Innehållsförteckning för January 2026 från Artists & Illustrators

“My artwork is focused (mostly) on birds. Usually from personal pictures or sightings from my time on the field as a birdwatcher. I like to try different styles, but scientific illustration is one of my favourite styles. I love Nitram Charcoal because of their different products, the high quality and the versatility from them, which makes the painting experience even more enjoyable. Using Nitram has opened up a whole new world for me, allowing me to work seamlessly with different layers, and it blends beautifully with other techniques such as coloured pencils and graphite.” To watch a video of Juanjo Soto working with Nitram Charcoal, please visit: https://nitramcharcoal.com/juanjo-soto or scan the QR code I’m a self-taught illustrator from Chile. I enjoy painting the birds I observe, capturing their details and…

Editor’s pick… Spanning the 1920s to 1970s, Into Abstraction: Modern British Art and the Landscape, at Firstsite in Colchester, examines the evolution of abstract art during periods of sweeping social and political change. Drawn from the Wakefield Art Gallery Collection, it brings together work by the likes of L.S. Lowry, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Elizabeth Frink, and looks at how artists interpreted abstract art in response to their environments and the changing - often turbulent - times in which they lived. On until 18 Jan 2026. firstsite.uk SOME VERY, VERY, VERY NEW PAINTINGS NOT YET SHOWN IN PARIS This inaugural exhibition at the new London premises for Annely Juda Fine Art, features a series of paintings by David Hockney, which were completed inside his London studio over the last…

www.tachegallery.comlove/ LOVE & LANDS CAPE: STANLEY SPENCER IN SUFFOLK Until 22 March 2026 Sir Stanley Spencer is best known for his paintings depicting biblical scenes in his hometown of Cookham, but he also spent a great deal of time in Suffolk, particularly during his first marriage. This is the most ambitious exhibition dedicated to him in a decade and it features more than 20 works from the Stanley Spencer Gallery, as well as other major galleries like the Tate and private collections. Some of his work provoked shock and controversy when it was produced, and nowadays it is still seen as stylistic and experimental. Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2EU. gainsborough.org A CONSTRUCTED HOME Until 16 December A debut exhibition by Alison Wing Yin Poon exploring mixed-heritage identity, memory and…

This month, two lucky readers will be basking in their Artists & Illustrators annual Christmas Prize Draw rewards. With so many creative treasures, it’s hard to know where to begin. The first prize winner may decide to open the tin of Royal Talens’ Rembrandt Watercolours (£319.95) and paint a wintry scene, or put the nature-inspired Derwent Drawing Pencils (£190.79) to use. If the winner and runner-up want to start planning artistic projects over the coming year, they will each have at hand six eco-friendly, wooden bound Meraki notebooks (£599.40) adorned with some of the most iconic paintings in the world. Once they get started on those projects, anything and everything can be decorated with the chalk markers, porcelain pens and glitter pens in the fabulous edding bundle (299.45) and the…

ANDREW FAULKNER IS KNOWN for his confident use of colour and strong compositional sense. At first glance, his work depicts familiar scenes – hills, rivers, skies – but it’s the energy in the colour, the balance of the forms, that make them stand out. The artist’s approach is informed by rigorous training. He studied with George Chapman, a student of Josef Albers, learning to use colour not just decoratively, but as a tool to create emotion and depth. This foundation underpins the striking vibrancy of his work, where light, shadow and hue interact in deliberate, dynamic ways. Before committing to painting full time, Andrew spent 30 years in graphic design. That career sharpened his compositional eye and visual storytelling skills. Then, 15 years ago, he took the leap to focus…

I drew as a child and amused classmates with caricatures of friends and teachers, but I also loved developing and printing my own photographs. I grew up in a council house in North Wales, and my ‘darkroom’ was the tiny outside toilet, with me sat on a stool, the enlarger on the toilet seat, and the chemical baths right behind me. When photography became digital, I taught myself to use Photoshop, then in later life I built and flew radio-controlled gliders and introduced computer systems in the hospitals where I worked. Back in the late eighties, I bought myself an airbrush and all the gear, in the hope of emulating fantasy artists, like Syd Mead of Blade Runner fame. But I only managed to do two monochromatic paintings in ink: all…

thebritishartprize.com From the publishers of Artists & Illustrators magazine, the British Art Prize is a major annual, international, open art competition. The Final 50 shortlisted artworks will be exhibited online and available to purchase from 10 November until 5 January 2026.…

from our trusted partner Tripsmiths Departs May 9-13, 2026 Nowhere on Earth provides a deeper understanding of Roman life than Pompeii and Herculaneum. Both thriving towns before they were engulfed by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79, they present a haunting and vividly detailed picture of life in Roman times. Who better to provide insight into what you’re seeing than Pompeii expert Dr Sophie Hay? Sophie will join you as you tour Pompeii and will give an exclusive talk at your hotel. You will be staying at Hotel Forum Pompeii, just a few metres from the entrance to the archaeological site. There is also a visit during the tour to the once opulent seaside town of Herculaneum, which is arguably better preserved. Exclusive to The Telegraph Five days from £1,989pp*…

Portrait painting has captivated artists since the beginning of time – and for good reason. We humans are fascinating subjects for the artist’s gaze. In this issue, we have two artists with wildly different approaches to the genre, yet equally striking results. No matter the size of the canvas, Janice Lightowler uses only one small brush per painting and attaches that brush to the back when completed. Steve Forster adopts the French method of ébauche, which starts with a charcoal under-drawing followed by a vibrant paint finish. Meanwhile, I was lucky enough to sit for acclaimed portrait artist Lucy Stopford, whose portraits are conveyed through the delicate balance between realism and abstraction. I was delighted and awed with the results (above). We are also thrilled to reveal the winners of…

10 DECEMBER The Sidney Nolan Trust is open to art in all media showing boldness and conviction. Residency and exhibition opportunities for winners. £15 entry. artopps.co.uk 18 DECEMBER A £10,000 prize fund awaits winners of the Visual Art Open 2026, for established and emerging artists worldwide. £20 for one entry, £10 for others. visualartopen.com 13 JANUARY All pencil art invited for the Derwent Art Prize ’26, with a prize fund of £13,500 and winners’ exhibition at gallery@OXO. £15 per entry, then £5 (up to six). derwentart.co.uk 15 JANUARY Create artwork with characteristics of the Italian Renaissance for Accademia Riaci International. Free entry. accademiariaci.info/comp2026/…

Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of drawing. I constantly drew monsters, video game characters and comic book heroes. I kept this up through my late teens until it dawned on me that art was something I could choose to really pursue. My initial dream was to become a concept artist in the video game industry, but I knew I had to hone my basic skills as an artist first. I enrolled in the four-year atelier programme. A few years into it, I had fallen in love with (and was pretty good at) oil painting. My sights began to shift, and I found myself considering a career in the fine arts for the first time. The very first challenge I faced was unlearning the bad drawing habits I…

When I was young, I was set on becoming a hairdresser, and even had an apprenticeship lined up. But my art teacher, Mr Cop, encouraged me to look into art college. Then, three weeks before my first interview, my portfolio was stolen from school. There was nothing I could do but work really hard to produce as much good work as possible to present at the interviews. I was shocked when I found I’d been accepted onto the foundation courses of three colleges. My work sits within the field of realism and I use pastels to explore the subtleties of stillness, presence and emotion - either through still life or portraiture. I tend to have a sense of restraint in my palette and a light touch in my mark-making, drawing…

LITTLE CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS more perfectly than a puppy nestled beneath the tree, bringing to mind the twinkle of festive lights, the glow of December evenings and that unmistakable mix of nostalgia and anticipation for the joys still to come. In this piece, I set out to capture that magic on paper, using perspective, depth and focus to draw the eye. The soft blur of fairy lights in the background creates an enchanting atmosphere, while the puppy remains crisp in the foreground, embodying the heart of the moment. After all, those hazy Christmas lights echo how many of us see the world after a glass or two of mulled wine - a little fuzzy, but utterly magical. Working with coloured pencils is a slow process, but their beauty…

ÉBAUCHE IS FRENCH FOR FIRST PASS OR QUICK SKETCH. You can see in great detail what has been lost and what has been gained by putting on a wet and wild ébauche after creating an initial charcoal drawing, which provides a strong foundation and tone and makes subsequent, saturated colours appear more vivid. While significant areas of the drawing are outlined, there’s a high degree of contrast, so that when the ébauche is put on, the main forms don’t become lost. The drawing is sealed so it doesn’t move or significantly change with the addition of wet paint. This allows for a lot of experimentation and improvisational colour and brushstrokes. This process is very forgiving because mistakes made during the initial stages are typically covered up in later layers. In…

EB WATTS E B Watts is American and comes from a family of professional artists. She lives in Cheshire and paints with acrylic on canvas and paper. She likes to use artistic license in her paintings and changes things to suit her ideas and the composition. She has had exhibitions both here and abroad. ANDREW FAULKNER A contemporary landscape painter recognised for his compositional design, Andrew’s approach was shaped by studies with George Chaplin, a noted colourist and student of Josef Albers, which instilled in him a lifelong focus on the power of colour. His work reflects the joy of the landscape. CHRISTINE PORTER LOFARO This artist is celebrated for her hyper-realistic paintings that explore human emotion and everyday fragility. Her work combines classical technique with contemporary sensibility, creating immersiwve…

1 Derwent You can’t get better than Derwent when it comes to the pigments in its renowned Drawing Pencil range. There are now 48 new nature-inspired colours, taking the range to 72 in total. The Drawing Pencils are perfect for capturing everything from wildlife and landscapes to portraiture, and the range – which includes yellows, soft purples, blues and greens – offers artists an incredibly versatile palette. The soft, creamy texture of these pencils makes blending and layering effortless, enabling you to create depth and texture and achieve a smooth finish. There is a fresh new look to this expanded range of pencils, with a commission on the tin by artist Jess Pritchard that shows the results the pencils can achieve, while alluding to Derwent’s roots amongst the soaring mountains…

WHEN TRAVELLING IN SICILY, it is impossible not to be captivated by the strong identity of light. It’s almost as if it were a living creature: restless, always in motion, forever changing. The way it moves across otherwise stoic surfaces, lends to everything it touches an energy it might lack in another climate. The beautiful church of St Stephen in Cefalu was animated by such a light at the end of the day. In transparent watercolour, we do not paint light, we reveal it. All light emanates from the surface of the paper, and that’s why the choice of surface becomes so important. For this work, I selected a bright and very white Baohong Masters Choice paper. The rough surface texture helped enhance the watercolour’s transparency, but also conveyed some…