Artists & Illustrators - UK (2020-05)

sketchbook

May

TIPS • ADVICE • IDEAS

1. NEGATIVE SPACE

Inma Garcia-Carrasco: “If there is
one tool that gets overlooked, it is
the use of negative space as a
compositional element.
“Look at the abstract shapes
of negative spaces and concentrate
on representing those, rather than
the positive ones.
“Like a puzzle that comes together,
you will see how the addition of those
negative shapes means that the
entire painting becomes the subject
to be represented.”

2. PAINT REMOVAL
   James Bland: “Periodically scrape
   back the paint on your canvas. I use a
   palette knife for this, and sometimes
   my fi ngers or a cotton rag.
   “Doing this has many benefi ts. For
   one thing, it cuts down on unintended

wet-in-wet mixing, which is especially

problematic with mixes that contain

a lot of Titanium White.

“For another, it erodes passages

that have become too resolved.

This makes a space for fresh

observations and ideas to take hold.”

3. VALUE SCALE
   Anastasia Pollard: “Understanding
   value and its relationship to colour is

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FIGURE IT OUT

Six leading figurative artists are

joining forces for forthcoming

exhibition, Now We Are Six.

They each share their keys for

creating better portraits