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essential. Pre-mixing your colours
and arranging them into a value scale
starts the process of organising tones
and saves precious time when a
model arrives. I organise these value
steps into columns on my palette and
mix my colours across the rows, which
keeps the mixtures synchronised.”- SIMPLIFICATION
Andrew Hitchcock: “Look to simplify
what you see, starting with large
shapes and planes. These can be
resolved later on or left in a more
abstract state. Figure painting is
about the whole fi gure and how parts
relate to each other, it is not just
about getting the ear right. If you have
diffi culty in one area, move on and
revisit it later with a fresh eye.” - COMPOSITION
Simon Davis: “An important part of
portrait painting is composition:
a successful painting is one that has
a presence even from across a room.
“Before starting a portrait, make
thumbnail sketches in watercolour
fi rst – this can be incredibly helpful
when planning a composition. Try to
make simple shapes within a portrait
as these are generally what the
human eye naturally seeks out.”- VARIETY
Suzon Lagarde: “There’s no one way
to paint. Try to vary your marks, the
pace at which you work, or even your
position at the easel.
“You’ll see how it can impact the
paintings, enhancing their liveliness
and sense of fl uidity. I like to feel that
I’m dancing when I paint!”
Now We Are Six runs from 8-13 April at
Newington Gallery, 155 Walworth Rd,
London SE17. http://www.artacademy.org.uk
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