Artists & Illustrators — June 2017

48 Artists & Illustrators

SEBASTIANO DEL PIOMBO,

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

, INCORPORATING DESIGNS BY MICHELANGELO, 1517-19, OIL ON

SYNTHETIC PANEL, TRANSFERRED FROM WOOD, 381X289.6CM © THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

sketchbook

Reducing the fresh colours of the

landscape to monochrome seems a

travesty, so this is where coloured

pencils come in. You don’t need

one to correspond to every colour

you see – you can mix by layering.

First pick the brightest colours in

your scene because these will be

diffi cult to mix. Secondly, pick pencils

that mix to achieve the most prevalent

colours. Finally, think about dark, dull colours – you

can achieve a dark brown and greys by mixing brighter colours.

1

Brown Ochre

Each manufacturer produces

pencils with different names for

colours. I sketched out this rural

scene – a pond seen from my

favorite path to the beach near

Mevagissey in Cornwall – in an

earthy yellow Brown Ochre, the

lightest and least overpowering

colour in my set of four.

2

Mineral Green

Using a combination of quick

hatching and heavier textural

marks, I added the most prevalent

colour – green – to the drawing. In

some areas, I layered green over

yellow for a lighter colour and, in

others, I made heavy marks that

would later be layered with

magenta for the darkest shadows.

3

Oriental Blue

I drew in the blue of the sky with

broad horizontal strokes, leaving

negative spaces for the clouds –

I also added a little blue over the

green of the foliage for variety.

4

Magenta

I added the magenta of

foxgloves and grasses, working

over negative spaces I left light.

I layered the magenta over green

to darken it, creating chromatic

shadows without a black or brown.

Jake’s You Will Be Able to

Draw by the End of This

Book is published by

Ilex Press, £14.99.

http://www.jakespicerart.co.uk

Jake Spicer tackles a rural

landscape in coloured pencil

MASTER TIPS

SEBASTIANO DEL PIOMBO

DISCOVER THE PAINTING TECHNIqUES

OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST ARTISTS

The friendship between world-famous Michelangelo

and lesser-known Venetian painter Sebastiano del

Piombo saw them come together to create works of

force and originality, such as The Raising of Lazarus.

Painted by Sebastiano between 1517-19, the painting

incorporates designs by Michelangelo. Here, the artist

uses chiaroscuro – the treatment of light and shade in

drawing and painting. Yet he is inconsistent: some of

the hands and heads, especially the profi le head of

Magdalen kneeling at Christ’s feet, are illuminated

when they should be in shadow. But this isn’t an

absence of skill. The directional lighting is used to add

drama and design to the scene, with illuminated hands

and faces drawing the viewer’s eye to convey narrative.

Michelangelo & Sebastiano is at the National Gallery,

London, until 25 June 2017. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Pastel Innovations: 60+ Techniques

and Exercises for Painting with

Pastels by Dawn Emerson

If you’re looking for a modern way to

work with pastels, this book will bring

you bags of inspiration. Featuring

contemporary paintings, it explores

the pleasures of pastel, offering

insight into creating balanced

pictures with simple exercises.

There is also a wealth of innovative

techniques to try, from building

layers to incorporating monotypes as underpaintings,

as well as advice on how to self-critique.

North Light Books, £19.99. http://www.northlightshop.com

HOW TO DRAW

Top tip

Make swatches of the

full gamut of mixes

possible with your

palette of pencils before

fixing the colours

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3

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39 Sketchbook.indd 48 07/04/2017 12:59