2019-04-01_Artists___Illustrators

sketchbook

SHUTTERSTOCK

DAILY PAINTING TIPS

TOM HUGHES shares advice for

creating quick, mini pictures

“The warm sky in Time to Head Home [above] had to be balanced

by cooler coolers in the fields to really make both elements pop.

Using a limited palette of French Ultramarine, Burnt Umber, Cadmium

Red and Bismuth Yellow, I mixed a cool grey for the most distant trees.

I blended this forward by adding more Burnt Umber to create

a darker, warmer tone in the foreground.”

See Tom’s latest mini paintings at http://www.tomhughespainting.co.uk

GRAHAME BOOTHon the basic building blocks of watercolour

PAINT A PERFECT... FLAT WASH

1

Load your brush and tilt your paper. Brush

left to right (reverse if left-handed). Don’t

press too hard or paint will lift off. Choose a

brush large enough to paint a full width while

keeping the bead of paint at the bottom.

2

For the second stroke, reload your

brush, touch the bead from the first

stroke and allowittoflowdown.Continue

this process until the wash is finished, still

keeping a full brush: dip, stroke, dip, stroke.

3

When finished you should still have the

bead,butthisnowmustberemovedto

avoidrunbacks.Simplytouchthetipofa

barelydampbrushtothebeadanditwill

suck up the excess paint.

CANVAS OPINION

Top tip

If you dislike the bounce

of a traditional canvas,

consider painting on

a canvas panel

instead

Four things to consider when

buying your next canvas

1

MATERIAL

Cotton is more economical but lacks the durability of

linen, which is made from longer flax fibres. Poly-cotton

uses polyester for a tighter, more uniform finish.

2

WEIGHT

This is usually expressed as grams per square metre

(gsm) or ounces per square yard (oz). A higher weight is

usually the result of thicker yarn, a tighter weave, or both.

A heavyweight canvas (280gsm or more) is usually more

tense and less likely to rip.

3

WEAVE

A ‘fine’ canvas has a smooth finish, ideal for soft skin

on portraits. A ‘rough’ canvas adds interest to abstract work

as random flecks of colour catch on the coarse grain.

Cotton duck (not actual duck – doek is Dutch for ‘cloth’!)

is usually a tighter weave.

4

SIZING AND PRIMING

A canvas must be ‘sized’ – or sealed – before oil paint

is applied. Acrylic polymer or rabbit-skin glue are common

‘sizes’. Gesso primer contains rabbit-skin glue and can crack

over time. Acrylic paint can be applied directly to unprimed

canvas, but won’t adhere to oil-primed canvas.