Artist's Palette

The initial block in. Just the most basic lines. This is only to position them on the canvas. No details. Drawing will be adjusted and corrected as I move through the painting. Light Red and Ultramarine Blue in a thin line for the outline. Here I bl

• Art Spectrum artists’ oil colours: Ultramarine Blue, Golden Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Light Red, Permanent Crimson, Titanium White. • Gum turps as a medium. • Tara 70 loose canvas. • Brushes: Sizes 2, 4, 6 and 8 long, flat bristle brushes. ■

• My method of working any painting, no matter what the subject, is to state the darkest darks first; work through the medium tones; and, when the board is covered and the tones can be judged correctly, then I ‘turn on the lightest lights’. It is a w

• Canvas: 10 x 12 inches. • HB pencil. • AS No.1 Medium. • Mineral turpentine. • Background colours: Titanium White, Manganese Blue Hue. • Coat colours: Ivory Black, Payne’s Grey, Titanium White, Tasman Blue, Pilbara Red. • Eyes colours: Payne’s Grey

• Take your time, don’t rush it. It does not matter if you finish it today or next week – as long as you’re happy with the end result. • Don’t be afraid to try new techniques; you can always paint over your work if you don’t like it! Experiment with

• A3 Canson Montval Trochon 270gsm rough paper. • Artists’ watercolours: Holbein Ultramarine Deep; Winsor & Newton Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Lemon, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber and Alizarin Red. • Brushes: Holbein 2 inch; Westart 19m

• To either lighten or darken areas on the water, use a damp brush to gently lift off some of the paint – but make sure you blend in the surrounding edges, otherwise it gives a hard edge. To darken, dampen the area (and beyond) first, then add more c

• 600gsm Aquarelle Arches Watercolour Paper ‘Rough’. • 2B pencil and soft plastic eraser. • Masking fluid. • Art Spectrum Artists’ Watercolours: Cadmium Pale Yellow; Cadmium Yellow; Cadmium Red; Payne’s Grey; Yellow Ochre; Sap Green; Ultramarine Blue

• Think about the light and dark areas in your final composition. Make sure there is plenty of contrast to provide interest and depth to your painting. Try to preserve some of the white of the paper that you are working on so that your watercolour re

• Grey/green pastel paper, on the rougher side. • A selection of artists’ quality pastels – including Schmincke, Rembrandt, and Art Spectrum. • Pastel pencils: Conte and Faber-Castell. • Black charcoal pencil for the first sketches. • Reference photo

• When deciding to start a new painting, think about what attracts you to the subject in the first place. • With pastels, it is important to use the right coloured paper as it can affect the whole outcome of the painting. • Stand back from the painti

• Matisse and Atelier acrylics: Titanium White; Napthol Red Light for underpainting; Cerulean and Cobalt Blue; Pthalo and Sap Green; Hansa Yellow Light; Cadmium Yellow Medium; Naples Yellow and Raw Sienna; Red Gold; and Alizarin Crimson, Ultramine Bl

• Paint what you know, understand and love – but always leave your mind open to new ideas and experiments. • For artist’s block, try using mixed media … such as adding pastel or inks to watercolours or acrylic paints. Using collage is great, too. Don

• Drawing board. • Arches Aquarelle hot press 300gsm acid free paper, which provides a good balance when detailing and has enough tooth for colouring. • HB pencil for detailing. • Faber Castel, Derwent and Prismacolor pencils for colouring. • Razor b

• When doing a section of detailing, be sure to scan over it before you start another section. This helps to ensure that nothing has been missed, before colouring is commenced later. • Always use a sharp pencil when detailing. • Have patience. • Choo

S&S Wholesale is offering a wide range of exciting new products as well as traditional favourites for Christmas this year. From colouring, drawing, watercolour and sketching pencils to easels, pastels, watercolours, acrylics and oil paints … you’ll f

• The important step of preparing the canvas (front and back) is often neglected. • Stop, look (from a distance) frequently, and try to comprehend what your canvas is portraying to you. Be prepared to make radical changes until the canvas is talking