I've been invited to advertise in the 2008 catalogue for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibition which is held at the Mall Galleries in London. Here is the advert for you to see; I painted this scene in oils from a photo I took in Egypt last year.
Why not go along and enjoy the superb paintings at the exhibition when it comes around (from April 25th to May 12th 2008).
The website of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters can be found at http://www.therp.co.uk/

Reflections of Venice

2008-02-20T14:47:00.007Z

Venice is a fascinating city, full of hidden passageways that meander between tall buildings that blot out the sky, and in which you get frequently lost. Then, rounding a bend you suddenly find yourself crossing one of those wonderful foot bridges that we've all seen in paintings and photos, angular on top and arched below, and spanning the dark green waters of a canal or rio. There are more of these bridges than you can count, and sailing silently between them are jet black gondolas, only just rippling the water as they pass by.
The Grand Canal is another majestic sight, and one which is all too familiar from paintings. It is beautiful, (but daunting to paint), and is edged with a multitude of crumbling buildings, doorways and arches, that grow vertically out of the water.
But what really makes Venice are the reflections. The water literally adds a whole new dimension to the city, and the buildings and bridges are all reflected downwards, so you get twice as much to look at and paint!

I went to Venice for the first time in February 2008, ( a 50th birthday present from my wife), and I took along all my painting gear. The problem was, it was bitterly cold and almost impossible to stay still for more than a few moments without freezing, so I didn't manage to get much painting done. However I do have over 150 photos to work from in the warm comfort of my studio. Here's my first attempt .

Above the clouds

2008-02-19T17:33:00.003Z

I've just flown to Venice from the UK, and as the plane cruised through the cloud layer I was reminded of the first time I ever flew and saw the clouds from above. What an amazing sight; a sea of white rolling waves lit by the setting sun. It was truly inspiring!
This time there was not only the creamy blanket of cloud, but also the sparkling white snow- covered peaks of the Alps punching through it, and once again I was awed. It is scenes like this that inspire me to paint. New sights excite me.

Whenever I visit a new place I find I am seeing through fresh eyes, and suddenly there are hundreds (if not thousands) of things to paint. It is almost as if the change of light, of architecture, colours and people, invite and challenge me to paint them. It is always easy to get the sketch book out in a new place.
But what about back at home? Do I get as excited about painting the familiar things around me? Perhaps I should be looking at the everyday objects, the familiar streets, and the things that surround me with fresh eyes. For what is 'ordinary' and perhaps 'boring' to me would be exciting and stimulating to someone from another place. So I suspect it's time to look around my home town again and get the paints out!

The Watercolors of John Singer Sargent

2008-02-14T10:30:00.000Z

I've just bought a wonderful new book on the watercolours of John Singer Sargent, who was painting around the turn of the 20th century, mostly in Europe. I have to say they are absolutely tremendous. He had a style that was very free and simple and many of his paintings are composed of fresh and creative brush marks that just about describe what he is painting, but no more. There is just enough information to let the viewer know what the subject is, but with plenty of room left for the imagination. And his colours are clear, crisp and clean! You can feel the sunshine, the turbulence of the rushing river, and the stillness in the woods.
When I buy books like this from leading artists I like to have a go at copying their style. There is so much you can learn from copying the masters (and after all that is how artists have learned to paint down through the centuries). So in the coming weeks I'll choose a painting from the book that inspires me, try and work out how he painted it, and then have a go myself. It's a great way to learn!

New watercolour module

2008-02-12T13:00:00.001Z

Over this last weekend (7th Feb '08) I've added a new landscape module to the end of the watercolour course, which is very exciting. It's taken me a bit longer than I thought to write, as various other commitments kept getting in the way, but after 6 months or so it was finally ready to publish. There's been a great response to it (thank you if you bought it!), especially from people who have taken the course over the last few years.

The idea for the module came from several people emailing me at the end of the watercolour course and asking for more lessons. They were sad that the course had come to an end after 32 issues and were looking for some sort of follow on material. So the idea for the landscape module came about. In the next year I want to write a colour & design module, and maybe later on a still life module, which will both continue on from the watercolour course. So look out for these, and sign up for the news-and-info mailings from me so that I can keep you in touch (you can sign up for these from the website at www.learntodo.co.uk).