PATCHES OF LIGHT
Artists & Illustrators|July 2021
As the brighter weather returns, the sunshine creates beautiful plays of light in the home. SIAN DUDLEY shows you how to capture this by controlling hard and soft edges
SIAN DUDLEY
PATCHES OF LIGHT

Siân's materials

•Paints Lemon Yellow, Sap Green, Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine and Raw Sienna, all Daler-Rowney Artists’ Watercolour; Ultramarine Violet, Schmincke Horadam

•Paper Bockingford 300gsm NOT paper, stretched

•Brushes Da Vinci Series 35 round, sizes 2 and 4; Rosemary & Co. Series 33 round, size 10; ProArte Series 008 flat, 3/8”

•2B pencil •Kitchen roll

1 Apply soft washes

As this patch of sunlight hit the wall, I was struck by the qualities of the shadows. Crisp ceramics and architectural plants were complemented by the shadow's hard and soft edges, caused by multiple light sources.

I used the size 10 round brush to wet the entire surface. This afforded enough time and fluidity to push paint around and achieve very soft blends. I applied neat Raw Sienna, Lemon Yellow and Cobalt Blue where I saw reflected colour in the shadows.

2 Choose your edges

Once the first wash was thoroughly dry, I wet the surface again. Using the size 10 brush, I applied a wash of a “shadow mix” of Ultramarine Violet, Raw Sienna and Cobalt Blue, working from wet areas towards dry areas.

This story is from the July 2021 edition of Artists & Illustrators.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2021 edition of Artists & Illustrators.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORSView All
Still life IN 3 HOURS
Artists & Illustrators

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

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2022
Movement in composition
Artists & Illustrators

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

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2022
Shane Berkery
Artists & Illustrators

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

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2022
The Working Artist
Artists & Illustrators

The Working Artist

Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2022
Washes AND GLAZES
Artists & Illustrators

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

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2022
Hands
Artists & Illustrators

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

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2022
Vincent van Gogh
Artists & Illustrators

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

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2022
BRING THE drama
Artists & Illustrators

BRING THE drama

Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2022
Serena Rowe
Artists & Illustrators

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

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2022
Bill Jacklin
Artists & Illustrators

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

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2022