Artists & Illustrators

With the children back at school and the heat dying down after a busy summer of activity, I always think this time of year is ripe for a little bit of quiet contemplation: taking stock, breathing out, tidying the studio, and asking yourself a few of

Alan Davie’s first solo exhibition took place in 1958 in the Wakefield Art Gallery; in attendance was a young David Hockney, then a student at Bradford College of Art. Inspired by Davie’s dismissal of figurative painting, Hockney went on to develop h

For a very quick sketch, rather than leave out the extremities all together, see the arrangement of the hand as a blocky shape, and even if the fingers are splayed, pretend they are in a mitten, albeit a stretched one. Depict the thumb as separate, a

Already a hugely talented and successful portrait artist, it feels like Felicity Gill is on the cusp of a major breakthrough in her painting career. Her portfolio includes fresh likenesses of the likes of Joan Bakewell and Boris Johnson, the latter c

The Wylye Valley is one of England’s many beautiful and largely forgotten corners. Formed as the River Wylye heads east of Warminster and carves into the chalky Wiltshire hills along the top edge of Cranborne Chase, this designated “Area of Natural B

Your recent work is connected with travel and most of your life has been on the move. How important is your studio? The studio is the place where most of my work is done, despite all the extreme travelling. Everything connected with my life is in thi

A painting by Todd M Casey is a set of visual clues – potent images that come together to suggest a story, often with the help of the title. In Death in the Afternoon, the eponymous cocktail sits on a wooden table with an old-fashioned fountain pen,

Your latest body of work feels like a departure from the precise realism of your 2010 exhibition at London’s National Gallery. What prompted the change? I see it more as a development from those urban landscapes shown at the National Gallery. My unde

Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny is one of the most popular once-private gardens in the world. While more than half a million people regularly descend upon this otherwise quiet corner of Normandy, countless more experience the lush natural beauty of

I came across the #drawitinyourstyle hashtag on social media recently when I saw a copy of one of my prints published as part of the Instagram challenge. The artist concerned was delighted with her version and tagged me in the post, completely unawar

I live fairly near to the National Trust’s Fenton House in Hampstead and frequently visit its tranquil walled garden – an oasis in this busy part of north London. One particularly bright morning towards the end of last summer, I noticed little patche

Many artists strive to find the most well balanced or harmonious composition in their drawings or painting as this creates an image that’s impactful and accessible to the viewer. Some may even shroud the design in expressive mark making or fancy deta

I am a self-proclaimed chroma addict and I have been a passionate educator for more than 15 years, teaching a multitude of workshops and college courses on the subject. Colour is so personal and incredibly versatile and diverse. I mix my colours on a

One of the most complicated issues for artists when it comes to colour is understanding the value of colours in nature and how to replicate this in paint. This is also sometimes called the tonality of colours. In the modern world, a greyscale – usual

The inspiration for this painting came in an instant, during a visit to a formal garden. It was a very hot afternoon; the sun was beating down and my eyes needed a rest from the strength of the light. I often choose not to wear sunglasses, in order t

Not all buildings are blessed with architectural merit, but even within the humblest construction, one can usually find something of interest. I often find that a building not normally deserving a second glance can provide enough material for a succe

What is the key to a successful marine painting? Ben Mowll: For me, success involves some planning. You have to plan your painting. Have a reasonably clear idea about what it is that you want to say before you start. That, in turn, will help you to k

Over the past few issues I’ve been exploring the compositional lessons that we can learn from looking at other artists’ work, taking examples from current exhibitions to encourage you to get out and make studies from the work itself. Making short, fo

Born in Paris on 7 June 1848, Paul Gauguin was an experimental artist who was constantly changing and refining his practice. His time painting in French Polynesia, including two stints in Tahiti, earned him a reputation as an artist who challenged th