Innehållsförteckning för March 2024 från Artists & Illustrators

…and be the best! With a plethora of step-by-step approaches brought to you from the greatest artistic talent out there, Artists & Illustrators will nurture your inspiration while guiding you through fundamental drawing and painting methods. Within these pages, you will discover a fabulous source of vital information, tips and tricks that will only add to and enrich your craft. Take the second instalment on portrait painting from Adebanji Alade, President of The Royal Institute of Oil Painters and Artist in Resident on the BBC’s The One Show. He masterfully shows you how to paint a portrait in acrylic, using just four colours and the outside-in technique. Then, the celebrated Scottish painter Robert Kelsey exclusively shows you how he painted a snowy street scene in oil, blending warmth and quietude…

IN THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN South, amidst the vast landscapes of Texas, one artist has dedicated his life to capturing the beauty, depth and essence of the world around him. Bob Stuth-Wade – an American artist and Texan through and through – has spent over four decades sharing his unique perspective on life and nature through his remarkable paintings. With a wealth of experience, an unwavering love for the land and a profound connection to the art of seeing, Bob’s journey through art is an indication of the power of passion and an enduring love for life. Growing up along the untamed shores of Corpus Christi, Texas, and inspired by the endless distances and winds of his coastal upbringing, Bob’s artistic path began with the encouragement of his parents.…

LONDON-BASED ARTIST, Estelle Day, did a foundation diploma at Chelsea College of Art and Design, then graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Fine Art. She exhibits annually with the Society of Women Artists at the Mall Galleries and has sold both her portraits and still life paintings to clients in the UK and across the world. One of her portraits, Robert, was on display at the National Portrait Gallery London as part of the BP Portrait Award 2017 exhibition. estelledayfineart.com As an art student, I was adventurous with subject matter. A lot of my work came from my imagination. The human figure and faces were a common feature in my paintings, which were very expressive in style. This theme continued to evolve when I was studying for…

I LOVE BADGERS. Because I live in a semi-rural location, I do spot them quite regularly. I love that, even though they appear to be mostly black and white, I see lots of other bright colours which I incorporate into my paintings. I decided for this little fellow I would have him peeping out from his set. As it is winter, I wanted to depict this with Indigo Blue with the addition of fine salt grains to further emulate a wintery feel of frost and snow. Whenever working from photographs, I do tend to completely change colours and the surroundings to suit my mood, which will usually be much brighter than the picture would suggest. I often use a red on my animal faces, even when there is no evidence…

A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, Robert is a long-time professional artist. His inspiration comes from the spectacular beaches found along the west coast of Scotland, as well as landscape subjects in Italy, France, and the Caribbean. He loves to capture the translucency and clarity of light in his subjects. Jo is a professional artist and author who owns her own gallery space, located by a canal in Derbyshire. From there, she teaches painting classes, workshops and short painting breaks where the beautiful wildlife and landscapes inspire her loose and lively style. Hailing from Lagos, this year’s People’s Choice Winner has an interest in painting landscapes and sceneries. His technique is elaborate and distinguishable, whilst he mostly paints with a palette knife in oil, watercolour and pastel. His winning…

The in-person seminars held by international artists at Raw Umber Studios are its most well-known feature. The artists operate brief, concentrated workshops teaching the skills required to produce representational art. This non-profit art school and studio is based in Stroud in the UK, but it also features a huge selection of reasonably priced online materials which are appropriate for artists of all skill levels. This month, seven lucky readers will have the chance to win a Raw Umber Gold subscription, valued at £162. This includes twice-weekly guided livestreams on the internet from talented artists who are regulars in Artists & Illustrators, such as Lizet Dingemans, Luca Indraccolo and Lydia Cecil. Also on offer are regularly scheduled, coached online drawing sessions: a terrific way to set aside dedicated time for your…

Stewart Hill THE EXPERIENCE: In 2012, I was medically discharged as a Lieutenant Colonel due to the fact that, in 2009, I led 164 soldiers into fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan. On 4th July, medics fought to save my life after shrapnel was blown into my brain. That moment changed my life, my brain, forever. I have had to re-learn how to do everything. WHY ART? I wanted to be an artist as a teen but they didn’t teach it at A-level at my school, so I stopped painting. My father was in the army and, after dropping out of business studies at uni, I realised the military was my metier. After the bombing, I struggled with depression because of the loss of my career. Art became my therapy.…

I CHOOSE MY SUBJECTS CAREFULLY to engage my audience – and also to share a story. Usually, I like to take numerous photos of them from many angles. Even though these differ from my chosen pose for the final composition, I find this allows me to get to know the person well and to form a connection with them. I prefer natural light when I take photos as I feel it has a much softer look. I believe that lighting is of the utmost importance to a successful composition. Light evokes so many feelings and conveys emotion. I spent a lot of time understanding light and paying attention to how it affects what we see. My portraits vary in the light I portray, as they all have different moods and…

MESSAGE OF THE MONTH Craig Seabright I am a Bournemouth-based artist who, for the past 26 years has – owing to an injury to my fifth vertebrae that resulted in nerve damage to my arms, – produced all of my work using my right foot. Due to my injury and having to live on benefits, gaining exposure has been problematic as I have no financial backing. I am hoping that you will be interested in my story and work. James Palliser I’m an artist based in the UK and currently serving in the military. I’m actually leaving to pursue my passion of being an artist full-time. I think I bring a different style to my portrait work that you don’t see too often out there and am delighted to be…

As a still life painter, I regularly visit used goods shops to hunt for objects that I might use as props for paintings. Recently, I found an old, nearly two-foot-high, ceramic doll with a head of real hair and joints made with springs and string. The doll is holding a book called Stars, which was given to me as a child and I still have. What initially attracted me was her wide-eyed expression of wonder, but then I saw she might also look as if she were expressing a state of woe. This ambiguity between wonder and woe struck me as illustrative of my personal experience of insomnia, something with which I have been afflicted for my entire adult life. Insomniacs spend a lot of time wondering about what disturbs…

Things we love… Journey into a vibrant world where history, culture and memories converge in Hurvin Anderson’s Salon Paintings. The artist’s immersive exploration of barbershops captures moments frozen in time, revealing the profound interplay of reflections, conversations and cultural nuances; each stroke embodying the essence of these culturally rich spaces. At Hastings Contemporary until 3 March. hastingscontemporary.org Don’t miss… Watercolours, a new collection of hand-woven carpets from Shame Studios in collaboration with Leveson Design, is inspired by the formal structure of traditional carpets meeting the freedom and expressiveness of water and pigment, resulting in a unique collection of painterly rugs. The pair have drawn inspiration from both the past and innovation occurring in the industry today, successfully creating a new language in carpets. Through applying technical digital developments to the…

“EACH PAINTING DISPLAYED in a gallery and each good book that makes it into a library, no matter how small, serves a great cause: accretion of the national wealth.” Many would echo Chekhov’s admirable sentiments. This guiding philosophy underpinned the creation of London’s National Gallery, first founded in 1824 and now celebrating its bicentenary under director Gabriele Finaldi. The collection may not be gargantuan, but its scope is vast; most major movements from Giotto to Cézanne are represented. This collection of over two thousand paintings, spanning the principal traditions of Western European art, has always belonged to the government on behalf of the British public and so entry to the main collection remains free of charge. Unusually, the gallery was not formed by nationalising any royal collection, as has often…