I made a lot of mixed-media drawings of a flamenco dancer during a course I attended at Dance Base in Edinburgh. It was wonderful to have access to this powerful and dynamic dancer for an entire day. We were helped too by the well-ordered setup, thanks to tutor Damian Callan. The model maintained the same pose for between 10 and 20 minutes at a time and we were given ink and sticks, collage paper and drawing boards. In short, everything was sorted, the job for us as artists was simply to show up, be inspired and get moving.
I would recommend that you give yourself the gift of preparation before you begin any art session. Even if you’re just drawing at home, set yourself up well beforehand. Have your art materials within easy reach, choose a pre-arranged subject that you find inspiring, and give yourself some time for warm-up drawings before embarking on longer artworks.
Dancers are a wonderful subject, already dramatic, vibrant and full of life – all ingredients for a powerful painting. If you don’t have access to a model, consider dressing up either yourself, a friend or a family member as a dancer and taking a few reference photos in character. It could prove a lot of fun and, who knows, a new vocation as a flamenco dancer may be uncovered.
Looking through my collection of sketches from the day, I was struck by the power and strength in the poses. One particular pose inspired me, and I wanted to make a painting of it. My intention was to capture the same dynamic stance and vibrant colour. www.ainedivinepaintings.co.uk
1 Establish tension
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Denne historien er fra August 2020-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Still life IN 3 HOURS
Former BP Portrait Award runner-up FELICIA FORTE guides you through a simple, structured approach to painting alla prima that tackles dark, average and light colours in turn
Movement in composition
Through an analysis of three masterworks, landscape painter and noted author MITCHELL ALBALA shows how you can animate landscape composition with movement
Shane Berkery
The Irish-Japanese artist talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the innovative concepts and original colour combinations he brings to his figurative oil paintings from his Dublin garden studio
The Working Artist
Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work
Washes AND GLAZES
Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide to incorporating various techniques into your next masterpiece. Artwork by STAN MILLER, CHRIS ROBINSON and MICHELE ILLING
Hands
LAURA SMITH continues her new four-part series, which encourages you to draw elements of old master paintings, and this month’s focus is on capturing hands
Vincent van Gogh
To celebrate The Courtauld’s forthcoming landmark display of the troubled Dutch master’s self-portraits, STEVE PILL looks at the stories behind 10 of the most dramatic works on display
BRING THE drama
Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene
Serena Rowe
The Scottish painter tells STEVE PILL why time is precious, why emotional responses to colour are useful, and how she finds focus every day with the help of her studio wall
Bill Jacklin
Chatting over Zoom as he recovers from appendicitis, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about classic scrapes in New York and his recent experiments with illustration
