Artists & Illustrators August 2026 sample

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ALL THE BENEFITS OF EN PLEIN AIR PAINTING

TH E BIG INTERVIE W Besties, oil on linen, 78x110cm

Rebecca H 32 ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS

T H YE BI G I N TE R V I E W

olton

With a solo show currently running and a stack of recent awards under her belt, we find out how REBECCA HOLTON approaches her practice ▸ ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS 3 3

Souvenirs, 2024, water-based enamel on found sign, 94x180cm

Wonder wo 40 ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS

BO O K E X T R A CT

man

Contemporary Aboriginal Australian artist KAYLENE WHISKEY ’s work is an art party where the guest list includes humour, music, dancing - and maybe Dolly, Wonder Woman or Tina. Fancy joining in? Read on ▸ A R T I S T S & I L L U S T R A T O R S 41

Purrr-fect pa

stels

STEP-BY-STEP Even though she doesn’t own a cat herself, LARA SCOULLER shows why she thinks they’re the ideal models for pastel artists

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here’s something magical about drawing cats in pastel. The medium seems made for them: soft, tactile and endlessly versatile. Pastels can capture the velvet texture of fur, the luminous quality of eyes and - when used with confidence - bring real vitality and movement to a drawing. A cat rendered in pastel feels alive on the page.

If, like me, you don’t have a cat, why not ask a friend if you can spend an hour sketching theirs from life. This can really get your eye in before you sit down in front of a photograph and these sketches become invaluable references to return to. The cat I drew was wonderfully sleepy in the morning and made an excellent, patient model.

Whether you’re taking photographs or drawing from life, natural light makes all the difference. Lamps and overhead lights can flatten your subject or cast overly warm tones depending on the bulb. Try positioning your subject next to a window or using a single directional light source to create depth and form.

I like to select my pastels before I start drawing (here it’s burnt oranges, dusty yellows, burnt umbers, warm and cool whites) which saves time when working quickly. I avoid charcoal and blacks as they can muddy colours and create dullness. I have a wide selection which all serve their own purpose: Unison Colour Pastels are great for building up thick rich layers while Rembrandt Soft Pastels are slightly harder and perfect for detail and line drawing. larascouller.com

ORIGINAL I M AG E

LARA’S MATERIALS

Pastels Royal Talens Rembrandt Soft Pastels: Burnt Sienna TR411.3, Permanent Red Deep TR371.8, Permanent Rose TR397.3, Raw Umber TR408.9 Art Spectrum Soft Pastels: Burnt Umber D (Darkest), Titanium White Jackson’s Handmade Soft Pastels: Dark Ochre Unison Colour Soft Pastels: Yellow Green Earth 12, Red Earth 13 Conté à Paris Carrés Sketching Crayon: Sanguine Support Stonehenge Fine Art Papers (Cream) SpectraFix Degas Pastel Fixative, 360ml, All Natural Odour Free, Casein Formula ▸

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STEP-BY-STEP

Pimms o’clock Oil artist, LUCY ANN O’DONNELL , shows how to develop depth through layering as she recreates the ingredients for the most British of drinks LUC Y ANN ’S MATERIALS Paint Daler-Rowney Georgian Oils: Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Red Deep Hue, Alizarin Crimson, Vermilion Hue, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Yellow Ochre, Hooker’s Green, Sap Green, Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine, C0eruleum Hue, Titanium White Brushes Winsor & Newton synthetic hog brushes (filbert and round) A range of round synthetic sable brushes ranging from sizes 000 to size 8 Cass Art Artists’ Synthetic Brown Short Handle Brushes (round/filbert/ flat wash/long flat) Support A3 3mm canvas panel (primed with gesso) Daler-Rowney Low Odour Thinner Medium

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s a still life painter, I am always drawn to contrasting textures and surfaces, balancing soft fabric against reflective ceramics and organic forms along with a structured composition. For this project, I chose to focus on strawberries, mint and cucumber, inspired by the freshness and vibrancy of the key ingrediants for Pimms, the drink of the summer.

Throughout the painting, I focused on gradually building depth through layering, beginning with a tonal underpainting before slowly introducing colour and detail. I particularly enjoy allowing warm undertones to influence the final appearance of a painting, creating richness and atmosphere.

More than anything, this project reminded me that successful paintings are built gradually through patience, observation and trust in the process. I hope this step-by-step encourages you to slow down, appreciate each stage of development for what it is, and feel confident experimenting with layering, colour and texture within your work.

Painting rarely follows a perfect plan, and some of the most successful decisions happen naturally throughout the process. Allow yourself the freedom to adapt, respond intuitively and trust in the painting as it develops – because often the most rewarding outcomes come from embracing the unexpected. lucyannartist.com ▸

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STEP-BY-STEP

Night vision Former British Art Prize winner DIANE GRIFFITHS demonstrates how to use unexpected colour to create a nightscape in acrylic

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ight transforms familiar places.

As daylight fades, detail recedes and what remains becomes more focused, contrasted and often colourful in unexpected ways. Inspired by artists such as Edward Hopper and Vincent van Gogh, I enjoy using colour in a way I might not dare if I were painting a day scene.

In this step-by-step of Charing Cross Bridge from the South Bank, I’ll explore how natural and man-made light can transform a landscape after dark. The bridge provides the structure, but the light becomes the subject, with cool and warm tones working together to guide the eye and create the colour of night.

I chose this view because it allowed me to demonstrate several different light sources: the blue glow of the bridge, warmer streetlights, distant building lights and reflections in the Thames. It also gave me the chance to show how I edit a complex scene, continually deciding what to keep, simplify or leave out. Each stage is about balance, between control and looseness, clarity and atmosphere, building towards a painting that feels familiar, yet new. dianegriffithsart.com

DIANE ’S MATERIALS

Paints Amsterdam and Rosa acrylics: Prussian Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Primary Cyan, Turquoise, Ultramarine, Sky Blue, Naples Yellow Deep, Burnt Umber, Titanium White, Lamp Black Support Graduate brushes, various sizes Cotton Canvas Sponge Palette knife POSCA pens Masking tape

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BLOC K IN THE BASE COLOUR With a 1.5” flat brush, I apply bands of blue across the canvas, moving from darker tones at the top to lighter tones near the horizon. I criss-cross colours quickly to create movement and variation across the surface. I also paint the sides of the canvas because, although the painting will be framed, extending the colour around the edges helps the image feel more complete. ▸

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