Australian How To Paint magazine chooses a topic or style of art each issue and gives you a comprehensive guide for you to develop your skills. Over the series we will cover all major painting technques plus popular paint ideas.
Hazel started painting in oils when she was eleven years old and did her first paid commission at age 16. It was, of course, an animal painting! Completely self-taught, Hazel is a multi-award winning wildlife artist, and her atmospheric paintings have gained international recognition. She is also a dedicated animal rights advocate and wildlife rescuer. Living in Tasmania, Hazel is one of the original members of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary’s Friends of Carers (FOCs). FOC volunteers are part of a state-wide network of wildlife rescuers who receive text message callouts alerting them to injured and/or orphaned wildlife needing assistance. In the past it was left to the dedicated but overworked wildlife carers to collect injured wildlife from roadsides and properties and transport them to and from vet clinics. Now the FOCs…
STEP ONE After transferring my sketch of Sandy onto the canvas, I began blocking in the background. As the background will be shrouded in mist, I wasn’t concerned about putting in any great detail. STEP TWO With the background completed, I dry brushed in the mist using my 1” oval and mop brushes and a mixture of Titanium White tinted with a touch of Paynes Grey and Dioxazine Purple. Using the mist colour and a slightly darker version of this mixture, I then added in the ripples. At this point, I realised that the bush behind Sandy’s head (which was in the reference photo) was not only unnecessary, it detracted from the overall image. Never be afraid to add or remove things from your paintings if it improves the end…
I’ve lived most of my life in the small mining town, of Charters Towers, Queensland, where, as a child, I often prospected for gold and fished on the coast with my family. My love of art came early; often I watched my mother’s craft group dabble for hours in their different crafts. I drew, just for the love of it, often losing hours of the day, mainly drawing lots of birds, fish and horses and other animals. I continued my love of art as a subject in high school, often only just touching on various styles and mediums, (screen printing, charcoal, lino prints, and pastels, but never really finding what I had a passion for. I went from high school straight into working, doing all sorts of jobs, mainly as…
STEP ONE Take photos of your preferred fish, and then prime your canvas. Sketch your fish. STEP TWO Place background colours (cobalt teal and aqua green light) onto the canvas. Using your larger nylon brush drag paint across, now work in the Matisse Phthalo blue and green towards the middle. Lighten your colours as you work towards the bottom of the canvas. Take your round sponge, place three colours on a china plate, side by side. For example: Titanium white, Matisse Phthalo blue and green. Twist the sponge in a circle to merge the colours. Work from the top of the stack of rocks to the bottom. Lighter colours go towards the front- don’t twist the sponge as much. Use white, yellows and scarlet. Using a small rough brush, use…
Perseverance. My key word. If I can instil one word in anyone wanting to pursue art, it is to persevere. It doesn’t always work, it doesn’t always go your way, but keep at it, as good things can happen if you want them badly enough to work hard, and if one person can take that away from my story then I feel I have passed on some important knowledge gained through being knocked down, getting up again, brushing myself off and persevering. It is the key you are never taught or told about, talent is only part of being an artist. Perseverance and practice combined with talent make an artist. As far back as I can remember, I have loved drawing, colour pencils and crayons. All the colours of the…
STEP ONE For this drawing, I am using a Clairefontaine pastel mat in Dark Grey. It has a slight sanded texture to it, but it doesn’t chew your pencils up like some pastel mats can. Place your drawing on the pastel mat paper using a light colour. When using Black I use a light hand and a pastel pencil, as I can easily rub my lines out as I go. STEP TWO I always begin with the eyes when drawing animals. It is the key to great portraits, capturing the warmth and soul within the subject. Using a White pencil, I immediately draw the highlights in the eye and work the colour in around that, as this is the lightest spot and I can then judge my darkest value (being…
