ARTISTS BACK TO BASICS 7 QIN, PENCILS DOWN BUYERS GUIDE BRETT A JONES EASELS WILDLIFE ARTIST COMPOSITION JAMES HOUGH LEONIE NO FULL OF TIPS, IDEAS AND TECHNIQREADY TO PAINT series mE y Meusttasons oot SAVE | $$ 1 e, a a AVENICE YBooks ONLY $17.99ea Artist's Palette is proud to present the latest Ready To Paint Series. Sta your collection today!!These books are usualy q priced at between $21.99 and $23.99 but we have them at the SPECIAL PRICE pilger OF $17.99. Save up to $6.00 per book. All mediums are covered with step-by-step instructions. These books offer a straigh ward easy-to-follow approach and are a great addition to your Artist's Palette magazine. mn wan wa WF tes f atercolour apa Rane PRS BOATS & DOORS & tercolout BARNS| MAROC! eHOGEss =~ FLOWERS wince] ese any MB meenenty VANDSCAPES | Watercolour atercolour HORSES / i HURRY ORDER TODAY TITLE OMR CMRS CMS [Miss Name, Address. State Postcode. Email Telephone (inc. area code) PLEASE DEBIT MY: [~ MASTERCARD [” VISA cadwo LETT CEET CEE CET expiry date TY Cardholder name (PLEASE PRINT) ——— PLEASE Ick BOOKS REQUIRED Signature Date /_/_ ou wou ke mon eet pert nk pape ty chequerMoney Order Austen | enclose a cheque/money order made payable to gaia ed ‘Woodlands Publishing ry Ld (Ast 30 115095162 for $ 3 $9.95 noes Prot Fackng * Al ices bot GST PaDoes your paint tick all the boxes? Acrylics Genesis Heat Set Oils AP Non-Toxic some some ¥ Odour Free x x ” Non - flammable x v Brilliant Colour ¥ Light Fast some ENDLESS OPEN TIME Quick drying Slow drying Dries ONLY on der Ease of blendabi Easy clean up| SCORE RUN PO Box 209 Esk OnsitgEditor’s Letter three amazing artists. Our cover arlist, James Hough, is one of Australia’s most talented wildlife artists. 'm sure you will have great enjoyment in reading his profile. We also have a fantastic buyer's guide with every easel imaginable, If you're in the market to purchase a new easel we have a huge array of ideas that you can choose from. We have a number of inspirational demonstrations, | 1 this issue of Artist's Back to Basics, we meet ‘along with our regular contributors. There are different techniques and styles all aimed to enhance your skills and knowledge. We hope FLORA & FAUNA Distance Learning Ss ™ * Learn to draw and paint the Natural World around you ‘Work from home at your own pace ‘Tuition by fully qualified, experienced international artist and tutor Subjects include Drawing & Painting, Flora, Fauna, Insects, Shells, Feathers, Fish, Birds and more For mote information or course outline, contact LEONIE NORTON Phono 029353 1602 wowmsnaturalhistory.com.au Iconienorton@iprimus.com: you enjoy this issue of Artist's Back to Basics. If you would like to see your work published in Artist's Back to Basics, please send us some ‘examples of your artwork or drawings ... You can email us al simon@wpco.com.au or post to Artist's Back to Basics, PO Box 8035, Glenmore Park NSW 2745. Also we have some great subscription offers for you so you don't miss an issue, Tum to page 34 and subscribe today. We are looking forward to hearing from you!! Simon MullenIssue No.5-3 2015 16 AMatorof Scalo 46 Scraping he Spectrum 8 James Hough 36 Janong 5B. Gisela Over 24 Easels Made Easy 14 Drawing Inspiration - Rainbow Laurekeets - Ellen Lee Osterfeld 52 Composition - Leonie Norton 54 Gabery- Fals Galery NSW 68 Grush Stokes 71 Teachers Pet Cover image by: James HoughProfile Wildlife Artist By James Hough By using his skills as an artist and his lifetime observations of Australia’s birds and animals, James’ passion comes from an urgency to protect our natural native heritage. ne cht feaston Roses fear — he eso Rosa. Kno Texte tinct rayne sn ate anetesude twaghanon teslope wot eae or oR window onaaumyiyaay.Neyve__ rae enn ha 2b Salodn nevi sed goss ove er bogsoptaogaph she hingen pupose batoctnany” —bognnge! yet anotar ead oa (grass parrots and James Hough's After the Rosellas move on Jamesputs down the SLA and goes back to his easel to paint. His studio is surrounded by photographs he uses to get exact details of his subjects correct. As James develops his talent he uses these images less and less, painting from instinct and memory. Jim's paintings are different to many wildifo artists in that many contain a full landscape background. Most wildife artists will paint or airbrush ‘a background into the painting but if you look at the work you wil ‘see thal even the background is actually in the foreground, You see painting a landscape painting and a wildlife painting are two totally different techniques and two different skils are involved. A landscape painting involves fading out the background and horizon so that it is soft and blurry. AAs you look to the horizon in real fe itis often fuzzy, blurred, hazy, and this is what the landscape artists needs to capture to give the painting depth. Landscape artists usually Use a selection of wide brushes. Wildife paintings are usually sharp, focused on the animal or bird, detailed intricate works. Wildlife artists usually use fine brushes sometimes with just a few hairs. This enables them to put the sharp meticulous brush strokes in to show the subject inits finest detail. Ths is usually at ‘odds with landscape painting. This is why many wildlife artists struggle with @ full landscape background, Jims’ mum was a landscape ast and James grew up watching his mum paint, Without realising it Jim was learning how to paint landscape. However when Jim commenced painting it was wildlife that was his passion so this is what he pursued. Howovor when he needed to put in a full landscape in the background of his widile paintings the skill was already there ~ he found he had this natural ability to combine both in the painting. It is this skill that sets James Hough's paintings apart from so many other willfe artists. When a publisher came along and asked to print some of Jim's originals, as lithograph prints the subjects he selected were almost exclusively paintings of wildife that had full landscape backgrounds. The eales went crazy with prints seling out in no time in outlets right across Australia Rotallers said that customers loved the new prints because they were so different to the other wilde prints they stocked. This same publisher has now gone back to James and sed more images for calendars, more prints and other products thus increasing his profile with the general public right across Australia, ‘America and other countries, James Hough has a rare talent in the world of wildife ant which sets him apart. Whilst others paint wildlife onto white backgrounds, or fade outthe background with mottled colour, James atten places his subject against a full landscape background, Those eastern Roselas may be perched on a barbed wire fence in the foreground, but with roling farmlands and a homestead with smoke spiralling from the chimney in the background. Towering gum trees wil frame the whole painting Hunter Valley barn in Newcastle, NSW in 1960, James Hough (pronounced Hot), was an engineering surveyor for 23 years, His professional career was balanced with a deep passion for Australian’ wildlife and the environment, which motivated James to indulge in painting at his easel on his days off. From 1999-2003 his hobby as a paar time wildlife artist continued to develop. All wildlife is of interest to James and combining his knowledge of birds and animals and their environment with his art skils, means his artworks reflect the deep respect he has for the natural environment. Much of his childhood was spent on his family cattle property on the Manning River on the Mid North Coast, Drawing was always a favourite pastime where horses, cattle, irees, and buildings were preferred. Infact his first art award came at the age of six, and the prize was a face washer and soap on a rope. An early influence for wildlife art came from perusing the illustrations and paintings of Wiliam Cooper. “I have always been intrigued by how cleverly some artists breathe life into their compositions, and to the fascinating depth of detail they achieve.” James Hough did not start painting seriously until 1999, and in 2003, he resigned and took up wildife art professionally. Jim begen his wildlife at career painting Australian native birds, which has always been one of the loves of Fis life. He now paints a large varity of native Australian birds and animals as well as international wildlife, Much of his latest work has featured wildlife wihin their typical landscape and habitat: He travels, extensively throughout Australia in thesearch of the most authentic Rabitat and for a chance to photograph all our ‘wonderful birds and animals. Every painting begins as a detailed sketch on clay coated board and is completed using acrylic paint and gouache, Having had no formal tution, Jim relies on his keen sense of observation and the enormous pleasure that painting gives him. Every artwork is. thoroughly researched - such as the Rosella’s feeding on winter grass seeds outside the studio window, ‘combined with sketches, photographic images collected on walks and Visits to many of Australia’s National Parks and bush land reserves. With 1 40 minute deve to the Barrington Tops, wildlife is never far away. Flora and fauna is prominent in his work. James’ studio is also filed with branches, lichens, leaves, blossom, gumnuts and pots of sol Painting exclusively on clayboara Using acrylic paint and gouache, layers of tanspatent cBlouraré Used to build tonal effects. The process begins with @ sketch where composition and balance are critical to the final work. Colour visualisation and composition comes next, The background is, painted first and is critical to the development of atmosphere and for capturing habitat likeness. The detailed highlighting of a work comes next. Shadows and highlights are appiied, detailed cracks in old timber are given depth, the intricate formation of bird feathers, the rounding ‘of branches and a general overview (of the final composition is given and adjusted by adding a few dead leaves and cobwebs. The beginning of anew work is generally an idea ‘recollection of a fleeting glimpse ‘of a particular bird in the wild, He begins each new work by collecting {as much resource material from his sketches, photographic records and confirming the particular bird's habitat Drawing buildings v prefeProfile More often than not James visits the bird's habitat to establish a real {el for its environment and to try and incorporate some of the bird's landscape and its surrounds in the final image. Everywhere James goes he carries a camera, tripod and ‘notebook to capture some of those ‘most unique moments in nature. To James, there is nothing more rewarding. Keeping itn the family, James has taught his two teenage sons how to make the frames that display his original artworks and Giclee reproduction prints His original artworks, prints, and greeting cards that have lifted James’ profile within Australia land throughout the world may be viewed any Thursday - Sunday at Morpeth Gallery, 5 Grean Street Morpeth, Hunter Valley NSW, 2321— just across the Hunter River from James’ family home and studio. He will often spend 2 weekend ‘at Morpeth Gallery, painting at his ‘ease! as an artist in residence. Onlookors are continually astounded at how James’ artworks evolve in front of their eyes! James says, “There is nothing more rewarding than to finish a work and to be able to say that it captures that moment in time that was unique in the natural world, and that onlookers will observe for the feeling (or emotion af the work rather than ils correctness. Finding a passion in your life as | have done with wildlife art and pursuing it creates a great deal of confidence in one’s ability and a great sense of fulfilment. have a great desire to contribute to the long term preservation of our unique Australian native environment and | desire that my artwork will encourage and motivate all to this end. Being an artist is very important to me. It has opened my eyes to the splendid colour and moods of this great country, the unique flora and fauna, and to the ‘overwhelming responsibilty we have to preserve what litle is left. His originals are purchased for private collections here in Australia A Back Roadand for collections around the world and his originals have been reproduced as limited edition prints, calendars, and gift cards. The demand for private and corporate commissions is continually growing He has just recently completed a large commission for a confectionery company in the United States. His paintings have also featured in many books and magazine publications Says James, “I began to paint wildlife after obsessively observing the colour, humour and movement of our native birds. | find all of my resource material in the bush. often sitting for hours to capture cr see a glimpse of a particular bird, sometimes walking kilometres for that special piece of reference ‘material or visiting the Lamington National Park and scouring local river and creek banks to observe particular birds. Being able to transpose my passion for wildlife onto canvas has been one of the most positive things | have done in my life. To me there can be no more deserving pursuit at the moment, than to share my art and perhaps in some way raise the profile of, and urgency for protecting ‘our natural native heritage. ove the Australian bush and love getting out there to search out new painting ideas. My aim with wildite ait is to continue to paint new subject ‘matter and refine it to create the most lifelike Image | can. There is so much left to paint and so much more to learn, | feel | have only just begun James Hough Original Artwor available fron The Morpeth Gallery Morpet @morpethgal Jame Hough Wild! Willa Dri Bolwarra Height Phone: Ema 4 Good SDrawing Inspiration Rainbow Lorikeets By Ellen Lee Osterfield was both excited and nervous when I first embarked on this painting. could see the finished painting in ‘my mind but transferring the image conto the canvas was a real challenge! ‘photograph some tiands took whilst on holiday inspired me. The birds were in a feeding trerzy by a roadside, The surroundings weren't particularly colourtul in the photograph and so the colour choice hhad to be sympathetic to the original ‘but subtle enough not to take the impact away from these vibrant birds.Step 1 The sketch up was painstakingly slow, but | wanted it to be accurate even if some of the birds ony had their heads or tals visible! | used a sheet of skeich paper ofa similar size to the finished painting to make transfer easier and also any necessary changes could be made without damaging the surface of the final board (Once Iwas happy with the design and placement | transferred the whole image onto a sheet cof 310 llustration board. Step 2 | have airbrushed the background using Raw Sienna, Cadmium yellow and added areas of Viridian. The first part of the birds to be painted ‘were their heads, using a mix of Uttramarine blue and Peacock blue and | added white to these colours {or the highlights. | fet would be ‘easier to then work my way through the jigsaw puzzle like maze! Step 3 For the beaks an under painting of Permanent yellow was completed and once dry | applied Permanent red, after this was dry | used a wet brush to take off some of the red which exposed the yellow undemeath allowing @ nice blend to take place. step 4 [like to bring my birds to life at an cary stage and so the painting in of the eyes is a very important stage For the area around the eyes | have Used a mix of Burnt Umber, a litle Prussian blue and white, for the | could see the finished painting in my mind but transferring the image onto the canvas was a real challenge!Drawing Inspiration outer eye | have used Permanent red and for the inner eye Sepia Step 5 ‘A mix of Viridian, Yellow ochre and Cadmium yellow was used for the ‘main body of the birds, for the blue/ green areas of the feathers i.e.; the tal and lower wing feathers | have added some Prussian and Peacock blues. Step 6 AA this stage | decided on some nice ripe plums for their dinner, we often have these colourful visitors to our backyard, particularly when the neighbours plums are on offer! For these | have used Permanent red and Rose Mader, with the flesh being a mix of Permanent yelow plus Permanent red step 7 ‘Shadows are so important and | havo used Violet and Ultramarine blue moced with Raw Sienna where the shadows fall across the ground and have mixed these same colours with the colours ofthe birds to create the shadows on the birds. Step 8 ‘Once the buk of the birds have ‘been painted, | turn my attention to the details. This takes considerably longer than blocking in all the areas of colour. Let me tell you, ‘tremendous patients is required! | have a favourite liner brush that Vike 0 use for the fine feather details, Imade the decision to put in the stump to perch one of the birds on as he looked like the ‘overseer’! | used a mix of Burnt umber for the under painting and added details of the important wood grain using a blend of all of the colours | have used so far, for the highlights I simply added tiny strokes of white and Burnt umber. Step 9 For the highlights on the feathers | simply add a litle white and Leonyellow to my feather colours and for dab the white (once applied) with the darker feathers | add Prussian my finger to soiten the shine, blue and Violet to the feather colours, Itis important to vary your brush ‘Final Step strokes according to the direction _—_This painting seemed like a of the feathers. The highlights marathon, but | fee! it was well on the plums were painted with worth the effort. After a few Cadmium yellow and alittle Warm ——_agjustments | am caling this epic. white for the shine. | also like to finished"! Happy painting! A time to celebrate your passion and deepen your skills. Come and join the n 2015 May1-9 A Fun & Fearless Approach to Drawing May 23-30 Playing with Pastels June6-13 Landscapes & Seascapes in Oils & Acrylics July 1-18 Painting with Pastels Late August Discovery, inspiration, technique: acrylics Sopt5-12 Travel Sketching: Creating a Sketch Journal Sept12-19 The Joy of Painting Lizzie Connor Tricia Taylor Elena Parashko Nola Cameron Mark Waller Erin Hill Kerrie LesterPencils Down Fig? om HEBE aay “The Art of Suggestion~ part 1” by Brett A. Jones aspects of freehand drawing over the last few years so | reckon it must be about time we broached 2 subject that everyone always wants to know about, that is how to realistically draw “textural” things like wood grain, metal, hair, grass fur, feathers, skin, cloth, etc. In fact anything that is unable to be represented by an actual definite outline and shape because of the complexity/subtle uniformity of the subject andor the intensityilack of ight faling on it. Hmm, that’s pretty much everything | think in one part of a drawing or another (fig 1). There's Always Hard Bits Every subject and composition you ever set out to draw will have both areas that are easy to visually understand and define, and areas that are either more indistinct texture than defined detail or so utterly complicated and busy in the level and sheer volume of tiny and often quite similar details that there's just no way you could possibly accurately draw every tiny nuance. Nor would you really want to even if you could, a big part of the attraction of drawing freehand realistically is creating the illusion of depth and reality using nothing but the pencil, eraser, and a range of drawing methods and techniques sed in stages to "work up” a drawing, the entire work remaining fluid and open to change throughout the duration of the projact and the finished result being nothing more than the result of a million decisions about where the next touch with the pencil or rubber should go, creating an artistic ilusion of the subject/ ‘composition rather than an exact facsimile. A big part of the magic to bbe found in any realistic drawing (or painting) is the way the artist has used the art of suggestion to turn a‘work in progress into an illusion of reality with the added magic of every litle detail not really actually being there at all when you look closely but only bunch of shapes, marks, lines, tones, and gradients suggesting it all (fig 2). This “art of suggestion” is an absolutely indispensible skil to have, and in some ways quite unlike all the other tools in the box. For ‘one thing suggestion by definition means you are "making it up" rather than drawing specific clues found in the reference source, the skill is in suggesting the actual tonal and textural idiosyncrasies found by studying the material you are tying to draw rather than just “scribbling randomly while hoping for the bes! A Cunning Plan It's actually another important element of the overall planning and. creation of your drawings deciding on how far you yourself want to go into the fine detail before you cross the line into the art of suggestion and ‘working to suit that end expectation right from the start of the project, Aspects requiring consideration are the overall effect you are alter, subject matter itself, the feel and character you set out to express for the particular artistic idea you had in mind, even just wanting it to look like a pencil drawing as opposed to a black and white photo (photo realism) or vice- versa. All the following tips apply to both ends of that particular sliding scale no matter whether you are a fast sketcher or a hyper-realist. It all comes down to how soon you stop drawing actual abstract shapes, tones, and details (big and small) found in the reference source and just start ‘winging it” to finish it all off. One of the most important parts of the art Of suggestion is how successful you are at hiding any visible signs of the end of the specilic shape drawing land the start of the “suggesting”. ‘Always remember though once you apply the actual process of 9: The reterence image for the try paired wooden blocks Most peo fa ke jokes, shou's be explained) but in ed bat Bearing that's had rust bulled of. Ths part he original drawing fs abou the vagest” deta on thissuggesting whatever it is that's just too complex to draw every detail of, the yawning chasm between the results of setting for random scribbling and thought out, directed, controlled, lightly applied scribbling (in other words, squirling) becomes very clear very quickly. Endless Universal Argument In the recent four articles about fudging and squiling | had to {90 very deeply into the actual mechanics of creating a freehand work in graphite from scratch out of sheer necessity o give the ‘grounding and understanding required to even understand the many different variations involved in fudging and squitling let alone be able to successfully apply it yourselt. In those articles | am ‘always describing any composition ‘or object you are drawing as being able to bo broken up into abstract shapes from the biggest outine fight down to the minutest of subte light effects. This is very tue but also a generalisation, especially when il comes to the parts of every drawing where you can't help thinking “there's just no way |can possibly draw that”. In alot ‘of cases the smallest of the visible shapes become so tangled, similar and indistinct (tonally similar) that you can only humanly and practically go so far in representing them with line work and abstract tonal shapes no matter how patient and/or mad you are. Some of the bigger shapes might have a crystal clear outline and recognisable proportions in one area only to deteriorate into hopelessly sublle ‘complexity in another. This is as it should be as the real world, which is the font of all grit for the artistic. mill, s a natural one and nature tends to turn order into chaos. It's not so much actual chaos as seemingly chaotic, the universe is all made up of endlessly subtle (and not so subtle) waves and pattems, struggling to overcome one another in a fractal way for as long as possible unti finally succumbing {0 the seemingly random intricacy we know as the shapes, materials, and textures that make up the world around us all once all the various fractal struggles start to clash and argue amongst themselves like oll and water. Natural, man-made, or a combination. It doesn’t matter as all are parts of the same elegant but brutal ongoing universal argument. There are very many struggling sources all intermingling all the time. It all knows what i's doing. It's only us humans that feel the ‘need 0 “tidy up” the universe (or maybe all the organising, concreting, cleaning, painting, ‘and mowing is just the marks of four own fractal struggle to make ‘our own bit of room in the sun to foxist amongst it all. (Hmm, a new subdivision seen from the air does sort of look a bit like fungus). When itll comes down to it though no matter how you look at it humans have always not only instinctively but actively (even maybe naively) tried to turn chaos into order. A great art related example of this is when it comes to novice (and sometimes not so novice) artists instinctively painting chuppa- cchup trees and cotton ball clouds instead of the shapes that they areactually seeing and supposedly trying to paint. Whenever you are contronted with a complex area ina drawing, i's always best to just startin with the detail features (landmarks) you definitely can see and move forward fram there. Organising Chaos When you are developing your initial sketch into a line drawing there wil always be areas that are too indistinct to represent with anything like exact outlines. A good way to deal with this in the earliest stages of a drawing is by Concentrating on the shapes and details that ARE able to be clearly recognised and comparing their relative sizas and positions against each other while leaving the more texturally complicated areas of the layout roughly outlined but fairly featuroloss, to be dealt with lator once you have established during the course of your developing linework drawing where they even are (fig 8). Most "problem areas" as far as complex textures that can really only be drawn successfully using the art of suggestion as the main technique are either relatively small or at least clearly outlined areas but even large areas of complicated “indistineiness” with no clear outline like a mess of untidy hair in a portrait can still be roughly seen as an overall shape and lightly sketch-outlined as a starting point. Once you do turn to the task of developing any area of indeterminate details and super-subtle tonal changes the first thing to be done is to ada all the recognisable and ‘able to be outlined’ elements (fig 4), these must then developed, toned, added to, and refined before any productive work can be done suggesting the rest of the texture to the point of it being an acceptable illusion. Even though it can be (sometimes overwhelmingly) tempting to just scribble in some hair or arbitrary draw lines of feathers on a bird, itis not only a waste of time but actually counter- productive as you end up having to try and get rid of all or most of it so you can do it over property Or just seltle for it and live with the voice in your head wishing you knew haw to do the hard bits better every time you look at your finished’ drawings. I's a hard ‘won skill for a human mind to be comfortable and accepting of seemingly random natural chaos but it's absolutely essential it you really want to be a good artist (Le fig 3 There's alot of things going ‘at once texture and dk inthe top hat of the ball bearing Pick out the “aroma hak to bo doat wit only is great way fo improve overall proportional accuracy of you go along, but ays proves the best stat 5 texture you may come across. ig‘: Top ofthe Dearing tnishea. mallest shapes and foundation of lanamarks” and etal shaps ich of shapes and tones, but you and even pat of a finger across the sunny sky and rod‘creating good art’, not ‘being well behaved’). | don't mean being in a chaotic mental state but rather able to recognise the truth of beautiful curves, contradictory shapes, and the sometimes quite asymmetrical balance inherent in the way nature rhythmically disorders things and be willing and able to represent it in your art without giving it a haircut, a rake, or a prune. Nature doesn't need its shirt tucked in (fig 5) This coupled with a real ability to accurately draw the bits that aren't indistinct or subtly disordered (the relatively easy bits in other words) means you will really be in the box seal to create some artistic magic. Contrary to popular belief humans don't really know better than nature, they are just one more infinitesimal element struggling for space in the Infinite universe. So relax and revel in the joyous disorder all around, Landmarks OK then, once you've got the recognisable (ie. able to be clearly expressed with linework) ‘elements of your composition to an accurate line drawing stage and have done the initial toning and subsequently necessary proportional adjustments, you can now start approaching the more ephemeral aspects (the messy hair, rufled feathers or dead leaves and grass tangled together). No matter how complicated and confused it looks there are always features that stand ‘out from the general hubbub that you can easily see and recognise again every time you look back at the reference photo. If you use these “landmarks” as reference points to break up indistinct areas into smaller and smaller areas it always helps in a big way to build a foundation for whatever particular illusion you are ttying to create. Incidentally, the use of landmarks to break up shapes into smaller areas also very much helps to see the bigger shapes and proportions more accurately and gives you the ‘opportunity to make the fine but crucial proportional adjustments you always seem to end up finding quite deep into the tonal slages of a drawing (fig 6). |luse an Ad photo as reference material as in real life there is constant unexpected danger of cchange as far as light, wind, rain, clouds, sun movingacross the sky, cars parking in the way, bits shifting, rotting, or being pinched from your stil life arrangement, etc. This always leads to massive compromises as far as available time you can spend considering and executing the work and pretty much means it has to be started and finished right there and then or finished later using memory (or photos) as reference. All very well and good if that's what planes your punt but it doesn’t do itor the siyle [like to draw in (or my back). A photographic reference Clipped to a board in a quiet, well Tit studio takes time right out of the equation and lets you concentrate Con the infinite complexities of fine detail, light effects and reflections and completely frees up your options as far as how long the work is going to take and how far ‘out onto the artistic tundra you will wander. 've got a drawing in the studio | haven't worked on for almost 10 years but it and the reference photo | am using are safely stored away waiting for me to get back on the track with it. Just because there are always parts of a drawing that can only be ‘suggested’ doesn't mean you have to rush it. Even if' you do have limited time or just jo m: prefer to work in a looser, more expressive style, the understanding and use of landmarks to help when suggesting different textures applies just as much, after all, why wouldn't the actual shapes that are really there in the reference source create the best illusion of realty if used in the drawing rather than just shading or random scribbling (fig 7). You can never draw every tiny detail you can see but you can definitely draw the Cones that are most obvious (which you will find in everything ‘nce you really 1ook) to set yourself up with the perfect textural foundation needed for the art of suggestion to come into its own to finish the drawing, All the principles described in these two articles about the art of suggestion apply equally no matter what siyle or timescale you are working inMith, the only thing that really changes is the point in the project at which the art of suggestion begins to be employed. The looser the style, the sooner it is. compl and ¢ hubbub tr We'll pick it up in part 2 with more suggestions about suggestion. Il 6: Thisis aEasels Made Easy Contributed We've compiled information from suppliers to help guide you to identify the most suitable easel(s) for your artworks Easels by Jasco Winsor & Newton provides a selection down to a box shape which includes of top quality easels that offer a solution a camry handle. The side storage tray toany painting envionment whether —_is ideal for storing colour, brushes itbe at home, the studio, in school, {and other painting accessories. for outdoors. Choosing an easels an Maximum canvas height fs 86cm, important decision for an artst. The Sketch Box easels provide the choice wil vary according to an artist's artist with ample storage to hold a style, preferred media and quite often _selection of colours, brushes and the sspace availabilty. Winsor & Nowton paaletto included with those easels. offers a range of easels to cover all Traditionally, the sketch box easel has requirements, provide firm support, 'been the complete easel for those dive long lasting service and above who wish to paint outside, as once all provide the unsurpassed quality in position in the field, thay provide expected from Winsor & Newton. stability for painting, These ease's Table easels are flexible and provide collapse to a handy size for transporting ‘a workspace for any area. They're ideal although they're becoming increasingly for use with smaller scale projects and popular for indoor use as well. as a method of displaying finished ‘The Winsor & Newton Windrush artwork, The Winsor & Newion Ribble Sketch Box Easel is handcrafted Table Easel is a tripod format table from seasoned Beechwood and an easel, manufactured from seasoned —_ideal easel for both studio work and Beechwood. Itis both light and painting on location, The easel has portable with foldable legs for ease been designed to fold down to a box of carrying and storage. The easel shape and has a camry handle and algo features rubber tipped feet shoulder strap for 0ase of transporting. which means it won't damage bench _The telescopic legs can be adusted top surfaces and reduces slippage. easily 1 achieve the desired working Maximum carwas height is 66or. height, perfect for outdoor surfaces, The Winsor & Newton Eden Table The easel also comes with an Easel is a strongly bull Beechwood integrated metal ined storage tay easel of H' frame construction. It which contains a wooden palette. features a tting facility to create the Maximum canvas height is 73em. ideal working angle. The Winsor ‘The Winsor & Newton Bristol {& Newton Arun Table Easel is an ‘Aluminium Sketching Easel is a innovative box easel, handeratted from lightweight aluminiurn easel, great for seasoned Beachwood. Itcomes fully indoor, outdoor or tabletop use. It has aseembled and has been designed ‘one touch control for quick telescopic with ease of transport in mind, folding leg adjustment and comes with a hardshell carrying case with handle and shoulder strap. The easel also has a Lsetul utility hook on the painting tray. Studio Easels are solidly bul ensuring stability and durability for the ais, They are ideal for use in a studio where they can be permanently in place ‘and can be used with large canvases, The Winsor & Newon Mersey ‘A’ Frame Studio Easel is @ robust option made from Beechwood. It offers both slabiity and tlexblty of adjustment for a variety of canvas sizes, The lower suppott features a metal ratchet for ‘agjustment of the working height. ‘The Winsor & Newion Hamilton Studio Easel is highly adjustable, i can tit forward for glare reduction or tit backward to a horizontal postion when painting with water colour The easel has a fuly adjustable painting tray and folds flat for easy storage. Handcrafted from seasoned Beechwood, this easel is @ popular stucio option. Maximum carwas height is 138m, The Winsor & Newton Shannon Studio Easel isa solidly built, robust ‘0as0| designed for studio and college Use. The painting ground rests on an ciustable lower shelf which allows simple adjustment ofthe working height. The easel has an adjustable angle for proferrad working position. This model also features a folding base stand for ease of storage, Supplied in Kt form for simple sett assembly ‘The Winsor & Newton Double Sided Devon Siucio Easel isa studio easel which features a double-sided design, allowing the accommodation of two canvases along with a battom painting tray that moves easly to allow height adjustability. Buit on a sturdy "H" Frame, itis handeratted from fine quality Beechwood with a natural oil fish. It ccan be assembled in minutes without the need for tools and has locking casters for effortless studio positioning, Reeves has an easel range that has been created to offer the artist ‘a comprehensive choice, from large ‘easels for use in the studi, through to lightweight easels ideal for field work Reeves wooden easels are made from Eimwood or Beechwood which makes them sturdy and long lasting. The Rutland Easel is a miniature table top easel with an adjustable canvas support to accommodate canvas up to 30cm high. In addition to using the Rutland easel inthe studi, itis also ideal for showcasing finished artworks. ‘or useful in other areas of the home such as holding cookery books, ‘The Tavola Easel isa table top ‘easel ideal for smaller, more detailed work. The Tavola comes with rubber fee! fo prevent slipping anc protecis the surlace. The Tavola is Collapsible for easy storage and has an agjustable carwas height up to 68cm. ‘The Cambridge Easel is table top box easel made from lightweight elm wood. This model features a Convenient wooden box for storing art materials with a carry handle for easy transportation, Ideal for use in the home or on the move, the adjustable canvas support accommodates canvas up to 62cm high ‘The Dorset Easel is a fleld easel that also can be used in the studio, Ithas an adjustable horizontal position, making it suitable for both oil and watorcolour techniques. The Dorset easel collapses for easy storage and includes a carry handle for easy transportation, This easel ‘accepis canvas up to 70cm high. Jasart has a selection of easels that can be used on table tops, in the field, home or studio. Jasart Bamboo Easels offer a sustanabie and environmentally friendly option for artists. They are made from bamboo grown in managed, renewable forests and are a natural alternative to traditional wooden easels. Harvested and refined bamboo is shaped into a beautifully crafted, solid easel Jasart Bamboo easels available include the Table Top Easel, Box Easel, Storage Box Easel, Lyre Easel and Sketch Box Easel The Jasart Bench Easel is a studio ‘location workhorse! Made trom sturdy Beechwood, this easel alows you to sit comfortably anywhere and paint at numerous angies. tis ideal for indoor or outdoor painting and includes ‘wheels for easy manoeuvrabilly. ‘The Jasart bench easel also has a Convenient storage drawer for supplies. Folds easly for storage and portability.B40 Camying Bag JR8803% Easels at S&S ‘Choosing the right easel is an integral Part of the painting process. The importance ot having the comect easel is atten overiooked but having a frm ‘and steady easel can be as moortant tothe fished painting as choosing the correct paint, canvas or brush (One ofthe fst consicerations when selecting an easel is the type of ‘matofal its constructed trom. Timber is ‘ximanly used forthe majority of easels though some eases ae constructed from alurinium. Whatever mates used, the object is to create an easel that doesn't move, shake or rate when in use. Norn Amercan Fed ‘Oak, or any Oak for that matter is the finest mataral for consructng eases tis an extremely hard wood, so gue and serews do not come loose once ppled The colour gran and over appearance of Oak combined with is strength and hardness make tthe ideal tenber for ease! manufactur. ‘The majority of easels on the market today are constructed trom Beoctmioed. Beech is a softer wood than Oak o sorews have a tandency to loosen over ime and cause the easel to shake and vibrate The new Lyptus' wood, a naturally ‘occuring hybrid of Eucalyptus Grancis and Eucalyptus Urophylla (both Australian natives) is comparable ‘to Oak in strength and hardness. Lyptus wood has a straight grain and fine, even texture. As itis plantation «grown the trees are hand pruned throughout ther growth yeas leading to very unto wood with few kno, ‘Aumirium i generally used for ele easels. tis lightweight, srong and resistant othe elements There are many types of eases for diferent appications - painting, pastel \wotk, indoor or outdon: use. Eases are designed ina variety of styles to accommodate many different ways ats work. There ate five sys of easels, The Table Ease, the Tipod or Field easel, the Box or French Style Ease, the Lye (A-Frame) Easel and the Studio (H-Frame) Easel. There are a numberof variations to each of these that offer cferent tt setings, storage options and size capabilities. ‘S&S stocks a wide variety of easels for everyone from the beginner, student and hobbyist right through to the professional ats. Table Easel - As the name suggests, is a small easel that fits onto a table top. Table op easels are generally scaled-down versions of a tinod, tye, studio or box easel although there are some such as the DalerRowney Arsphere which have been specifically designed for table use, Ideal where space is an issue. Lyre or A-Frame Easel - Tiiangular shaped easels with 2 front legs and single rear leg that form the shape of an ‘A’ when in use. The single rear leg is colapsible on most types of Lyre easels allowing for easy storage and for use in comers and tight ‘spaces. Generally, A-frame easels do ‘nt tit foward of the painting surface. ‘Tiipod/Field Easel - Generally easy to handle and fold up. They are lightweight, portable and single masted. They do not provide the stabilty ofthe Lyre or H-Frame ‘easels but that light weight and ease of transport makes them ideal for field use. French/Box Easel - ‘A S:n-1 easel comprising a sketchbox, ‘an easel, and a carwas carrier They are lightweight and portable and allow you to cary painting materials ‘easily into the field. The angle at which you work can be varied ‘between vertical and horizontal, ‘Studio Easel - Aso known as an H-Frame easel, these easels are based on rightangles. All posts are generally parallel to each other win a sturdy rectangular base. ‘Studio easels can accommadate much larger canvases than other easels and often have crank adjustments and paint trays. Most offer a forward tit ‘making them even more convenient forpainters. Studio easels are stable and sturdy and available in many variations including double masts, JULIAN Easols The name JULLIAN is synonymous with easel design and construction. They counted among the most prestigious easels in the world, During the Second World Wer, Roger JULLIAN, a French prisoner of war, devoted himself to