http://www.painters-online.co.uk JUNE 2017 49
Rocks Largo Bay, Rotring pen and watercolour, 4^3 ⁄ 4 x 634 ⁄in. (12x17cm). Essentially this
is a fairly detailed pen drawing enhanced with watercolour.tJohnMitchell
John is a member of the Royal Scottish
Society of Painters in Watercolours and
Professional Member of the Society of
Scottish Artists. He has exhibited and
lectured widely in Scotland.Foreshore, pencil, ink and watercolour,
5 x7in. (13x18cm). Develop your landscape
style by trying less obvious subjects. Here
a jumble of rocks set off against a more
traditional scrap of landscape in the
background. Tone can play an important
role in developing style.t
HOW TO DEVELOP A ‘VOICE’
1 Look at the work of artists you admire.
Ask yourself what formal elements they
have used to develop their style.
2 Try working on something different:
a new subject, a new medium or a
different scale.
3 Go to exhibitions and find out what
interests you in other artists’ work.
Can you develop that interest in your
own work?
4 Set yourself exercises: work in a
restricted range of colours, work using
large brushes or set a short time limit
to produce a painting.
5 Try producing a bad-weather
landscape. There is a lovely little
Constable in the National Gallery of
Scotland showing a large band of rain
sweeping in across the sea. It’s superb.
6 Work on a toned ground instead of
a white one to allow you to work very
freely. This will add excitement to your
drawings or paintings.
7 What attracts you when you look at
a painting? Can you inject that feeling
into one of your own works?
8 Work on the same subject using
different media to make a range of
works. Which one do you prefer?
9 Be ambitious; push yourself to try
something different, but most of all...
10 Enjoy yourself!LP06 46-49 Mitchell_Layout 1 05/04/2017 14:59 Page 49