PROJECT
focusing on the light and the effect
that it has on the landscape.
Standing not far from the spot
where Constable made his sketches
for The Hay Wain, I noticed some
bulrushes shining brightly in the
strong autumn sunlight and
contrasting with the shadowed
building. This was the starting point
of my painting.
CREATING THE PAINTING
Back in the studio, working from
photographs and sketches, I quickly
decided on the format, medium and
design of the painting: a quite small
oil painting, focusing on a small,
intimate section of the landscape.
I painted on a prepared board with
a grey-brown ground and began by
sketching in the main shapes using
a pencil. With loose, energetic marks
I blocked in the various sections of
the painting, paying close attention
to the changes in tone.
For the bulrushes to stand out,
not only was it necessary to carefully
consider the placement of tone, but
also to reduce the level of detail in
other parts of the painting. A similar
level of detail throughout would
detract from the bulrushes. As I was
working in oils, I was able to soften
and blend sections of the painting
in order to avoid this.
To paint the haloed bulrushes,
I waited until the area around them
was almost dry. Then using a soft,
flat brush I pulled out some strokes
to define the lit edge of each bulrush
with a mix of Titanium White and
Cadmium Orange.
The dark bodies of the seed heads
were painted with Burnt Sienna,
Ultramarine Blue and a touch of
Cadmium Orange.
- ASK YOURSELF WHY
When approaching such an
iconic subject, take the time
to consider why you want to
make a painting. Is it the
painting that inspires you?
Is it the image itself, or aspects
of the techniques used? - USE ELEMENTS WISELY
While an acknowledged
masterpiece clearly has a huge
amount to commend it, that
does not mean you will find the
same techniques useful.
Think about which aspects
of the original painting that
you want to emulate – anything
from the composition and
brushwork, to the colours
and medium – and which
you will reject.- DON’T BE CONSTRAINED
Be inspired by what has come
before, but recognise it as
inspiration, not instruction.
Whether you choose to
study the work of an Old
Master or a contemporary
painter, try to approach it
not through their eyes, but
your own. Work out what
inspires you.
4. STICK AT IT
The best lesson that we can
learn from John Constable is to
be true to yourself. His
paintings succeeded because
of his honesty and integrity in
sticking to what inspired him.
We should not, of course,
forget his innate talent, but he
also studied hard and put in a
great deal of work.
PAINTING AN ICON TIPS FOR TACKLING A POPULAR SUBJECT