WATERCOLOUR. OIL. CHARCOAL. PASTEL. WITH YOUR LOCAL ARCHITECTURE
PRACTICAL STORIES FOR PAINTING WITH PLEASURE THE UK’S BEST- SELLING ART MAGAZINE
JANUARY 2027 • £7.49
I M P R OV I N G YO U R A R T W I T H E V E R Y I S S U E
Cold as ice
Creativity at Christmas
Charles Mackesy
The man behind the magic
WIN!
CHRISTMAS PRIZE DRAW ART GIFTS GALORE
Sweet tooth
Create your favourite treat in pastel
Hannah Riordan
H O W I W O R K I N T H E S T UDI O
This issue’s cover artist is an Edinburgh-based freelance illustrator. She tells Sarah Edghill about her love of creating fun, playful scenes and characters
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lthough she only graduated from Edinburgh College of Art, seven years ago, Hannah Riordan has already made her mark on the world of illustration. Her Etsy shop sells prints, calendars and cards, and she has designed maps, book covers, picture books and puzzles for clients including Smith Street, Holiyay Puzzles, Pan Macmillan, Harper Collins, Lonely Planet, Kingfisher and Little Brown Book Group. Hannah has been creating for as long as she can remember and went to art classes from the age of seven. Her love of picture books throughout her childhood led her to copy the illustrations in them, but she didn’t think of pursuing that as a career until she did a general art and design foundation year after school. “I tried a lot of different disciplines over that year and felt most drawn to creating paintings and prints with a strong sense of storytelling,” she says. “I also realised that I loved working to a brief and working collaboratively with other people’s stories and ideas, so I decided commercial illustration could be a good fit.” Hannah creates her work digitally, but didn’t discover the medium properly until the end of her degree in 2020. ▸ L E F T Dinner Party R I G H T Christmas Reading
ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS 19
David Willia This artist paints solely from life and tells Sarah Edghill why he believes that the closer Hen’s Eggs, oil on panel, 28x28cm
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avid Williams-Bulkeley is an oil artist based in the Chilterns, who says he has a compulsion to paint. He has devoted his practice to still life, exploring light, texture and form in everyday objects. He admits to being obsessed with eggs, and has painted them in every size, variety and colour, from emu to ostrich and quail. He goes to nearby farmers markets to pick out his subject matter, depending on what’s in season, or buys strange objects and ceramics from eBay. His work has been exhibited with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the New English Art Club, and his paintings have earned a devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. davidwilliams-bulkeley.com I started painting aged ten, landscapes at 13. I was fortunate to learn how to draw at the Charles H Cecil studio in Florence, Italy, but only for one term! I wish could have done the full three-year course as I think it would have sped up many of the technical aspects of oil painting for me. I recently spent a few days with the great Michael Klein; otherwise, I have learnt everything myself. I started with acrylics then moved to oil. I recommend that order. The fast-drying time of acrylic taught me how to mix the correct colour and value swiftly on the palette, and also how to comprehend the power of a distinct brushstroke. A few years later, after moving on to oil ▸
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Strawberries with Copper Bowl, oil on linen, 30.5x40.5cm
ms-Bulkeley H O W I W O R K H O W I PA I NT
we look, the more beauty we can find in nature and the world around us
ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS 2 5
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or years, Pin has been the trusted choice for artists, illustrators, designers and creators who demand precision, consistency and reliability. Known for its rich pigment-based ink and exceptional line quality, Pin delivers deep, vibrant colour with every stroke while maintaining the sharp accuracy that has made it a creative staple. Its highly fluid, water-resistant pigment ink dries quickly, resists smudging and won’t bleed through paper, making it ideal for sketching, technical drawing, illustration, journalling and mixed media work. Combined with strong, durable nibs that maintain their shape over time, Pin offers dependable performance from the first line to the last. At the heart of the range is the iconic black ink, renowned for its intense density, archival-quality finish and outstanding fade resistance, making it the preferred choice for professionals and creative enthusiasts alike. Now, Pin enters an exciting new chapter with the introduction of five brand-new colours, expanding the range to a total of 11 stunning colours. From bold statements and expressive artwork to subtle shading and intricate details, the extended palette provides even greater creative freedom without compromising the precision and quality users know and trust. Adding to its versatility, Pin is available in 18 different nib sizes and tip styles, giving artists the flexibility to create everything from ultra-fine detail and technical linework to bold outlines and expressive marks. Whether you’re producing architectural drawings, manga illustrations, hand lettering or everyday sketches, there’s a Pin to suit every technique and creative vision. With more colours, more tip options and the same trusted performance, Pin continues to empower creativity without limits. Whatever your style, project or level of experience, the possibilities have never been greater. The uniball PIN 8-piece Manga and Sketching colour sets are available at Ryman. RRP of £19.99 ▫
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ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS 45
60 ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS
STEP-BY-STEP
PINpoint accuracy ELLA JOHNSON shows how to create a simple
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still life using uni-ball Pin pens
rawing from life is about more than recording what is in front of you. It encourages you to compare angles and proportions, notice how forms overlap, and observe where light gives way to shadow. These decisions strengthen your understanding of perspective, foreshortening and structure, while looking, measuring and making marks develops hand-eye coordination. Observational drawing invites you to pause: resist drawing what you think a flower or vase should look like, and respond instead to the shapes and details you can actually see. For this study, I chose an arrangement of a vase and two flowers: uncomplicated forms that allow shape, space and tone to take centre stage. In this project, watercolour provides a loose foundation of colour, while uni-ball Pin coloured fine-liners bring definition, texture and contrast. Different nib sizes allow you to create a full tonal range, from fine details to broader marks. Cross-hatching builds darker tones, circular strokes add texture, and layered shading gives you ELL A’S depth and shape. The pens’ water-resistant, fade-proof MATERIALS Super Ink is designed to Pens withstand watercolour Uni-ball Pin washes, making this Coloured Sketching combination ideal for fineliners, pack of elevating sketches and eight: 0.05 and 0.1 observational studies. black, dark grey The aim is not to overwork brush tip, and 0.1 every area. Let the washes pink, orange, brown, remain visible, vary the green and purple density of your marks, and allow parts of the Support composition to breathe. A A3 drawing paper restrained approach will help Pencil and eraser the artwork feel fresh and Good-quality keep the arrangement watercolours coherent. Paintbrush ellasplace.co.uk
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SKETC H YOUR STILL LIFE Arrange your objects so they form a simple, balanced composition. Three elements, such as a vase and two flowers, are a useful starting point. Lightly sketch the essential forms in pencil. Keep your lines loose and avoid adding detail. Erase heavy or unnecessary marks so the pencil drawing remains a light guide beneath your watercolour and Pin work. ▸ ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS 61
ANASTASIA POLLARD
TOM VAN DE WOUWER
26-28 N O V E M B E R
3-6 D E C E M B E R
LIMITED PLACES
LEARN A STRUCTURED, REPRODUCIBLE APPROACH TO PAINTING THE PORTRAIT
PAINT THE PORTRAIT IN COLOURED LIGHT
JEM BOWDEN
JASON WALKER
13-16 J A N U A R Y
22-24 J A N U A R Y
LANDSCAPE PAINTING IN WATERCOLOURS
CREATE POWERFUL STILL LIFES, IMPROVING YOUR OBSERVATIONAL SKILLS TO FIND OUT MORE
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