Artists & Illustrators - April 2016_

76 Artists & Illustrators

7 MIX UP COLOURS

I took time out to mix colours on my palette

here, finding variations in the grey of the hair.

I added Yellow Ochre to Cerulean Blue and

Titanium White to make a warmer grey. It was

much more satisfying then to start sculpting

the face and hair with patches of opaque

colour that had been mixed with care.

It’s important to plan your move with care,

so you can then be light and confident when

you put the paint down. Finding the right size

of brush, choosing the right colour and

observing carefully should take longer than

making the mark.

5 SWITCH TO OILS

As soon as the darks and lights are generally

indicated in acrylic, I switch to oils. I like to

use oil paint to more fully explore the bumps

and hollows of the face and to clarify the

darks in the skin and hair. I like the square

head of flat, bright brushes as it gives the

marks clear edges. Mapping out the shadows

of the face in these geometric shapes helps

me to make sense of it all, as well as finding

some order as I go.

6 VARY YOUR MARKS

I continue to vary the direction of the

painted marks, using Cerulean Blue with

Titanium White for the light side of the hair

to act as a good contrast to the warmer

tones in the skin. The bright brushes come

to a sharp edge, which is ideal when

painting a patch of light. For the light on

the shirt, I scooped up the oil paint on the

brush as if it were a trowel and laid it down

with the brush handle almost parallel to the

canvas so the colour is clean and fresh.

4 MAKE DECISIVE MARKS

Even though my physical actions are often

expressive, my process is firmly grounded

in observation. Before making a mark,

I steady myself by planting both feet firmly

on the ground. This gives me the best

opportunity to keenly observe the part

I want to explain, then commit the mark to

the painting without hesitation and move

on. That mark may be adjusted later, but

in that moment of seeing, the response

is decisive and committed.

Top tip

TURN AN OLD RAG

INTO A DRAWING

TOOL BY GATHERING

IT BETWEEN YOUR

THUMB AND INDEX

FINGER

74 Masterclass.indd 76 17/02/2016 16:06