The UK’s best practical art magazine for aspiring amateur and professional artists - since 1931. Well-known artists reveal their working practices and techniques, covering all subjects and media, in every issue. Learn how established and up-and-coming artists create their work and use the tips they provide to help you improve your own drawing and painting. Keep up to date with the latest art materials, tried and tested by our trusted panel of expert artists, and keep in touch with the latest art competitions to enter and must-see exhibitions. Learn how other artists make money from their work, join one of our practical workshops/holidays, and don’t miss out on the latest art news and views.
The Artist
WELCOME from the editor • Want to comment on something you’ve read, or seen?
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THE ART WORLD • NEWS, INFORMATION AND ONLINE EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD
Now You See Us • Women Artists in Britain 1520-1920
Pursuing excellence • Caroline Saunders talks to Taiwanese watercolourist Chien Chung-Wei who has found great artistic success through the challenges posed as an educator
Where do the images come from? • Charles Williams uses paint to tell a story. Here he demonstrates how he makes his stories convincing by paying attention to details and to the colours he chooses
Floral portraits • In the third of her four-part series in which she paints a floral portrait, Rosso Emerald Crimson starts working on the background and the flowers themselves
ROSSO'S TOP TIPS
Simplifying buildings • In the second of his five-part bi-monthly watercolour series on simplifying your subject, Grahame Booth turns his attention to buildings and shows how to paint them successfully without resorting to describing their every detail
CONTOUR DRAWINGS
A corner of England • Steve Hall returns to paint the villages and landscapes of East Anglia in the third of his four-part series on painting landscapes in pastel
A tulip fantasy • In the second of two articles on resist techniques, Carole Robson continues her exploration of the gouache lift technique and demonstrates a bold and colourful tulip painting
Love your greys • Paul Riley explains why he adores the colour grey and how it can help to transform your watercolour paintings by adding both subtle colour and atmosphere
Paul's hints and tips
Light and shadows • In the second of three articles on painting figures in oils, Peter Keegan explores light and atmosphere
Cascading waters • Barry Herniman shows how to use the qualities of gouache to produce paintings of falling water that are both as fluid as a watercolour yet with the optimum opacity of the medium
Natural Line • Alan Bickley puts the Natural Line range of eco-friendly papers by Hahnemühle through their paces
Staying focused • Paul Talbot-Greaves offers advice on how to make sure the focal point is supported but not overshadowed by the rest of the work to allow your paintings to sing
READER EXERCISE
Don't limit yourself – find the joy! • Sarah Edmonds talks to multi-disciplinary artist Maggie Smith and discovers that working across different media and techniques gives a creative freedom to her work
CASE STUDY Maggie Smith
The artist pays • The move into professionalism for artists comes at a cost, warns Mike Barr
Are we ready for NFTs? • Mark David Hatwood shares his thoughts on Non-Fungible Tokens
Exhibitions • GALLERY OPENING TIMES AND EXHIBITION DATES CAN VARY; IF IN DOUBT PHONE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
ART SOCIETIES
Opportunities & Competitions • Check out the latest competitions to enter and make a note of important deadlines
ART BOOKS Reviewed by Henry Malt
A look inside...