Surfaces for painting on with soft and hard pastels require a bit of tooth for the pastel pigment to adhere to. Pastel papers come in a variety of surfaces but there will always be some amount of texture. It can be a softer texture like the laid surface of fine stationary where it is just a bit of a grid indented in the paper (this is called Ingres paper), or with a bit more uneven, dimpled texture similar to rough watercolour paper or a honeycomb grid of dimples, further along the texture scale brings you to the fluffy velour surface, and then to gritty surfaces of ground cork and very fine velvety sand, and finally to the grittiest sandy surfaces similar to rough sandpaper (but on archival paper with waterproof glue). Having more tooth on the surface allows more pastel colour to be built up, with the most textured papers allowing more than 30 layers of pastel to adhere.

Pastel Papers

At Jackson’s Art Supplies we currently stock 18 varieties of pastel paper.
They can be grouped into three basic types: toothy, Ingres and dimpled.
See the key to the sample sheets at the bottom of the article.

Toothy Surface on Card

Canson MiTientes Touch

• Canson Mi-tientes Touch
  Lovely surface of fine sand. (same sanded surface available in card or board) 14 colours

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Hahnemuehle Velour

• Hahnemuhle Velour
  This plush paper has many 5-star reviews on our website! Only available in pads with a selection of 9 colours.  Doesn’t like wet media.

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Claifontaine Pastelmat

• Clairefontaine Pastelmat
  My personal favourite surface! It is a very fine gritty surface that holds a lot of layers of colour. Available in pads in 2 colour selections or white and in full sheets in 8 colours.

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Art Spectrum Colourfix

• Art Spectrum Colourfix
  A coloured fine grit is screen printed onto card leaving a white border at the edge of the paper.   17 light fast colours in full sheets.  Also the same colours in primers to add the coloured tooth to any surface.

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Fisher 400

• Fisher 400
  Full sheets of card in two colours, but they say it can be tinted with acrylics before you use it as it is waterproof. This is the grittiest texture we do, similar to Wallis Professional Pastel Paper.  (If you blend with your finger tips you may find this is painful.)

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Sennelier Pastel Card

• Sennelier Pastel Card
  30 colours in full sheets of fine grit.  Also available in a pad of 6 colours, with interleaving.

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Ingres

Clairefontaine Ingres

• Clairefontaine Ingres
  Only available in pads – with two different selections of 8 colours. Glue-bound has neutral colours, spiral-bound has bright colours.  (The pages are not interleaved with glassine in the glued pads, but they are interleaved with glassine in the spiral pads.)

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Daler-Rowney Ingres

• Daler-Rowney Ingres
  Available in 2 different pads: 6 colours or shades of white with interleaving sheets.

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• Fabriano Ingres
  Available in 4 colours in full sheets.

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• Hahnemuhle Ingres
  Only available in pads – with a selection of 9 colours.  Lightweight paper.

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Sennelier Pastel Paper

• Sennelier Pastel Paper
  Mid grey paper, only in pads, with interleaving.

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Strathmore Charcoal

• Strathmore 500 Charcoal Paper
  Unusual because it is our only 100% cotton coloured paper, the 500 series is very high quality. Available in pads of tints or whites and full sheets in 12 colours.

Honeycomb/Dimpled

(usually smoother on the reverse side, a soft paper)

Fabriano Tiziano

• Fabriano Tiziano
  Available in 2 pads of 6 colours and full sheets of 25 colours.  Has 6 colours of flecked, heathered paper.

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MiTientes 160gsm paper

• Canson Mi-tientes
  (available as paper or mounted on board) This is possibly the best known pastel paper.  It is soft and available in the widest range of 45 colours. Four colours also available mounted on board. Available in four different pads.

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Daler-Rowney Murano

• Daler-Rowney Murano
  Available in pads of 6 colours in 3 groups: cool, warm or neutral and full sheets in 28 colours.

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Winsor & Newton Tints

• Winsor & Newton Tints
  Only available in a pad of 6 colours.

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Strathmore Pastel

• Strathmore Pastel Paper
  Only in pads with a selection of colours.

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Derwent Pastel Card

• Derwent Pastel
  This one doesn’t fit perfectly in this group as it is grey card, nearly smooth (but fits here better than the other groups). The hard, nearly smooth surface is surprising because it isn’t as smooth as it looks but is still smooth enough that pastel pencils can make fine marks on it, they say it is the best paper for pastel pencils and it does seem to be. Available in 1 colour, mid grey, in pads.

Sample Sheets Key

I made up a sheet shown above to help show each pastel paper’s texture.
To show how the texture holds:

• heavy pastel
• light stroke of pastel
• pastel pencil
• how many layers will it hold before no more pastel will adhere
• how does it do with water
• and I show the back of the paper.

Still to Come

I am working on two more bits of info I will add to this article when they are ready:

• Does toothy paper mean no fixing? (does ‘pressure fixing’ help?)
• This report will be updated with lightfastness of papers when my fade tests are done.

Fixatives for Pastels

Fixatives Are Not All the Same: Comparing Fixatives for Dry Media

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the Pastel Surfaces Department 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 The Wide Variety of Pastel Papers appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Fixative is a clear liquid similar to varnish usually sprayed onto a dry media artwork to stabilise the pigment or graphite on the surface and to preserve finished artwork from dust.

A Comparison of Brands of Fixatives

At Jackson’s we stock 8 makes of fixative plus some varnishes that might be used as fixatives. I wanted to know how they differed.
The 2 main things you want to know about a fixative is:
1. How well does it fix the dry media onto the surface to prevent smudging?
2. How much does it alter the appearance of the artwork?

Some artists don’t use fixative because of the negative colour changes, especially to pastels and coloured papers, these artists frame the un-fixed artwork behind glass, while other artists use a fixative but then afterwards add back the ruined highlights to the artwork. Can you get a fixative that secures the pigment to the surface without changing the colour?

Tests I set up to judge the fixatives

I tested 8 spray fixatives and 4 spray varnishes.

Fixatives

• Sennelier Latour Spray Fixative for Pastels
• Lascaux Fixative
• Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative
• SpectraFix Spray Fixative
• Sennelier Delacroix Spray Fixative for Pencils and Charcoal
• Royal Talens Concentrated Fixative Spray
• Daler Rowney Perfix Colourless Spray
• Loxley Soft Pastel Fixative

Varnishes
All the varnishes contain UV protection to prevent fading.

• Golden Archival MSA Spray Varnish (matt)
• Liquitex Spray Varnish (gloss)
• Winsor & Newton Professional Varnish (matt)
• Lascaux UV (matt)

Smudging

Does it reduce smudging?
How many applications does it take to do so?
Does it vary between pastel, charcoal and graphite?
Is it affected by moisture (for humidity or mixed-media uses)?

To clearly see the smudging I set up black on white charts for each of the 12 makes with a light and a heavy application of black pastel, a light and a heavy application of charcoal and a band of graphite. I also included a light band of black pastel at the bottom that was for testing the reaction to a wet finger.

I then applied the fixatives in 3 columns: 1, 2, and 3 coats, plus a column un-fixed. I applied it from a short distance, so the application was fairly heavy. After everything was well dried I did smudge tests with my fingers to see how well the fixative worked.

Results

I describe the characteristics of each fixative and the results of the smudge tests.

The test completed.
Each card has 4 columns.
l-r: no fix, 1, 2, 3, coats.
top-bottom: light and heavy applications of pastel, light and heavy applications of charcoal, graphite and light application of pastel for testing with wet finger.

Sennelier Latour Spray Fixative for Pastels
Quick dry. Low odour.
Not much smudge protection until 3 coats.
Not water resistant.

Lascaux Fixative
Quick dry. Strong odour.
Fair smudge protection after 2 coats, except on thick pastels and thick charcoal.
Good water resistance.

Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative
Medium quick dry. Medium strong odour.
Good smudge protection after 1 coat, better after 2 coats.
Good water resistance after 2 coats.

SpectraFix Spray Fixative
The only water-based fix, it is very slow-drying and wets the paper so unless you are using heavy card it might buckle. It is the only pump spray tested as well. You should be careful of spraying too close as the burst blows any loose pigment all over.
Low odour.
Good smudge protection after 3 coats for all but heavy charcoal.
Moderately poor water resistance.

Sennelier Delacroix Spray Fixative for Pencils and Charcoal
Fast Drying. Low odour.
Moderately good smudge protection after 3 coats.
Moderately poor water resistance.

Royal Talens Concentrated Fixative Spray
Medium quick drying. Very strong odour but perfumed to smell of something like washing up liquid.
Good smudge protection after 1 coat.
Not water resistant.

Daler Rowney Perfix Colourless Spray
Slow drying. Strong odour.
Perfect (best) smudge protection after 1 coat.
Very water resistant.

Loxley Soft Pastel Fixative
Slow dry. Stong odour.
Good smudge protection after 1 coat for graphite and light application of pastel. Good smudge protection after 2 coats for all else.
Water resistant after 2 coats.

Golden Archival MSA Spray Varnish (matt)
Slow drying. Very strong odour.
Good smudge protection after 1 coat for graphite. Good smudge protection after 2 coats for all else except heavy charcoal which took 3 coats.
Water resistant after 1 coat.
Easy to over saturate the paper and the oily nature of this spray creates a transparency to the paper like chip fat on kitchen roll.

Liquitex Spray Varnish (gloss)
Fast dry. Medium odour.
Poor smudge protection even after 3 coats except moderately on graphite after 3 coats.
No oily saturation like above, at all.
Not water resistant.

Winsor & Newton Professional Varnish (matt)
Medium fast dry. Strong odour.
Good smudge protection after 2 coats.
Water resistant after 2 coats.
Easy to over saturate the paper and the oily nature of this spray creates a transparency to the paper like chip fat on kitchen roll.

Lascaux UV (matt)
Quick dry. Strong odour.
Moderate smudge protection of graphite and light charcoal after 2 coats.
Moderately poor on the rest even after 3 coats.
Moderately good water resistance after 2 coats.
Like the Liquitex this was ok on paper, did not leave an oily saturation.

What I Learned

These four gave the best smudge protection after 1 or 2 coats – in order:
1.Daler Perfix
2.Winsor Fixative
3.Talens
4.Loxely

and the next best was
5.Lascaux Fixative

The strong smell of the paper for days afterwards makes me rule out the Talens and the Golden.

Notes:

Drying time
Drying time was based on white paper slightly yellow-ish while wet and lightening back to white when dry – so then I could apply the next coat.
Fast drying = <3 minutes between spray coats
Med Fast Dry = 5 minutes
Slow drying = 10 minutes
Very slow drying = >10 minutes

Varnishes:
When applying the fixatives I used my bare hand to hold the masking card and washed any over-spray of the fix off my hand each time with no residue. The varnishes were different – they felt oily and left a bad smell on my skin so I used gloves after the first one.

Colour Change

For most artists colour change is bad. You have created your artwork with consideration for lights and darks and if you simply want to protect your drawing or painting from smudging damage, colour changes to your artwork can be frustrating. Artists often have to add back the highlights as the whites are ruined by fixatives. Colours can be dulled. Dark papers can become darker as well.
If you use fixative as part of your creating process and will continue working on the drawing, any colour change may not be a factor.

To make the colour change very apparent I set up a medium-dark paper with black pastel, white pastel and black layered with white plus a band of charcoal. The most important thing was the white pastel on top of the black- if this area turned black the white on top had been ruined.

I then applied the fixatives in alternating columns: un-fixed, 1 coat, un-fixed, 2 coats for each brand of fix. I applied it from a short distance, so the application was fairly heavy (a back-and-forth spray at 25cm).

Results

l-r: Spectrafix and Delacroix. Changed the colours.

l-r: Sennelier Latour and Daler Perfix were not good about colour changes especially the important white on top of black.

Loxley and Winsor Fixative were not good about colour changes.

Lascaux and Delacroix were good about colour but smudged

l-r: Talens and Lascaux Fixatives. Lascaux almost no colour change.

What I Learned

Saturation of the pastel with fixative dulls it.
But that is also what fixes it.
The brands that did the best in the smudge test were among the worst in the colour change test and visa-versa.
Lascaux fixative changes the colour the least.

Testing for a Balance of Both

Testing winners for distance and amount of application for a good balance of smudge protection and least colour change.

After I saw the results of the colour tests and the smudge tests I tried a few more things with the winners of each to try to get a balance between smudge protection and least colour change.

I tried spraying the brand most successful at reducing smudging, Daler-Rowney Perfix, from a far distance (a puff at 50cm) to allow a very light layer to fall. But 20 very light layers did not fix as well as one fairly heavy layer (a back-and-forth spray at 25cm). I tried a saturated spraying with the make that did the best in the colour change test, Lascaux Fixative, which did quite well, though I never was able to make it completely smudge-proof.

After trying different possibilities I came to the conclusion that it is a fine line to walk – until it is saturated the pastel is not fully fixed but a partial saturation will provide some protection from smudging while changing the appearance the least. So in the end it depends on which is more important to you- the smudge protection or the colour appearance and you need to decide to go for more saturation or less saturation depending on which is more important.

Distance from the artwork will control the amount of spray to not soak the paper but to get a good even coat. Too far and it won’t coat well enough.

Apple sketch before testing for best amounts of the two winners.

Apple sketch after testing of winners.
It is possible to get a moderately-fixed pastel drawing that does not lose the white highlights.

Conclusions

For my work I will probably usually choose to be balanced somewhere in the middle to get some smudge protection, though not perfect and some colour change, though not much. To do that I will apply a somewhat lighter application of Daler Perfix or Winsor Fixative or a somewhat heavier application of the Lascaux Fixative.

Click on the underlined links of each brand of fixative at the top of the article or here to go to the Pastel Fixatives 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 Fixatives Are Not All the Same appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Pastels are gorgeous!

Artists often compare pastels to sweets because they are so colourful and tempting!
Unlike paint hidden in tubes, pastel colours are out for all to see – and touch! One of the reasons pastel artists love their medium is that they use their hand directly; there is no intermediary brush between the artist and the surface.

Made in the UK, Unison Soft Pastels are considered the best pastels by many artists, with a huge range of colours and an amazing softness. At Jackson’s we now have three new Unison Collection Sets, exclusive to us, and we now stock their whole colour range in the large stick size!

I couldn’t resist and did a quick sketch using Unison soft pastels and Fabriano Tiziano paper in Sage colour.

Unison Colour Soft Pastels

Unison handmade soft pastels contain very little binder, making them truly soft and smooth. In their subtlety and intensity of colour, their fluency and responsiveness to touch and in their delicacy and robustness, Unison Colour Soft Pastels “aspire to perfection”.

There are over 400 colours ranging from subtle greys and earth colours to brilliant reds, blues, greens and yellows using only pure pigments in a cycle of related hues, instead of adding white or black to the colours. The result is intense, vibrant colour not muddied by the blending of colours. They are mixed to meticulous recipes and are based on traditional pigments such as cadmiums, cobalts and natural and synthetic earths.

New Unison Collection Sets

From the huge range of over 400 colours we have asked artists to select sets of colours that would be useful for their particular work. We have just added three new sets to our exclusive artist’s collection sets. The new Unison Collection Sets have been selected by artists Sean Scully, David Tremlett, and Emma Colbert.

Read our earlier article Pastels with Potential that includes the well-known artists Sean Scully and David Tremlett who use pastels as part of their painting practice. We also have an interview with Turner-Prize nominee David Tremlett: Pushing the Boundaries of Pastel Painting.

Emma Colbert specialises in pastel painting. The Emma Colbert Animal Collection is specifically designed for painting animals. Her work has a realistic appearance, but with a softness and vibrancy only achievable with pastels. She regularly exhibits as a full member of the Pastel Society of Ireland. Emma paints what she loves, British and Irish wildlife, local landscapes and any figurative scenes which interest her.

Emma Colbert describes her collection: “The top row of lights should cover light coloured animals. The bottom row of browns should cover a lot of different brown families while the grey and blue shades will cover black animals. The middle row is a touch of vibrancy for highlights and shadow colours. These are my most used colours so I hope it will make for a good set!”

Large Pastel Sticks

Jackson’s now stock the full colour range of over 400 colours in the large size. Unison Large Pastels are 2.3 times the size of the standard Unison Pastel, measuring approximately 3″ long × 6/8″ diameter (75 mm × 20mm). The stick sizes vary slightly because each pastel is rolled by hand.

The Unison large pastels compared with their standard size

Pastel Surfaces and Fixing

Read these useful articles on our blog:

Fixatives Are Not All the Same: Comparing Fixatives for Dry Media

The Wide Variety of Pastel Papers: Comparing Pastel Surfaces

Customer Reviews of Unison Pastels:

Unison is one of the highest rated brands on our website! Read what your fellow artists have to say about them:

- “Tremendous pastels, smooth and just so easy to apply.”
- “best pastels ever, unison is a gem”
- “Cannot praise these pastels enough!!”
- “…endless pigment…so smooth…excellent pastels. Highly recommended..”
- “UNISON pastels are the best – an amazing range of colours from which to choose, with discretion, a suitable palette. And Jackson’s prices are very competitive.”
- “Brilliant quality pastels. Don’t crumble and wonderful tones.”
- “the ultimate pastel imo….some great brands have some really good pastels and some mediocre….Unison\’s pastels are really good all”
- “Lovely earth colour, silky soft as well.”
- “Just the type of pastel I need…recommend it..”
- “Unison are wonderful pastels – trouble is, they are addictive….”
- “Great soft pastel – lovely to use”
- “So smooth and full of color”
- “unison makes the brightest and the most beautiful greens”
- “Great soft pastel – lovely to use”
- “Love the tone!! They don’t crumble.”
- “best on the market”
- “best soft pastel”
- “Love unison pastels, they are a good price from Jacksons”
- “…endless pigment…so smooth…excellent pastels.Highly recommended..”
- “Unison soft pastels are lovely – the colour range is superb – they are buttery soft but don’t crumble. Highly recommended.”
- “Lovely, very impressed”
- “Brilliant quality!!”
- “Well Unison are the very best and with the recent price increases Jackson’s are selling at sensible prices, pleased with my colours.”

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the Unison Colour Soft Pastels department 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 Unison Colour Soft Pastels appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Wind, Wood and Water exhibition at Espacio Gallery

Wind, Wood and Water
4-9 September 2014
Private View: Thursday 4 September 6-10pm

Wind, Wood and Water offers an array of artwork depicting the beauty, power and moments of serenity in nature.

This exhibition at Espacio Gallery showcases an exciting range of paintings, photographs, mixed media, sculpture and printmaking, using diverse techniques and styles.

The effect is to depict the beauty of the natural world at peace while reminding us of the dramatic changes which can be wrought at any moment, throwing man’s achievements into sharp relief.

Participating artists:
Tomas Amare, Trevor Banthorpe, Tania Beaumont, Helen Campbell,Laurence Causse-Parsley, Elke Counsell, Anthea Eames, Isabelle Fouque,Rebecca Geary, Christopher Guest, Carol Ann Lyne, James Mackenzie, Renee Rilexie

Exhibition curated by: Helen Campbell

Part of Whitechapel Gallery’s First Thursday late-night art events.

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 Carol-Ann Lyne
“Mutford Lock”
Oil on Canvas 4ft x 6ft

The post Wind, Wood & Water Exhibition appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

In this video Ian Wright, a London artist, creates with Caran d’Ache pencils in a sculptural way. Another use for your pencils, as pieces to sculpt with!

Supracolor Soft coloured pencil sets offer

In case you wanted to try the Caran d’Ache pencils for yourself we are having an offer on the Caran d’Ache Supracolor Soft water-soluble coloured pencil sets, in metal tins or wooden boxes – at 10% off our regular low price until Sept 28th, 2014.

Download the Caran d’Ache Supracolor Soft colour chart – it shows all 120 colours and which colours are included in each set.

You can of course draw with them

Aquarell drawing pencils! They flow like watercolour when you brush them with water.
The Supracolor Soft lead is soft and has a high breaking-strength. It is very economical thanks to its exceptional covering power, with an excellent luminance to opaqueness ratio, in 120 colours.

New Caran d’Ache materials we are adding to our range

We will soon receive some new lovely art materials from Caran d’Ache here at Jackson’s.

• Caran d’Ache Pastel Pencils and Blocks sets.
• Four types of eraser – Artist, Design, Technik and triangular.
• Water Reservoir Brush.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offers in the Caran d’Ache department 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 Caran d’Ache Supracolor Soft appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

How To Draw What You See

This 176-page paperback book by Rudy De Reyna
has been a best-seller for over 35 years!

This is a timeless classic that has taught generations of artists – and will teach generations more. When it was originally published in 1970, “How to Draw What You See” zoomed to the top of the publisher’s best-seller list – and it has remained there ever since. “I believe that you must be able to draw things as you see them – realistically,” wrote Rudy de Reyna in his introduction. Today, generations of artists have learned to draw what they see, to truly capture the world around them, using de Reyna’s methods. “How to Draw What You See” shows artists how to recognize the basic shape of an object – cube, cylinder, cone, or sphere – and use that shape to draw the object, no matter how much detail it contains.

Click on the underlined link to go to the book How To Draw What You See or the Drawing Book Department 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 How To Draw What You See appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Coates Willow Charcoal
On offer at Jackson’s – an additional 10% off the already low price on this useful drawing material until Sept 28th, 2014.

Coates Charcoal receives consistently good reviews. The softness gives lovely dense blacks and allows beautiful blending.

Charcoal is most often used for quickly sketching and is especially suitable for life drawing sessions. It is chosen by so many artists because of the immediate response to the artists hand where the marks can be very bold and heavy or can be blended into soft and subtle shading. Willow charcoal breaks easily, especially the thinner sizes. But that’s okay as you will usually want to break the sticks into smaller pieces when you start drawing, as they will be easier to use.

Coates Charcoal is available in 6 thicknesses of sticks at an affordable price!

• Jumbo 16-24mm
• Extra Thick 12-14mm
• Scenic 8-12mm
• Thick 7-9mm
• Medium 4-6mm
• Thin 2-3mm

The intense blackness of natural willow charcoal makes it a perfect drawing tool; it has been used by artists for centuries.

A detail from one of my charcoal drawings. Note the soft blending as well as the deep, dark blacks.
Drawing by Julie Caves.

Made in England

PH Coate is based in the heart of the Somerset countryside near Taunton, the county town, in the village of Stoke St Gregory, the centre for willow growing in England. The family has grown willow since 1819, and developed the production of artist charcoal in the 1960′s.

PH Coate tell us about willow charcoal:
“Willow grows extremely quickly, in one growing season, which lasts from late May to early October, a single rod can reach up to 8ft long. This is the main reason why willow produces such soft charcoal. The rapidly growing plant produces soft wood which in turn produces the soft charcoal which is so important to artists. A small proportion of the crop is left to grow for two or even three years, these rods are turned into the very large tree sticks. Finally, the finished sticks are checked and selected for boxing. Our dedicated team of packers thoroughly examine and scrutinise the charcoal sticks and remove any that are not up to standard. The rejected sticks are recycled, they are crushed into fine powder. Powdered charcoal is used mostly by artists, but is also used for filtration and pyrotechnics.”

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Coats Charcoal
or the Charcoal section of the Drawing Materials Department 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 Willow Charcoal gives lovely dense blacks appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Masterful Color: Vibrant Colored Pencil Paintings Layer by Layer

A popular 144-page paperback book by Arlene Steinberg, coloured pencil artist.
This book has 30 black & white and 250 colour illustrations.

Create depth and drama with coloured pencils!

Opposite or complementary colours create contrast and vibrancy. Masterful Colour is loaded with instruction on how to layer coloured pencil colours effectively to create deep, vibrant colours that exude richness. You will learn how to layer these complements over one another, creating rich shadows and adding depth and dimension to a painting. With extensive coverage of basic techniques, detailed information on composition, colour theory, textures and more, colur pencil artists will learn everything they need to achieve rich, vibrant colours by layering complementary colours. 6 mini-demos show the various techniques needed to use this approach and an extended demonstration leads them through the entire painting process, step by step.

Masterful Color will redefine the way you think about colored pencils. By employing classic techniques such as tonal under painting, chiaroscuro and color layering, you will achieve a depth and intensity of color that rivals the celebrated paintings of the Old Masters.

15 step-by-step demonstrations teach a classic approach to colour, value and composition. Featuring a gorgeous range of subject matter, from luscious fruits and flowers to shimmering porcelain, crystal, silver, glass and more. All the lessons come together in a grand, start-to-finish painting demonstration, from initial concept to final touches.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the book Masterful Color: Vibrant Colored Pencil Paintings Layer by Layer or the Coloured Pencil Drawing Books Department 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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Fabriano Accademia Drawing paper packs

A versatile, quality Italian-made paper that is an excellent value.
And it is an even better value in our offer!

Fabriano Accademia Drawing paper value packs
10% off our regular low price until Sept 28th, 2014
Each pack is now just £7.50.

Cartridge paper in A3 and A4 sizes, in three weights: 120gsm, 160gsm, 200gsm.
All packs are the same price, the quantity of sheets in each pack is adjusted to make them equal prices. From 50 sheets of A3 200gsm to 200 sheets of A4 120gsm.

Fabriano Academia drawing paper is made of high quality lignin free and acid free cellulose, guaranteeing long conservation over time. Produced with 100% of E.C.F. pulp (Elemental Chlorine Free), F.S.C. certified (©1996 Forest Stewardship Council A.C.) from forests responsibly managed respectful of environmental, social and economic standards.
Its internal and external sizing renders it resistant to repeated erasures. It is recommended for artists and amateurs for sketching and drawing with pencil, charcoal, pastel, coloured pencil and ink. The heaviest in this group – the 200gsm paper – can even take gouache.
I use it for lino printing myself!

Customer Reviews:

Very good paper, I love drawing on it.

• “good for sketching and to make signatures for the hand made books I make. excellent quality product.”
• “lovely paper for sketching – natural looking with a very slight texture -slightly creamy white colour which is just right for me – high quality paper”
• “Good value for money paper”
• “I use Fabriano Artistico for all my finished paintings so was delighted to find this Accademia range which is very versatile for drawing, black ink line work and for applying colour.”
• “Good quality and excellent value”
• “lovely to work with”
• “This paper is excellent for my purposes and at a good price.”
• “good value for money paper”
• “Really love this paper and would like to purchase this in roll form.”
• “I think this is a superb general purpose paper for all drawing and penwork it is also quite good for a light wash but acrylic is probably pushing it beyond its limits – use watercolour paper and it stays flat.”
• “Love this paper for both drawing, light washes, mixed media.”

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the Fabriano Accademia Drawing paper packs 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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A Conscious Identity exhibition at Espacio Gallery

A Conscious Identity
11-16 September 2014
Private View: Thursday 11 September 6-9pm

It’s all about you, about your needs, desires, aspirations and emotions, about your appearance, your passions and most of all about your identity.

An exhibition of a group of artists who focus on people as subjects; dealing with identity, the subconscious, emotional states, interactions, and the nature of being human.

Participating artists:
Joao Trindade, Santiago Alcon, The Finsbury Park Deltics, Geoff Gunby, Kris Cieslak, Renee Rilexie, Sal Jones, Philippa Hilliard, Mehreen Hasan, Gianluca Pisano, Caroline Guth, Eleanor Buffam, Becky Beckett

Exhibition curated by: Kris Cieslak

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.

Espacio Page on Facebook

The painting shown at top is by Gianluca Pisano.

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Cryla Artists Acrylics

For over 225 years, since 1783, when brothers Richard and Thomas Rowney started preparing and selling artists colours in London, painters world-wide have been convinced of the excellent quality of Daler-Rowney products. Using the knowledge gained over centuries of colour manufacturing coupled with new technologies and materials that are being developed, Daler-Rowney has always undertaken a continuous programme of technical improvement to create ranges such as Cryla Artists’ Acrylic that surpass all the standards. Cryla Artists’ Acrylic was introduced by Rowney & Co. in 1963. It pioneered the use of artists’ acrylics in Europe and is one of the significant milestones in the company’s development.

Acrylic colours are classed as the “new” painting medium as they have only been around for a few decades. Acrylics have gained in popularity over the years and are now the painting mediums of choice. This is due to the plethora of application techniques and their ability to take to virtually any surface. The versatility of acrylics is built into the formulation of the paint, giving them excellent adhesion properties that allow them to stick to surfaces from concrete to wood. Acrylics have the flexibility to move with the surface, expanding and contracting while still maintaining their integrity. Acrylics on canvas can even be loosely rolled up without affecting the finished film. Thinning with water allows watercolour techniques to be achieved without having to choose specially sized surfaces. Using the colour straight from the tube allows oil like impasto marks to be created without the drawback of long drying times or worrying about “fat over lean” principles.

Cryla Artists Acrylic Colour

Cryla Artists’ Acrylic colour is a very heavy-bodied colour with a high pigment load of permanent, lightfast, pure pigments. The unique heavy, buttery feel under the brush and knife is popular with artists wanting to achieve numerous impasto effects.

Drying
Cryla Artists’ Acrylic colours on average dry normally between 5 – 10 minutes. Thicker brush strokes and impasto marks will skin over in a short period of time but will take longer to through dry. The acrylic resin is normally fully polymerised over night so it is recommended to varnish over Cryla Artists’ Acrylic after 24 hours. Room temperature and humidity will affect the drying time of Cryla Artists’ Acrylic as warm dry conditions will speed up the drying time whereas cold humid conditions will slow it down.This rapid drying time is one of the popular qualities of Cryla Artists’ Acrylic. This is a great advantage to artists who wish to paint quickly.
Paintings that may have taken weeks to complete in oil, because of the requirement to wait for paint layers to dry, can be completed in one session with Cryla Artists’ Acrylic.

Colour Shift
Most acrylic colours have a colour shift from wet to dry. The reason for this colour shift is because of the Acrylic Co-Polymer emulsion being a pale milky colour in the wet form. When the water evaporates and the colour dries this pale milky
colour disappears and becomes transparent. Cryla Artists’ Acrylic has been specially formulated to minimise the effect that the colour shift has on the colours, consequently there is virtually no colour shift from the wet colour to the dry colour.

Thinning
Cryla Artists’ Acrylic can be used straight from the tube if a rich buttery heavy bodied consistency is required. However it can be thinned with water if a more flowing or thinner consistency is required. Cryla Artists’ Acrylic can also be mixed with any of the Daler-Rowney Artists’ Acrylic Mediums, that will change the working properties.

Final Film
Once the Cryla Artists’ Acrylic colour is fully dry it becomes water resistant and resistant to mild solvents. This stops the colour being re-dissolved when further layers of colours or varnish are painted on top. The final film is very flexible and will withstand the natural flexing of the surface that it is painted onto (e.g. Canvas, wooden panel, etc.). Paintings with Cryla Artists’ Acrylic on canvas can even be loosely rolled for storage or transportation without affecting the final film. However this should never be done in extremely cold conditions. A high quality acrylic co-polymer is used in Cryla Artists’ Acrylic colours which is non-yellow this prevents any shift in colour due to the acrylic film.

Cleaning up
Like all acrylics once dry Cryla Artists’ Acrylic cannot be re-wetted therefore care must be taken to ensure that Cryla Artists’ Acrylic never dries on the brush. The colour can simply be washed out of brushes and off palettes using mild soap and water. This is an advantage to artists who may be sensitive to powerful solvents that are needed for cleaning oil colour.

Cryla Artists Acrylic Colours
are on offer at Jackson’s Art Supplies at up to Half Price on 75ml and 250ml sizes until September 28th, 2014.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Daler-Rowney Cryla Artists Acrylic 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 The First Artists Acrylic in Europe appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Still Life Painting Atelier

a 192-page hardcover book by Michael Friel.

The equivalent of a foundation course in traditional oil painting for beginning to intermediate level artists, this in-depth book uses the still life as a practical way to master oil techniques. The still life is a practical, forgiving genre as it does not require the likeness of a portrait or the accurate proportions of the figure and, unlike the landscape, it doesn’t change with the weather. Instead, it gives aspiring artists ample time to study and the opportunity to look closer. It can be used as a purely formal subject for drawing and painting techniques, or a platform for emotional expression using personal symbolism and imagery.

However, though the still life is used throughout as a teaching tool, this is first and foremost a book about oil painting. It begins with simple compositions that build to more complex arrangements. Starting with essential information on how to best set up your studio—including lighting, equipment, materials (paints, solvents, brushes, mediums), and preparing your canvas and paper for oil painting—Still Life Painting Atelier then offers concrete lessons in a logical progressive sequence, with step-by-step illustrations, finished paintings, diagrams and tips.

For beginning to intermediate artists who are seeking a traditional education in oil painting. Still Life Painting Atelier provides artists with a foundation course in oil painting. Written by Gage Academy of Art instructor Michael Friel, the book is designed to lead the reader through a progression of still life lessons, starting with simple compositions that build to more complex arrangements.

Michael Freil
‘Bouquet’
1987
Oil on paper
30×23 inches

It begins by addressing composition through thumbnail sketches and line drawings and then progresses to painting lessons in value contrast and under-painting, brush applications, still life with limited colour, still life with full colour, handling sharp and soft edges, painting reflections and painting smooth and rough surfaces. Each chapter is presented in a logical progressive sequence and is complete with step-by-step illustrations, finished paintings, diagrams and informative tips.

Michael Friel has taught still life painting for more than ten years at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, Washington, one of the leading professional art schools in the country. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Washington and has shown his work extensively in the Pacific Northwest.

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

Image at top:
Michael Friel
Still Life with Fruit
2004
Oil on canvas
20×16 inches

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Artist Jen Dixon uses Jackson’s Self-Assembly Framing.
She tell us about how she frames her paintings and gives step-by-step advice so that you can easily frame your own work as well.

Using the Jackson’s Bespoke Frame Builder
by Jen Dixon

I’ve been a big fan of Jackson’s bespoke framing service for years. Until recently, I was ordering by phone directly from their Shoreditch branch. Having recently discovered the Bespoke Frame Builder on the Jackson’s Art Supplies site, I can order any time I like, and add any arty bits I need too. The downside, is that I don’t get to speak to the lovely Claire at Shoreditch anymore, but the frame builder is just so convenient.

I order the same frame every time: FC1044. That’s my “go-to” for giving my canvases a finished look. It’s lightweight, easy to assemble, and is just enough to polish, but not dominate my work. Depending on if my canvas is standard or deep, the same material can be cut to fit either. Jackson’s even adds that important wiggle room for the canvas automatically, so no worrying about whether the folded canvas corners or slightly less-than-square supports will fit into the frame. They could only make the process easier by jacking into my brain directly.

If you have a hard time buying without being in a brick and mortar frame shop, there is a handy preview function for you to upload your art and visualise it framed. Perfect if you’re not sure how wide, ornate, or what colour would look best around your work.

Jen Dixon shows us step-by-step as she frames a painting.
click on the image for a larger view.

Here’s how I put together the FC1044 floating/tray frames: Unpack and match up the lengths. I paint a little PVA glue onto the mitred surfaces for a little extra strength. Using a rubber mallet, pound the little plastic joiners into place, repeat for all corners. That’s it!

Putting your canvas into this type of frame is simple. I slip the work in and pre-drill holes through the back of the frame into the canvas stretcher. Do take care that the screws you use are only enough to bite about halfway into the canvas stretcher wood after going through the frame. I tend to place my screws off-centre to avoid the cross braces of the canvas. Because there is no back board, these frames keep the canvas lightweight for hanging. I install flush mount hangers to keep everything as simple as possible.

I use these same frames for canvas boards as well, which I mount to 9mm MDF first using PVA. I get the boards cut at a local independent DIY (much cheaper than a chain mega-store), paint the edges and a little inside with black acrylic (you could use any colour, depending on the look you want and the frame you choose), use a silicone brush to generously apply the PVA (an old credit card works just as well), then it’s a matter of following the same steps as with a stretched canvas. You’ll want to use more screws as the board will be significantly heavier than work on a stretcher.

Jen Dixon shows us step-by-step as she mounts and frames a painting on a panel.
click on the image for a larger view.

You’ll notice in the photos that I use bulldog clips to hold the canvas board to the MDF whilst gluing. This can leave a mark on the surface, so you may want to try another way. If your painting surface is perfectly dry, you could try flipping it over on a clean table and letting the weight of the MDF itself do the work, or pad the clips. Glassine paper can be an effective barrier between surfaces as well, so if you’re concerned, do test on something expendable first.

Framing your own work needn’t be intimidating, in fact, doing it this way is downright easy, and I love the process of going from raw materials to a framed work of art myself. Very satisfying.

About the author

American born, internationally-selling artist, Jen Dixon works mostly in mixed media abstract and figurative painting. She is also an illustrator, writer, and teaches life-drawing. Originally from Indiana, she became a British citizen, and lives in a small village on the North Cornwall coast of England.

The image at the top is ‘Harbour’ by Jen Dixon.
2014
Oil and pencil on 24″ x 20″ canvas.

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Do you need to deliver an oil painting to a show but it is only touch-dry?
You’d like to protect it from scratches and scrapes but you can’t varnish it for at least six months. The solution is a retouching varnish.

New at Jackson’s
Lefranc and Bourgeois Extra Fine Retouching Oil Varnish Spray

This varnish is perfect as temporary protection while waiting until the final varnish can be applied to your oil painting. A final varnish can’t be applied to an oil painting for six months or more, until the paint is completely dry through, or it prevents the paint from fully drying. In the meantime a retouching varnish can be applied to give protection if the painting is going to be exhibited or sold. Then a final varnish can be applied on top at a later date.

Applying a retouching varnish in a spray makes good sense as there is no chance of disturbing the fragile surface of an oil painting that is only just touch-dry, with brushing on of a solvent-based varnish. But remember you will still want to gently remove the dust from the surface with a clean soft brush or you will permanently embed it onto your work with the varnish (dust usually builds up surprisingly quickly).

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Lefranc and Bourgeois Extra Fine Retouching Oil Varnish Spray 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 Lefranc and Bourgeois Retouching Oil Varnish appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

Vibrant Acrylics

a 128-page paperback book by Hashim Akib.

This book showcases Hashim Akib’s distinctive and beautiful acrylic artwork.

Be prepared for an exciting, vibrant and different approach to using acrylics. With infectious energy and enthusiasm, Hashim Akib shows how acrylics can be used in unusual, surprising ways to create beautiful paintings full of life, atmosphere and colour. Step-by-step demonstrations, exercises and expert advice illustrate his simple, yet effective techniques and there are many inspiring examples of what can be achieved. This extensive book details step-by-step projects that include urban landscapes, pet portraits and abstracts. Neither beginners nor more experienced artists will want to be without this book.

This book includes a vibrant introduction to producing colourful pictures in acrylics, basic techniques explained through clear step-by-step instructions, examples and photographs, and six inspiring projects.

Review:
“Fantastic book covering painting in acrylics for total beginners but with so much information it will appeal to established users also. Hashim advocates using big brushes with large quantities of undiluted pure paint to quickly create and build up layers and depth to produce fresh rich paintings. ” – JeannieZelos.com

Sunlit Tree
Acrylic painting by Hashim Akib

Hashim Akib was encouraged to paint as a child. He attended art college and has worked as an illustrator for newspapers and design firms. In 2009 he won the SAA Artist of the Year competition and has produced DVDs in partnership with Daler Rowney.

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

Image at top:
Hashim Akib
Sunset Tree
2009
acrylic on canvas

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About Brick Lane exhibition at Espacio Gallery

About Brick Lane
18-30 September 2014
Private View: Thursday 18 September 6-9pm
Talks: Thursday 25 September 7pm

The vibrant Brick Lane area of East London is the subject of artwork by 11 contemporary artists showing at Espacio Gallery in a two-week exhibition 18th-30th September. Curated by Liz Whiteman Smith, About Brick Lane pieces together the complex story of the Brick Lane area using artworks from 11 perspectives interpreted through multiple artforms: painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and video.

For About Brick Lane each artist approaches this fascinating region of London in their own way, from looking at tiny elements often overlooked in modern life to reinterpreting recognisable landmarks. Julie Eccles poignant photographs expose the heart and soul of this long established area while Ruth Jones draws parallels between biological cultures and the process of gentrification that is impacting on Brick Lane.

The colourful history of the area has been a muse to several artists. Nick Hazzard explores the memories of the communities that have settled in Brick Lane. Mark Bell’s steel and aluminium images reflect his response to the long distant past of Brick Lane while Ralph Overill’s screenprints and engravings are a reaction to the settlers and events that give this area such wonderful richness.

About Brick Lane reveals a wealth of complementary artwork. Here you can see Graham Asker’s video footage of the district along with Ahmed Farooqui’s monument to the migrations that have shaped the culture and the development of this inspirational neighbourhood. Esperanza Gómez-Carrera’s visual explorations of the texts and writings that reflect the cultural richness of the area sit alongside Sara Wickenden’s mixed-media, collaged wax paintings based on the old maps of Brick Lane. The styles are wonderfully diverse, from contemplative paintings inspired by architecture and patterns by Julie Caves to Liz Whiteman Smith’s exquisitely detailed prints of individual buildings.

These artists open up a dynamic and intimate dialogue with the viewer and you can join the conversation by visiting this remarkable exhibition. As with other Espacio exhibitions, the artists are actively involved with the gallery and you can expect to find several present at About Brick Lane each day should you wish to find out more about the artwork on display.

Participating artists: Graham Asker, Mark Bell, Julie Caves, Julie Eccles, Ahmed Farooqui, Esperanza Gómez-Carrera, Nick Hazzard, Ruth Jones, Ralph Overill, Liz Whiteman Smith, Sara Wickenden

Curated by Liz Whiteman Smith.

Read more on the About Brick Lane exhibition website.

Illustrated Talks

Talks: Thursday 25 September 7pm
There will be one or more talks about the local area and history by Alan Gilbey of East End Backpassages tours and book fame and possibly other speakers.
It will be an illustrated talk of the real stories about the area.

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.

Espacio Page on Facebook

The screenprint shown at top is by Liz Whiteman Smith

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Jackson’s were pleased to sponsor one of the prizes for the Tall Ships children’s artwork event put on by the John Dyer Gallery this year.

Inspired by John Dyer’s ‘Tall Ships’ painting & the professional writing based on it, the Tall Ships Project encourage participation by children and had entries from 990 children with paintings & 270 children with writing. See all the entries in the National Children’s Art & Writing Competition & Exhibition.

The top 200 artworks will go on display at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, The Gyllyngdune Gardens Falmouth and the Greenwich Heritage Centre in London.
The top 24 Art Entries will be printed out, framed and displayed professionally at Falmouth Art Gallery in Cornwall.

Jackson’s chose a special winner to receive an easel painting box set. It was awarded to Ross Yeo, 13 years old. His painting is shown above. ‘SS Family Falmouth’ 23.5 x 31.5inches, acrylic on canvas.

Here is a picture of the award ceremony event at the National Maritime Museum Falmouth.

Left to right: The Mayor of Falmouth, John Frankland Creative Director of the Project, Ross Yeo the winner and the artist John Dyer.

The post Tall Ships Winner of the Easel Painting Set appeared first on Jackson's Art Blog.

The professional way to present your work!

Portfolios and Carriers

If you need to transport works on paper or photos of work to show a gallery or present at an art college interview, the tidy, organised way is to use a portfolio or carrier. These cases can have ring binders to hold clear plastic sleeves for the artwork and at Jackson’s we call these ‘portfolios’. You can also use a case without rings that you can fill with loose artwork or artwork in other kinds of sleeves without ring holes. At Jackson’s we call the cases without rings ‘carriers’, ‘cases’ or ‘folders’.

Types of portfolios (these have rings)
Most are available in A4, A3 and A2 sizes, some brands also in A1 and A0.
This group includes the Winsor & Newton Artists Portfolio and Professional Portfolio, the Jackson’s Matrix Portfolio, The Mapac Premier and Premier Maxi (deeper), Quartz, and Academy portfolios.

Types of portfolio sleeves (these have ring holes)
Standard, Archival and Jet Archival with a black edge.

Types of carriers
This group includes the Jackson’s Coursework Carriers, the Clairfontaine marbled folders with ties, a number of Mapac bags, cases and carriers, the Mapac clear plastic polyholdall and the Winsor & Newton Project Case.

Portfolios, Carriers and Portfolio Sleeves on Offer at Jackson’s

Save an additional 10% off the already discounted price on portfolios, carriers and refill sleeves, a great way to carry, present and store your work on paper.
This offer also includes art satchels and clear presentation folders with integrated sleeves.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Portfolios and Carriers 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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Painting Boats & Harbours in Watercolour

A 128-page paperback book by Terry Harrison

Learn all the tips, tricks and techniques you need in order to paint beautiful scenes of boats and harbours in this inspiring and practical book. Terry Harrison explains that you don’t need to be an expert on all things nautical to paint great boats and harbours, you just need to learn to paint what you see using the advice and exercises in this book. There is excellent advice on using photographs, painting reflections, rigging, sails, jetties and harbour walls, as well as boatyard clutter, beaches, estuaries, figures and all the varied moods of the sea. There are then 6 beautiful step-by-step projects including a tall ship at sea, Greek boats by a sunlit jetty, a river harbour, a sparkling lake, a ship at sunset and a harbour village.

Terry Harrison

Terry Harrison grew up in Norfolk. His early art education was basic and he never dreamed that he would become an artist. At fifteen, Terry moved to Hampshire and was inspired by a brilliant art teacher. He took O and A levels in art, then won a place at Farnham Art School at the age of sixteen. He became a graphic artist, but continued to paint in his spare time. In 1984 Terry gave up his job to paint full time. He demonstrates to artists’ groups and teaches on painting holidays. He has also developed a range of his own brushes and paints. He is the author of many best selling books on painting with acrylics and watercolours. Terry now lives in the Cotswolds. www.terryharrisonart.com

Review

“This is a straightforward book that forms a nicely progressive course that starts from simple shapes and builds up from smaller crafts to fully-rigged sailing ships. Terry is an excellent teacher and he knows just which steps to include and which to leave out so that his demonstrations are clear and uncluttered. He is able, for instance, to explain water-related colours comprehensively in just two pages and to deal with rigging and sails in another four. At no time will you feel either overwhelmed or left short of information.” – Leisure Painter magazine

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the book Painting Boats & Harbours in Watercolour  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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Tom Lynch’s Watercolor Secrets: A Master Painter Reveals his Dynamic Strategies for Success

A 128-page paperback book by Tom Lynch.

“Art is a journey, not a destination.” Welcome to Tom Lynch’s watercolour world- enter and be led on an exciting artistic adventure! Tom Lynch’s training methods are effective and unique. In this book, Tom reveals his dynamic strategies for success and approaches them from multiple points of view so you can better understand and experience them. With Tom Lynch’s Watercolour Secrets, you will: Experiment with value, color, shape, impact area and mood. Learn how to make each strategy work for you as you follow along with full-scale demonstrations. Put each strategy into action with special “on location” assignments and exercises. Discover how to transform your work from predictable to dynamic using unique salvage techniques. If you want your paintings to reach out and command the viewer’s attention, Tom Lynch’s Watercolour Secrets is the book for you!

Tom Lynch

Tom Lynch‘s watercolours are known for being dynamic, expressive and amazingly vibrant. Lynch has written 7 books and hosted several art series. His workshops are held in high regard, he has won numerous awards, and he has been cited in several publications, including American Artist magazine and Southwest Art magazine.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on the book Tom Lynch’s Watercolor Secrets: A Master Painter Reveals his Dynamic Strategies for Success  on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39 or more.

Image shown at the top is a watercolour by Tom Lynch.

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