Innehållsförteckning för February 2026 från Artists & Illustrators

Thinking about them? Why not take inspiration from any of our practical features that have ideas a-plenty. Sharon Tiernan paints a windy Scarborough sea scape – with a magnificent swell – in electrifying colour, whilst Nicholas Poullis creates a serene view from his home in the South of France. Terence Clarke shows you how he depicted a snowy lake view in Worcestershire whilst, if flowers are your thing, why not look at Matthew Lyon’s tulip demonstration? Even when they’re ageing, they’re still worth documenting, and preserving for life, he finds. Elsewhere, we showcase why The British Art Prize’s People’s Choice winner bagged his award. Self-taught, watercolour artist Colin Revell takes his inspiration from Alvaro Castagnet, one of the judges on this year’s competition – and it shows. His fabulous cityscapes…

CARAVAGGIO’S CUPID Until 12 April 2026 Caravaggio’s Victorious Cupid (1601-02), never before shown publicly in the UK, forms the centrepiece of a focused exhibition at the Wallace Collection. A major loan from the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, the painting is displayed alongside two ancient Roman sculptures once shown with it in the collection of Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani. Evoking the atmosphere of the Palazzo Giustiniani, the exhibition explores the cultural world of 17th-century Rome, where Caravaggio’s naturalistic, provocative masterpiece first captivated viewers. Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN. wallacecollection.org COLCHESTER ART SOCIETY AT 80 17 January to 12 April 2026 Marking the 80th anniversary of Colchester Art Society, this show brings together more than 30 paintings, prints, drawings and mixed-media works by its members. The display offers a wide-ranging…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PAINT AND CREATE 1 Make your own greys and blacks Consider mixing your darks from colours other than black paint. Warm or cold shadows and darks can be better achieved mixing with complementary colours. Mixing Burnt Sienna and French Ultramarine will give you a wonderful range of neutral greys and deep vibrant darks, either warm or cool. 2 Don’t be afraid of pigment Watercolour dries lighter than it looks when applied, so judging values can be hard. But to give your painting depth and strength, don’t be afraid to use plenty of pigment, which is what gives impact. Mix colour on the paper not the palette – it can be hard to control, but sometimes letting go of control can produce fresher, more spontaneous results. 3…

I AM USUALLY DRAWN TO PORTRAITURE in my studio practice, but recently I wanted a subject that might push me in a different direction and challenge me. The answer came, unexpectedly, from something as ordinary as a bunch of fading tulips in my living room. They were well past their prime, yet in the midday light, they had a striking presence. Sunlight cut through the window and transformed the vase of wilting flowers, throwing bold shadows and light across the wall. The contrast between light and dark was remarkable. I was also struck by the distortion of stems in water, the textures of ageing foliage and the ochre yellow petals – all of which offered challenges I found appealing. I like to challenge myself to develop my technique, and this…

Passing Through, came after a season with a lot of change and unknowns. This is a location I’ve come to many times, and painting it helped me to ground myself. It’s a spot on the Deschutes River that I have walked along countless times. In the summer and early autumn, I find myself drawn to it for a nightly dip. It’s become my way to shed the noise and reset. I have many reference photos of the river at different times of the day. This isn’t a specific scene to me, but more a compilation of many times at the river’s banks. I knew I wanted to capture the feeling of the rushing water with the stillness of the evening light. I was surprised by how quickly it came together.…

CHRISTOPHER ST. LEGER This is an artist of the romantic tradition whose source of imagination is both light and mood. His work explores culture through its everyday surroundings in oil and watercolour. Born in northwest Indiana in 1973, he studied architecture in Ohio and Budapest. COLIN REVELL This year’s People’s Choice Award winner is a self-taught artist specialising in watercolour. His proudest achievement so far has been his latest win and appearing in season 10 of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year. He was also voted best in show at the Royal Norfolk Show 2025. DAVE COOPER Dave’s subjects range from landscapes to wildlife, and architectural pieces inspired by the Provencal villages around where he lived. Since returning to the UK, Dave has focused on subjects closer to home…

A good set of materials can make a noticeable difference to how you approach your work. The right pencils or pens can encourage you to try new marks, slow down or take an idea further than you first expected. This month, we’re giving four readers the chance to explore a generous selection from STAEDTLER’s Artist Series, created with a range of drawing habits and studio routines in mind. The bundle includes tools suited to everything from quick sketchbook notes to more considered pieces. The Mars Lumograph Colour Aquarell pencils offer smooth colour that can be used dry or brushed out into gentle washes, making them ideal for building up tonal studies or adding subtle layers of colour. The graphite and charcoal sets provide dependable options for traditional drawing, and the…

I FIRST STARTED GOING TO LIFE DRAWING CLASSES in 2021. Most people were drawing with charcoal or pencil, but I knew I wanted to paint. One of the first things I tried was Artgraf (compressed charcoal) paired with a water brush, dipping in to pull out light, mid and dark washes – this is a good place to start if you want to move from dry to wet media. I used the lid of the tin as a mini palette until it became all rusted, and I struggled to get it off. I also experimented with different-sized brush pens – filling them with calligraphic inks and diluted fountain pen mixes. The results were unpredictable, but it was about as close to painting as I could get without actually doing it.…

EN PLEIN AIR ARTISTS are deeply connected to the changing seasons, continually inspired by how nature’s transformations shape their subjects. The onset of autumn in Southern France, for example, transforms the landscape, offering new patterns, forms, and colour contrasts. I discovered this view in Margon, the village next to where I live in Hérault, south-west France. The architecture offers a fascinating variety of shapes and textures, while the landscape setting adds a dynamic dimension to the subject and crucially, depth. When selecting a view, I always look for natural compositions where the trees complement the overall design and subject. In this scene, there were few but significant compositional choices, particularly in how the buildings were positioned and their scale within the painting. This is a relatively small subject, ideal for…

Editor’s pick… Go behind the scenes of Aardman’s beloved world in this family-friendly exhibition marking the studio’s 50th anniversary. With over 150 objects on display – from early character sketches and puppets to sets, props and never-before-seen models – the show reveals how favourites such as Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph and Chicken Run’s fearless flock move from sketchbook to screen. Young visitors can try their hand at storyboarding, character design, set lighting and stop-motion techniques, with interactive stations that demystify the animation process and encourage creative play. Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is on from 12 February to 15 November 2026 at Young V&A. vam.ac.uk/young Don't miss… Migratory Movements, a new exhibition by Oswaldo Maciá, developed during his 2025 residency at Elizabeth Xi Bauer. Known…

This month’s spotlight on a British Art Club member Anna Shuttlewood’s earliest memories are of puppet shows in Sofia, Bulgaria, watching as pieces of material were transformed into entire worlds. She reminisces, “From as early as I can remember, I have been watching the creation of many puppets and sets – it’s amazing how from a piece of material a new world is created with its own living creatures.” That fascination with creation now informs her illustrations, where simple ideas evolve into fully realised scenes, often filled with animals. Her work focuses on small moments that amuse, and she chooses the details that matter, explaining that she likes to capture “the interactions and the details that delight me in our lives and also in the behaviour of animals; with the…