5 top tips when working from photos

  1. Think you have the perfect photo to paint? Leave it as a photo – otherwise you will just duplicate it.
  2. Choose a photo that lets you be creative and interpret the scene..
  3. Be prepared to crop photos or explore layout ideas within it.
  4. Just because something is in the photo, it doesn’t mean it has to be in your painting.
  5. Spend more time looking at the painting than the photo. I’d suggest discarding the photo when you are three-quarters of the way through the painting.

HOW TO FEEL FULFILLED
AS AN ARTIST

(OR HOW TO GET OVER YOUR SELF-SABOTAGE)

  • NEVER COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER ARTISTS
  • KNOW THAT YOUR FAMILY IS BIASED. WHETHER FOR OR AGAINST. THEIR VIEWS ARE SKEWED AND DO NOT REPRESENT AN ACCURATE REFLECTION OF YOUR WORK IN THE WORLD
  • BASE TYOUR SUCCESS ON HOW YOUR ART HAS ENRICHED YOUR LIFE AND HOW YOU FEEL WHEN YOU CREATE IT.
  • CONSTANTLY PUSH YOURSELF TO EXPANE AND LEARN
  • KNOW THAT ART CAN NEVER BE MEASURED IN DOLLARS, AND WILL ONLY EVER APPRECIATE IN VALUE.
  • TRUST THAT WHEN YOU ARE MAKING THE WORLD MORE BEAUTIFUL, THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH. HONEST WORK IS NOT A COMPROMISE IF IT SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF ART.
  • REMEMBER IT IS THE JOB OF THE ARTIST TO CREATE NEW CULTURE, NOT SIMPLY TO REGURGITATE WHAT EXISTS.
  • NEVER EXPECT YOUR FAMILY TO UNDERSTAND YOUR ART, BUT DO YOUR BEST TO EDUCATE THEM ABOUT IT, PATIENTLY.
  • WHENEVER A CLIENT/GALLERY OWNER/PATRON OFFERS THEIR ADVICE, SMILE AND NOD. THEN CREATE YOUR ART AUTHENTICALLY.
  • REMEMBER WHAT DALI SAID: “HAVE NO FEAR OF PERFECTION, YOU’LL NEVER REACH IT!”




How to paint cloudy skies

  1. Soak up the colour

    2. Cloudy skies change quickly so, the trick is soaking up the atmosphere first. “Landscape painting is about trying to capture the moment rather than creating an illustrative picture.” Some artist go walking in parks or on the beach or in nature for inspiration, then return home or to the studio to paint from memory. “sometimes taking a photo to refer to is a good idea

  2. Prime for depth

    3. To add warmth to a landscape, prime your boards first so that you aren’t working on a cold, white backdrop. When the background shows through parts of one’s painting it creates a kind of a glow. An option is to choose a warm yellow backdrop for your paintings of buildings or urban district landscapes and, rather unusually, an inky red for the seascapes or portraits This tends to be good for early morning or evening light.

  3. Keep colour simple yet effective

    4. It is recommended to stick to a limited palette. Don’t buy hundreds of shades of the same colour. You can create many of your own shades and colours with just a few different shades of the primary and secondary colours. Focus your time on mixing colours and establishing pleasing combinations before applying the oil to board: some artists sometimes spend one or two hours preparing their palette.

  4. Experiment with brushes

    5. Varying the way in which you apply the paint is key when it comes to adding drama and movement to the cloudy skies. You will probably use everything from top-quality brushes to cheaper ones bought in bulk. It’s great to experiment with different brushes, even the cheap and nasty ones can have their uses. It’s really about learning what a brush can do for you and what you can achieve with it

  5. Push the paint around

    6. Its great to put the paint down [on the board] and push it about and change the colours. This process of experimentation is important for all artists as it helps you learn how your pre-mixed colours behave alongside one another. You can put down what you might think was a neutral grey next to a blue and that grey would just appear to warm up. But if you put that same neutral grey down next to a warm colour it might appear to go blue instead. This effect is just incredibly interesting to watch


  • Your choice depends on your speed of choice slow - OILS quick - ACRYLIC
  • Acrylic, paints on virtually anything.
  • If you are starting out, or learning, use Acrylic
  • Oils stay longer, blend later.
  • Primed Canvas for Oils is essential.
  • Large areas are difficult to blend smoothly with Acrylic - easier with oils.
  • You can add a retarder to Acrylic for slow down Oils blend better because of the slow drying.
  • If you like thick palet knife technique - Acrylic Bottom line - Oils - longer drying time, blends better Acrylic - Quick and odourless

PENCIL SKETCHING…. SOME TIPS from artist Richard Symonds. Useful tips for maintaining a focus and drawing the viewer’s eye. I have always been fascinated with the simplicity of just using tonal values – Light and dark – without the fuss of complicated colours.

The first step is all about preparation. It may sound obvious but this has to be the most important first step I any painting or drawing process. Having the correct tools and materials is vital. For drawings, the surface under the paper has to be very smooth and free of dust and small debris. I always start by sketching a rough outline from my reference. I usually use a 2H pencil for this stage as it remains light enough to rub out should you need to adjust the sketch, yet visible enough to see throughout the remainder of the drawing process.
Once happy, the drawing can begin. Because pencil is so easily smudged, as a right handed artist, I work from left to right. – Also, have a clean sheet of paper to lean on. I don’t like “smudging “ with the finger, and by using hard pencils like a 2H OR 5H with a blunt point will create a lovely effect – Far better than a greasy finger ever will – Try it! Finally – know when to stop “fiddling” with the sketch. I generally put the sketch away for a few days and look at it later with “Fresh eyes” – If nothing glaring stands out and shouts at you – then, that’s it! You’re done
Thank you SICHARD Simonds for your words of advice – c/o ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS Magazine

Our first “tackled” project, The Trilogy is complete, where 3 of our featured artists injected their own style into a panel making up one large piece of work.
Click here to see the progression
Each panel measures 910 x 1210mm.
By leaving a small gap between each individual piece, it  measures a hanging space of 3meters. Ideally, these paintings should be sold as one piece, but because of their structure, each one can stand alone. The artists will bring them together for the first time since the beginning when they will be hung in a luxury cabin in Dinokeng Game reserve called Jimmy’s Place.