46 Artists & IllustratorssketchbookSELF PORTRAIT, PAUL GAUGUIN, OIL ON WOOD, 79X51CM, 1889, CHESTER DALE COLLECTIONWatercolourist Wil Freeborn is known for sharing his
‘works in progress’ on social media and he has an eye for
great materials too. In our interview with Wil in issue 363,
he explained that he likes to adapt his watercolour sets by
chopping and changing the colours. He recently posted his
latest invention on twitter, a new set created by cutting an
IKEA shelf in half, turning it upside down and gluing on his
watercolour pans of choice. http://www.wilfreeborn.co.ukSTUDIO IDEAS
MASTER TIPS PAUL GAUGUINDiscover the painting techniques
of the world’s best artists
Originally educated in the artistic language of
Impressionism, Gauguin was considered something of
a radical when he broke away to develop a new style of
painting, Symbolism. It was a movement associated
with form and feeling that allowed Gauguin to
experiment with intense new colour theories. In Self
Portrait (also known as Self Portrait with Halo and
Snake) we see the infl uence of Japanese wood-block
prints and cloisonnism, a Post-Impressionist approach
that uses bold, fl at forms separated by dark outlines.
Gauguin paints himself almost as a caricature,
surrounded by exaggerated religious symbols. Like Van
Gogh, he manipulated the boundaries of colour and
line, but unlike the Dutch painter, he applied the paint
thinly in smooth, fl at patches of colour.5 TOP SKETCHBOOK TIPS
Illustrator Martin Ursell’s guide to
beginning a sketchbookThe most important thing about keeping a sketchbook is to do it
in a way that suits you. Here are fi ve ideas that might help you
start and more importantly, keep going with it.1
Make the commitment to do something in your sketchbook,
every day. This takes discipline, and there’s always a reason
not to, but sticking to this plan will really help. It need not be an
epic image; a simple doodle, or a two minute drawing will do.2
Always carry your sketchbook with you, you never know when
inspiration might strike.3
Prepare your sketchbook pages in advance by covering each
double page spread with washes of pale colour of ink stain.
This helps make a new sketchbook much less intimidating.4
Look at editions of those sketchbooks that are published. It
is inspiring and encouraging looking at other artists’ books
and a good way of broadening your own approach.5
Try not to tear out the pages when a drawing goes badly. One
often changes one’s mind about a drawing after a period of
time and anyway, it is a sketchbook, it can accommodate
mistakes, this is the whole point. Good Luck!
Martin Ursell is the author of Keeping Sketchbooks, Crowood,
£16.99. http://www.crowood.com43 Sketchbook KM.indd 46 12/05/2016 10:48