EXERCISES
AIM
To paint a picture in the style of the
modernist painter Ben Nicholson.
DURATION
At least three hours.
MATERIALS
You will need a wooden board or thick
card to paint on, acrylic primer (the
sort you might buy from a hardware
store is ideal), a selection of oil paints
(see below for colour suggestions), a
low-odour solvent, a pencil or graphite
sticks, and an old rag or sponge.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
People are drawn to Ben Nicholson’s
style because it allows you to get to
the essence of a subject. You will also
learn to emulate the scrubbed effect
that emerged in Nicholson’s paintings
in the 1940s, a result of paring back
and working over earlier layers.
PROCESS
Start by making preparatory drawings.
Nicholson liked to take inspiration
from his surroundings so head out
to draw from an atmospheric place,
whether landscape, seascape or
townscape. Draw as you normally
would, mindful that you’re going
to reduce what you see down to
its essentials.
Once you finish, pin your image to
the studio wall and look for the strong
structural lines. Try to recreate the
drawing using a maximum of 10 lines.
This simplified drawing can be used
to identify the basic shapes for your
painted ground.
Next consider some subjects for
your more personal images that will
be floated on the surface. Nicholson
often used architectural references,
still lives reduced to their most
rudimentary forms, or just geometric
shapes such as circles and squares.
Draw your subject a few times to get
familiar and confident with your
marks. With the ground having such
a timeless, weathered character,
the drawing should have an almost
autographic quality that says
something about you.
Much of the magic of Nicholson’s
work derives from his technique of
revealing the underlying layers – the
weave of the canvas or the grain ofthe board. To allow the paint to be
moved and removed readily, prime
your chosen support with a white
acrylic primer. Leave the brushstrokes
slightly visible in places. Let this
dry completely before painting
your ground.
The painted ground should supply
your work with a sense of place.
Nicholson’s chosen colours were
basically about St Ives: stone, sea,
sky and land. Use any colours that
are suggestive of a place or scene
you’d like to evoke – I’d recommend
a limited palette comprising the earth
colours, Payne’s Grey and two other
colours (Nicholson often used
Cerulean Blue and Sap Green).
Remember you can scrape back
to the white primer for highlights.
Apply the paint with a sponge or a
clean rag wrapped around your finger- not using a brush helps you worry
less and work faster. Dip the sponge
or rag in a tiny amount of solvent first,
then in your paint. Cover your support
with paint, allowing colours to mix.
This technique is as much about
removing the paint as applying it.
In this way the colours mix in
unexpected and interesting ways,
sinking into the texture of the surface.
Your image can be continually
changed, meaning your approach is
freer than with a brush and you can
achieve your atmospheric ground.
Finish by drawing over the ground.
Practise your ideas on spare paper
first, then use graphite sticks (as
Nicholson did) to draw into the thin
layers of paint. Dip the sticks in
solvent to increase their intensity.
Thicken some stretches of the line
or fill in small negative spaces as
Nicholson often did. In this way, your
finished image can be as figurative
or abstract as you wish.
With thanks to Mollie Farley.
Liz and Marion’s course, The Art of
Keeping it Simple, runs from 29 June
to 2 July 2020 or 5-8 October 2020 at
the St Ives School of Painting, Cornwall.
http://www.schoolofpainting.co.uk
LEFT AND BELOW
LEFT Still life
paintings made in
the spirit of Ben
Nicholson’s workEXERCISE 2
This technique is as
much about removing
the paint as applying it