sketchbookN THE FOURTEEN LINES
NET, A FEW STROKES OF
CIL CAN HOLD IMMENSIT
- DAME LAURA KNIGHT
MASTER TIP VAN GOGH
Painting techniques of
the world’s best artists
Good composition isn’t just about where you place key
colours or shapes; carefully considering the direction
of the brushstrokes can be equally important.
In 1887’s Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, notice how
Vincent van Gogh encourages us to follow his curving
paint marks around his right shoulder and along the
line of his mouth and beard, before sweeping in an oval
shape around the straw hat brim before landing at the
painting’s focal point: the eyes.
ISTOCK/METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK. BEQUEST OF MISS ADELAIDE MILTON DE GROOT
THECOLOUR
A deep, reddish brown that becamepopularduring
the Italian Renaissance and was namedafterthe
Tuscan city from which it originally came.THE PROPERTIES
Sienna is a yellow-brown iron oxide pigment(PBr7)that
turns to a deep reddish-brown whenheated.Generally
more translucent than other earth colours,BurntSienna
nevertheless has a relatively high tintingstrength.Note
that some brands make Burnt Siennawiththesynthetic
pigment PR101 also found in Mars Violetandsome
Venetian and Indian Reds.THE USES
A versatile colour, Burnt Sienna createsa greatrangeof
greys when mixed with darker blues– idealforstormyskies
or complex shadows. It is also a greatredsubstituteina
limited watercolour travel palette alongsideFrench
Ultramarine and Raw Sienna.EXPAND YOUR PALETTE
Discover a new colour everymonth
Burnt Sienna
WHY NOT TRY... GESSO?
Historically speaking, this mixture of white pigment
chalk and binder was used to prime a canvasforoi
painting. It seals and protects canvas fi bresand
adds a nice ‘tooth’ on which the paint can adhere.
Today a pre-primed canvas has gesso applied,
yet adding your own opens a world of possibilities
for oil and acrylic painters. You can paint on
different supports like wooden boards or roll
canvas, you can vary textures by sanding between
coats or using textured variants, and you canadd
pigments to experiment with coloured grounds.ISTOCK