Painting Portraits and Figures in Watercolor

A 160 page paperback book by Mary Whyte.

Designed to address beginning to intermediate artists, this book is the ultimate guide to portraiture and figure painting in watercolour. It guides artists through the entire portrait and figure painting process, from selecting the right materials and tools to exhibiting the finished painting. Richly illustrated, the book features paintings by such masters of watercolour as Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Mary Whyte has earned national recognition as an artist and illustrator. Her watercolors have been exhibited at some of the nation’s most prestigious museums and exhibitions, including the American Watercolor Society and the Allied Artists of America.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Painting Portraits and Figures in Watercolor on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post Learn How to Paint Portraits and Figures in Watercolour appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Vasari Classic Oil Colours are the perfect choice for painting in the manner of the masters.

John Singer Sargent

“Venetian Onion Seller,” 1880-82
By John Singer Sargent

Sargent pushes the limits of both indoor and outdoor light, with contrasts of value, tone, and even pigment choices in this arresting figurative work on view at Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain. Painted while visiting Venice, a year after he travelled to Madrid to view and copy the Masterworks of Diego Velázquez at the Prado Museum.

Sargent’s great admiration for the work of Velázquez, especially his earth colour palette, is evident here in the use of warm deep shadows to define the interior space, the colourful neutrals of blue with warm or cool brown earths, and the glow of yellow and red earths. In contrast, the bright Impressionist landscape seen beyond the open window foretells Sargent’s future course and friendship with Claude Monet.

Sargent’s earth palette included: Flake White, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Mars Red, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, and Ultramarine Blue.

Detail of “Ilex Wood. Majorca,” 1908, oil on canvas
By John Singer Sargent

This striking example of Viridian, and the clean colours Sargent was able to mix from his bright mineral palette, is on view at Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain, in the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection.

Although considered the finest portrait painter of his time, Sargent experimented with painting outdoors during his summer travel to idyllic landscapes, causing his work to shift more completely to painting en plein air by the time he visited the Mediterranean isle of Majorca, and captured the intense color of this lush grove of holly.

Sargent’s main working palette included colours newly introduced in the 19th century as well as traditional earths and white: Flake White, Mars Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Vermilion, Mars Red, Madder Deep, French Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue, Viridian, Emerald Green, Ivory Black, Raw Sienna and Mars Brown. Additional colors when needed included Chrome (Yellow) Pale, Cerulean, Red Lead, and Cobalt Violet.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

“Two Sisters,” 1881, oil on canvas
By Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Renoir skillfully employs colour to suggest the deep space in this open-air painting, started in April on site at Restaurant Fournaise’s terrace overlooking the Seine River in Chatou, France. On view at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, in Gallery 201, Renoir relies on the juxtaposition of bold barely mixed complements to emphasize the elevated placement of his foreground models, but adds his signature nuance of tone and touch, to hint at the more distant blooming landscape below.

Many of the colours that were newly available to painters during Renoir’s career are still favored today while others, like the lead-based Chrome Yellows, have been replaced by Titanium-based and Cadmium Yellow choices. Renoir’s palette consisted of just seven warm and cool versions of primaries, plus white – Flake White, Cobalt Blue, Viridian, Dutch Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Light, Naples Orange, genuine Cadmium Vermilion Red Light, and Alizarin Crimson.

Just seven warm and cool versions of primaries, plus white, was typical for Renoir when painting out-of-doors, as was used in an earlier work, Boating on the Seine, the year before: Lead White, Cobalt Blue, Viridian, Chrome Yellow, Chrome (Yellow) Pale, Chrome Orange, Vermilion, and Red Lake.

Like his fellow Impressionists, Renoir’s ability to capture light in a landscape with vibrant pigments, was greatly helped by 19th century advances in colour chemistry and the invention of the collapsible paint tube.

Vasari Classic Oil Colours are the perfect choice for painting in the manner of the masters.
Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Vasari Classic Oil Colours on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

Kind thanks to Vasari for the useful information!

The post The Colours Used by Sargent and Renoir appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

We received some small colour dot samples of the new Golden QoR Watercolours and sent them out to some lovely artists to give us their opinion. It wasn’t a lot of paint but they did their best!

Jan Knight

“QoR I have to say was amazing. It lifted easily from the sample. I got more colour with less paint and they flow, cover and layer well.”

“I have had a play with the sample paints and attach a picture of my dabble (QoR on the left Sennelier on the right). As promised here are my thoughts.

Whilst there seemed to be little paint on these dry samples I was surprised how far they went. My main frustration was wanting to paint more with them!

I settled for painting a simple post card. I did two, one with my existing paints (Sennelier pans) and one with the QoR paints. I tried to use the same amount of paint to water ratio and corresponding colours in each picture. I felt that this would give a like for like feel. I have always been pleased with Sennelier and felt that they had good depth of colour and produced lovely tones.

QoR I have to say was amazing. It lifted easily from the sample. I got more colour with less paint and they flow, cover and layer well. I found the cerulean blue had much more depth than the Sennelier, I needed far more Sennellier to get the same depth of colour. The QoR picture I feel is more vibrant and certainly is the one which I have had more comments on. I will be turning these pictures into birthday cards.

I am certainly looking forward to when these paints come out and will definitely be adding them to paint box especially the pyrrole red light which was lovely and vibrant and the cerulean blue which had a stronger depth of colour. I just hope it’s not too long before I can buy them!”

Judith Crown

“I was very impressed with them.”

“I had a lovely time last night experimenting with the dry sample cards. Thank you for sending me both of them as it was helpful to be able to compare the colours in the sets.

Even though the dots are dry paint, the pigments came onto the brush immediately, giving very rich colours. I was very impressed with them. I tried out a few of my Cotman dry watercolours for comparative feel and found that the QoR seem to give sharper edges to the brush strokes, as well as more intense colouring. This may be an illusion….. I have an automatic liking for Golden products anyway as their acrylics are supurb quality and very lightfast. I wonder how lightfast these colours are!

Regarding the colour choices in the sets.

For the Introductory Colours Card
Featuring: Indian Yellow, Cerulean Blue Chromium, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Pyrrole Red Light, Ultramarine Blue, which also has Burnt Sienna, it is possible to mix a colour similar to Burnt Sienna from the other colours, but it is not possible to make a bright green. Anything and everything else can probably be made apart from bright greens. For an introductory set I would switch the Burnt Sienna for a Lemon Yellow. With those six colours I could do anything! The Cerulean was my least favourite of the other colours as it is not as “clean” a Cerulean as some others. I used a little of it, and the Ultramarine in a very tiny landscape on the piece of paper. The Indian yellow was the smallest dot, and I could have done with a bit more of that!

The second set was a good set for landscapes Earth Colours Card

Featuring: Naples Yellow, Transparent Brown Oxide, Ardoise Gray, Indigo, Sap Green, Venetian Red. I could get a wide range of landscape colours from the six colours. Here again all the colours are beautifully rich and intense. The Brown Oxide is similar to the Venetian red and one can reach a very close colour to the Brown Oxide by adding Naples Yellow, and touches of other colours to the Venetian Red. I think I would replace the Brown Oxide with another colour, but I am not sure which one it would be, possibly a yellow, or possibly a more purple colour such as violet oxide or taupe – if there are those colours available. I think the Ardoise grey would be useful in mountain scenes, for example, for rocks, and also for tree trunks etc in landscapes….

Ideally I think I would like a set of eight colours: the introductory set, with the addition of Sap Green and the Ardoise Grey, with Lemon Yellow instead of Burnt Sienna!”

Zuzana Mezencevova

“Nice bold colours, working perfectly in small amounts as well as layered.”

“Look at the Cobalt Teal!!! I just love it.”

“Green Gold and Dioxazine Purple, and bit of other shades.
See the interaction between two colours, perfect for wet on wet.”

Jenny Hill
“I enjoyed using these colours and did a colour mixing test and a 10 minute sketch of a barn owl for you on the other side of the same piece of paper.”

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Golden QoR Watercolours on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post Testing the new Golden QoR Watercolours appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Watercolor Painting: A Comprehensive Approach to Mastering the Medium

A 208-page hardcover book by Tom Hoffmann.

The beauty of a watercolour painting lies in its diaphanous layers, delicate strokes, and luminous washes. However, the very features that define the beauty of the medium can make it difficult to master. This complete guide to understanding the relationships between colour, value, wetness, and composition unravels the mysteries of watercolour to help your practice evolve.

Experienced teacher and acclaimed artist Tom Hoffmann offers a unique, inquiry-based approach that shows you how to translate any subject into the language of watercolour. With Hoffmann as your guide, you’ll learn the key questions to ask yourself at every turn and time-tested methods to help you reach solutions.

Hoffmann’s thorough explanations and step-by-step demonstrations delineate the process of composing a painting in watercolour, while art from more than thirty-five past and present masters, including John Singer Sargent, Ogden Pleissner, George Post, Emil Kosa, Jr., Mary Whyte, Trevor Chamberlain, Lars Lerin, Torgeir Schjølberg, Piet Lap, Leslie Frontz, and Alvaro Castagnet serve to illustrate and inspire. Whether you’re a serious beginner or a seasoned practitioner, this book will guide you toward the all-important balance between restraint and risk-taking that every watercolourist seeks.

Tom Hoffmann is a practicing artist and teacher who has been dedicated to the watercolor medium for more than thirty years. He received his BFA from Amherst College and an MA in Art Education from the University of London. His paintings have been exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum, the Frye Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, the Copley Society of Boston, and the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. He currently teaches three levels of watercolor classes at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, Washington.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the Watercolor Painting: A Comprehensive Approach to Mastering the Medium book on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post A Comprehensive Approach to Mastering Watercolour Painting appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Golden Artist Colours collaborates with artists to make the highest quality professional art materials. That collaborative process has produced a new, thoroughly modern watercolour called QoR [pronounced 'core'], the name also comes from a technical acronym meaning Quality of Results. QoR retains the best qualities of traditional watercolours, while expanding the range and versatility of each colour. QoR’s exclusive binder (Aquazol) provides a greater density of colour than conventional watercolours, offering vivid depth of colour with every brushstroke.

The unique QoR formula gives vibrant, intense colours that stay brilliant even after they dry. It provides the subtlety, transparency and flow of a great watercolour, with colours that have as much vibrancy and fire as those of acrylic or oil paint.

QoR offers a greater resistance to cracking and flaking than other watercolours. It also exhibits excellent re-solubility in water and glazing qualities. The range includes 83 high-intensity colours, three of which are iridescent.

The addition of QoR Mediums and Grounds can increase gloss, improve flow or wetting, and provide different textured surfaces, to expand the creative opportunities of watercolour painting.

The paints come singly or in sets in tins that have a fold out palette.

Click here to go read an earlier post with artists testing the QoR Watercolours.

Read this earlier post in which
Wil Freeborn, an illustrator who works in Scotland, reviews the new Qor Watercolours.

Pigment Information

You may notice on the QoR pigment information sheet that while most of the colours are listed as either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ for the lightfast rating, almost 1/3 of the QoR colours say ‘not yet tested’. I asked why this was and was assured by Golden that those pigments are rated as lightfast for acrylics and oils but need separate testing for watercolour to qualify by ASTM standards and the tests take years and are costly. It sounds like no other company has stepped forward to pay for the testing, so Golden are in the process of doing it. Golden say: “we have every confidence in their durability from our use of them in our oils and acrylics as well as in the initial testing we completed in developing QoR.”

Comparisons With Other Makes

I did a few comparison charts with other watercolour makes:

Indian Yellow compared.
l-r: QoR, Blockx, Old Holland, Winsor & Newton

Quinacridone Gold compared.
l-r: QoR, Winsor & Newton, Holbein

Cerulean Blue compared.
l-r: QoR, Blockx, Daniel Smith, Old Holland

Glazing comparisons.
Quinacridone Gold first.
l-r QoR, Winsor & Newton, Holbein.
Cerulean Blue on top.
top to bottom:
QoR, Blockx, Daniel Smith, Old Holland

Read more about the colours on the Golden QoR website.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Golden QoR Watercolours on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post New Golden QoR Watercolours appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

£1 Sable Brushes at Jackson’s Art Supplies!

An amazing offer on these lovely short-handled watercolour brushes.
Choose from 6 brushes in sizes:

• round no.1
• round liner no.2
• round no.4 and round no.4
• and flat ¼ inch.

While stocks last.

Click on the underlined link to go to the Clearance Brushes Department for more great offers on brushes on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more. Brush only orders of £20 qualify for free shipping.

The post Amazing Sable Brushes Offer appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

I got this lovely message in my inbox and thought I’d share it with everyone!

“I’d like to mention Jackson’s really great customer service. I bought an umbrella and clamp to fit on my outdoor painting chair. A gust of wind blew the whole lot over and broke the umbrella. I asked Jackson’s if they would replace it. They readily agreed and dispatched promptly after I sent the broken one back. Really appreciated this – such good service. This prompted me to browse their shop on line – I was really pleased to find a real bargain – a Winsor & Newton Hamilton Tilting Beechwood Studio Easel reduced from rrp over £300 to £95.20 !!! And no postage !!! And it’s brilliant – not too heavy and very easy to adjust.
So thanks very much Jackson’s.”
Regards Ingrid

Thank you Ingrid!
I asked Ingrid Skoglund to show us her art – she paints lovely watercolours.
You can go see for yourself on her website and her Facebook page.
Above is one of her watercolour paintings.

The post Thanks, Ingrid! How kind! appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Forgotten Spaces
21 – 26 August 2014
Private View: Thursday 21st August 4-9pm

An exciting exhibition of new work by five young artists living and working in London. All recent graduates from the University Arts London, including Chelsea, Central Saint Martins and Wimbledon.

Participating artists:
Joe Warrior Walker, Elle Sinclair, Tommy Ramsay, Fern Dixon, Jasper Wilson
Read more about the artists.

Organised by: Joe Warrior Walker

Espacio Gallery
159 Bethnal Green Road
London E2 7DG
(Just off Brick Lane in East London)

Opening times:
Daily 1-7pm including weekends.
Tuesdays until 5pm.
Closed on Wednesdays.
Note: Opening times on Sat 6 & Sun 7 September 11am-7pm

Espacio Page on Facebook

The painting shown at top is by Jasper Wilson.

The post Forgotten Spaces at Espacio Gallery appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Learn the limited palette painting method from an expert!

Three Color Painting: Create wonderful art using only three colours

A 128-page paperback book by Stan Kaminski.

A good introduction to the use of gouache (opaque watercolour paint) and the information on how to obtain a huge range of colours from a very limited palette can be translated to any painting medium.

In this user-friendly and truly liberating book Stan shows how numerous shades can be achieved and stunning paintings created using just three paint colours – alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue and yellow ochre – plus white. Stan takes the reader through 20 demonstration paintings and explains not just how to paint, but the thought process involved in doing so. The demonstrations are divided into two sections: those using watered-down gouache, to create watercolour-style paintings and those using thick gouache, in the style of oil paintings. Using his techniques, he says, even a complete beginner will get a great result at the first attempt and the experienced artist will improve his painting.

Stan Kaminski

Warwickshire artist Stan Kaminski has been a professional artist for 38 years, working in design studios, advertising and now as a fine artist and teacher. He has vast experience, has won many prizes and has achieved excellent prices for his paintings at auction. One of his paintings was accepted into David Shepherds Wildlife Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London.

Stan is a respected and much sought after tutor of painting, providing lessons from his well appointed studio near Kenilworth in the heart of the English Midlands. He is the originator of the ground breaking 3 colour painting method that enables even beginners to achieve outstanding results through a clear understanding of how to observe and interpret the subject rather than simply blindly copying. Restricting the palette brings cohesion and insight into hue and tonal value. Mixing all colours from the three essentials of yellow ochre, red and blue educates the eye far better than rather relying upon overly complicated and expensive arrays of ready made colour.

The image at the top is from the book- a painting by Stan Kaminski “The Ladies View Killarney”.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the book Three Color Painting: Create wonderful art using only three colours on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post Create wonderful art using only three colours appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Apply Pastel Colour Like Paint

PanPastel Colours

PanPastel Colours are professional artist grade soft pastel colours in a unique pan format (cake-like); so that they can be mixed and applied like paint. They have very little dust for a cleaner working environment. Each PanPastel Colour is loaded with the highest quality artists’ pigments and can be mixed for an infinite palette of colours.

All 86 PanPastel Colours are made using a unique manufacturing process requiring minimal binder and fillers, resulting in rich, ultra soft and low dust formulations.
To the original 80 colours they have added six new metallic colours.

Only professional artists’ grade pigments are used for the most concentrated colours possible. The colours have excellent lightfastness and are fully erasable.

Each pan contains 40% more material than the average pastel stick, and yields approx. 4-5 times more coverage than sticks (average based on a survey of leading brands).

PanPastel Colours are fully compatible with:

• Pastel sticks, pencils, markers.
• Other artist’s colours and mediums for mixed media techniques.
• Most art & craft surfaces (from delicate handmade papers to toothy pastel surfaces).
• Conventional spray fixatives.

Read these earlier posts about PanPastels.

PanPastel Sets are on offer

PanPastel Sets are on offer at 15% off the already discounted price at Jackson’s Art Supplies until September 21st, 2014. This includes set of 5, 7, 10, 20, and the full set of 80, all of which contain free Sofft Tools.

Customer Reviews:

• “First time user of these pastels – they’re amazing.”
• “What superb value for money, I will be back for more! “
• “Magenta extra dark PanPastel blends beautifully with other shades as do all the colours. Fitted in perfectly with other colours bought.”
• “Violet extra dark is a really impressive colour. It can be dark and moody or really soft depending on the depth of colour required. Love this colour.”
• “Phthalo blue extra dark PanPastel is brilliant. It’s so easy to control the depth of colour and get brilliant results time after time.”
• “Excellent for the job in hand.”
• “Have seen excellent results but I am still feeling my way with HOPE!”
• “A lovely colour. Very versatile, you can use it for skin tone and also hair highlights. The packaging is very sturdy but you still need to be careful not do drop it because the pastel is very soft and can easily be crushed. Colour payoff is great! I use it as a base for my coloured pencils, as it makes them blend easily.”

See PanPastel on various surfaces on the PanPastel website.

Download PanPastel Basic Instructions.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on PanPastel Sets on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post PanPastel Sets appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Jean Haines Atmospheric Watercolours
Painting with freedom, expression and style.

176-page hardcover book by Jean Haines.

Jean Haines’ enthusiasm for watercolours bursts through every page of this inspirational book that will guide you, step by step, to creating beautiful and unique paintings of your own, whatever your ability.

Jean Haines Atmospheric Watercolours

Accomplished artist Haines shares her passion for watercolour painting in this wonderfully practical book. Known for her exciting techniques and love of colour, Haines takes you on an inspirational painting journey on which you’ll encounter, amongst other things, magical watercolour flow, glorious washes, sunbursts, and a magnificent ‘hotting it up’ finale. With her simple exercises, clear advice and easy-to-follow projects, Haines pushes the boundaries and will alter the way you think about watercolours and painting for ever. With a selection of popular subjects, including animals, landscapes, buildings, flowers and people, there is something for everyone here, whatever their artistic ability.

Customer Review:

To Jean Haines: “It is hard to explain how wonderful your books are. It is partly your style of painting which is just amazing, and partly the way you write so enthusiastically. In any case I feel like I have found a way forward with my painting, and I am very excited about it!”

Artist and Author Jean Haines

A member of the Society for Women Artists (SWA), international watercolourist Jean Haines is well-known for her love of her chosen medium. Having lived and travelled in many countries, this popular artist has had the opportunity to develop her skills whilst under the influence of masters from many countries, including Asia, the Middle East and Europe. She studied brush control while living in China and this had the greatest impact on her style. Later, when working with artists from India and Pakistan, she became inspired by the vibrant colours they used. The combination of East meets West in Jean’s style is to be enjoyed. The magical free flow of water and colour straight on to a blank working surface (with no initial drawing) creates amazing results, often leaving her audience breathless with delight. Her paintings can be found in homes all over the world and in 2009 she won the Anthony J Lester Award during the SWA Annual Exhibition, where her work was likened to Joseph Crawhalls of the famous Glasgow Boys group of artists. She regularly writes for art magazines and exhibits in a number of galleries. Her hugely successful workshops are held regularly in the UK, and her 2014 Australia Book Signing and Workshop Tour is already sold out. In 2015 she will be visiting California, New York and St Louis in the USA for an exciting new book launch and book signing tour. Jean lives in Crookham Village, Hampshire.

The image at the top is a painting by Jean Haines: “Glorious Call”.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Jean Haines’ books, DVDs and brushes on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

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Just to be aware:
Jackson’s Art Supplies will not be open or answering our phones on Monday 25th August, 2014 as we will be on holiday.
Happy Summer!

We hope you are also on holiday and perhaps you will get a chance to enjoy the Summer weather and get out there and paint!

Our website is never on holiday so you can still order and we will dispatch your art supplies when we have returned from the Summer Bank Holiday.

The post August Bank Holiday Opening Hours appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Traditional Japanese Nihonga and Turner Acryl Gouache Japanesque Colours

Nihonga or literally “Japanese-style paintings” are paintings that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years old, the term was coined in the Meiji period of the Imperial Japan, to distinguish such works from Western-style paintings, or Yōga.

Traditional Nihonga Painting
courtesy of Turner Colourworks

Pigments and Paints in Nihonga

Nihonga are typically executed on washi (Japanese paper) or eginu (silk), using brushes. The paintings can be either monochrome or polychrome. If monochrome, typically sumi (Chinese ink) made from soot mixed with a glue from fishbone or animal hide is used. If polychrome, the pigments are derived from natural ingredients: minerals, shells, corals, and even semi-precious stones like malachite, azurite and cinnabar. The raw materials are powdered into 16 gradations from fine to sandy grain textures. A hide glue solution, called nikawa, is used as a binder for these powdered pigments. In both cases, water is used; hence nihonga is a water-based medium. Gofun (powdered calcium carbonate that is made from cured oyster, clam or scallop shells) is an important material used in nihonga. Different kinds of gofun are utilized as a ground, for under-painting, and as a fine white top color.

Initially, nihonga were produced for hanging scrolls (kakemono), hand scrolls (emakimono) or folding screens (byōbu). However, most are now produced on paper stretched onto wood panels, suitable for framing. Nihonga paintings do not need to be put under glass. They are archival for thousands of years.

Traditional Nihonga Painting
courtesy of Turner Colourworks

In monochrome Nihonga, the technique depends on the modulation of ink tones from darker through lighter to obtain a variety of shadings from near white, through grey tones to black and occasionally into greenish tones to represent trees, water, mountains or foliage. In polychrome Nihonga, great emphasis is placed on the presence or absence of outlines; typically outlines are not used for depictions of birds or plants. Occasionally, washes and layering of pigments are used to provide contrasting effects, and even more occasionally, gold or silver leaf may also be incorporated into the painting.

Acrylic Gouache is an opaque, matt acrylic paint.

Turner Acryl Gouache Japanesque Colours

The traditional paint used for Nihonga has been re-invented by the experts at Turner Colourworks to create the Acryl Gouache Japanesque. The paints used in Nihonga have a very sepcific texture because the colours were traditionally made with natural pigments and in order to keep the tradition, the Turner Acryl Gouache Japanesque paint series have not only the traditional Japanese colours, but also the same texture as in the traditional paints, that were used over 500 years ago. The Turner Japanesque selection of 69 beautiful, sophisticated tones are formulated with fine powders which give a unique, slightly textured finish.

I did a small sample using three Japanesque colours (Japanesque Dark Blue, Japanesque Deep Red, Japanesque Deep Pink) on Khadi Handmade paper:

The image at the top is a nihonga painting supplied by Turner Colourworks.

The post Turner Acryl Gouache Japanesque Colours appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Jean Haines is a watercolour artist known for her loose, expressive style who regularly exhibits her paintings and hosts watercolour workshops for artists from all over the world. She has won many awards for her work. To celebrate the launch of her new line of watercolour brushes Jean answers a few questions for us!

How would you describe your artistic practice, how you approach art over-all?

Jean Haines: I work in a loose interpretative style, capturing the essence of a subject with stunning colour combinations. I studied Chinese brushwork whilst living in Asia so the freedom of working without the use of a preliminary sketch enables me to bring life into my results that would be restricted otherwise by pencil lines. I fall in love with a subject initially, then with a few simple brushtrokes tell the story in a way that is pleasing. And I am a watercolour addict!

Since we are now stocking your new Rosemary and Co brushes I thought I’d ask you about paint brushes. I assume that like most artists you have favourite paintbrushes. What do you love about them?

Jean Haines: Having fallen in love with Asian brushwork I wanted a brush range that was suitable for my style which embodies a mix between Western and Eastern painting styles. I designed my own brush range so that my watercolour brushes not only load well but also release beautifully as they are moving over the paper surface. My brush designs have a beautiful point that can be used while holding the brush at an upright angle or when lain at an angle so that the body of the sable can be used to create directional brushstrokes, curved or straight and in many different ways, which leads to exciting brushmarks that are vital to interesting work. My Shanghainese mentor taught me that one brush can do the job of many if held correctly. My small collection of four brushes enables me to paint every subject on any size paper including giant watercolours for my gallery collections or smaller paintings with the size 10 and rigger.

What drives you to make work, your inspiration?

Jean Haines: I am surrounded by inspiration. I love nature, wildlife, gardening, animals, flowers. I don’t have enough hours in the day to paint everything that turns me on as an artist! I wake eager to paint and leave my studio each day eager for tomorrow to arrive so that I can paint again. I will admit that having fantastic products makes my creative time a sheer joy and since I designed my own personal range of brushes I enjoy painting even more. I wasn’t happy with what was already on the market. So now I have exactly what I want in a brush range, to paint as I want to!

What is coming up next for you, any projects or exhibitions?

Jean Haines: I have some wonderful projects lined up – my life as an artist is very exciting. I will be on tour in Australia this autumn, teaching watercolour workshops in Adelaide, Sydney, Tasmania and Brisbane. My new book “Jean Haines World of Watercolour” will be launched next year and is full of wonderful demonstrations and tips on working in this magical medium. This will be followed by a tour in the USA in New York, West Virginia, St Louis and California. My international tours are booked until early 2017. And I have a fabulous exhibition opening at the Wey Gallery in Godalming, Surrey, UK. Full details of all of my workshops and exhibitions can be found on my web site www.jeanhaines.com

Jean Haines Watercolour Brushes

We now stock the new Jean Haines watercolour brushes at Jackson’s.
These four brushes are Kolinsky sable pointed round brushes in Size 10 and 12, a Kolinsky sable rigger brush and a squirrel mop brush.

Jean Haines tell us about her new watercolour brushes from Rosemary and Co.

“Having lived in Asia and studied Chinese Brushwork my search for brushes that suited my style perfectly was a difficult one. I needed brushes that would not only load well but glide over the paper surface and release colour as and when I wanted. Brush control is a highly important part of my technique and from years of studying I was aiming to create the best. I know that watercolour literally sings when pigment is applied to paper with the right equipment. For this reason, I have designed my personal brush collection for a wide variety of brushstrokes that give me brilliant effects. I can hold each brush at any angle, with my hands at any position on the handle with perfect control. Weight is important in that each brush has to be comfortable to hold making my creative time sheer pleasure. Each brush is made to the highest standards. I have worked with the most expensive of brushes in the world and know the difference good quality products make to my art. It is wonderful to receive glowing feedback from artists who have let me know the difference from moving to my brushes has made to their art.

My brush set of the Size 10 and Rigger is all some artists will need. The Size 10 is great for working on all subjects whilst the rigger is fantastic for not only adding detail but picking up small amounts of pigment to strengthen individual sections of a painting. The Size 12 is beautiful with a really full belly that loads amazingly well but it also has an excellent point, making this the perfect brush for all manner of watercolour work, I would be lost without it! My large Wash Brush is a firm favourite. It is soft and glides superbly but is also fun to use as it curves well and as I paint I can make it literally dance across the paper.

Am I excited about my Jean Haines Personal Brush range? Yes, I am. It took me a long time to come up with a collection that gives me everything I want from my brushes and more. And I hope you enjoy using them as much as I do!”

Jean Haines books and DVDs

You might also be interested in Jean Haines’ popular books and DVDs, which have received the highest customer reviews.

DVD: Amazing Ways with Watercolour

DVD: Jean Haines’ Watercolour Passion

Book: Colour and Light in Watercolour

Book: Jean Haines Atmospheric Watercolours

The image at the top is a watercolour painting by Jean Haines of Venice.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Jean Haines’ books, DVDs and brushes on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post Jean Haines Watercolour Artist appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Turner Acrylic Gouache has a lovely velvety finish.

Turner Acrylic Gouache singles and sets are an extra 15% off
the already discounted price at Jackson’s Art Supplies until September 14th, 2014.

Turner Acrylic Gouache is made of ultra fine pigments suspended in an acrylic binder that appears matte when dry. It’s highly fluid consistency enables one to achieve an even spread of uniform colour across large areas. It is quick drying. Turner acrylic gouache thins with water but dries waterproof. Characteristics of the paint surface can be manipulated with the use of acrylic mediums, as with other conventional acrylic paint. Turner Acrylic gouache adheres well to most surfaces including wood and plastic.

Artists who use Turner Acryl Gouache

Kaz Oomori

Kaz Oomori painting with Turner Acryl Gouache

Kaz Oomori is an artist who works in illustration and fine arts, in the south of Osaka, Japan. He paints with nylon brushes, stencil brushes, and masking tape on illustration board.

Gillian Swan

Gillian Swan sketches using Turner Acryl Gouache

Gillian Swan
Terminus
52cm x 91cm

Gillian Swan has recently been shortlisted and shown her work in prestigious exhibitions: ING Discerning Eye, the Threadneedle Prize, the Tribe Prize and others. As her work often references architecture her finished work is painted with household paints, but she uses Turner Acryl Gouache for her sketches and loves the colours!

Gillian tells us about her use of Turner Acryl Gouache:
“My work is primarily three dimensional and utilises a mix of materials and techniques to explore the built environment and investigate the relationships people have with their surroundings. My work often takes the form of relief sculptures which are constructed from paper and card and are then painted. Mainly I paint with house paint which I get from a paint recycling project but when I do sketches to work out colours and compositions I find it easier to use Turner Acryl Gouache paints as they have a matt texture similar to house paint and are available in an extensive range of colours.

Julie Caves

Turner Acrylic Gouache – My palette with some of the colours I used when painting earlier in the year.

“I find the creamy consistency of Turner Acryl Gouache great for smooth painting and fine detail. I think the lovely matt velvety surface is gorgeous. I have used it for works on paper and complex painted patterns on sculpture. If left unvarnished I think the paint can look almost like flocking.” -Julie Caves

Read this earlier post about Turner Acryl Goauche Japanesque Colours:
Traditional Japanese Nihonga and Turner Acryl Gouache Japanesque Colours

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Turner Acrylic Gouache on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post Turner Acrylic Gouache appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Ahoy!
28 August – 2 September 2014
Private View: Thursday 28 August 6-9pm (treats and surprises)

Ahoy! is an immersive exhibition at Espacio Gallery from the Drawn Chorus Collective with illustrations, art, animation and crafts for sale onboard.

For thousands of years the ocean has been a source of fascination, bountiful yet destructive, it holds creatures, myths and enigmas beyond the fathoms of our wildest imaginations. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the disappearance of the USS Wasp in the Bermuda Triangle Drawn Chorus Collective invites you to push the boat out! Sailing to shore with their illustrative imaginings of all the mysteries and wonder of the deep.

The 30 illustrators under the sea:
Abigail Moulder, Adam Alexander Clague, Alex Moore, Amber Cooper-Davies, Amy Johnson, Anette Fernando, Ben Hendy, Cathy Kwan, Chantal El-Bikai, Charlotte Wosiek, Daniel Duncan, Edward Moulder, Eileen Kwan, Emily Abeydeera, Emma Kidd, Eva Segou, Fernanda Casterjon, Fred Campbell, Fredrik Eden, Hector Lloyd, Jessica Lucia Townson, Johanna Walderdorff, Katie Markwick, Nadine Scherer, Martin Ursell, Michael O’Brien, Phil Shaw, Susan Light, Tom Cert, and Zanna Allen.

The exhibition Facebook Event page.

Espacio Gallery
159 Bethnal Green Road
London E2 7DG
(Just off Brick Lane in East London)

Opening times:
Daily 1-7pm including weekends.
Tuesdays until 5pm.
Closed on Wednesdays.
Note: Opening times on Sat 6 & Sun 7 September 11am-7pm

Espacio Page on Facebook

The painting shown at top is by Adam Clauge “Under Battersea Bridge”.

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Painting Sunlight and Shadow with Pastels
Essential techniques for brilliant effects.

A 128 page paperback book by Maggie Price.

Not only for pastelists-
this book teaches artists using any medium to understand sunlight and shadows and then shows how to put it into a landscape painting.

Master the art of creating lifelike landscapes and objects in pastel by using these sunlight and shadow techniques, whether you paint outdoors in natural light, inside using artificial light or from photographs.
Readers learn to represent the effects of light and shadow in order to create beautiful, lifelike paintings. Price and her contributors give readers everything they need to paint brilliant sunlight and beautiful shadows in pastel, starting with materials and going on to painting landscapes, seascapes and manmade structures, such as buildings.
Whether readers enjoy working outdoors or prefer painting from photographs, this book is loaded with insights into painting a wide variety of lighting situations, including how to paint scenes at various times of the day.

You’ll love this pastel painting book if:
- You want to make your outdoor compositions more lifelike & engaging
- You love working with pastels to create landscapes & portraits
- Light & shadows have been giving you trouble in your painting or drawing

The author says:
“Sunlight and shadow are the inseperable elements of describing form. A shape portrayed as totally in sunlight can appear flat and one-dimensional; a shape totally in shadow may nearly vanish. Think back to the basic exercise of drawing a cylinder and its components: the the side facing the light source, the dark shadowed side opposite the light source, and the halftone area between where light and dark merge to create the dimension and shape of the cylinder.
These basic elements of light, dark and halftone are the first building blocks of describing form, but they are just the beginning. Exploring the nuances of sunlight and shadow can take as much time as the artist is willing to give.” –Maggie Price

The publisher says:
Master pastelist Maggie Price shares techniques for painting beautiful light, rich shadows and convincing reflections. 10 step-by-step demonstrations tackle a diversity of lighting situations, encompassing various weather conditions and times of day. Work from five contributing artists explores different styles, approaches and subjects, including landscapes, water scenes and people. Concepts are demonstrated with pastel, but are applicable to any medium. An illuminating read for beginning and experienced artists alike, this book will help you engage your viewer by achieving that captivating sense of ‘being there.’

Painting shown at top:
is from the book ‘Painting Sunlight and Shadow with Pastels’
‘Tree on the Bank’ is painted by Phil Bates

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the Painting Sunlight and Shadow with Pastels book on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post Painting Sunlight and Shadow with Pastels appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Product Review of the Month for August

Product Reviews on the Jackson’s website
Calling all artists! Share your views!

We would like to encourage you to write a review on our website of any products that you have used. Simply navigate to the product you wish to review and click on the ‘Reviews’ button beneath the product image. Be thoughtful and detailed – think about what information will be useful to others.

Each month we will be selecting several well-written examples which will be published on our blog. The writer of the best review will receive a £25 Jackson’s gift voucher plus a photograph of them in their studio (if they wish) and a link to their website will appear alongside their review both on the blog and in our next newsletter.

This month’s winning product review

Product:
Hahnemuhle Velour Paper for pastels

From:
Sarah Yeomans
We’ve given Sarah a £25 gift voucher to say thanks for writing such a useful review.

Review:
“I bought this to try with my Sennelier oil pastels and I love it. It is a very soft, luxurious surface to work on and it really grabs the pastel which means that, even after blending, I had remarkably clean fingers! The oil pastels do not spread as far as with other types of surface, but blend together beautifully. The 10 different colours are wonderful, so nice to have that much variety!”

Image a the top is of Sarah Yeomans working in her studio with her buddy.

Click on the underlined link to go to the Hahnemuhle Velour Paper for pastels on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39.

The post Review of Hahnemuhle Velour Paper for pastels appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Pastel Painting Atelier
Essential Lessons in Techniques, Practices and Materials.

A beautiful 192-page hardcover book by Ellen Eagle.

Revel in the luminous and vibrant qualities of pastel with Ellen Eagles essential course in the history, techniques and practices of the medium. In this comprehensive yet intimate guide, Eagle explores pastels rich but relatively unexamined past, reveals her own personal influences and approaches and guides you toward the discovery and mastery of your own vision.

In Pastel Painting Atelier, you will find advice on basic materials, studio practice suggestions, step-by-step demonstrations and more. A magnificent selection of works by masters such as James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Rosalba Carriera, Mary Cassatt and Eugene Delacroix augment this guide, as do works by contemporary artists including Harvey Dinnerstein, Elizabeth Mowry and Daniel Massad.

Aimed at serious artists, this guide enlightens, instructs and inspires readers to create brilliant and sensitive works in the historic medium of pastel. She includes her students questions in the book and then answers in a clear and instructive manner. This book has received great reviews.

The Author
Ellen Eagle holds a BFA with Distinction in Drawing from the California College of Arts and Crafts. Her work is represented by Forum Gallery, New York, and has been shown in the National Academy Museum, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Frye Art Museum, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and in the Lingnan Museum of Fine Arts in China. Her paintings and writing have appeared in the New York Times, American Artist, The Artist’s Magazine, the Pastel Journal and numerous other publications. She is the recipient of several grants from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation and the Dodge Foundation. A sought-after teacher, Eagle is on the faculty of the Art Students League of New York and has given workshops throughout the United States and in Italy.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the Pastel Painting Atelier book on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

The post Pastel Painting Atelier appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Colour Mixing workshop

Colour Mixing with Golden Acrylics
At our East London workshop space on November 3rd, 2014.
Advanced booking is essential.
The workshop leader Laura Fishman is a trained Golden Artist Educator.

Colour mixing is an essential tool for a painter.

Using Golden Acrylics you will learn to achieve an astonishing range of colours from 3 selected primaries; your knowledge can be applied to oil, watercolour, and other wet media.

You’ll spend the first half of class creating colour wheels using paint from the GOLDEN Heavy Body Modern sets, which illustrate how everything about colour mixing fits together as a whole. We will follow up with exercises that further hone your ability to mix beautiful colours. References and still life examples will be on hand for inspiration. The information can be applied to all wet media.

Read more about this workshop.

See all of our workshops.

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