Artist's Back to Basics

I decided not to include as many blossoms as in my photo. Instead of a dark blue sky I opted for a light tint, merging by wet wash with a pale green. This was done after first drawing in the main features with care. I liked the gnarled appearance of

I am a retired pharmacist with interests in painting, photography, chess, tennis, badminton, lay preaching, music et cetera. Married with two adult daughters and two grandsons, I have been interested in photography since I was given a 127 Brownie cam

I first began painting in the early 1970s – a great time for emerging artists. I had just returned to Australia after spending 10 years of my youth in England with my mother and stepfather. I had a baby and young child, and was looking for some form

Firstly I draw in my subject with accuracy but no detail. I use thin willow charcoal because it is easy to rub out. Pencil is difficult to remove and painting directly on to the canvas often means a messy drawing with correction lines. The board I ch

Perspective creates the illusion of three dimensionality on a two dimensional surface. When fences, roads or buildings appear in the landscape, an eye level line and vanishing point is required so the correct perspective is represented in the scene.

I’ve written lots of articles about a lot of different aspects of freehand drawing over the years, now it’s time to delve into the most arcane techniques and methods I know and use every time I draw. Usually I try and do a quick catch up for the unin

Source material and initial compositional sketch The first step entails working out the content of the image, materials, composition and the source imagery that inspires you. For example if you intend to create a realistic portrait of a dog you eithe

The first few techniques described in part 2 cover taking it to the enth degree with the eraser strip and the rest about doing the same with the pencil. This is the term I use to describe the act of extremely carefully cleaning/clearing all extraneou

Born in 1990 and raised predominantly on a farm in the New South Wales countryside, and now residing in Tasmania, Meaghan’s family raised an extensive variety of animals, and occasionally raised and rehabilitated sick and injured wildlife. This inher

Art in one form or another has always been a part of my life. During my school years in Melbourne I loved doing projects that involved a lot of drawing and maps. I think most of my marks came from the ability to have good looking books and projects.

Established in 1887, Bendigo Art Gallery is the largest regional gallery in Australia, presenting a dynamic temporary exhibition program alongside highlights from its extensive permanent collection. The Gallery has experienced monumental changes in r

On roughly gessoed canvas I drew in the main shapes using a green and brown hard pastel. Using the pastels allows changes to be made easily by wiping out with soft cloth if needed and can easily be painted over. Modelling compound was applied with a