Artist's Back to Basics

The chatter of eastern Rosellas permeates the solitude of an artist’s studio through an open window on a sunny July day. They’ve settled in the winter seed grass outside – left long on purpose to attract many parrots to the garden. King parrots, gras

We’ve covered a lot of ground and ranged fairly widely over different aspects of freehand drawing over the last few years so I reckon it must be about time we broached a subject that everyone always wants to know about, that is how to realistically d

I was both excited and nervous when I first embarked on this painting. I could see the finished painting in my mind but transferring the image onto the canvas was a real challenge! A photograph some friends took whilst on holiday inspired me. The bir

I have always loved to draw, and have done so since early childhood. My Dad sketched, and I know that his interest and praise of my early attempts made me even more determined to practice. At seven years of age I won First Prize for my flower drawing

My plan is to create a story … an interaction between the horse, the man, the cattle, the dog, and the environment. The sunlight and textures will be important elements, and the lost and found edges will give the overall unity to the painting. I am f

Right, back to your landmarks. They may or may not be incredibly distinct features, as long as you can easily refer back to them as you go (i.e. find them in the reference photo or real life scene when you look back each time) (fig 1). Because you ha

The gallery is located in Falls Road, Wentworth Falls and is in a beautifully restored early 1900’s weatherboard cottage. It is situated in a large, magical mountain garden and is a mere 2 minutes walk from the Falls Reserve Picnic area and lookouts.

A well balanced and well composed painting draws the viewer’s eye into and around the work. A painting can also be balanced with the use of a scientific botanical title, or with a dissection that fits into a negative space for balance. These things s

Looking at quite a few reference photographs, I produced a couple of sketches of the subject. When I was happy with the design (I chose a Z design), I also made a canvas sized drawing onto butcher’s paper. I applied two coats of Gesso with the ¼ inc

Unlike many of my fellow artists, I cannot say I have been drawing or painting since my early childhood. And I wasn’t born with instant talent either! How I paint today is the result of learning and practicing for about 13 years. What I can say is th

In the last article we discussed relinquishing control, and looked at how relinquishing control can help create a “natural feel” by allowing the paintbrush to have its own way, to a certain extent. This article will focus on exactly the opposite. We’

I’m heading of for 4 days on Rottnest Island 19km off the coast of Western Australia To do some research for a possible upcoming tour Below, my pen sketch of my accommodation Rottnest Island Note my Island transport (on your bike) there are no privat