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THE PRACTICAL MAGAZINE FOR ARTISTS BY ARTISTS – SINCE 1931
Prodigious young talent
Keiron Williamson
demonstrates his skills
artist
www.painters-online.co.uk MAY 2018 £4.40
Discover new ways to 
use pen & wash for
portraits & landscapes
Try these 3 simple 
stages for painting
spring daffodils
80 PAGES OF INSPIRATION & PRACTICAL TIPS FOR ALL ARTISTS
using invented colour schemes
CAPTURE THE BEAUTY
OF THE LANDSCAPE
PEN & WASH‘MINI MONET’ WATERCOLOUR PLUS
l Learn these 5 steps to help
develop your watercolour skills
l Loosen up & experiment with the
grisaille technique in acrylics
l Tips for adapting your sketching
kit to maximise your en plein air
experience
l Inject some magic into your
watercolours with Ann Blockley
AND MUCH MORE!
TA05p01_£4.40 cover subs and overseas_TA12 Front cover 09/03/2018 11:22 Page 1
New exhibition 
Opening 6 March 2018
Watts Gallery - Artists’ Village
wattsgallery.org.uk | Guildford, Surrey GU3 1DQ
Exhibitions | Chapel | Artists’ Home & Studios | Contemporary Art | Tea Shop
A Pre-Raphaelite 
Collection Unveiled: 
The Cecil French Bequest
Untitled-1 1 05/03/2018 12:49
p02_tamay18.indd 1 07/03/2018 14:42:35
V
isit any watercolour exhibition featuring Bob Rudd’s paintings and your eye
will be instantly drawn both to their large scale and an intensity of colour
that is surprising for this transparent medium. I was delighted therefore
when he agreed to share the reasons for his choice of wild landscape
subjects and the techniques used to achieve their strong, vibrant colours on pages
14-18. His sense of freedom to choose any colours he likes to paint his chosen scene
is a liberating example to all; as he says it’s surprising how natural and convincing
an invented colour scheme can seem when the painting is successfully resolved.
Watercolourists will also be inspired by the remarkable skills and prodigious talent
of the young Keiron Williamson, who demonstrates his techniques on pages 19-21,
whilst Amanda Hyatt makes a welcome return to The Artist with the start of her new
six-part series on developing your watercolour skills on pages 22-25, with exercises
to try each month. Later, on pages 38-39, Ann Blockley invites you to use your
imagination and inject some magic into your watercolour washes by creating visual
interpretations of specific features of the rural landscape.
In the first collaboration of its kind, we are pleased to present Paul Riley’s feature
on the materials and techniques for making innovative and dynamic pen and wash
interpretations of a subject on pages 50-53, complemented by three 15-minute
online video demonstrations by Paul on our website PaintersOnline, which can be
accessed at http://painte.rs/2ohObYX We would love to hear your thoughts about
these, as well as your own ideas on how to adapt your sketching kit to help
maximise your outdoor sketching experience in response to David Parfitt’s
suggestions and tips on pages 26-29. Please email your thoughts and ideas to me at
theartistletters@tapc.co.uk
These are just a selection of the inspirational articles provided by our amazing
artist contributors this month. Enjoy the issue, and don’t forget to enter your work
into our monthly Summer Sketching Competition with projects set by Adebanji
Alade (see page 37), and if you belong to one, to encourage your art club to enter
our Art Club of the Year Competition with fantastic prizes (see page 69).
from the editor
WELCOME
Want to comment on something you’ve read, or seen?
Email me at theartistletters@tapc.co.uk, or visit our website at www.painters-online.co.uk/forum
Best wishes
May 2018 3artist
Let us know what you think at • theartistletters@tapc.co.uk • www.painters-online.co.uk/forum 
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www.painters-online.co.uk
incorporating ART & ARTISTS
First established 1931
ISSN 0004-3877
Vol133 No.5
ISSUE 1054
artist
artist
THIS MONTH’S COVER 
Sally Bulgin Publishing Editor
Bob Rudd Looking Towards Solva
from Dinas Fawr, watercolour,
21�29in (53�73.5cm). 
See pages 14 to 18
TA05p3_5_Contents_TA04p3_4_Contents 12/03/2018 12:11 Page 5
www.painters-online.co.uk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jason Bowyer NEAC, RP, PS
studied at Camberwell School
of Art and the Royal Academy
Schools. He is the founder of
the NEAC Drawing School and
exhibits his work widely.
David Curtis ROI, RSMA
has won many awards for his
en plein air and figurative
paintings in both oils and
watercolours. He has had
several books published on
his work as well as DVD
films, and exhibits his work
extensively.
Ken Howard OBE, RA
studied at Hornsey School of
Art and the Royal College of
Art. He is a member of the
NEAC, ROI, RWS, RWA and
RBA. He exhibits extensively
and has won numerous
awards.
EDITORIAL
CONSULTANTS
4 May 2018artist
22
30
CONTENTS
FEATURES
14 Landscape colours
MASTERCLASS Bob Rudd reveals the
techniques he uses to achieve high colour
intensity in his vibrant watercolours
19 A prodigious talent
Young artist Kieron Williamson demonstrates
his techniques with a watercolour step-by-step
painting
67 How to drive effective sales in the
digital domain – social media
Mark David Hatwood explains why you need
social media and how it will help you to
promote your online sales 
78 Charles Williams’ musings Grants PRACTICALS
22 Tonal impressionism
Amanda Hyatt begins her new six-part
watercolour workshop series by revealing her
five steps to watercolour success
26 Adapt your sketching kit
Don’t give up if you can’t find the perfect tool
for your needs – David Parfitt shows you how
it’s possible to modify pens, brushes and more 
30 Going grisaille
Jo Quigley explains why you should consider
making a painting en grisaille, and
demonstrates the technique using acrylics
34 Portrait drawing
Ann Witheridge reveals the easiest way to
obtain a likeness while ArchieWardlaw
proves the theory with a demonstration in
charcoal
38 Landscape textures in watercolour
Ann Blockley shares her techniques for
achieving texture in watercolour paintings
26
42
FC
FC
TA05p3_5_Contents_TA04p3_4_Contents 12/03/2018 12:11 Page 6
l Try combining watercolour and ink to paint flowers
and still lifes with Julie Collins
l Advice from Ann Witheridge on how to paint
portraits in pastel
l Learn how to turn a boring photograph into an
exciting painting with Marie Antoniou
l Ann Blockley invites you to develop the ideas and
watercolour techniques introduced in this month’s
issue
May 2018 5artist
And much more! Don’t miss out: 
our June issue is on sale from April 20
NEXT MONTH
IN 
PLUS
l Take just six colours and paint impressionist scenes
in oils en plein air with Paul Brown
l Advice and tips on framing, pricing your work and
direct customer approaches from Mark David
Hatwood of The Harbour Gallery 
42 How to use complementary colours
Marie Antoniou shows you how to achieve vibrant results
by using complementary colours in acrylics 
47 A great base for watercolour
Deborah Walker puts Winsor & Newton’s Professional Water
Colour paper to the test
50 The power of pen and wash
Paul Riley discusses the various pens and inks available for
you to work with and why pen and wash is such a powerful
combination 
54 Water-mixable oils alla-prima
Paul Weaver explains why water-mixable oils can be a great
medium to use for alla-prima seascapes
58 The perfect media for a plein-air impression
In the second part of her series, Julie Collins shows you
how to use ink and watercolour for quick on-the-spot
sketches of winter trees, with exercises and tips
PRACTICALS
u MASTERCLASS
Patrick Cullen
explains and
demonstrates why
painting in India
carries such appeal
for artists
t How to paint
reflections in acrylics
including water,
mirrors, windows and
reflected surfaces,
with Jo Quigley
7 The Art World 10 Your views
73 Opportunities 76 ExhibitionsPLUS
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
Register today at www.painters-online.co.uk
l Show your work on our free online gallery (using
your own URL)
l Share your experiences and talk to other artists on
busy and informative
forums and blogs
l View practical art
videos, articles and
demonstrations 
l Find the best
practical art
magazines, books,
workshops and
holidays
PaintersOnline, the online home of Leisure Painter and 
The Artist, offers you a creative and encouraging place to: 
u NEW SERIES
Learn new
techniques using
gouache by following
this two-part series
by Barry Herniman
64 Paint daffodils in watercolour
Paul-Talbot Greaves begins a new monthly series in which
he demonstrates how to interpret a subject in just three
main parts, using either watercolour or acrylic
61
Bring your
portraits to life
Working with a live
model is an exciting
experience says Will
Teather, who shares his
tips for success as he
demonstrates a portrait
in acrylics 
FC
FC
TA05p3_5_Contents_TA04p3_4_Contents 12/03/2018 12:11 Page 7
E: Jane@norfolkpaintingschool.com T: 01485 528588 W: norfolkpaintingschool.com
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www.painters-online.co.uk
NEWS, VIEWS, INFORMATION AND SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD
compiled by Jane Stroud
THE ARTWORLD
May 2018 7
Bath Society of Artists: 113th Annual
Exhibition is on show at the Victoria Art
Gallery, Bridge Street, Bath, from March
24 to May 12; www.victoriagal.org.uk
For more information about the society
go to www.bsartists.co.uk
p Ben Hughes Street in Bath, oil on board,
24�24in (61�61cm)
The Bath Society of Artists’ 113th annual exhibition goes on show at the Victoria Art
Gallery in Bath this spring. Formed in 1904, with just 26 members, the society boasts
many distinguished 20th century painters amongst its numbers, including Walter
Sickert, John Singer Sargent, Philip Wilson Steer, Gilbert Spencer, Patrick Heron, Mary
Fedden, Willian Scott and Howard Hodgkin. The eagerly anticipated 2018 exhibition
will include work by members as well as that chosen from open submission. Last year
there were more than 800 entries, from which 399 were selected for exhibition. Works
will include paintings, drawings and sculpture by both established and up-and-
coming artists, with an opportunity to vote for your favourite work. 
Brenda TA May 18 TAW_Layout 1 12/03/2018 11:33 Page 9
8 May 2018 www.painters-online.co.uk
www.painters-online.co.ukTo upload images of your own work and receive valuable feedback, go to our website and click on the link to the gallery. This is a free service.
This month’s website gallery image is by
Mark Buck who writes: 
‘My maternal great grandfather was a glass painter from
Bohemia, and my mother was also an artist. On the other side
of the family, my great, great grandfather was a portrait artist,
who sold one of his miniatures to Lord Egremont of Petworth in
1850 for the huge sum of 50 guineas. It was not considered
unusual, therefore, when at 16 I decided my vocation was art
and the airbrush. 
‘I graduated from Bower Ashton Art College in Bristol with a
BA Hons in illustration having dropped the airbrush and
replaced it with a very cool but unemployable style. I got a job
in advertising as an art director and found I loved drawing all
day with magic markers. I then met Paul Arden from Saatchi
and Saatchi and we worked together on a weekly column in
The Independent, with me illustrating and him arguing. We
then did two books for Penguin and many other mad projects.
‘These days I travel a lot with a sketchbook and camera
making watercolour paintings and now have drifted a little
into acrylic. I try to achieve spontaneity and looseness
combined with a sense of realism, painting very quickly whilst
standing using gestural brushstrokes. Whilst I love painting
boats, people and life, light is my favourite subject.
Watercolours are mainly painted en plein air, always on
Saunders Waterford NOT, high white, 300gsm cold-pressed
watercolour paper. Acrylics are painted on the same surface,
which I bond to Jackson’s plywood artboards. Breakfast in
Piccadilly started as a sketch observing the fantastic light
pouring in through the restaurant windows. After a quick
pencil sketch the Saunders Waterford paper was flooded with
Daniel Smith yellow ochre and burnt sienna, leaving the white
areas untouched. Once dry, I used progressively darker colours
putting in the negative space around the figures and lighter
objects. Finally the figures were quickly flicked in, with white
highlights added to ‘pop’ out where necessary.’
p Mark Buck Breakfast in Piccadilly, watercolour, 173⁄4�173⁄4in
(45�45cm). On show in our online gallery at www.painters-online.co.uk
EDITOR’S GALLERY CHOICE
u R. B. Kitaj Plays for Total Stakes, 1968,
screenprint on paper, 243⁄4�243⁄4in
(63�63cm) at Pop! Art in a Changing Britain
Pop Art forms the focus of Pallant House Gallery’s major
spring exhibition. Drawing upon its extensive collection of
Pop Art, the gallery will explore ways in which artists
responded to rapid social change during the 1950s and
1960s. Led by Eduardo Paolozzi, Richard Hamilton and
Peter Blake, this generation of artists adopted imagery
from a wide range of sources, such as comics, music and
science fiction. The exhibition is divided into a series of
themes, including Man and Machine, Celebrity and
Pleasure, Youth and Liberation, Colour and Production,
Series and Repetition, Politics and Society and Pop and
Progression. 
Pop! Art in a Changing Britain can be seen at Pallant
House Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex until May 7;
www.pallant.org.uk
POP!
Brenda TA May18 TAW_Layout 1 12/03/2018 11:33 Page 10
www.painters-online.co.uk 9May 2018
As the Royal Academy of Arts
celebrates its 250th anniversary, a
whole host of special events and
activities have been planned, not least
of which is the opening of its new and
transformed campus on May 19.
Designed by internationlly acclaimed
architect, Sir David Chipperfield, and
supported by the National Lottery, the
new Royal Academy links Burlington
House with Burlington Gardens,
providing new galleries, free displays
and learning facilities. Visitors will be
able to view historic treasures in the
collection as well as work by 
p Tacita Dean Majesty 2006, gouache
on photograph mounted on paper,
1181⁄4�1651⁄4in (300�420cm) on show at
the new Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler
Galleries in Burlington Gardens
p Andrew Roberts Dimple – Devil’s Dyke, oil on canvas, 113⁄4�113⁄4in
(30�30cm) on show at The Alchemy of Paint – an exhibition bringing
together work by five British Artists – Tom Coates, Fred Cuming, Julie
Jackson, Mary Jackson and Andrew Roberts, at Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street, St.
James’s, London SW1, from May 21 to 26; www.8dukestreet.co.uk
RA 250
l Our consultant editor, Ken Howard OBE, RA will be exhibiting
recent paintings at the Portland Gallery, 3 Bennet Street, London
SW1, until April 6. For details go to www.portlandgallery.com
BATH IN PICTURES
Bath residents and visitors, as well as artists and art lovers,
can be part of local painter, Peter Brown’s new hard-back gift
book of Bath, by visiting the Kickstarter website
https://kickstarter.com and pledging support. Peter used
the website three years ago when producing his book on
London and he plans to publish a companion volume on the
city of Bath in October. For a pledge of £25, for example, you
will receive a copy of the book (RRP £30), and there are other
products on offer too, such as limited editon prints, calendars,
original oil paintings, and the chance to spend the day
painting with Peter in Bath; www.peterbrownneac.com
Academicians, and students
from the RA Schools. In
addition there will be an
expanded exhibition and
learning programme, with a
250-seater auditorium. The new
Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler
Galleries in Burlington Gardens
will open with an exhibition by
Tacita Dean, exploring the
genre of landscape (May 19 to
August 12). As part of its
celebrations, museums and
galleries across the country will
take part in RA250 UK – a major
nationwide programme of talks,
exhibitions and events, which will run
throughout 2018. For more information
visit www.royalacademy.org.uk
Brenda TA May 18 TAW_Layout 1 12/03/2018 11:33 Page 11
10 www.painters-online.co.uk
Striving for recognition
How does an amateur artist achieve
recognition? In my experience, very few
amateur artists manage to sell serious
amounts of their work. Here in the
Cotswolds we are lucky to have several
successful artists, including Ann Blockley
and Jean Haines, who happily pass on
their skill in the form of classes and
workshops. And we have the North
Cotswolds Art Group. 
Sadly there is more to reaching for a
brush or pencil to getting known. I went
on for years pottering about with
marginal success. Many art groups have
an annual exhibition and if you are able to
produce acceptable work and be
prepared to be a steward for the
exhibition, sales should follow. Whether
this will lead to recognition, I do not
know, but it is a start. Then there are
May 2018artist
Letters, emails and comments
YOUR
VIEWS
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This month’s star letter writer will receive a £50 gift card, courtesy of
GreatArt, to spend on over 50,000 available products. Gift cards can be
redeemed in-store at GreatArt Shoreditch, 41-49 Kingsland Road, London
E2 8AG, telephone 08433 571 572, and online at www.greatart.co.uk
Colour co-ordination
Having read Don Anderson’s rant in the
April 2018 issue about manufacturers not
putting a big enough colour sample on
the paint tubes, I would like to share a
very simple solution that I have been
using for a long time: I just put a blob of
whatever is inside the tube on the top of
the cap. In addition, I have customised a
large work box by dividing it into sections
with hardboard. I then colour-code it by
putting each colour range together in one
section. This has been much admired by
the members of our art group and it saves
a lot of time and frustration.
Margaret Summerill, by email
Carry on improving
I very much enjoyed Charles Williams'
amusing article in the February 2018 issue
about his observations of the contrast
between ‘pretentious’ versus ‘imposter’
artists. Certainly if one starts with the
belief that one is already a wonderful
artist, there is little likelihood of much
progress. On the other hand, even if one
feels oneself inadequate, but has an open
mind, one will continue to improve with
practice. 
I am currently considered to be a bona
fide artist, but quite frankly I know that I
am just an imposter who has worked
hard. I conclude that sincere interest
combined with hard work is often the
route to at least moderate success in all
fields of learning. So if you feel
inadequate, just keep on working, since
improvement is always round the corner. 
Valerie Stones, by email
Scrapbook
I have been collecting your magazine for
three years and been inspired to take up
studying my art more seriously. However
as a painter I often want to be able to let
go and paint without any worry about
composition. So I now cut out my
favourite paintings from your magazine
and put them in a scrapbook. Now I just
flick through it to create my version of the
painting, thus giving me valuable practice
and allowing me to enjoy the articles
once again. .
Paul Ward, by email
XX STAR
numerous competitions to enter; or you
can start your own website or sell on eBay
or a shop on etsy.com or you can join a
group of local artists and exhibit with
them.
Stow has several galleries. I do not know
how many other amateurs have been
brave enough to ask if they show local
artists but the broad answer is only if they
are well known. I was able to put a dozen
pictures in a local pub but although
somewhat flattering, pubs are not the
best outlet for sales. Recently, four of us
were offered a space in a café in the town
square where we intend to promote local
artists. Furthermore, modest sales have
resulted. I see nothing wrong with sitting
down in the café and sharing our painting
experience with punters. You never know,
they might want to buy something.
Toulouse Lautrec did it, so why not!
Peter Dean, by email
Favouring the ‘ugly’ scene
On reading the ’Paint Live’ article in
The Art World section of the April
2018 issue, it struck me that Adam
Ralston and I have similar
approaches to plein-air work: ‘An
ugly scene to some, but a challenge
to me,' he said. That's me all over. I
draw and sketch with Southampton
Urban Sketchers once a month and
never choose the obvious pretty
scene or the iconic subject. Our
sessions are on Saturday mornings
in the city, based round some coffee house for chat and discussion after about 90-
plus minutes sketching whatever takes our fancy. 
Recently we rendezvoused in Portswood, a busy suburb that has some fine
buildings in the high sreet. However, I chose a view that included the back of a
large pub and its walled yard, a Sainsbury's store, a road and traffic. I did this
whilst perched on the local police station wall. I wasn't moved on, and although
uniforms took an interest in me, they were probably more concerned with the
high proportion of scruffs and ne’er-do-wells loitering around.
Derek Snowdon, by email
Derek Snowdon Portswood, line and wash
in A4 sketchbook
May letterstweaked_Layout 1 12/03/2018 16:29 Page 1
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THE PRACTICAL MAGAZINE FOR ARTISTS BY ARTISTS – SINCE 1931
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TA05p12_13_subs dps_Layout 1 09/03/2018 11:34 Page 2
M
y paintings are usually of
landscape with a preference
for the wilder, less cultivated
parts of Britain and I
regularly return to rivers, mountains,
the coastline and sea. I enjoy the
challenge of painting water, its surface
patterns, reflections and glimpses of a
submerged beach or riverbed. Where
rivers have eroded or the sea exposed
the geology of a coastline, there are
features I want to explore in my
painting. The weather, time of day, the
seasons and the atmosphere of a place
are hugely important. 
I use my time outdoors to explore and
see the landscape from as many points
of view as I can, without making any
decisions. I look for the drama, rather
than focus on detail, and it can be hard
work to find the part of the
surroundings that captures the essence
of a place, yet also has the elements to
make a pleasing picture. I always have
a camera with me and spend the time
gathering reference photographs and
14 www.painters-online.co.ukMay 2018artist
Bob Rudd reveals the techniques he uses to achieve the intensity
of colour in his vibrant watercolour landscapes
Landscape colours
M A S T E R C L A S S
p Rock Forms, watercolour, 36�36in
(91.5�91.5cm).
All my paintings are based on actual
places. When I am back in the studio 
I decide what it is that particularly
interests me about a subject and the kind
of painting I am going to make. In this case
I was excited by the idea of painting the
rocky outcrops in flat arbitrary colours
against a naturalistic sea. The cliffs in the
foreground gradually became more
abstracted as the painting progressed and
the work resolved
TA05p14_18_Masterclass_Layout 1 07/03/2018 11:44 Page 14
www.painters-online.co.uk May 2018 15artist
tt
u STAGE ONE
Working from memory and my reference
photographs, above, I made my first
exploratory drawings. This sketch, with
the expanse of sea and beach prominent
in the middle and the coastline towards
the edge, suggested an interesting
composition. The outline around these
rough scribbles is essential to begin to
see them as a design
DEMONSTRATION Looking Towards Solva from Dinas Fawr
t STAGE TWO
The colour and tone of the sea and sky were
crucial to the painting so I painted them first.
To paint an area like this with hard and soft
edges and variations in tone and colour is
really quite complicated. Watercolour has to
be applied more or less in one go and
consequently fairly carefully planned. I
applied masking fluid, picking out highlights
in the clouds and surf; the main colours in the
sea are cobalt turquoise, manganese blue,
viridian, Winsor blue and Prussian blue, and
the sky is Prussian blue. As always, at this
point the first washes look much too dark
against the white paper and it is hard to
imagine the sun will ever shine
Reference photos
The stunning blue of the sea and bands of dusky pastel colours in the beach were
the inspiration for this painting. 
‘I look for the drama,
rather than focus on
detail’
TA05p14_18_Masterclass_Layout 1 07/03/2018 11:44 Page 15
16 www.painters-online.co.ukMay 2018artist
ideas. The actual planning and painting
are done in my studio.
Working practice
In the studio I begin by making
exploratory thumbnail sketches from
my photographic reference. Thinking
about the subject through these
drawings helps to determine the
beginning of a composition. I make a
pencil drawing on the watercolour
paper because it is easier to correct the
drawing or position of something at this
stage. The painting is built up area by
area and I don’t have a clear idea of
exactly how it is going to proceed from
start to finish.
I am excited by watercolour and love
its translucent and fluid quality. Over
the years I have developed a range of
techniques and approaches to achieve
the outcome I am looking for, so for
much of the time the technical aspects
of the work are instinctive. However, I
am conscious of using watercolour in
two broadly different ways. On the one
hand it is possible to lay very flat,
carefully planned washes and create
beautiful gradations. On the other
hand, its fluidity allows me to work
quickly with intuitive marks where the
results are unpredictable. These
diverse approaches of applying paint
and depicting the landscape are
juxtaposed in the painting with the
hope that it will have something of the
p STAGE FOUR
Painting the cliffs in the initial stage was as
much about finding the drawing as tone and
colour – important details are carefully
observed. Freely interpreted and abstracted
passages were added one step at a time to
complement what was already on the paper.
The leaf shapes in the left-hand corner were
drawn onto the white paper with masking
fluid and later coloured in. The detail in the
sky was softened to have less impact
p STAGE THREE
I was keen to paint the black rock on the left to establish the dark end of the tonal range
and the sun-lit beach at the light end. Blacks at this stage are usually a mixture of two
strong dark colours such as sepia and indanthrene blue; in the end they could be
strengthened further with Indian ink. The sand is basically burnt umberand the light grey
in the beach is a mix of cobalt blue and light red
TA05p14_18_Masterclass_Layout 1 07/03/2018 11:44 Page 16
www.painters-online.co.uk May 2018 17artist
p FINISHED PAINTING
Looking Towards Solva from Dinas Fawr,
watercolour, 21�29in (53�73.5cm).
At this stage the painting was too broken up
by too many light patches and consequently
uncomfortable to look at. I took clouds out of
the sky and darkened the bottom left corner
to be nearer to the black cliff and brought the
tones in the distant coastline on the right
closer together. Finally, the collection of small
shapes in the foreground were painted in the
same tone to form a diagonal shadow. The
larger, less confusing shapes made the
composition stronger
excitement and emotional response I
felt when I was there.
The painting reaches a point when
most of the paper is covered, but is
usually more or less chaotic, and needs
to be balanced to be seen as a unified
whole as well as for the eye to be able
to move around it and enjoy the parts.
This involves making adjustments to
simplify the design and capitalise on
what is already there.
Colour
Very often colour is the inspiration for a
new painting. Tone and colour are
important elements in my work – I
select from a large range of pigments
and the choice of colours means I do
not always have to mix paint, which
allows me to work quickly and be
spontaneous. I can mix specific colours
more accurately and make subtle
glazes to modify an area. The colour in
my paintings evolves from the first
patch of colour applied, which could be
one important in the landscape or an
arbitrary colour that I feel could be the
beginning of an interesting scheme. 
I use strong colour from the
beginning, taking an area as far as I can,
which gives something definite to
relate the next passage to, and so on.
The advantage of gradually covering
the picture piece by piece is that I work
on clean paper for a long time, which
means that I can decide on the colour tt
TA05p14_18_Masterclass_Layout 1 07/03/2018 11:44 Page 17
18
as I proceed and have choices about
continuing in a naturalistic, loosely
interpreted or more abstracted way,
depending on what I feel the painting
needs at that point. 
I try to paint pure watercolour with as
much richness and depth as I can.
There may be many layers and I think
of these heavily painted areas as rich,
complex, colour that contrast with, and
accentuate the clarity of, lighter
translucent washes. 
Sometimes I capture the landscape as
accurately as I can, at others I invent
passages; most of my paintings are a
mix of both. The choice of colours will
broadly depend on the overall
intention of the painting. I have the
freedom to paint the scenery any
colours I like, and it is surprising how
natural an invented scheme can
look. Moreover, a resolved
painting convinces us that the
landscape could have been
seen like that. 
Materials
I use Winsor & Newton
Professional watercolours in
tubes, selecting from about 100
colours. My small brushes are
Winsor & Newton series 7
kolinsky sable, sizes 4 to7.
Larger, round brushes up to size 20 are
Pro Arte Connoisseur series 100, which
is a blend of sable and Prolene. Flat
hog-hair varnishing brushes pick up
watercolour well and are useful for
covering large areas as well as other flat
watercolour brushes. I have a rigger or
two and occasionally use a decorating
bristle brush. I always have a box of
tissues to hand, plenty of clean water
and plates and bowls for mixing.
I frequently apply masking fluid at the
start of a painting, which is sometimes
drawn onto the paper with a reed pen. 
I mostly work on Saunders Waterford
300lb Rough paper, which does not
need to be stretched. For large
paintings I use Arches 300lb Rough,
which comes in flat sheets that I stretch
onto a wooden frame. 
www.painters-online.co.ukMay 2018artist
p Fleetwith Pike from High Crag, Lake
District, watercolour, 21�29in (53�73.5cm).
This is really a painting of neutrals but the
warmer cleaner colours in the foreground,
together with the misty distant mountains,
combine to give the illusion of aerial
perspective. The detail and extreme darks in
the cliff face on the right add to the feeling of
space; the foreground was deliberately
stylised to contrast with the more realistically
rendered passages. Emerald green adds a
brighter colour and relates to some of the
greenish dark blues
Bob Rudd
studied at Bath Academy of Art and
is a member of the Royal Institute of
Painters in Water Colours. He has
received many awards, including the
Turner Prize for Watercolour. 
His paintings are in the Parliamentary
collection and The House of Lords.
www.bobrudd.com 
TA
TA05p14_18_Masterclass_Layout 1 07/03/2018 11:44 Page 18
I
first showed an interest in painting
during a family holiday in Cornwall
in 2008, when I was five years old. 
I asked for a sketch pad in order to
capture the Cornish light. I continued to
draw, first using coloured pencils, and
progressed to watercolour, acrylics and
brush pens, then to oils and pastels. I
paint en plein air most days, finding
inspiration in the countryside around
my home in Norfolk. Working en plein air
is the most rewarding way to paint; to
experience the freedom of being
outdoors and to battle with the
constantly changing light and weather is
a test of one’s abilities and endurance.
My favourite artists include Edward
Seago and Alfred Munnings
Finding inspiration
It was back in January 2016, when my
father and I cycled past the Puncher
brothers’ farm, that I first saw the
bagging up of potatoes from an old-
fashioned rusty ‘riddler’. Stumbling
across such perfect subject matter can
sometimes be quite overwhelming and
their kind offer to explore the farm and
the welcome I always receive from
these farming brothers, has provided
me with an endless source of
inspiration.
During 2016 there was a significant
shift in my work – the inclusion of
prominent figures at work in the
landscape. Every time I go to Parrs
Farm I find something new to paint. I
am fascinated with barn interiors,
pieces of old farm machinery and the
ever-changing light. Of course, nothing
compares to the brothers themselves
and I am fortunate to have the
opportunity and joy of watching them
working together. 
When I am painting at Parrs Farm I
often produce a pochard box oil sketch,
approximately 7�10in (18�25.5cm).
These pieces are either archived,
possibly as reference for a much larger
studio piece, or polished off and
completed as they are. More often than
not, one or both of the brothers will
feature in the painting, testing my
ability to create realistic scenes that
record their way of life – I recognise
that these scenes will, at some point in
my lifetime, cease to exist. 
I am incredibly fortunate to be
allowed freedom of access to enter the
farm to paint, to observe and learn and
to take photographs. It is such a rare
thing to find barns that remain
untouched and undeveloped and to
witness simple and traditional farming
methods flourishing with such deep
respect for the land. 
www.painters-online.co.uk May 2018 19artist
Up-and-coming young artist Kieron Williamson, whose paint-handling
skills have made him a phenomenally successful artist, demonstrates
a watercolour painting of a farming scene 
A prodigious talent
tt
TA05p19_21_Kieron Williamson_Layout 1 12/03/2018 11:28 Page 19
20 www.painters-online.co.ukMay 2018artist
For this painting I used a limited palette
of cobalt blue, cobalt violet, raw sienna,
viridian, cadmium red and lemon yellow.
I tried to recreate the same impact of
light and shade in this watercolour that 
I felt had been achieved in the oil sketch 
p STAGE ONE
I chose to change the format from
landscape to portrait because I
wanted to achieve a closer, more
intimate composition, and altered
the position of John Puncher to
create much more interest in the
mid-ground, making sure the scale
of everything was correct.
Important highlights were reserved
with the aid of drawing gum
p STAGE TWO
I floodedthe Arches 300lb stretched
watercolour paper with a loose graduated
wash of colour and placed tones and
colour values of the overall piece. I blocked
in punchy darker areas, knowing that a lot
of the intensity of the pigment would
drain away, working at an angle around
30–40 degrees off horizontal to get this
effect. The grey drawing gum can be
clearly seen at this stage
Late for Lunch, oil on board
7�10in (18�25.5cm). 
One of my on-site oil sketches, this
scene depicts the midday contre-
jour light. Zig-zag lines lead the
eye into and through the whole
painting – they can be seen in the
potato sacks, in the creases of Will
Puncher’s clothing and the
tarpaulin, and they are
supplemented by lovely
directional shadows. Areas of
detail contrast with passages of
abstraction in the backdrop
t STAGE THREE
Once all the drawing gum had been removed it revealed the white paper. Working
primarily top to bottom and left to right, I painted in the backcloth of trees
relatively quickly to enable me to relate to this tonally as the painting progressed.
Painting in the darker area to this degree also provided greater contrast with the
top lighter edges of the painting, creating a sense of depth and offering a really
dark backdrop for Will Puncher to contrast against. It is important for me to start
seeing these three-dimensional elements early on as it motivates me to continue
to the next stages. However, I don’t like to get too bogged down in unnecessary
detail or find myself concentrating on one area for too long, as I need to retain the
overall fluidity of the piece
DEMONSTRATION
Midday Riddling
TA05p19_21_Kieron Williamson_Layout 1 12/03/2018 11:28 Page 20
www.painters-online.co.uk
PRACTICAL
May 2018 21artist
u FINISHED PAINTING
Midday Riddling, watercolour, 133⁄4�81⁄4in
(33.5�21cm).
I decided to correct passages of the painting that
I was not happy with, such as areas on the riddler
that were not straight or unresolved. I applied a
watered-down unifying wash over the
background trees and slightly darkened areas in
the foreground with a mix of cobalt blue, cobalt
violet and raw sienna, that I continually adjusted
to suit in tone 
You can find out more about Kieron and
why he has been called the ‘mini Monet’
in his video link at PaintersOnline:
http://painte.rs/2BDXQAB
p STAGE FOUR
I gave particular attention to Will Puncher, the
figure on the left, ensuring his stance and scale
were correct. I used mixes of cobalt blue, cobalt
violet and raw sienna to create the texture of his
clothing. I really enjoyed painting the subtle
blues and greys in the shadows of the potato
sacks, and using viridian green for the lettering. 
I took the opportunity to punch out a few dark
accents with mixes of cobalt blue and burnt
sienna, which gave a lovely dark but translucent
colour for overall shading. The foreground was
deliberately left incidental, the passages of light
help to lead the eye towards Will Puncher and
into the main area of the painting where all the
action is. Abstract brushmarks describe the
clutter of sacks and old farm tools. The old barn
wall on the far right-hand side received marginal
attention and simply acts to keep the viewer’s eye
in the painting
Kieron Williamson
has been tutored by Brian Ryder and Tony
Garner. He is represented by the
Picturecraft Gallery in his home town of
Holt, in Norfolk, where he has a solo
exhibition from July 6 to 18. His new book
My Chosen Path, Painting in the Landscape,
will be published by Halstar in July
(www.halsgrove.com).
www.kieronwilliamson.com
TA05p19_21_Kieron Williamson_Layout 1 12/03/2018 11:29 Page 21
22
NEW S ER I E S - WATERCOLOUR WORKSHOP : 1 S T O F 6
www.painters-online.co.ukMay 2018artist
Amanda Hyatt introduces her Five Steps to Watercolour in the first of a new
six-part series in which she shares some of her techniques and ideas on how
to see and paint what is in front of you
Tonal impressionism
T
here are many of genres of art
and many media to paint them
with. My art is traditional realist
tonal impressionist watercolour
and I paint both in the studio and en
plein air, the latter being the more
difficult yet more rewarding by far. I
paint full-sheet, big-view watercolours
but I learned that spontaneity and
painting in the fast alla-prima way is
essential to capturing the magic, mood,
light and emotion of the subject. When
viewing a subject there is a lot of
excess information that is not required
for the painting to be successful. 
Five steps to success
My method Five Steps to Watercolour
has been honed over 35 years of trial
and error. I do not like a lot of drawing
or detail; the composition is really
more important and, to a certain
degree, replaces the necessity to
spend too much time drawing. You can
also draw with the paintbrush for my
sort of art. It is also not necessary to
put in all the details until the end of
the painting when you are pulling it
together. Often the time you spend
worrying about a minor detail at the
beginning of the painting is wasted
when later that initial detail gets
painted over.
Step One: Composition
My first step is to compose the
painting, leaving out unnecessary
objects and rearranging others into a
better position. The base line on which
TA05p22_25_Amanda_Layout 1 07/03/2018 11:47 Page 22
www.painters-online.co.uk
PRACTICAL
May 2018 23artist
to place horizons, water levels or
foothills is determined by measuring
either thirds or fifths up the vertical
side of the paper. The golden mean of
thirds is very relevant when composing
as it is usually fail-safe.
Step Two: Colour
My second step is choosing colour. You
will be either a colourist or a tonalist. 
I am a tonalist – I see light and shadows
before I even see the subject. I have
very little response to colour. A tonal
impressionist has a reduced palette
and mixes every colour with a base
colour, either burnt sienna, burnt umber
or sepia. This reduces the garishness of
the stronger coloured paints and makes
the painting more sublime, subtly and
mysterious to the eye. I don't like
neutral tint as it contains no warmth
and will often deaden a painting. 
Step Three: Tone
Step three is tone, which is variation in
strength of paint. It is not different
colours. It is essential to have three
tones in a tonal impressionistic
painting: light, middle and dark. The
darkest darks anchor the painting and
let the rest of the painting balance so
your eye can wander around the
painting and then resettle on the dark
t The Sculptor’s Studio, watercolour,
9�121⁄2in (23�32cm).
I used a reduced palette of sepia, cerulean
blue, Winsor violet and burnt sienna. The
artist was deliberately placed at the golden
mean of thirds position on the left, and the
white statue was placed at the golden mean
of thirds on the right. Darks were juxtaposed
against light and vice versa for contrast and
light effect. The details were done with a
simple flick of the brush. The shadows were
deliberately directed to the right, indicating
that the light was coming through the large
window at the left. The painting should give
the viewer a sense of mood, time and strong
light
p The Doge’s Palace, watercolour, 26�351⁄2in
(66�90cm).
I emphasised the light entering the large
windows, bouncing off the gold ceiling and
reflecting in the polished floor. Most of the
detail was omitted from the ceiling as it
would have distracted from the group of
people gathered at the centre. A minimal
palette was used and the people represented
as dark and light shapes
areas. Many people are afraid to use
dark tones but without them there is no
light. They are necessary for contrast.
When you have composed your
painting, chosen your colours (skies
don’t have to be blue, I often leave the
paper paint free), and done the bulk of
the painting in different tones, it is time
to move on to creating the magic.
Step Four: Magic light
The fourth step is creating mood, magic
and atmosphere. Shadows to me are
everything – they are most beautiful in
the early morning or late evening– and
give a painting a sense of time, magic
and mood. Painting at midday is not
beneficial as the light is flat and there
is not much to work with. 
Step Five: Finishing off
The fifth step is to pull the painting
together. During the course of the
painting I use a mirror at least 20 times
to check my progress. A mirror shows
you where you are going wrong, what
needs to be balanced and, if nothing
else, kick-starts you to keep going. It is
also necessary to distance yourself from
the painting occasionally. Because I am
a tonal impressionist I rely on minimal
brushwork for maximum impact, not
over-fiddling and the contrast between
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light and dark, such that when the
viewer is standing some distance from
the finished painting it all comes
together. This is true impressionism
and hopefully it is not a dying art. 
Finishing off requires putting in the
dots and dashes, extra trees, ropes,
poles, people, highlights in gouache 
(I am not a purist) and perhaps lifting
off or rubbing out things that no longer
have relevance. You will know when
your painting is finished and it should
not take more than an hour and a half –
any more time spent and you will start
fiddling and likely ruin it. Put the brush
down and walk away.
Putting it into practice
For this article I have painted a scene
p New Delhi, watercolour, 30�391⁄2in
(76�100cm). 
This is a representation of strong light and
shadows. The two major figures have defined
heads and limbs but the crowd have no body
details. There is a sense of movement and
activity, created by joining each part of the
painting with shadows and glazes. The strong
light in the centre draws you into the
busyness of the scene. Again a sense of time,
light and mood was created with minimal
colour but strong tonal effects
Exercise: develop your skills
Find a favourite photo – perhaps a landscape with buildings – and look at where
each item is. Deliberately change the position of, say, a house by making it smaller,
larger or moving it to a more lateral position. Add more trees, add a fence and
maybe a road and then change its colour. Darken under the trees to anchor them
down and think about where the sun is. Create some shadows in pure ultramarine
blue by dragging the brush along the ground, across part of the buildings, up
under the trees again and finally add a person, birds flying, vineyards, whatever you
can think of. This will get you out of being stuck in the rut of being a slave to the
photo. You are allowed to be the creator of your own piece of art. Start thinking of
ways you can make the painting more interesting.
If you have a coastal painting with boats, add more of them plus ropes and masts
and rigging. Perhaps humanise it with a person and a dog on the pier. Painting can
be exciting if you allow yourself to think more freely.
in two ways: how a literal colourist
would paint and how a tonal
impressionist would paint. The
colourist painting took a little longer as
I followed literally the colours and all
the details. The tonal painting is my
preference. If you prefer the colourist
painting you are a colourist and love
the idea of making a statement with
colour. If you like the tonal painting
then you are a tonalist and you love the
light. Both light and colour are equally
effective but often tone does all the
work and colour gets all the glory!
Amanda Hyatt
has been a professional watercolour
artist for 35 years and has exhibited
widely, including in New York and China.
She has won many major Australian art
awards and is a member of the Australian
Watercolour Institute, the Victorian
Artists Society and the Twenty
Melbourne Painters Society. Her
paintings are in collections throughout
the world. She has three DVDs, available
from APV Films (www.apvfilms.com) and
her book Watercolour: Tonal
Impressionism is available from Amazon.
http://amandahyatt.com.au
TA
Watch Amanda as she demonstrates her
watercolour techniques in her video at
PaintersOnline: http://painte.rs/2BDXQAB
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DEMONSTRATION
Are you a tonalist or a colourist?
My reference photo
This 1950s photo looks like it was taken at midday. There is nothing to
stop you from creating your own shadows and sense of time – there
are no rules in art.
In the tonal
painting I wanted
the light to cast
shadows to the left
to indicate
evening. I have
been to
Mevagissey and
know where the
sun goes down,
and took the
liberty to create
this in the painting
t Literal colourist painting, watercolour, 153⁄4�113⁄4in (40�30cm).
I tried to be as literal to the scene as possible, without resorting to
turning it into an illustration. The nine colours, ultramarine blue,
cerulean blue, viridian, alizarin crimson, lemon yellow, Indian yellow,
burnt sienna, sepia and white gouache, were loyal to the image and
the individual subjects were painted as they lay. The work on the small
boats, windows, roof tops, masts and foreground was tedious and 
I became frustrated at the lack of spontaneity the scene offered. 
I laboured over this painting and did not enjoy doing it at all
p Creative tonal painting, watercolour, 153⁄4�113⁄4in (40�30cm).
I abandoned the need to copy everything and used a reduced palette
of five colours: burnt sienna, sepia, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue and
white gouache. 
I had the general feel for the subject so I used my Five Steps, firstly
composing it differently, choosing blues and browns (I didn’t want the
boat to be green), making sure I had tonal variation, giving the scene a
sense of time and mood by using shadows and then pulling it together
with the details, masts, rigging and highlights. I simplified the
foreground and anchored the painting with the deepest dark tones on
the left and at the back of the main boat
Here are the two paintings in
greyscale. The literal colourist
painting (right) appears flat,
with little tonal variation. 
The tonal impressionist painting
(far right) has more depth of
tone and gives the painting a
more three-dimensional effect
Literal colourist
painting in
greyscale and
tonal painting in
greyscale 
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David Parfitt
is a member of the Royal Institute of
Painters in Water Colours (RI) and has
won the Neil Meacher Sketching Prize,
the Frank Herring Award and the
Winsor & Newton Award. He has
exhibited widely, including with the
Sunday Times Watercolour Competition,
the Royal Society of Marine Artists, and
the ING Discerning Eye. 
http://davidparfitt-art.co.uk
Lamy vista fountain pen (medium nib)
The ink cartridges and/or piston converter don’t hold a great deal of ink, so I have
converted mine to an eye-dropper pen (a favourite project within the fountain pen
community). In order to do this it is first necessary to fill the holes in the sides and
at the end of barrel. I used modelling clay (Milliput) and made sure the barrel was
completely watertight before filling with Quink ink. An alternative would be to use
the barrel from the Lamy vista rollerball, which I understand does not have the
holes, although it’s always best to test for leaks with water first – this is obvious, but
I’ve made that mistake. I then put some silicone grease in the threads on the nib
section to prevent any ink from leaking out once it was screwed in place.
Pens
Un-modified 
I currently use two mechanical
pencils: Uni Kuru Toga 0.5mm and
Staedtler Mars Technico 2mm;
Rosemary & Co pocket reversible
sable brushes size 6 and 10; and size
4 series 56 sable, which I use for
wiping out.
Modified 
Uni-Ball Air Pen (broad) 
I prefer these pens to a ballpoint or
rollerball. I like the way it writes and
draws. I like too the idea of refilling
pens rather than buying new ones all
the time, so I have refilled this one
with Noodler’s black waterproof
fountain pen ink.
Adapt your
sketching kit
Whena tool isn’t quite right for the job, why not
adapt it to suit your needs? David Parfitt reveals
how he has successfully adapted his plein-air
sketching kit to get the most from his outdoor
experience
This shows the oval side openings on the barrel filled in (black in the photo). The end
isn’t so clearly shown but these changes allow the pen to be used as an eye-dropper
so that the barrel can be filled with ink
Organiser Pouch widely available on
Amazon or eBay (left).
Pentel Colour Brush Pen 
I have two of these brush pens and
really like using them for sketching and
for working out thumbnail painting
compositions. The synthetic brush is
surprisingly good to use but I learned
that Pentel no longer manufacture the
grey ink refills, so I needed to find an
alternative. My solution is simply to
refill the pens with fountain pen ink;
after a bit of experimentation, I
decided to use Diamine ink in grey and
quartz black. These inks wash out to a
very light colour that is ideally suited to
tonal studies in the sketchbook. Of
course the inks are not lightfast so
would not be suitable for finished work.
There are a number of YouTube videos
showing how to refill these pens, such
as: https://youtu.be/H-Go2m85jkI
found on the market. Rather than get
frustrated or struggle on, I try to adapt
or make stuff myself. I’ve found it quite
useful to search on-line for ideas,
especially YouTube, as there is generally
someone who has thought about and
adapted brushes/pens/ easels and the
results can spark an idea. For example,
my palette box was inspired by the
many different uses of ‘Altoid’ tins
shown on Pinterest and Instagram.
Similarly, my water brush was inspired
by a post on Twitter, originally tweeted
by Jonathan Case and called
‘build the best brushpen’. I am
not claiming that any of my things
are groundbreaking or unique but they
have solved a few problems. 
I’ll go through all my sketching items
one by one, but firstly my pen/brush
case is a Spec-Ops mini pocket
organiser that I’ve had for some years.
It’s similar to the Maxpedition Mini
I
’ve found that working in the field
throws up various problems with
sketching equipment, and ready-
made solutions can’t always be
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PRACTICAL
May 2018 27artist
LEFT and BELOW
Relatively carefree
sketches made with
the Lamy fountain
pen and the refilled
colour brush pens. 
I was experimenting
with these pens to
achieve a feeling of
sunlight in a city
scene
Pentel Aquash Water Brush 
These brushes have a water reservoir and
are extremely useful. Although I like
colour brushes I am not overly fond of the
synthetic bristles on these brushes.
Discovering that one had been adapted
into a sable brush was a bit of revelation,
and who doesn’t want a sable water
brush! I decided to have a go at my own
version.
To do this I unscrewed the brush and
removed the black ferrule section from
the clear plastic barrel section of the
brush. This initially involved pushing the
bristles carefully back up the chamber
and then, with a small flat-head
screwdriver, pushing out the black ferrule
itself. I replaced all this with an old sable
brush and ferrule. I think I used a size 6
but I tried a number of old brushes of
various makes before I found the one that
fitted perfectly – the diameter of the
ferrule needs to fit snugly into the end of
the clear plastic barrel. With the wooden
handle still in place, I measured the metal
ferrule to the same length as the original
plastic one so that the reservoir section
t Unscrewed Aquash brush prior to modification
p Pushing the synthetic bristle section
back out of the clear plastic barrel
p Showing the bristle section and plastic
flow regulator removed
would fit together and used a hacksaw to
cut it to size (I found it easier to cut with
the handle still attached to the brush,
plus you are not destroying a perfectly
good sable brush until the last minute).
Once the brush was fitted I inserted the
piece of sponge from the original Aquash
brush to act as a partial water regulator.
Although there is no longer a fine point
on this particular brush, it is perfect for
quick washes and watercolours when
there is no time or I can’t be bothered to
fill the water pot. It is so much better to
work with than the synthetic hairs and
p Showing how the shortened sable ferrule
and brush sits within the clear barrel section
of the Aquash brush
t Showing the black plastic ferrule (which
holds the synthetic bristles) removed. The
clear plastic barrel is now ready for
conversion with a sable brush
p Rapid study made during a walk along Cheddar Gorge
in Somerset. I used the Lamy fountain pen to sketch in the
main parts of the scene, with further marks and washes
done with the refilled colour brush pens. Water was added
to the sky area with the sable waterbrush
particularly useful when used in
conjunction with the brush pens for black
and white work. I haven’t quite plucked
up the courage to trash a brand new
sable brush in search of a fine point and
the perfect water brush – yet!
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28
SKE TCH ING
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Reversible rigger
This is undoubtedly my favourite
adaptation. I had been looking for a
small travel rigger and trying different
options for many years but couldn’t
find a ready-made one, mainly because
the width of the brush ferrule was so
narrow. Notwithstanding that, riggers
at this size (0 to 2) don’t last long and
need to be replaced on a regular basis.
My solution, eventually, was to attempt
to fashion my own – why didn’t I think
of this before? 
I used an old Pro-Arte Renaissance
size 1 rigger. I cut the handle down to
almost a stub and sculpted it to fit into
a piece of bamboo, forming a new
handle. This also had to function as the
receptacle for the brush when not in
use. The bamboo came from the barrel
section of an old Chinese brush, which I
sanded to size and
drilled a small hole
in the side, so the brush
hairs could dry after being
used. When the rigger
wears out I simply buy a
new rigger brush and trim it
to fit. The pictures show it
much better.
Palette paint box and water container
I have talked about this box in previous articles but it’s
simply a modified Muji Portable PP Case
(www.muji.eu). I cut pieces of thin modelling plastic
sheet to divide the box into nine sections, glued
this in place and then filled each section with my
chosen tube watercolours. Alternatively, you
could fill the box with half pans of colour
and hold them in place with Blu-tack.
Finally I glued a piece of tin (from a coffee
container) to the bottom of the box so
that it’s held in place by the magnet
in my drawing board.
I use two water containers. One
is a plastic 35mm film canister,
the other a 50ml plastic
medical container. 
I have glued a magnet to
the base of each so that
they are held in place on
my drawing board.
p Watercolour sketch with initial marks made in pencil (0.5) and then
colour washes overlaid using the reversible sable brushes
This shows the trimmed stub, brush
section and the shaped handle with
breather hole shown separately below
p Small plastic Muji box with the internal section
divided into nine sections and filled with
watercolours. The lid is used as a mixing palette
p Magnets and metal strips firmly hold the water container
and plastic palette box in place
p Port-Eynon.
Sketchbook study using the materials I’ve spoken about in this article,
apart from the ink pens. I used the reversible brushes to lay in the main
washes and the homemade rigger for the darker details in the headland
and sea. I lifted colour with the series 56 sable
The rigger with the
brush fixed in the
handle, ready for use
The homemade
reversible rigger
with the brush reversed
into the handle for transit
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PRACTICAL
May 2018 29artist
Drawing/painting board
I have a few of these. They are either made froma piece
of MDF or 5mm plywood in varying sizes to fit into my
painting bags. They also act as a stiffener in the bag, but
mainly function as a support for my sketchbook, palette
and water container. 
I glue a flat
piece of tin,
about credit
card size, to
the top right
of the board
to secure the
water
container via
its magnet,
(see below
far left), and 
I have inset a
magnet next
to that, to
hold the
palette box.
I have
another,
larger board, which I’ve adapted so that it fixes to a
standard 1⁄4in camera tripod mount. This then functions
outdoors as an easel or indeed a small table.
Sketches made during a visit to a local disused quarry, where I spent most of
the day gathering information and reference for use in the studio, taking
quite a few photographs and making around 25 sketches. I used the pencils to
sketch the main details and composition of the scene and then used the
waterbrush and palette box quickly to add some colour notes in the field. This
was all done relatively speedily so that I could move on and explore further
p Woodland sketch.
Quite a detailed sketch started in the field but completed in the studio. All
done with my watercolours and sketching materials. The fine lines,
branches and small leaves were all done with the rigger. Highlights were
wiped out with the series 56 sable flat
I hope this has given a bit of an insight into my way of getting around some
of the problems I’ve found when sketching quickly outdoors. No doubt many
of you have made your own modifications. It would be interesting to see
some of your ideas. Please email these to theartistletters@tapc.co.uk
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30 www.painters-online.co.ukMay 2018artist
Jo Quigley explains why painting in grisaille is
something you should consider, and demonstrates
how to use this technique to make a grisaille
painting in acrylic 
Going grisaille
A
grisaille (pronounced griz-eye) is
simply the term used for a
painting created in shades of
grey, or another neutral colour.
They are commonly produced as
preparatory sketches, or as an
underpainting to be glazed over in oils
or acrylics, although they can equally
exist as works in their own right (known
as classic grisailles). Originating from the
French word gris meaning grey, the term
was first used in the mid-19th century,
although the practice of painting this
way dates back much further.
Throughout history, artists have
chosen to restrict their use of colour for
a number of practical and aesthetic
reasons. Some of the earliest examples
were commissioned by the church, in
the form of medieval manuscripts and
stained-glass windows. Although
pigment was scarce at the time, the
absence of colour was primarily used to
convey purity and spirituality. During
the Renaissance,
it was common
for artists to
produce
monochromatic
works as models
for engravers to
work from.
However, as they
began to
appreciate the
effectiveness of
this method to
show light and
shade, they
began to create many stand-alone
works. It was this ‘sculptural’ quality
that helped elevate the status of the
grisaille to a way of demonstrating
technical ability.
After the Renaissance, this technique
declined somewhat in popularity,
before enjoying resurgence with
painters of the modern era. With the
invention of black-and-white
photography and advances in modern
printing techniques, artists once again
returned to monochromatic painting as
a way of referencing other media.
Picasso’s 1937 painting Guernica, which
depicts the bombing of a Basque town
during the Spanish Civil War, is
probably the most well-known
example; it clearly references the
newsprint of the time. Even after the
development of colour printing
techniques and colour photography
and film, painting in black and white
still remained popular, although
contemporary artists were more likely
to choose it for conceptual reasons. 
The benefits of painting in
black and white or grisaille
Despite a rich history of painting in
grisaille or black and white, it might
seem like this technique has fallen out
of favour in recent years. With the vast
ranges of pigments offered by most
paint manufacturers, it is easy to see
why some might be reluctant to restrict
the use of colour. However, whether you
are an experienced painter or just a
beginner, there are some very good
reasons why you should consider using
this method.
Cost
Firstly it is a very cost-effective way of
painting. If there is one thing that has
not changed throughout the history of
painting, it’s that pigment is expensive.
If you are just starting out, or you are
experimenting with ideas or
compositions, it makes little sense to
lay down expensive colours only to
paint over them in subsequent layers.
Likewise, if you are too conscious of
what you are spending, you may be
reluctant to mix up enough paint, or
make changes if the colour is not
correct. 
Speed
This method not only saves money, but
can also save time. By establishing
tones and marks first, fewer layers are
required in the finishing stages.
Learning to mix paints to the correct
colour and value, particularly if you are
unfamiliar with a media, can be tricky or
frustrating. Eliminating colour, at least
in the initial stages, means that
decisions and corrections to the
composition and drawing can be made
quickly, enabling more time to be
spent on the colour later. 
ACRYL I C S : 2ND O F 6 
Jo Quigley 
studied at Winchester School of Art
and Kingston University, and taught
painting before turning professional. Jo
demonstrates to art societies across the
south east of England – for more details
see www.quigleyarts.co.uk
u St Paul’s View,
acrylic, 391⁄2�391⁄2in
(100�100cm)
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May 2018 31artist
 
DEMONSTRATION Towards St Paul’s
The following demonstration of a
cityscape in acrylic shows how a
grisaille can be used as a
stepping-stone to a finished work
p STAGE ONE
The first step is to establish a greyscale, although it is possible to use up to nine
values, I have chosen to restrict myself to just five. For this painting I used a
combination of Mars black and titanium white to complete the grisaille stage
p STAGE TWO
I prefer to tint my canvas first using a mid-tone, to which I
then add lighter and darker values. Unlike an oil painting
where the paint is usually applied thinly during the early
stages, I applied two coats of relatively thick paint to achieve
a good even coverage. A darker value was then applied to
the lower third, creating an area for land and water
p STAGE THREE
Having previously decided on my composition, I preferred not
to draw out first, as I find this approach fairly restrictive. Instead
I worked loosely in a series of shapes, starting with the largest
areas, which when placed correctly can be subdivided into
smaller shapes. After adding a few darker values, the three-
dimensional forms of the buildings began to take shape
‘By establishing tones and
marks first, fewer layers are
required in the finishing stages’
t STAGE FOUR
Having established the main areas of tone relatively quickly, 
I added the lightest value and a few architectural details to
describe the buildings further. Concentrating the marks and
sharpening edges in the foreground further enhanced a feeling
of depth. My primary reason for using this method was to speed
up the process, so I decided to move on to adding colour rather
than take the grisaille to completion
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32
To focus the artist’s attention
Limiting yourself to just one or two
colours allows you to focus on other
important visual elements such as
composition, tone and texture without
the unnecessary distractions of colour.
Whilst there is no denying that using
colour well requires skill, it can also
disguise mistakes in drawing, such as
perspective and form. This can result in
images that appear flat and confusing
and as a result can fail to engage with
the viewer. In