Innehållsförteckning för March 2026 från Artists & Illustrators

With £1,000 in total to be won, five readers will each receive £200 towards a five-day course in Bournemouth, courtesy of MARILYN ALLIS This month, we have teamed up with artist Marilyn Allis to offer readers the chance to win a place on a distinctive painting holiday in Bournemouth. Taking place from 26th to 30th October 2026, the five-day retreat brings together four acclaimed watercolour artists – Phil Biggs, Alison Board, Paul Talbot-Greaves and Marilyn – for an immersive exploration of technique, style and creative approach. Five winners will each receive £200 to use towards the cost of the course, which is hosted at a beautiful seafront hotel overlooking the coast. Daily workshops take place in a bright studio with uninterrupted sea views, offering participants the opportunity to explore four…

I grew up in a working-class family in Hove. My father was a milkman and there were almost no books in the house. My first attraction was to the comic strips in the Daily Mirror and the illustrations in magazines. At secondary school, I showed some knowledge of painters, encouraged by my art teacher, who suggested the Saturday morning children’s classes at Brighton Art School. The moment I walked in and smelled oil paint and printing ink, I felt I had arrived. I joined the Brighton Foundation at 16 and later the Graphic Design course, where tutors such as John Vernon Lord, Justin Todd and Raymond Briggs showed me it was possible to earn a living through art. They, along with early art directors who took risks on me when…

A lovely old cow field barn, set against snow-covered hills somewhere in upper Swaledale: how could I resist? I’ve lost count of the number of barns I’ve drawn and painted over the last few years, but this scene had some wonderful elements in the composition that really appealed to me. There’s a wonderful sense of peace and stillness imparted by the fallen snow; some fabulous textures to explore in the far-off hills, along with the strong, low winter sun on the face of the building. emphasise to folk attending my workshops that, when working from a reference photograph, there is no strict rule that says you have to reproduce faithfully every single element contained in it. This is where your artistic license comes to the fore: to omit those things…

ARTISTS, FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS GATHERED ONCE AGAIN to celebrate the private view of this year’s British Art Prize exhibition. Our annual competition returned this year with another exceptional showcase of creativity, bringing together artists, art lovers and supporters of Artists & Illustrators magazine. As always, the competition offered a prestigious and inclusive platform for artists working across all styles, media* and techniques, continuing its mission to champion artistic expression at every level. This year’s competition drew thousands of outstanding entries, making the judges’ task more challenging than ever. The selection process was helmed by an accomplished panel: Adebanji Alade, President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters; Alvaro Castagnet, internationally renowned watercolourist; Dr Amy Orrock, National Curator for the National Trust; Tiffany Panter, co-founder of Panter & Hall gallery; and…

High heels and miniskirts, heaving cleavages and Cupid’s bow lips. Sunburn, swathes of fur and leopard print. Pints, cigarettes, flirting. Bars and bingo halls, bowling greens and beaches. Fleshy figures and their accoutrements fill the paintings of the late Beryl Cook OBE: everything about her work is bright, loud and unignorable. Cook was a former guesthouse landlady who, on the cusp of middle age, taught herself to paint and subsequently became a household name after her expressive, hyperbolic images of ordinary people having fun catapulted her to fame in the 1970s. Some critics might call it ‘bawdy,’ but what made Cook popular was the fun she injected into every piece, setting them free from the lofty pretensions of the art establishment. She pedalled joy – camp, unashamed joy. Now, her…

Watercolour painting requires planning. Most paintings are done in layers, working from lightest to darkest and using the white of the paper as a highlight. So how do you approach a media that is hard to control, edit, and requires lots of thinking before you even start? Don’t let it scare you. Watercolour is also unpredictably beautiful and often creates amazing washes on its own. The planning part you will get the hang of pretty quickly, as you start to try a few projects, whilst the hard-to-edit part, in my opinion, is what works to your advantage. Have you ever seen street artists that spray paint so precisely and get the perfect result from their first attempt? This is because they have done it so many times that it becomes…

HANNAH BROWN: SONG FOR AUTUMN Until 22 March 2026 Hannah Brown’s first solo museum exhibition brings together 25 paintings that explore the psychology of the English landscape, shown at Gainsborough’s House. Featuring new small-scale works inspired by the countryside around Sudbury, alongside paintings made over the past three years, the exhibition focuses on scrubland, woodland and marginal spaces on the edges of cities and towns. Drawing subtle connections with Thomas Gainsborough’s landscapes, Brown’s paintings combine close observation with heightened colour and atmosphere, revealing familiar places as quietly charged and unsettling. Gainsborough’s House, Suffolk CO10 2EU. gainsborough.org ROSE WYLIE: THE PICTURE COMES FIRST 28 February to 19 April 2026 The largest survey to date of Rose Wylie’s work brings together over 90 paintings and drawings spanning her career. Arranged thematically, the…

Geoff Allen is a watercolour artist and tutor from San Diego who specialises in painting en plein air. He started his artistic career as a scenic painter in Hollywood, but then began teaching drawing while running college galleries. His pivotal moment as an artist came during a postgraduate summer watercolour class in the Sierras; despite the fact that it was July, it began snowing, and he remembers being thrilled at the dramatic weather and hooked on painting outside. His work has won numerous awards, and he teaches regular workshops and guided trips in his native California and throughout the United States. geoffallenart.com Photography has been a major influence on my painting. It shows me something I haven’t thought about, or something I was unable to see at the time. When…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PAINT AND CREATE 1 Compartmentalise your work, whether that’s professional commissions, personal projects or promotional pieces If you are lucky enough to work as a professional artist, you will often be asked to create things that do not necessarily excite you personally, but every piece must be given the same care and attention. 2 Make sure you have the best quality phone camera or digital camera you can afford Take it everywhere. Take pictures when out and about, and soon you’ll be able to create a personal database for reference. Never be disheartened by rejection. There is always someone out there who wants what you can create. Trends and styles change but stick to your vision and keep on painting. 3 Explore other styles and mediums Digital…

As part of my art practice, I create wildlife portraits, particularly of endangered species. Through my work, I aim to raise awareness of the thousands of animals threatened by climate change and habitat destruction. A percentage of all wildlife art sales supports vital conservation efforts, helping to protect the very species I depict. I often work in mixed media as I am not trying to create photo-realistic images, and sometimes the artwork just needs an extra something for me to feel it’s working. I like the viewer to see the marks I make with both pencil and paint, and this approach adds a sense of energy and presence to the subject. This charismatic young Northern Rockhopper penguin is a perfect example. Named for their distinctive hopping across rocky, high-altitude terrain,…

I often drive through the countryside, searching for inspiration in the old farms I find there. I came across this scene, and it reminded me of an old farm in New Hampshire once owned by my grandparents. I loved the winding dirt road that snaked past the barn and wondered where it led to. As this piece was coming together, I hoped to convey how the structure gave the sense that, despite it being in a very remote location, its strength and presence could suggest a sense of safety and protection, and that it was a place that has provided shelter for many decades. The piece is not entirely literal to the actual scene. Like most of my work, it is a combination of a real place and a reimagining…