Essays on Painting

Queenborough, Sheppey
The Millrind Press
2017
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ESSAYS
ON PAINTING
Experiences of a practising artist
JOHN KAY
Wharfedale Farm II
The Millrind Press
3

ESSAYS ON PAINTING
Essays of a practising artist
John Kay
Copyright © John Rowland Kay 2017
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised
in any form or by means, electrical or
mechanical, without express permission
from the publisher.
A Selection of John Kay’s Paintings may be seen at his website:
http://www.millrind.co.uk
email:itcccote@gmail.com
Limited edition. Typeset in 11pt. Minion Designed,
printed and published byThe Millrind Press
22 Hall Road. Fordham, Colchester Essex CO6 3NQ
ISBN 1 902194 07 1
This book is to be an ongoing print-on-demand process, it is only
printed and bound one at a time as required and not as a large edition.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Music stand
First I am indebted, as always, to the patience and kindness of my wife
Jennifer who has helped to edit and refine my prose.
I must gratefully thank Frank Webb who gave his kind permission to
reproduce his work. I owe a long lasting debt to all the artists of the past
and present whose work has inspired me. Lastly and not least to the many
skilful artists whose wisdom I have quoted and whose example I have tried
to follow.
A particular thank you to Brian Simons, Bill Whitaker, Alan Feltus, Andrew
Pitt & Peggy Sovek for their kind permissions to reproduce useful text
and pictures.
I owe a special debt to the definitive works of John Ruskin, Henry Rankin
Poore, Andrew Loomis, Frank Webb, Charles Sovek, Ian Roberts and Greg
Albert.
I would like to give particular thanks to all the WEA members of Coggeshall,
Felsted, Sudbury and Old Harlow Branches of the WEA for all their
enthusiasm, appreciation and encouragement during my lectures.
Ars longa, vita breva.
John Kay
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Hastings
Trinity Street,
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CONTENTS
PREFACE..................................................................................9
THE ESSAYS .........................................................................11
1. INFLUENCES....................................................................17
2. VISUAL PERCEPTION....................................................21
3. WHAT IS A PAINTING...................................................37
4. STARTING OUT...............................................................43
5. COMPOSITION................................................................51
6. DRAWING.........................................................................69
7. WORKING METHODS...................................................75
8. A PAINTING CHECKLIST.............................................87
9. COMMERCIALISM..........................................................95
10. THE QUEST...................................................................101
11. USING THE TECHNOLOGY.....................................113
12. COLOUR & PAINT......................................................119
13. MY INNOVATIONS....................................................129
14. PAINTING TODAY.....................................................137
15. MY STORY.....................................................................151
BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................159
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8
Colyford,

PREFACE
In 2004 I published ‘into composition’ based on
lectures, which I gave to the branches of the Essex WEA
in the late 1990s “the
artist’s eye”. The course was intended for people who
were art lovers as well as for practising artists as well as
giving I touched on the confusions and misunderstandings,
including ideas and misconceptions about modern
art.
Most of that book was devoted to the basic aspects of the composition of
paintings, explaining the visual language that artists use to create a picture
that hangs together as a graphical unity. I used examples from my own work
and that of others, acknowledging in particular the debt I owe to the enlightenment
I have received from the works and the words of Frank Webb.
Ipswich Passage
9

In ‘essays on painting’ I am seeking to expand the develop further the
issues raised during the course. Much of the content reflects the lecture
course but I have structured it differently and expanded it to include my
early experiences as a student, a practising art teacher and an artist. I incorporate
the wisdom of several excellent artists who write on the same subject
and on painting in general. I hope I am able to convey some of the breadth
of interpretation and ideas they offer.
I do not pretend to be a particularly talented or naturally outstanding
practitioner with an inborn ability to arrive at the right solution instinctively.
After acquiring enough skill as a competent painter most of my efforts
have been directed into developing into a good art teacher. The more I learn
from artists I respect the more I realise that full competence is a combination
of consistent hard work and the willingness to learn from practitioners who
have gained their experience the hard way.
These essays reflect the contributions and support of the many eager
members of all the Art Clubs and societies to whom I have demonstrated
and lectured in the past twenty years. Many students suggested that the
areas I had dealt with and the particular points that were raised were worth
publishing. I hope that this book will reach a wider audience and throw
light upon the particular concerns and problems facing all painters.
10
Anzy le Duc III

THE ESSAYS
essays on painting seeks to expand my original book into composition
and to take in many of my wider experiences. Many years of studying
art and acquiring facility, from a young age have enabled me to help others
My first essay,
deals with those artists who have influenced
my development and ones I have consulted over time. The text includes
much good advice from both practising and now deceased artists.
I hope to do more in this collection than describe in painstaking detail
the various stages of creating a particular watercolour masterpiece. There
must be the equivalent of a library of works which detail exactly which
brand of paper, brushes, palettes and paint boxes of the best for the job. To
be fair to those who produce these books, this is information that beginners
are very much in need of. While including helpful information in the text,
a full list of books referred to is in .
There are special differences in the way an artist uses his eyes and I deal
with this in
Queenborough, Sheppey
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The Horse & Groom, Wivenhoe
Essays and introduce the problems
of embarking on a study untouched and sometimes not even considered
since schooldays.
Since writing into composition I have gained further insight into this
aspect of painting which I include in
. I detail practical
guides, particularly those which support methods and approaches that I
try to incorporate into my own work.
I have spent a great deal of time researching composition and before I
concentrate on my own conclusions I think it is important to pay a tribute
to some good sense and sound ideas I have gleaned from definitive writings
by people whose work I respect. The sum of their practice experience is
greater than mine and can offer much that is useful to those who wish to
make real progress in their art.
I do however advance many of my own ideas and techniques in
, and and I have compiled essay
both from my own experience and advice from other artists.
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After a digression into the world of
I deal rather with
the more philosophical aspects, as I see them in
but this is
not a long contribution. I soon move on to the the more practical; essays
as part of traditional skill-based methods but
not about producing digital art and .
A small departure into do-it yourself with essay
and
another in
. A much longer offer
attempts to address some of the issues surrounding attitudes
to art, especially modern art and the misconceptions about it. Some more
recent acerbic and occasionally angry and pointed published opinions are
discussed. This is a subject which becomes rapidly out of date, even as I
write it.
At the end I include an account of my own history and what I have learnt
through my teaching in schools, art groups and societies in .
The former Red Hall Cinema, Fulham
I have frequently used quotations from famous and not-so-famous artists
throughout the book. I discovered that quotes used by other authors may
sometimes be wrongly attributed. Happily nowadays, through the resources
of the internet, it is now possible to easily investigate the accuracy of quotes.
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When writing essay
I checked the original of a quote
attributed to Louis Hourticq by Thomas Bodkin only to discover that it
was actually made by Jean Laran & George le Bas. I could have made a far
more serious error over a strangely convincing piece given as a quote known
as the “Picasso Confession.”
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“In art, the mass of the people no longer seek consolation and
exultation; but those who are refined, rich, unoccupied, who are
distillers of quintessences, seek what is new, strange, original,
extravagant, scandalous. I myself, since cubism and even before,
have satisfied these masters and committees, with all the oddities
which passed through my head and the less they understood me,
the more they admired me. By amusing myself with these games, I
became famous, and that very quickly. And fame for a painter
means sales, gains, fortune, riches. And today as you know, I am
celebrated, I am rich. But when I am alone by myself, I have not
the urge to think of myself as an artist in the great and ancient
sense of the term. Giotto, Titian, Rembrandt. Goya, were great
painters. I am only a public entertainer who has understood his
times and has exhausted the best he could the imbecility, the
vanity, the cupidity of his contemporaries. Mine is a bitter confession,
more painful than it may appear, but it has the merit of being
sincere.”
Playing Field, University of York
Picasso, quoted in mirage
of africa by Alan
Houghton Broderick
I was relieved to read the
following on line as a result
of an investigation reported
a
t
http://quoteinvestigator.com
/2016/09/08/entertainer/
“The well-known “Confession”
was invented by

Double Townscape, Colchester
an Italian journalist and literary critic named Giovanni Papini
who wrote two novels filled with fictional encounters between the
main character, a businessman named Gog, and famous figures
such as Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, and Pablo
Picasso.
The first satirical work titled “Gog” was published in 1931, and the
sequel “Il Libro Nero: Nuovo Diario di Gog” (The Black Book: New
Gog Diary) was released in 1951. 1 Papini’s writings were not
intended to mislead readers. Yet, the fascinating statements he
crafted for the luminaries were compelling enough to be remembered
and misremembered. Reprinted passages in periodicals and
books sometimes incorrectly indicated that the words were genuine.”
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Many have been taken in by this over the years and quoted it as genuine.
It is quite consistent with the archness and trickiness of Picasso’s character
that he allowed his challenge to its veracity to be so understated. I feel that
he perhaps revelled in the fact that it may possibly have contained a little
truth within it.
Throughout this book I am not writing as an art historian but I do
mention the literary content of paintings,
where it seems relevant. These I will leave mention of the possible intentions,
feelings or moods of the characters depicted by the artist to some
imaginative art historians. I touch on the lives and motives of artists only
where they are relevant to their working methods but I am not very concerned
with biographies. Where I have happened to have come across an
particular interesting anecdote however, I have included it.
I still often hear, “I don't know anything about art but I know what I
like”, I often feel tempted to reply by saying, “I know a great deal about art
but I don't know what I like.” It is a fact the more you learn about art, the
more understanding and perhaps the more tolerant you become, in this
book I hope to offer you a more measured point of view.
No one has ever truly loved and profited by a picture who has not
patiently endured a long novitiate and become something of an
artist in perception if not in practice. (Bodkin 1927 P.69)
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1. INFLUENCES
These are the artists whose work has profoundly influenced my development.
I am particularly attracted John Sell Cotman’s “Greta Bridge” which is
well known, and his almost monochrome blue painting of “The Needles,
Isle of Wight”. Both continually inspire me for the same reasons, both for
the beauty of their composition and for their economy of shape and line.
Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec are both exemplars for their ingenious
compositions and masterly arrangement of shape.
Singer Sargent and Russell Flint stand out for the excellence of their work
in watercolour. These were both rather neglected by the art establishment
at the time. Recently there has been a renewed interest in the former but
Russell Flint, although once president of the Royal Academy is not generally
well-known and acknowledged today.
Picasso has had a profound influence upon me over so many years in
terms of the innovative quality of his invention and approach as well as
the breadth of his imagination. I have taken the experimental use of colour
from Matisse and Derain.
Lempicka
Lingstrom
Purvis
17

Cassandre
all the better for that.
I am taken by the graphic design
of the lesser known poster
artists who were working between
the wars; Tamara de Lempicka,
Tom Purvis, Freda
Lingstrom, A.M.Cassandre and
Ludwig Holwein. The beautiful Holwein
economy and hard-edge quality
of their style was a direct consequence of the silkscreen
used in the reproduction of their work, and
The definitive book I have on Eliot O’Hara, written
by Carl Schmalz seeks to describe his practice,
philpsophy and teaching, I have been mainly influenced
by how he manages to abstract a complex
composition into crisp telling shapes.
Robert E. Wood was a Californian watercolourist
who influenced me greatly. Harley Brown has a
great deal of good advice for all painters and Mel
Stabin was a fresh approach to painting. Soltan
Szabo is also a good source of help and instruction,
particularly in technique.
Other Americans of note
are Andrew Wyeth, Gary
Akers and Mario Cooper,
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Coming to more modern
times, Edward Seago,
particularly his watercolours.
Moira Huntly, her
beautiful draughtsman-

ship and her telling pastels are always a source of pleasure.
John Yardley and Trevor Chamberlain, both my
contemporaries, command respect for the breadth of
their paintings and their assured handling of watercolour.
Eric Huntley, John Piper, James Fletcher Watson,
Trevor Chamberlain, Raymond Spurrier, Edward
Wesson, John Yardley, Ian Siddaway all repay serious
study of their work and I would recommend them to
you.
SPECIAL SOURCES OF INSPIRATION
I now come to those artists that I have found the
most valuable to the development of my own work
and these are the artists who have been the most
valuable teachers for me. The most profound effect
upon my work from the 1970s has been Rowland
Hilder, again an undervalued commercial artist and
more importantly, through his book, starting
with watercolour, 1966, a very skilfully crafted
teaching resource which helped me make great
progress in watercolour.
I cannot stress too highly high quality of the American watercolourists,
as painters and as teachers. The first of these and one of the earliest I came
across is Robert E Wood. I
found his “watercolour
workshop” a very useful
instruction manual.
I think I first found Frank
Webb's book “webb on watercolour”
the one that
influenced me the most
when I first started in this
medium, not only extreme-
19

ly technically useful but one
book I often reread for its
sound philosophy and sterling
advice. He very kindly
gave me permission to use a
few of his paintings to illustrate
“into composition”.
At the time of writing he is
still going strong, making
videos and giving demonstrations.
These artists are excellent teachers as well as producing fascinating work,
they have all produced extremely useful books:
Zoltan Szabo, Charles Sovek, Mel Stabin, Tony Couch and Stephen Quiller
have all produced useful books and videos on technique which I would
unhesitatingly recommend.
Charles Sovek, sadly no longer with us, as well as producing excellent
books, videos has produced a very useful web site which his wife Peggy
has kept going for him for the benefit of all painters:
http://www.sovek.com/index.htm
This whole website is a gift to anyone looking for guidance in Art. In
particular these two sections: Speaking of Art and Lessons from the Easel.
Frank Webb books, a useful source of composition advice in all his books.
Ian Roberts , mastering composition
Henry Rankin Poore: composition in art, this is a definitive work,
it has been reworked by Dover Books from the 1910 original under the
same title using the same text but with better known illustrations for the
most part. If you would like to see the original publication it may be read
free on line at http://tinyurl.com/z2zsn99
The full ISBN is referred to in the Bibliography at the back of the book
which is very useful.
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USING OUR EYES
We use them to locate
objects, to avoid bumping
into things or other people.
The brain makes the
identification and the eyes
move on to the next thing.
2. VISUAL PERCEPTION
If you are a confirmed
people watcher, as I am,
you can see this in
progress at an art exhibition.
Many people attend
because they have been invited
and feel that they
Field View II, Fordham
must be supportive to the artist even if they feel a little intimidated by the
whole process. They clutch their programmes and dutifully gaze at each
picture in turn. They feel that, having drunk their host’s wine and tasted
the nibbles on offer, they must look at every picture before they can decently
leave, and this they do. They spend the time in identifying the location or
subject of each picture, if that is possible and deciding whether or not they
like it. Identification is not important when you're drawing therefore seeing
is more objective. When you are drawing what is most important is the
actual appearance therefore no object is more important than any other.
At museum Art Exhibitions similar behaviour is evident. The visitor gives
time to each painting to identify the artist and the title of the work. Having
done this is rather like ticking off a list. Sometimes a printed programme
is used for this. After giving the same amount of attention to each work
and not missing any canvas out, to do so would not be getting their money’s
worth, they can say later that they have seen that show. The modern fashion
of providing earphones which give a commentary helps this process exactly.
To me it seems, perhaps cynically, a convenient attempt to process someone
through the show as speedily as possible to make way for more paying
clients.
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THE BRAIN TAKES OVER
We also see what we believe, without our being aware of it. When we pay
a great deal of attention to something, our brain overrides our eyes and
magnifies what we see.
I shall always remember when I was a boy, getting my first camera for a
Christmas present. I couldn’t wait to try it out of course and I went to the
Bishops Park and exposed my first film. The last exposure I used to take a
photo of a swan from Putney Bridge. I centred it in the viewfinder and took
every precaution against camera shake. When the results came from the
chemist I was thrilled with them all. However I couldn’t find the picture of
the swan. I puzzled for a while over a rather dull picture showing a bridge
parapet and a vast expanse of river. Closer inspection revealed, in the centre
of this, a tiny swan.
Before we were married my wife went on a holiday to East Africa. As part
of this she took many photographs. In a set of transparencies of the Murchison
Falls there was one particular one which to me seemed to show
nothing but trees, and furthermore, trees a long way away. “What on earth
is this one?” I rudely demanded. “Fish Eagles”, she replied. We had to look
very closely with a magnifying glass before we saw the tiny shapes above
the trees. Obviously another case just like the swan.
The brain
has a way of interfering
with
our vision
without our
even being
aware of it.
Using a Galileo
primitive
refracting telescope,
Huygens
drew
these views of
Saturn, had he
22
Budapest Cafe

understood the rings they wouldn't
have drawn them. He couldn't see the
object because he didn't know its shape.
A biology teacher at a school I taught
at once told me that frequently when
his A level students turned in their practical
sketches from their microscope
observations he was puzzled for a while
as to why they were so different from
the slides he had issued them with. All
became clear when he checked the
sketches against the examples shown in
their text books and found that they
were nearly identical. They were drawing what they expected to see through
the microscope.
WHAT THE CAMERA SEES
A good photo is in focus over its whole surface, when we look at things
only the centre of our vision is in sharp focus, the rest fades as it gets towards
the edge of our vision. It therefore it represents a summary of everything
we see once we have let our eyes wander all around what we are looking at.
The light meter in a
camera works in a similar
way measuring the
ambient light before
you take the photo.
Pointed at a piece of
middle grey cardboard
and a reading taken, it
would give you perfect
results if you wanted a
pictures of a piece of
card. So briefly the perfect
picture as far as a
Clacton Deckchairs
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camera is concerned is all grey, it is what a camera regards as optimal viewing.
Your visual span is about 120 or 130 degrees, unless you are using a wideangle
lens a camera’s span only about 40 degrees. That means that if you
see a wonderful view and you take a photo of it, when you get it home you
will probably say “What on earth was that?”
HOW SEEING DEVELOPS
All babies have a set of tasks related to learning to see, they have to master
three separate skills. They have to learn to focus, to reverse the image on
their retina and also learn to correct the curvature of the image. From this
we know that babies need things to educate their eyes from a very early age.
Very occasionally we are able to ask people who have blind from birth
and who have recovered their sight to identify an object. To do so they often
have to close their eyes before they can.
Young children have the gift of complete accommodation and can focus
very closely indeed. You can verify this by noting how close they hold things
to your eyes when they want you to see something. Well it works for them.
You must all remember your own childhood when you closely examined
everything new that you came across.
I distinctly remember the long walk to school for the afternoon session
I dawdled because I knew that if I arrived early I would find that the gates
would be locked. I knew every brick on the way, each one was familiar and
studied in close-up, concentrating purely on the detail.
SEEING AND DRAWING
Children have to make sense of their world, they love models because
they help them to take a godlike view of the world. Toy cars, soldiers, garages,
dolls’ houses, are always first encountered as models on a small scale. It
is not surprising therefore that people taking up drawing later in life think
of houses from a top view and frequently get the roof angles wrong when
they are drawing buildings. Children will draw tall towers and draw them
as if they could see the top surface, perhaps because they learnt about everything
from models.
A child's point of view, a picnic, the view is chosen to show the most
typical view of the particular object, (difficult to show foreshortening of
24

the legs). This can be compared with Egyptian
wall paintings, (reluctant to show anything but
typical view for resurrection purposes).
Children usually draw long before they can
read. Their first efforts are purely an experimentation
of the wonderful marks they can make
on paper. Colour is a particular delight and all
of them are used everywhere.. One day they
draw two ellipses on end large one below and
slightly smaller one above, intersecting.
An adult comes along and says, “Is that a person?” The child says “Yes”.
Child is exploring what a pencil will do, adult comes along and says
“What's that meant to be then?”
Child thinks, “Oh, it's supposed to mean something.”
They find out that if they draw a circle with rays an onlooker will say
“That's a sun isn't it? Very good.”
SYMBOL INTERVENES.
Now the picture becomes a substitute for writing, setting drawing back
quite a bit. The idea of a symbol is born. I occasionally come across an adult
who unknowingly takes refuge in early learned symbol.
This is the verbal equivalent of a child’s symbolic drawing.
A cartoon in the Times Educational Supplement showed two little boys
painting side by side in class. As the teacher approaches one looks worried
and the other says,
“What's the matter?”
"I don't know what it is."
"Never mind, Miss'll tell you."
THE EYE OF THE ARTIST
The word art has always rightly been attached to and dependent upon
skill, and skill learned over a considerable period of time. Traditionally
25

painting is primarily a craft. To describe painting as a craft makes it sound
too much like a hobby but even hobbies rely on discipline and in the case
of painting that discipline consists of training of both hand and eye.
Shapes, tones and colours and how they are arranged all comprise the
province of the artist. Composition and visual balance are important, areas
between shapes are as visually important as those formed on and by shapes
of actual objects. Everything on a surface must have a meaningful relationship
to the edges of a picture.
It takes much longer to see a view in terms purely as shapes rather than
just a collection of objects. Many painters never manage this at all. This is
most evident in the proliferation of plant studies and portraits against a
blank sheet of paper that have no setting.
In the Still Life with Yellow Rose I have
attempted to link other objects with the
flowers to create an arrangement of connected
shapes. The surrounding shapes
give a setting to the still life and help the
composition.
Pictures, if they are not to be merely illustration,
should show objects as part of
the real world in a believable environment.
To illustrate this I always think of an episode
from the Goon show.
The main characters are investigating a
strange house.
“What are you doing here Eccles?”
“Everybody gotta be somewhere.”
Still Life with Yellow Rose
The same is true for objects which are always placed somewhere.
The artist looks objectively. Artist's models only realise after a while that
to their dismay that students regard them purely as objects, no more remarkable
than a still life. As an art teacher in the past I had to be very careful
to intervene and give a model a rest because parts of them were turning
blue. Intent on their work, the students will not notice. They are unlikely
26

Back Street, Diss shows
how I delight in finding
intriguing abstract shapes.
to notice the effects of
their chosen subject on
others A student I was at
college with did not seem
to have a sense of smell.
He set up a still life with
Back Street, Diss
kippers. All would have
been well had he not been a very slow painter. We were very tolerant and
bore it as long as we could but in the end we threw him and his kippers out
of the studio and on to the balcony outside.
Betty Edwards in her book, DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN, maintains
that our vision is often overruled by the left (organising) part of the brain
which means that the thinking gets in the way of the eyes doing their job
properly and this is responsible for the many mistakes that beginners at
drawing make. She offers a set of lessons and practices which enable one to
utilise the more creative right side of the brain and therefore draw more
effectively.
There is no doubt that the non-visual side of the brain deals with the
refining of experience, the classifying of experience and the grouping and
identifying of material experienced.
The artistic experience is not
quite so easily defined but certainly
it is definitely linked to creativity.
To spell it out in greater
detail, one isolates objects from
their surroundings for individual
study, looks for similarities in other
objects so it can classify them
as a group or species, to put them
into pigeonholes. Things are arranged
in orders, best to worst
Shropshire Garden
27

choices, tidy rows, orders
of usefulness,
From observation
this way of thinking
is inclined to collect
these findings into statistics.
Loves evolving
history, development
and is always keen to
find parallels and object
lessons from these
findings.
28
The brain does a
great deal of monitoring
of what the eye sees.
This is the way one often sees two objects
drawn, the knowledge that the top of the cube is
actually square-shaped intrudes over what is actually
observed. Likewise knowing that the cylinder
has a flat base also intrudes.
This shape may be identified as an orange. On the opposite page where
it appears partially hidden this becomes obvious. The rest of the shape
has been supplied by the brain. Artists rely a lot on this, a good artist, or
what I think of as a good artist is one who gives his audience something
to do, who does not spell it all out. An artist frequently leaves the spectator
to complete the illusion and the overlap
helps the illusion of depth.
To learn to see as an artist you must remove
yourself from the initial, very human
tendency to choose subjects and scenes with
which you have deep emotional relationships.
It is then easier to concentrate on the
purely visual. There is always a danger for
inexperienced artists in choosing subjects
Ellisdon’s Tea Rooms, Stirling

which are sentimentally
attractive, you’ll have a
concept of the end product
which you may not be
able to achieve. Instead,
tackling a painting that
you have no particular
emotional connection to
may prove a way to
achieve picture that you
find entirely satisfying. So
don’t have a mental image of the picture you are aiming for achieve before
you start, it will probably be bound to fail as a project.
Frank Webb says,
Painting is the study of appearances. It is bound up with seeing in
a special way. To practice special seeing, begin by viewing everything
as flat shapes of colour joined together. Temporarily tune out
the object in front of your eyes and see only patches of colour. Webb
1991 P. 2)
SIMPLIFICATION
Artists have to arrive at their own practical ways of simplification which
are still acceptable to the onlooker, any object must of necessity be subjected
to a degree of abstraction at the hand of the artist.
ABSTRACTION
I am frequently asked if I have ever painted abstract. I usually reply that
every time I paint I use a certain amount of abstraction. Drawing itself is
an abstraction because each drawing is also an interpretation.
Any drawing and any painting requires a certain suspension of disbelief
on the part of the viewer the more skilful the artist the more complete the
co-operation between the artist and his audience. A good abstraction is a
29

Carol & Oil Lamp
joy to behold. Largely speaking, abstractions work because of where they
are placed, they still have to be proportionate and in the right place.
It is my particular duty as an artist to allocate priorities to the forms in
front of me. I am the one in charge, I am entrusted with the privilege to
extract, to establish order, to play down some things and to emphasize
others and to change according to my own vision. There are always those
who are content to paint subjects ‘the way it was’. I believe that an artist
must take charge, where there is full control there is also full responsibility,
each of us must bear this for our work.
Artists are not cameras. We must be obliged at some stage or other to
abstract what we see and convert it into shapes and forms that are paintable.
SEEING SHAPES INSTEAD OF OBJECTS
30
Each work of art is itself a symbol. You do not paint things but the
forms of things. You cannot create skies, grass, and birds, but you
can create symbols that evoke these things. Your painting symbol

should not try so much to be a bird but rather it should try to say
"bird." Painting is a visual language with its own syntax must
become fluent in the language. (Webb 1991 P.2)
It seems that it is so important to identify and name of an object that
process of seeing is only utilised for that particular purpose. An object’s
colour becomes part of its description and the simple colour name is an
adequate approximation as one of its qualities. Classifying it for future
reference is the name of the game.
Identification is not important when you’re drawing therefore seeing is
more objective. When you are drawing what is most important is the actual
appearance therefore no object is more important than any other. Abstraction
and simplification is a personal and subjective response to the subject.
This is one of the ways in which an artists develops a distinct style.
There is no doubt that artists have the ability see the world in a different
way to most people. I have found, in teaching art that it takes a long while
for a student or a starting painter to be able to distinguish the differences
in tone made by lighting which model an individual object. To manipulate
shapes they have to be seen as having an identity of their own unrelated to
the objects they seem to be part of.
Tony Couch also calls these shapes, symbols:
To symbolise means
we don’t report each
object in all its detail,
as would a camera;
rather we invent
symbols for them.
The painting has a
language different
from the real landscape
or seascape, so
a translation job
must be done.
(Couch, 1987 P.34)
Lady Florence, Orford
31

DEVELOPING
A SCHEMA
Painters arrive
at a set of symbols or
schema, this is part
and parcel of the
process of converting
a view of a three
dimensional view into
the two dimensions
of a drawing or
Melk, Austria
a painting. With
practice we arrive at simplified symbols or schemata to replace the confusing
complicated mass of information observed with a set of coloured shapes.
The process makes painting a more practical proposition, interpretable to
the viewer as having an identifiable reality that he or she can recognise.
This always happens no matter how much attention is given to reproducing
every detail as in trompe d’oeil.
When this conversion is carried beyond a certain point by the artist it is
commonly referred to as an abstract painting as though this were a completely
different category of painting. However it is much more accurate to
describe abstraction
as a process
which applies to all
two dimensional
art to a greater or
lesser degree, a matter
of deliberate dir
e c t i o n
orchestrated by the
artist.
32
A Typical Frank Webb
The purposeless
and seemingly aimless
splashing of

paint on a support, better described as Tachism does not depend on a
schema, is quite another thing and is really overvalued as an art form in my
opinion.
Portrait of a Young Man
The process of abstraction and
simplification is a personal and
subjective response to the subject.
This is one of the ways in which
an artist develops a distinct style.
OUT OF FOCUS
As we get old, that's all of us,
your focus starts to go. Here is a
portrait of a young man by Titian
in the National, painted when Titian
himself was also young, if you
go to see the original in the National
Gallery, you will see that it
is very finely detailed. It is interesting
because the elbow breaks the
picture plane. It seem to come forward
beyond the level of the
picture and it is deliberately
painted so to create a means
of bringing you into the picture.
To contrast with this, Diana
and Acteon, also by Titian,
but later when he was
an old man and it is almost
impressionistic and the reason
for this is his failing eyesight.
Glasses were not well
developed at this time. That
Diana and Acteon, Titian
33

is why it is so abstract, almost as abstract as a Matisse, this could have been
painted by an Impressionist. Renoir perhaps.
Other factors effecting the way we see things could be fog, bad light, a
migraine, concussion, drugs or alcohol, a heat haze, humidity or rain. Each
of them will effect how acuity of our eyesight. Some artists make a virtue
of this and paint fog pictures which are really very easy because everything
is reduced to a silhouette. Many paint wonderful sunsets because that way
all the foreground that have to draw tends towards a silhouette and they
don't even have to draw very well to do that.
Of course there are other factors like light and shadow, the seasonal variations,
the local colour and if you ever painted landscape you will know
how the light changes the shadows and the colour of things as well. Most
of us have looked at scene and decided to paint it, if you have not indicated
the shadows beforehand by the time you get round to them you find that
they are completely different and
are not the ones that made you
decide it was a good picture in the
first place.
PLAYING TRICKS ON
THE EYE
Here are a few drawings that
play tricks on the eye. One you
may be familiar with, familiarity
however doesn’t seem to reduce
the effect.
Three figures equal size with ext
r e m e p e r -
s p e c -
t i v e
l i n e s
drawn
b e -
h i n d
and the transition from a frame into three cylinders.
34

Artists can draw things that
can never exist such as this solid looking
triangle and a fanciful landscape from
William Hogarth.
While we are talking about imagination
I want to introduce the Belgian draughtsman
and engraver, M.C.Escher who can
make water seem to flow uphill. What
an imaginary mind that artist had.
There's a wonderful sculpture in
a park in Washington, near the National
Art Museum. It is of a house
which looks quite normal if you
stand still but as soon as you start
walking round it, The sculpture behaves
in a strange way. It appears
Roy Lichtenstein - House 1
35

to reach a certain point and then jumps to a different aspect. On going
closer you realise that the sides are built inwards rather than outwards.
Mentally you supply the other two sides., If you look at where it meets the
ground you get a true impression of its actual shape.
A similar concept is expressed in the following anecdote.
There are two philosophers travelling on a train, they see a cow in a field.
The first one says, “That cow is brown.”
The other philosopher says, “Well this side is.”
36
Xania Cafe, Crete

3. WHAT IS A PAINTING
A painting exists as an object in its own right. A landscape is not the
actual view, or a portrait is not the person you are looking at. It is not just
a copy of the way a camera sees it. A painting is unique and personal and
it will have the power to elicit a response from the viewer. This is achieved
through the particular way in which the artist sees the subject.
I look for a scene or subject which offers graphic potential; the balance of
shapes, tones and colours, the opportunity to create a centre of interest, the
movement of the eye through the scene and where to place the frame. In
addition I seek the possibility of creating meaningful relationships to the
edges of the picture. Spaces between the shapes are as visually important
as the shapes of themselves. All these aspects form the basis for the composition
and visual balance of the picture.
Shapes, tones and colours and how they are arranged are all the province
of the artist. Composition and visual balance are important, areas between
shapes are as visually important as those formed by the shapes of actual
objects. Everything on the picture surface must have a meaningful relationship
to the edges of a picture.
AN ARTIST’S PERSPECTIVE
Figurative paintings, like abstract or nonobjective paintings, want to work
in formal terms, quite apart from their image and their associations. A
painting may be about a person sitting on a chair in a room, but it is also
a complex fitting together of shapes that can be appreciated as such, apart
from any representational reading.
Alan Feltus states from his website
Moat Road , Fordham
My own paintings, although carefully rendered and perhaps seen
as realism, are invented images with all manner of visual distortions
and unreality. In my paintings, composition is intuitive by
nature, rather than based on any imposed system where the placement
of forms is governed by a geometric framework A painting
37

that is organized intuitively is arrived
at by instinct, maybe quite
unconsciously.
Another crucial aspect of composing
is how elements relate to one
another and to the edges of the
canvas. Paintings should not look
like randomly cropped pieces of
something that continues beyond
the edges of the canvas. A painting
is an object, complete and unique
unto itself, different from the
world around us. A painting is a
transformation of something ob-
The Red Jacket, Alan Feltus
38
Laderne

served or invented. Transformation is necessary.
To understand the relationship between composition and the recognizable
subject, think of Picasso's Cubist paintings. What we see
is an abstracted image, which might portray some objects on a table
in a room, but is above all a collection of shapes and colors and
textures that reflect, or relate to, the vertical and horizontal edges
of the picture plane. It is a construction that is very much about
underlying structure. We assume that music and poetry are based
on underlying structures. As children we learn about the way words
and notes are organized to create form. Paintings also depend on
such structures.
Completely abstract paintings, in which there is no figure,
landscape, still life or other subject, are about composition itself.
We see the paint as paint. We see the color and texture and value
and the way paint was applied, the gestural touch of the painter's
Coffee Stratford
39

40
hand..
If every element in a painting is a part of the composition, then any
line or color, any object or any space between objects, has been
positioned, and then adjusted and adjusted again, to work in a
precise way with everything else. This holds true for the division
between floor and wall, the shape of a cast shadow, the presence of
a book or a teacup. If I paint a piece of drapery or a piece of paper
on a chair, that element is there because it has a compositional
purpose. It might serve to continue a visual line across the painting's
surface, establishing a relationship to those several parts that
now line up in a particular way; at the same time, it might help
define the way space reads in the painting.
http://www.powersofobservation.com/2014/07/the-compositionof-paintings-artists.html
There is a good argument in favour of the more desirable qualities in
traditional painting given by a good commercial artist of the nineteen thirties.
It is in massing and grouping (in creating design which did not exist
before) that the artist can outdo the best results of colour photography.
If realistic or objective after is to continue, it will be largely
because of this sort of creativeness. The camera has already supplanted
the kind of painting which is a slavish copy of nature, and
it is left to the artist to paint the essence of what he sees, rather than
the frozen exterior image. He must take his subject apart. He must
find out what gives it life, why it is of interest to him, why he wants
to paint it. If the design or natural pattern of the subject interests
him most, let him stress that, or if it is chiefly the colour that thrills
him, let that continue to be his main inspiration: Loomis 1948 p. 62.
ILLUSTRATION OR PAINTING
Illustrations are principally designed to be reproduced whereas paintings
represent the completed objects themselves.
If you see an illustration of an object in a book it usually has a blank space
around it, nobody in the whole of human experience has probably seen

An early example of my graphic design work from 1963. This was prepared
by the old fashioned cut-and-paste collage method.
Very accurate text was produced using a golf-ball typewriter. Itwas cut and
pasted together with original pen and ink illustrations to a large piece of
backing board.
The board was then photographed and the image projected onto zinc lithographic
plates which had been treated with photo-sensitive shellac. This
hardened the parts and protected the areas that were to be printed.
The plates were then treated with acid which bit into and lowered the surface
area which was not to be printed.
Individual plates were needed for full colour printing. The plates fitted into
an offset mechanical litho printing machine which produced the printed
sheets. The half tone printing ink was slow to dry therefore each print had
to be individually separated in a rack until it dried otherwise it smudged
badly. If the reverse of the sheet needed printing this had to be dried in
exactly the same way. Only then could the sheets be collated and bound
together to make a book.
41

anything with only blank space around it. In addition to the object we
see its surroundings, the situation that it occupies. In a book they usually
leave a blank space around the object so that they can isolate the object. If
the object is new to you, this enables you to have some visual idea of the
appearance of that object and you then know where its boundary is. If other
objects are included in the illustration it can lead to some confusion. A good
example of this is the botanical drawing. The plant is faithfully and clearly
drawn and a space is left around to separate it from distracting objects and
other flowers in the vicinity. Purely an identification piece but many people
like the idea, think this is the epitome of high art and paint in this way all
the time.
Looking at many painter’s work today I continually find that the subject
is a single person or object mathematically in the centre of the frame, very
often surrounded by a background of one colour. This background is obviously
of less importance than the main subject to the painter because less
care has been taken in painting it. What isolates the main subject even
further is that often the background is often vignetted.
It is very understandable that this represents a great deal of hard work on
the part of the painter who may be still only learning. However, many of
these depictions are painted with close to photographic accuracy. Surely by
this time, having achieved this standard, a little arrangement and composition
should be evident, an attempt to create a relationship to the frame.
Just an observation by a picky ex-teacher.
42
Queenborough II,

4. STARTING OUT
We are who we are as artists because of what we paint and how we
paint it, but we are also defined by our limitations. It matters what
we want to make and what comes forth as we work—intentions
informed by knowledge and desire, subject to our best abilities and
our limitations. I see my limitations as part of my identity as a
painter, and I know the struggle involved in the making of any
painting is necessary. I usually consider paintings that seem to have
been made without struggle to be suspect. Painting is very difficult
work, requiring endless patience. Alan Feltus from his website
Every picture should say something, it must have a reason for being.
Every picture should be the result of an artist wishing to draw the attention
of the viewer to some aspect of the environment. Every picture should be
the result of the artists wish to say “look at this!”
Two further quotes sum up the new painter’s experience very well. The
difficulty arises when it comes to the production of a physical piece of work.
Seldom do we achieve what is even a close representation of what we had
envisaged.
Sometimes a thing which seems so very ‘thingish’ inside you, is
quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people
looking at it. (A.A.
Milne Winnie The
Pooh 1926)
and
Ah! how often in
my sleep do I behold
great works of
art and beautiful
things, the like
whereof never appear
to me awake;
but so soon as I
Le Petit Bois Gleu, Brittany
43

awake my memory loses hold of it. (Albrecht Dürer Four Books on
Proportion 1528)
CHOOSING A MEDIUM
Some mediums lend themselves better to the beginning painter.
Watercolour has definite advantages in that it is clean portable and comparatively
cheap but it needs a lot of experience and heart ache before any
facility is achieved. It is an unforgiving medium and requires skill and
experience to correct mistakes.
When I was young, artists materials were not excessively expensive, even
at that time tubes of artist quality were fairly affordable. Then however there
were many colours that were unreliable in permanence any many of them
could not be used together. Good quality watercolour paper was expensive
because it was all hand made. Cartridge paper was reasonably priced
although there was a special way of stretching it had to be used if a decent
44
Moat Hall , Fordham

Maldon, Yellow Boat
flat result was to be
achieved. Now that so
many of us are retired and
watercolour painting has
become very popular it has
affected the market. Paint
has become very expensive,
even if more permanent.
Thanks to the research
into new good pigments
by courtesy of the car industry,
which has developed
them as a wish to ensure longevity to car finishes. Now the amateur
can use a wide selection
of watercolour papers of good manageable quality that Turner and
Gainsborough would have given their back teeth for.
Pencil is most commonly used for preparative work although nowadays
it is often developed into a completely finished medium, usually with meticulous
detail.
Charcoal itself is often
used for preparation
but again highly
finished work is possible.
Many artists apply
an all-over coat
of charcoal to paper
and arrive at form
and shape almost entirely
with the use of
a shaped putty eraser.
Boulevard Victor Hugo, Nice
45

Pastels have the advantage of offering almost pure, opaque colour and
the opportunity of using self coloured paper. This has enough tooth to
enable the pastels to be deposited onto it. Mistakes may be overlaid although
if built up too thickly, it could result in it shedding. The major disadvantage
of this medium is its tendency to fall off. There is the possibility of using
spray fixative to avoid this. However too heavy an application can change
the appearance of the work so it must be used sparingly and with caution.
Acrylics and oils are the most commonly used nowadays.
Acrylics have definite advantages for the beginner. The early ones had the
disadvantage of drying too quickly to mix colours satisfactorily but through
the judicious use of retarders they now take slightly longer to dry and are
a little more forgiving. Although not terribly portable they have the great
advantage of not changing their appearance when they have dried. Further-
46
Knaresborough Market

more they may be
used in a transparent
way when diluted
with water or opaquely
when used straight
from the tube.
The two features
that seems to cause
the most difficulty
seem to be ;
1. The length of
Di at the Art Class
time they take to dry,
this may be looked
on as an advantage as it allows the greatest latitude for altering any of the
painted area that has already been applied to the support (canvas or board).
Paint may be scraped down even if it is left overnight. This can often lead
to the overworking that I have seen in the past.
2. Many cannot tolerate the smell, of the linseed oil base or the thinning
medium, usually white spirit or turpentine. There are useful substitute
thinners such as Sansodor on the market which are odourless to meet this
need.
Nowadays there are water soluble oil emulsions available for those in a
greater hurry, which dry overnight.
INHIBITIONS
Some attitudes may hinder progress. When sketching out the final painting
in pencil, it may be difficult to resist using heavy shading and then later
saying “I don’t like painting much it makes a mess of a good drawing.”
When some people dash straight into a painting they only want to think
about the main subject and they don’t want to think about its surroundings.
They are likely to draw the subject carefully and painstakingly in all its detail.
Detail is so captivating, especially to those with with some facility in
drawing.
47

Frequently anything surrounding the subject or group is not considered
at all and frequently left blank. Sometimes the statement is made, “Foreground
is what I like doing”, and its corollary, “Background is what I don’t
want to think about now.”
When the time comes to think about how to fill in the white space surrounding
the main subject of what has now become an illustration rather
than a picture, the first of the technical problems often arises. The painter
can lose interest and carelessness ensues.
The way of painting is the way of trial and error. There is no
shortcut. Each of us starts from zero and cannot resume where
another left off. Each false start, each outer failure, is part of the
fabric of an art career. If you do not have the grit to confront your
own ignorance and if you are not willing to ruin acres of paper, you
are in the wrong field. (Webb 1991 P.2)
COMING TO TERMS WITH MAKING MISTAKES
The saddest thing about drawing and painting is that you can never learn
anything from doing a thing right first time. It is only when you have made
the most almighty mess up that you really learn anything.
People want to improve their skills when painting but it is hard for some
to accept criticism. This is best illustrated by the sort of language they use
as they show you their work.
“It’s only rough of course.” “I don’t intend this to be the finished work.”
“It’s not very good of course.” And many other sorts of self deprecating
comments. This is often a hangover from their experiences while they were
at school. Maybe there is a climate there, or just a misunderstanding by the
students that somehow getting anything wrong is “bad” and getting a thing
right is “good”.
Many art teachers work in a climate in which this point of view is allowed
to continue unchallenged. I think if it was explained to the students that
“getting a thing right” doesn’t necessarily teach them anything. It’s usually
“getting a thing wrong” and overcoming it, that enables us to learn from
48

experience. More effort expended in altering a painting in order to chase
perfection seldom achieves it. Mistakes can be overcome if good advice is
taken.
MAKING MISTAKES
Finally we do learn from our successes as long as we understand the
methods we used in order to achieve them. What separates the skilful from
the un-skilful is that the skilful person has made many more mistakes and
has therefore learnt to avoid these and do the task correctly in future.
Beer, Devon
49

Agricultural Machinery, Dorset
50
Cafe Abstract, Margate

5. COMPOSITION
Much of the writing about composition seems to demand a careful study
and subsequent slavish application of all the rules, the Do’s and Don’t’s of
composition to all your own work in the future. A study and an awareness
of them should help your understanding towards improvement rather than
just traps for the unwary amateur. It will help to clarify the advice given by
the artists you admire and
hopefully help to improve
your own painting.
I am convinced that abstraction
is an integral part of the
process of converting the three
dimensions we see into the
two dimensions we use on the
canvas. With practice we arrive
at simplified symbols or
schemata to replace the confusing
complicated mass of infor-
Trinity Square
mation observed with a set of coloured shapes.
In practice most artists find that a reasonable time devoted to preparation
pays dividends. Trial sketches and alternative tonal schemes enables design
to take a significant part in the process and indirectly develop a personal,
considered approach to his work.
I set out the main aspects of composition in my earlier book ‘Into Composition,’
Here I include further thoughts and expand on some already
mentioned in the book
GOLDEN SECTION
Many guides to composition, especially those directed at photographers,
will describe this concept as “the rule of thirds”. This however is just an
rough approximation of the proportion of the Golden Ratio or the Golden
Section.
51

The Golden Section (GS) is arrived at by taking any two consecutive terms
in the Fibonacci series. The further along the series, the more accurate the
proportion which in decimal terms is 1:1.67. Photographic gurus aim to
direct their disciples into better composition by advocating that the area of
the picture is regarded as divided into thirds. As a rough guide it is better
than nothing. It is easier to use a more accurate arrival at a GS division by
first dividing the area into eighths, using the handy ratio of (3:5).
Furthermore it is a lot easier to divide the side of a sketch or painting into
eights than thirds. Halves are easier to judge by eye instead of by measurement,
so with just a little practice, ticking off the halves, quarters and finally
eighths is fairly easy to estimate.
Of course it is possible to construct lines going from each of the GS points
to each other GS point and also to each of the corners . This produces an
interesting visual pattern which is pleasant to look at . It is however a confusing
web of lines which does little to help us to achieve good composition.
It can also be used as an overlay to
help us to spot the lines and directions
which have helped to produce
good composition in the paintings
of others.
The GS grid. All that is needed
for our own purposes is to be aware
of the existence those lines and directions
in our own work which will
help us to look at the composition in the planning of our own paintings.
A square is first constructed and the base is extended outwards. Then a
perpendicular is constructed from the halfway point of the base square. A
diagonal is drawn from where the bisecting line
touches the base to the opposite corner of the
half square. A pair of compasses is placed so the
point rests on the lower point of this diagonal
and the scribing arm is opened so that the radius
is the same as the length of the diagonal. An arc
52

is drawn to cut the produced line from the base of the square, where this
cuts a perpendicular is constructed which will form the new side of the
rectangle, The top side of the square is extended to complete the figure.
I fully describe this in 'Into Composition', it describes the placing of an
important vertical at a distance
horizontally equal to
the side measurement of the
painting.
Andrew Loomis has described
a new and interesting
method of constructing a grid
he calls “Informal Subdivision.
Introducing informal subdivision.
Page 36
This is a plan of subdivision
of my own. It offers
greater freedom to the
artist. Study it. It would
help you to divide space
unequally and interestingly.
Start by dividing
the whole space unequally
with a single (optional)
line. It is best to avoid
placing the line at a point
which would be one half,
one third, or one fourth of
the whole space. Then
draw one diagonal of the
whole space from diago-
53

nally opposite corners.
At the intersection with
the diagonal and your
first line, draw a horizontal
line across the
space. Now draw diagonals
in any of the resulting
rectangles, but only
one to a space. Two diagonals
crossing like a X
would divide the rectangle
equally, which we do
not want. Now you may
draw horizontals or perpendiculars
at any intersection,
thus making
more rectangles to divide
by diagonals again. In
this manner you will never
break up the same
shape twice in the same
way. It offers a great deal
of suggestion for the
placement of figures,
spacing and contours,
with no two spaces being
exactly equal or duplicated,
except the two halves on each
side of the single diagonal. If you
have a subject in mind you will
begin to see it develop. (Loomis
1961 P.36)
54

Many writers on composition are fond of taking instances of paintings
by known artists and constructing lines to illustrate relationships
between the various parts of the composition. They place a
transparent overlay over a print of the painting to demonstrate the
composition. This seems seem to imply that the artist consciously
uses this as a pattern but I doubt if it is a definite intention, I feel
that the artist probably comes to this arrangement instinctively.
(Kay 2004 P.12)
Many landscape paintings have a preponderance of horizontals, townscapes
however favour more verticals in their makeup. In each case there
should be a few of the other dimension as some relief to the composition.
See “INTO COMPOSITION.”
MORE ACTION WITH DIAGONALS
Wheelbarrow, Devon
55

It is at this stage it is important to ensure that there is a way for the eye
to enter into the picture which is not diverted or blocked off.
The use of low horizon or eye line tends to lead to much better composition.
They usually result in the overlapping of objects and require a greater
size difference between similar objects, both of these factors, as a result,
strengthen the apparent depth in a two dimensional painting. It is also
makes it much easier to give dominance to a central feature as a centre of
interest when it is needed.
(Compositional Letter Shapes)
Ian Roberts describes the main lines of a composition as an armature.
These he classifies as following the shape of an alphabetical letter and
56
Mersea Shop

shows examples of an L shape, an S shape and an O shape. Other forms
are mentioned such as the Cruciform and the portrait, of these the L and
the S configurations seem the most plausible.
The Ian Roberts O shape may best be described as the “Centre of Interest”.
Andrew Loomis rather goes overboard on letter shapes and extends them
to many other letters.
D’Arcy Thompson – On Growth and Form. I found this a very difficult
book to follow properly, not having a biology background. Yet in one fascinating
chapter of this book he describes how constructing a grid around
a drawing of a side elevation of natural species and selectively distorting the
grid in a regular mathematical way produces another grid. When the same
contour drawing is redrawn
57

to fit into the new grid, it produces an accurate sketch of a completely
different species altogether. The diagram shows this in action applied to
four different species of fish.
BALANCE
Finding the underlying design within a painting is not difficult, many
paintings are fairly straightforward in their construction. I have tried to list
all I have come across. It would be unusual to discern more than a few in
each picture.
The purpose which lifts a painting into a picture is recognised by
the presence of rhythm. This rhythm is often called plan, pattern,
design or composition. But all these words are comprised in
rhythm, which is the balance of the attractions which cause the eye
to range all over the picture and yet in willing contentment within
its bounds. (Bodkin 1927 P.28)
I consider that this description by Bodkin describes is a fairly accurate
description of basic Composition.
If the colours in this composition go together they are said to be in harmony,
this is usually shared by the proximity of colours on the Munsell
colour wheel (described in the Colour Appendix). sometimes dramatic
effects may be obtained by colours which clash.
This Roderigo Moynihan painting is an unusual and beautifully balanced
portrait group the Teaching Staff of the Royal college 1951.
The two central figures are looking in different directions.
Line of the white rug is important for drawing the left hand figure into
the group
58

Roderigo Moynihan - Teaching Staff of the Royal college 1951
59

Many figures are counterchanged dark against light and one light against
dark.
Steamer in a Snowstorm -Turner
a unity to a composition.
The figure which is light against dark
stands by a chair, the back of his head
and the left side of the chair rests on the
rabatment (where the square of the
height of the picture reaches) of the
frame.
Also note that the two in the centre
of the group face towards the half of the
group they are nearest to, the outside
figures look inwards. They direction
people look is often important to giving
SHAPES AND FORMS
The awareness of spacing is significant and applies when starting a composition
sketch. Planning the distances between the various prominent
shapes across the painting is important.
All shapes should vary in their size and distance from each other, also
their sizes. Here the planning of these must go hand in hand with allocating
areas for the mid tones. The same care would pay dividends in composition
for the later addition of the darker shapes.
Where there are several vertical shapes, such as the trunks of trees, vertical
supports to a fence or any other vertical shapes most artists will take steps
to avoid a repetition of equal spaces between them. They will use this opportunity
to vary the intervals in a certain rhythm which will promote visual
interest. In addition they will also vary the height of each vertical, also to
add variety. This applies equally to horizontals or in fact all shapes. As a
general rule all artists try to introduce some variety in tone, shape and colour
whenever possible in order to avoid monotony.
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It needs three objects to form a series these could be similar in shape and
kind but usually varying in size, two objects are not enough to establish a
sequence and the use of four is overstating it. Most artists avoid a mechanical,
monotonous interpretation by changing one or more aspects of the
shapes. Variation may be in the tone, colour, angle or size or texture.
Sometimes the repetition is even more subtle where two or more elements
are varied, either in colour or tone.
TONE
All pictures are fundamentally either arrangements
of lights, intervening tones,
and darks, or else linear
arrangements.Loomis 1961 p. 23)
Mid-tones are the glue which holds a picture
together, if they stretch across from one side of the frame to the
other they help to unify the composition. (Kay 2004 p. 18)
There may be a gradation of tone across the large areas of colour and this
can form a type of composition.
Both Poore and Roberts stress the value of regarding the painting as a
balance between the two sides resting half way upon a central axis, similar
to the principles of a seesaw. Here unequal weights may achieve a balance
by the adjustment of distance from the centre fulcrum. This is stated as a
theory of Moments in Practical Mathematics as the theory. Poore describes
this by comparing it to the function of a Steelyard.
The apparent weight of shapes depends upon on their size and tone.
Darker shapes appear to have more weight than lighter ones. In a composition
the aggregate, or the joint result of the balance of all shapes should
present a form of equilibrium and the best solutions tend to have a asym-
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metrical form. These are usually illustrated with the analogy of a seesaw, or
even better, the sort of balance attained by a steelyard.
This is sometimes referred to as counterchange where light is used
against dark and dark against light in the same picture.
You can increase the importance of a shape in a painting by making sure
that dark and light contrast most strongly
around it. This is a good way to strengthen
part of the painting in order to make it a
centre of interest. The same may be
achieved by choosing a strong, contrasting
colour for this shape. Toning down the contrast
in the rest of the painting helps to
strengthen what is left.
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In the absence of any other definite source the right handed artist normally
treats the source of light as coming from the top left hand side of the
drawing, left-handers may favour the top right hand side instead.
The first diagram, based on a sketch by Frank Webb, illustrates the
natural tonal differences that can be found in most landscapes.
Tonal values here are dictated by the general way that light behaves
over large areas. (Kay 2004 P.29)
These sketches are from Watercolour Workshop
1974, by Robert E Wood.
He starts by duplicating his original line
sketch and applying different arrangements of
middle tones. This has the sole aim of creating
a relationship between the shapes and linking
them across the picture to give an agreeable
unity to it. This process will leave white shapes on the paper and he will
take care that these are in balance at the same time.
He might extend this exercise by allocating a series of darker tones to
some of the shapes making sure that the intervals between are unequal. This
form of simple planning
sketch gives him
complete freedom of
choice, not solely dependent
on the visual
requirements of the
original view.
Cosmo Place I
See Using Tonal
Sketches P.82.
CENTRES OF IN-
TEREST
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Significant Where the lines Golden direct section attention divisions to the cross main provide content the in optimum a painting. places The top for
the two most views important are westward parts of looking the painting. view of a side alley from Southampton
Row Here in are London. some examples The last of one this
placing. the same place only looking in
the opposite direction
These paintings of Cosmo Place
are several years apart. I quite often revisit subjects or places that are very
familiar to me and particularly those that i l l u s -
Wells Next the Sea
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Cosmo Place II
Cosmo Place III
65

Tim’s Barn
Aldeburgh boat
trate the parts of the city which
retain many historical styles and
features.
Copford Church
This direction of attention to
Grosmont Station
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Wells Next the Sea
Saturday Art Group
67

Faversham Boats & Gas Street Basin
68
Gas Street Basin, Birmingham, a nice abstraction of the building in the background, plenty of
darks and lights. Reflections of this sort are a real gift to composition

6. DRAWING
But I have never yet, in the experiments I have made, met with a
person who could not learn to draw at all; and, in general, there is
a satisfactory and available power in everyone to learn drawing if
he wishes, just as nearly all persons should have the power of
learning French, Latin, or arithmetic, in a decent and useful degree,
if their lot in life requires them to possess such knowledge. (Ruskin
1857 P.27)
Many art teachers will say, “If you can see it, you can draw it.” What they
don’t say is, “Seeing to draw is probably what you don’t do now and what
you have to learn to do, and that takes time, a lot of time.
What is usually so much sought after under the term “freedom” is
the character of the drawing of a great master in a hurry, whose
hand is so thoroughly disciplined, that when pressed for time he can
let it fly as it will, and it will not go far wrong will. But the hand of
a great master at real work is never free: its swiftest dash is under
perfect government. (Ruskin 1857 P.33)
You will probably find that it helps if the sheet of paper is fixed to a small
light board, that way it is easy to turn the board when needed.
Most people use a pencil as they would a pen, holding the wrist still and
using only the movement of the fingers to guide the drawing instrument.
If this way is used to draw longer lines the result is a composite made up of
shorter lines rather resembling fuzzy string.
The best and most natural line a right handed person can draw is that
going from the bottom left corner of the paper and taking a gentle curve
towards the top right corner of the paper. Providing the paper and its support
are at the right height, it ensures the easiest movement bringing the
elbow fully into play. Left handed people will find that their most natural
direction is from bottom right to the top left of their paper.
Shorter lines with a smaller radius may be easily drawn in the same direction
mainly using the motion of the wrist. If you need very long lines you
will find that standing up will enable you to use your shoulder joint instead.
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An excellent way of ensuring that a good natural line is obtained is to
move the pencil several times across the paper, not touching the point down
but keeping it about a quarter to half an inch above the paper surface. This
will free up your muscles. Do not rush this movement, free does not mean
fast, do not be too slow but aim for smoothness. This should be done as
straight as you can manage several times until the movement seems to be
right. When it feels natural and without strain, touch the point down lightly
for the next stroke so that it makes a mark on the paper. After just a few
tries at this method you should be able to notice some improvement. With
further practice and a little discipline these lines may be persuaded to
straighten out by “thinking concave” as they are drawn.
A corollary to this is that if good lines can best be drawn in this way it will
pay you to turn your board frequently as you draw so that your arm and
hand are in the best position, this is particularly so for lines you want to go
from top to bottom of the paper. Watch accomplished draughtsmen drawing
and you will find that they tend to work in this way, turning their paper
or board to the best angle every time they want to draw a longish line.
Another useful trick is to use you pencil as
carpenters, joiners and other tradesmen do,
running the little finger along the edge of the
board or book while drawing a line with the
pencil. This keeps the line parallel to the edge
with some accuracy.
Note little finger
rests on edge
of board
Turner, though he was Professor of Perspective
to the Royal Academy, did not know what he professed,
and never, as far as I remember, drew a single building in true
perspective in his life; he drew them only with as much perspective
as suited him. (Ruskin 1857 p. 17)
70
The best way he can learn it, by himself, is by taking a pane of glass,
fixed in a frame, so that it can be set upright before the eye, at the
distance at which the proposed sketch is intended to be seen. let the
eye be placed at some fixed point, opposite the middle of the plane
of glass, but as high or as low as the student likes; then with a brush

at the end of the stick, and a little body colour that will adhere to
the glass, the lines of the landscape may be traced on the glass, as
you see them through it. When so traced they are all in true perspective.
(Ruskin 1857 Preface)
I've tried this method out myself and it works very well. I find this a lot
easier to do using China markers, grease pencils, lithographer's touche (an
oil based paint), even oil pastel to draw with. Dry erase markers, as used on
white boards, are very good.
On doing this for the first time I was very surprised to find out how large
the size of the closest parts were as compared to those the furthest away. It
is essential to remember to close one eye when sighting the object through
the glass. I do not propose to include any further instruction on methods
of achieving correct perspective, there are many readily available guides to
this subject.
Any objects may be
drawn in their relative
heights, which may vary
according to their distance
from the viewer
by utilising the following
method.
It is easy to establish
the relative vertical
height of objects if they
are already of similar or equal height. A horizontal line is drawn across the
sketch to represent the eye level or horizon. An outline standing figure is
drawn so that the horizon comes about halfway up the figure which will
represent a gauge for all the standing figures. Two lines are drawn from a
vanishing point selected fairly close to the figure, one passing through the
top of the figure and one through the base. Any point selected anywhere at
ground level (i.e. the area below the eye-line) may be cast horizontally back
71

to these two reference lines to establish the proper height for a figure standing
at this particular point in true perspective.
In her book drawing on the right side of the brain Betty Edwards
suggests that a good exercise to avoid the brain interfering with vision is to
copy a photograph or print but to make sure that the photograph and the
drawing you do from it are both upside down. Looking at them upside
down means that you can see the actual shapes without identifying the
object and your work is not contaminated by the knowledge you have
already and you can tackle the drawing purely from what you see uninfluenced
by the brain.
Artists often use the following method when they are drawing from life.
They use a form of parallelism. Placing the paper alongside their view of
the subject and shutting one eye they cast a feature of the object back to the
drawing to get all the heights visually correct, or placing the paper vertically
below to do the same for the for the widths.
Proportional Measuring using a pencil marking it off with a finger and
using one measurement as a gauge for everything else. This is the traditional
way of ensuring that distances are in proper relationships to each other.
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Drawing a straight line contour, fitting the figure inside
it, relating it to the edge of the paper and dividing it with
negative shapes.
Also the use of constructional lines in fixing the salient
points.
The accurate matching of negative shapes is a good way
of making sure you have drawn in the right proportions.
Use the lines and shapes of the objects and surroundings
around the figure and this will also fix the figure in space.
A very common feature evident in those learning to draw is the barbed
fuzzy outline consisting of many short tentative strokes. If I look in my own
sketchbooks from the time I was at art college I can see plenty of examples
of this. I do not feel ashamed at this sort of hesitation but I regard it as an
essential part of the learning process. A smooth confident line is only
achieved through a great deal of patient practice over some time.
This diagram demonstrates how complex shapes may be synthesized from
simpler shapes
A vase may be constructed from a cone, sphere, cone, cylinder and disc.
The virtue of this convention is that most regular solids can be built up
from simple shapes which can easily be shaded to show solidity and it also
73

Car Park FMH Colchester
Costa Coffee Stratford on Avon
74

THE APPROACH
7. WORKING METHODS
There are two distinct productive approaches.
To broaden your visual experience where the outcome is not particularly
to produce a finished picture, but to refine your drawing skills and familiarise
yourself with tools and materials. This makes it more likely that you
will able to feel productive during times when you may not be otherwise
inspired and you can comfort yourself in the real progress that can be seen.
This experimentation can take the form of undertaking graphical exercises
in arranging material according to a set program intended to develop facility
in handling composition, tonal experiment or just gaining drawing experience.
To undertake a study which is intended to lead to a painting and this is
the main focus of this section.
STAGE 1. GATHERING MATERIAL
A found object such as a piece of driftwood might provoke an
aesthetic response but it is not art. Nor is it just a copy of a beautiful
object. Art is a deliberate creation of the new and special reality
that grows from your response to life. It cannot be copied; it must
be created.(Webb 1990 p. 2)
Most artists build up a store of references well in advance of embarking
on a finished painting. Traditionally this has comprised of a series of sketches
gathered into one or more sketchbooks. It is no surprise that when I give
a demonstration or a lecture, the first things looked at by my audience of
painters are the sketchbooks I have brought along.
75

St. Monans The original was
painted from a 90s photograph
in a fairly straightforward way,
hard edged like most of my
work.
The second, is quite a departure,
comprises two drawings one upon
the other and very adventuresome
colour development
of the shapes involved.
Nowadays, whether artists
confess it or not, a large part
of the gathered material towards
a painting consists of
photographs taken to support
sketches done on the
spot or used as primary material.
St. Monans, figurative and abstract
Photography is so widely
used as preparation that I
think it is only fair to say in
defence of its use that the
sources are usually all composed with care using the camera viewfinder or
screen. Photographs are taken because it is so much easier to do this with
modern cameras than the hassle that used to accompany film cameras. This
ensures that there is a proper amount of photographic material from which
a useful selection may be made to support any sketch work. A conscientious
artist will try to make a sketch wherever possible but sometimes time and
weather constraints may preclude this. Possibly retired painters, and there
are many, may be unable to brave our unforeseeable weather for any useful
length of time. A camera is a useful and legitimate tool at times like these.
At this point I should state that only photographs that you yourself have
taken are the best At least you have been there yourself. Photos taken by
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others, just as paintings by others may be used in extremis, but they should
be given proper credit in the title of the painting.
Many useful entries into the creative process may be gathered from what
might be dismissed as arbitrary, and therefore by some reckoned as not
legitimate ways of starting. You may safely disregard this type of criticism.
Casting small objects, such as keys or paperclips onto a surface and sketching
the pattern they make, plotting the random movements of an animal , an
insect or a person within a confined area, sketching the patterns of shadows
from, or reflections in a window or the accidental marks of rust or oxidation
on an object.
So, selection is usually the first action in Stage 1. And selection is a proper
and necessary act of Creation, but this is only the start. The best sketches
and photos are selected and this completes the first of the creative stages.
STAGE 2. CHOOSING SUBJECTS
This is a feature of 90% of paintings. Dominance is probably the most
often used way of drawing attention to the main subject of a picture. If there
is one main subject in a picture and it is larger than any other part of the
painting it automatically becomes the centre of interest. The effect can be
extended if there is also a smaller shape included, sometimes echoing the
shape of the dominant one
as a way of emphasizing the
size difference between the
two.
Dominance is most evident
in still life groups. I
find that still life painting is
probably the most satisfying
way of spending a dull winter
day. It is the one occasion
where an artist has full
control over his subject, every
object and its placement is completely under the control of the artist
Notre Dame, Paris
77

which can be placed in the most attractive way, everything about it can be
changed, even the way the light falls upon it— total control.
It is easier to tackle a still life painting if I use a close-up view. This has
two main advantages, the objects are larger, therefore easier to draw and
paint and the background is reduced in size and thus does not distract
attention from the group itself.
Care needs to be taken when considering portraits of people or pets or
any individual single object to make sure that the surroundings are part of
the composition, not centrally placed with an unconsidered ‘background’.
Be wary of tackling views which may be grandiose and impressive,
landscape from a mountain or the sweep of a great forest, particularly
those which require a high viewpoint. All these require a wide arc of vision
to achieve the awesome, paintings have a narrow field and cannot begin to
mimic this breadth of vision. They require a more selective arrangement
within a smaller compass.
The biggest gamble of all is to start with a clear mental picture of how
your painting will look when it is finished and go straight into drawing it
on the support. Then without a pause go right away into painting it.
In a flat front elevation of a house, we will never get a feeling of solidity
if we just draw one face of an object. People often opt for this view because
they think it is easier to draw. Unless we show both at least two sides of a
solid object it will not look solid.
This is a typical painting of a
doorway which relies on the texture
of the brickwork, the grain of
78
A drawing of a full on front view of
a house. I tell my students, never
ever draw a house like this. No matter
how accurate it is, you are not
giving people enough clues to
make it appear solid.

the wood and the meticulous rendering of
the door furniture. Owing to its limited
depth it is a favourite with Trompe d'Oeil
painters. Unless this is very skilfully done it
is still a rather static subject for a painting
because flat on.
Commonsense is necessary to appreciate
that a view which includes two sides iis
bound to look more solid.
An example of dominance
and front elevation
Here I have tried to indicate a page from
a typical sketchbook, you will notice that
each sketch contains information but these
are not necessarily useful in planning compositions
for finished paintings. They all
have space all around each drawing, like
illustrations in a reference book.
These can lead to paintings which
end up looking like book illustration
where not enough attention
is given to what else is around or
adjacent to the main subject.
Flower painters, bird and wildlife artists particularly often need these kind
of detailed studies.
STAGE 3. PREPARATORY WORK FOR A PAINTING
Many inexperienced painters have said to me. "I haven't time for all this
preparatory work, I have so little time, I just want to get stuck into it right
away." Starting a painting without any preparative work can lead to disappointment
with the finished picture.
I aim to suspend judgement, particularly during preparatory work. The
first task is to collect as many references, drawings and photographs as
possible. I don’t sort anything at this stage, I do not reject anything beforehand.
It will take a great deal of assembling and rearranging before the best
79

arrangement emerges. Sometimes, if it is not a commission with a time
requirement, this stage may take many days or months, sometimes put to
one side and taken up later or maybe not. Whatever its final form, it is not
something that is hurried or skimped. Many artists will return to an attractive
subject and re-attempt something which may have resulted in a final
picture before. Only an inexperienced painter puts all his eggs in one basket
(stakes everything on one piece of paper or one support).
I’d urge that it is always best to draw and compose within a frame (this
need only to consist of a rough boundary line in pencil) but it must be there
as an edge, to define where the picture finishes. Anyone looking at your
work must know what is your intended effort and also where you cease to
take responsibility for it.
Other things have to be borne in mind
when looking for composition. Many people
when they are drawing a vase of flowers
are so anxious not to leave anything out that
they draw all the vase, all the flowers and
often leave a very large space all around.
Even if we were to cut the picture down,
everything would then be on too small a scale.
The main subject of a picture is better if it occupies most of the area of
the frame, even if some of the extreme edges may be cut off by it.
Here is a viewfinder, painters and photographers
recognise it right away, you would use one when
taking a photograph so when you are not, why not?
You look through it to isolate a choice from the
whole view available to you. As all cameras have
them I find it hard to understand how people who
paint can work without them. I find that people feel
too self-conscious to use a viewfinder in public. They
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often say “real artists don't use them.” This is really not true! I use one
frequently and I know plenty of painters that do as well. Always use a
viewfinder and providing it doesn’t faze you too much it ensures
that you draw a picture that is level, i.e. at 90 degrees to the angle
of vision.
A reminder that with a viewfinder you have to close one eye.
Lines that follow the directions of the crosses of the Union jack are far
too centrally placed and therefore very static. Objects or features should
not lie along diagonals or halfway points or point towards the corners.
Start with a contour sketch, using only a simple outline for each shape.
You may find that this process is greatly assisted by using the method advocated
by Betty Edwards. This to copy the outlines while turning the photograph
upside down and drawing the sketch upside down as well. Many find
this removes the two drawbacks of identification of the subject and the
involvement in the intricacies of the detail.
It seems only sensible nowadays to take advantage of modern technology
by using a computer to reproduce sketches. Once having drawn a line sketch
from a photograph it may be scanned into a jpg picture file. If the original
drawing was in pencil, it is likely to be fairly faint. The lines may be strengthened
using a graphic application. Afterwards a desktop publishing program
Photograph, tonal sketches and final painting, Ipswich Cafe
81

is the best way of resizing the sketch so that
it may be duplicated several times onto one
sheet of watercolour paper. This considerably
simplifies the process of trying out various
tonal studies without having to redraw
the sketch for each instance. As the sketch
is itself an original, there is
nothing to stop you making it
larger in size and printing it on
a separate sheet of watercolour
paper and painting it directly.
Being in charge of the tones
helps to make the picture truly
your own and gives you a proper
control over the picture.
The use of the scanner to print out copies of your line sketch makes sense
as you are then able to try out a series of tonal sketches. This also removes
the drudgery of copying out your line sketch each time you want to try a
different tonal arrangement.
These sketches will enable you arrive at the best balance of white shapes
in the process using mid-tones across the sketch as a linking factor unifying
the composition in the process. As also described in the work of Robert E.
Wood, The Tonal Sketch, in my Essay on Composition, p. 84. This is much
more important in preparing for a watercolour as the lightest shapes need
to be left unpainted.
After you have chosen the best sketch you are now in a position to allocate
which of your shapes you wish to make the darkest tones.
Taking the trouble to prepare in this way actually takes a lot of the hit-and
miss guesswork out of the later painting process.
There is much more scope in other opaque media such as gouache, when
lighter parts may be overpainted at a later stage.
82
Wells next the Sea Yacht Club

Many people take careful note on their sketches of the actual colours in
a view. You are better off concentrating on the sketch and supply the tones
yourself, these are not as fixed as people may think. How you apply them
is up to you and the colours you use are up to you as well and there’s a
creative thought for you to play with.
Any painting is a bad painting when a part becomes more interesting
than the whole. Over attention to detail spawns confusion and
chaos – the opposition of design. (WEBB, 1990 P.139)
When you are looking at a scene or even a photograph you immediately
become aware of the seductiveness of detail. Every luscious object in all its
detail sings sweetly to you just as the sirens did to Ulysses, “am I not wonderful?,
paint me, paint me.” Don’t be conditioned by the many detailed
photographs you have seen and imagine that a painting consists merely of
a collection of accumulated detail.
The following suggestions may be of help in avoiding
detail.
The greatest contrasts in tone or colour are at, and
should only be at the centre of interest.
Simplify the shapes and use interesting ones also
works.
Golden Section
Divisions
STAGE 4. THE PAINTING
This is based on my experience of painting in watercolour but much of
this may equally apply to other media.
There are many pitfalls to watercolour, the most basic one s not to take
into account that it will always dry a shade or two lighter than it appears
when it is wet. With experience a painter will compensate for this by working
darker than he intends to finish with. This can lead the beginner to try
to overcome too light a wash by putting a second wash over it. This does
require a great deal of skill to do properly and offers a large margin for
error.
Also not to mix enough wash for the size of the shape to be covered.
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When the first wash runs out, another mixture has to be started to match
the first. Of course this takes time so no matter how accurate a match by
this time the first wash has dried. It has dried lighter as all watercolours do,
making the match even harder. Even if that has been allowed for there is
the problem that the first wash has dried to a hard edge so it can’t be successfully
incorporated into the second attempt. This proves a wonderful
object lesson in proving that the more effort that is put into it, the more
messily unsuccessful it becomes.
All paintings are subject to a certain amount of interpretation on the part
of the viewer. All over highly detailed work leaves far less scope for this,
that is why many paintings tend to be rather abstract and vague away from
their centre of interest.
Maldon yacht club, very
much painted and repainted
subject culminating in this
highly imaginative interpretation.
The next Essay is a Checklist
which may help to
prompt or suggest points to
bear in mind before tackling
a final painting in a rush.
That is to help you avoid
some of the more obvious
mistakes that cannot be put
right by alteration, this applies
especially to watercolour.
84
Maldon Yacht Club

Knutsford top road
Gibraltar Point, Skegness
85

Ferry Road Orford
86
Harwich Boats

8. A PAINTING CHECKLIST
This checklist owes a tribute to Andrew Pitt and Brian Simons on whose
work the list is based.
It is designed for use when painting directly from the subject when time
may be limited.
Using this checklist can ensure a positive start to your painting and a pleasurable
painting experience. In a short time making these observations will
become second nature, and although the list may appear long, taking the
time will be worth it.
Don’t feel that any item on this checklist should be used as an inflexible or
dictated way of working, many will not apply to your current task anyway.
1. BEFORE YOU START SKETCHING.
Don’t copy Nature. You are not recording (cameras do that better).
You are making a painting. Painting is a trick. Use paint to create
an illusion of what you see. Select and simplify. Recognise the
limitations of the medium you are using and at the same time make
the most of the medium’s characteristics. Andrew Pitt
http://www.andrewpitt.co.uk/studionotes.html
Am I comfortable? If sitting on a stone wall a folding sit-mat (as used by
hikers) may be a good idea.
If working outside, is my painting position likely to remain in the shade?
Am I positioned at the most suitable distance from my subject?
Have I chosen the best angle of view? Move around to confirm this.
What size paper/canvas is the most appropriate for my subject, portrait or
landscape?
Have I enough room to fit my proposed subject on the paper/canvas?
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Where is the horizon/eye-line in my subject?
horizon on my paper/canvas?
Where shall I draw the
Where is the light coming from?
How will the shadows change during the time I'm working.
Is the subject I have chosen too complicated to complete in the time available?
If the time proves too short, take a photograph.
2. PREPARATIVE SKETCHES
Your sketches could be anything from a scribble to a finished colour sketch
depending on your involvement with the subject. The sketch is the means
to explore the decisions made in the above check list. Take an experimental
and flexible approach as the sketching process develops.
Will it help to use a pencil drawn frame well within the space available.
Avoid equal distances between shapes and equal lengths of lines wherever
possible. Limit your repetitions of shape to a maximum of three unequal
sizes.
Where is the focal point/centre of interest? The greatest contrasts in tone
or colour are best at the centre of interest
Have I got some secondary areas of interest? Will there be competition from
them or are they going to help keep the viewer’s eye moving round the
picture?
Can I make my focal point interesting in the way I paint it? (Think colour,
sharp edges, high contrast and paint texture.)
Am I prepared to forgo other areas of interest for the sake of my focal point?
If it is a landscape, is there a foreground as well as a middle ground and
background.
Use size, overlap and tonal variation to emphasise distance.
88

No matter how rough the
sketch it has great value in
planning the painting.
Bude back street
89

90
Wells Next the Sea Yacht Club

If your source is predominantly horizontal are there are a few verticals
to relieve it, conversely are there some horizontals to counter a mainly
vertical subject. Diagonals are also useful to add energy.
Avoid equal distances between shapes and equal lengths of lines wherever
possible. Limit your repetitions of shape to a maximum of three unequal
sizes.
What is the range of tones I can see?
By squinting, can I identify the lightest and darkest tone? Watch the balance
of shapes of the same tone across the sketch.
Perhaps use a mid grey toned paper and use white chalk or gouache for the
lighter parts.
What shapes/tones can I merge together?
If using watercolour which whites am I going to reserve?
Make sure that the composition is held together by mid greys where possible.
Watch the balance of shapes of the same tone across the sketch.
How can I organise the mid tones?
Where shall I paint the darkest tones
What detail shall I include and what shall I leave out.
Simplify the shapes and use interesting ones
Are there any things that are going to look peculiar if I draw them exactly
as I see them (Look carefully for objects that line up in an unfortunate way,
for example, a pole that lines up with the edge of a building. We have all
seen photographs of brides with aerials coming out of their heads. We artists
can move things.)
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There is no imperative to move on directly to a painting. You can stop at
this, or at any point.
3 THE PAINTING - A WATERCOLOUR
92
Don't correct as you go along. Wait until the end when it is easier
to assess the impact of passages which have not gone according to
plan.
Open your eyes to see colour. But don't just copy. Use colours that
improve your picture.
Keep detail, tonal contrast, hard edges and bright colour in the
sunlit areas. Dark tones, intense colour and sharp edges come
forward. Light toned areas, soft, fuzzy, broken edges and greyed
colour go back. Lines and hard boundaries attract the viewer's
attention.
Andrew Pitt: http://www.andrewpitt.co.uk/studionotes.html
Start your main painting with a brief line sketch, no shading, no detail.
Put all photos to one side and refer only to your sketches while painting.
Think about the colour scheme you will use, keep it simple. Use mixed pale
greys away from the centre of interest.
Risk an all-over under-painting in broad washes, wet in wet.
Paint the biggest shapes first, afterwards paint the smaller shapes.
Use a one large container of water or if you are disciplined enough use two
smaller containers, keeping one to clean brushes and the other to add water
to mixtures.
Mix three times the amount of paint you expect to use.
In mixtures use the smallest numbers of necessary colours.
Remember all watercolours dry lighter than when first applied.
Keep your colour mixes looking clean and fresh
Choose the largest brush proportionate to the size of the area to covered.
Stay with the larger brushes as long as possible
Keep your colour schemes simple.
Put paint on with decision, not tentatively.

Use as few strokes as possible for each shape.
Use the full belly of the brush. Avoid dabbing.
Refill the brush with colour before it becomes dry.
Put washes on the lightest areas first. These tend to be the largest. Then
work through the mid-tones to the darkest areas.
Reserve the whites by surrounding them with washes in the early stages.
Use mixed pale greys away from the centre of interest.
Allow washes to dry before painting close up to them. This avoids white
lines around the shapes and a lacework appearance.
Paint shapes in different areas of the painting. This avoids accidental bleeding
of one wet colour into another and ensures that you are considering
the picture as a whole.
Show great self-control over minor irregularities in washes. Let them dry.
It may prove to be a happy accident.
Roof Garden Friends’ House
93

Over-painting washes should be done with a very light touch so as not to
disturb the underlying colour.
Only now refer to the original photo for a very reduced and sharply limited
use of detail to finish and stop well before you think you are finished.
When you get near completing your painting avoid looking for
Collyford Devon garden
94

9. COMMERCIALISM
The literature dealing with pictorial art is immense, and most of it
is comparatively recent. Prior to the nineteenth century there were
only three outstanding books on the subject: Vasari's Lives Of The
Painters, first published in 1550; Leonardo da Vinci's Treatise On
Painting, a translated compilation from his note books by Raphael
de Fresne, first published in 1651; and Sir Joshua Reynold's Discourses,
first published in their entirety by Edward Malone in 1797.
All three, it may be noted, are by painters: and all three are literature
of a high order. (Bodkin 1927 P.71)
The whole concept of Fine art has only been around for two centuries, in
1802 Napoleon opened the Louvre to the public, before that the ordinary
man didn’t know what art was. Most of the talk about the philosophy of
art, all of the technical terms, the schools and the jargon date from as late
Little Cornard Shed
95

as the mid 19th century, Ruskin wrote books about it, one of them is on
the book list and I would recommend it to you. Fine art is a modern invention.
A frequent misconception by some amateurs is a belief that somewhere
there are a few secret answers, techniques or wrinkles that they haven’t yet
managed to wrest from the “closed shop of the artists’ club.” These, they
feel in their bones are the keys to ultimate success as well paid popular
artists. This makes them a willing and compliant market for most art material
manufacturers who will happily supply the latest ‘in’ materials or product.
Art is primarily self-education. It proceeds by way of trial and
error. You do not become a painter by graduating from a system of
lessons, but by drawing and painting. If the class, book, or video
spurs you to draw and paint, well and good. (Webb 1990 p.139)
96
Tenby Quay

There is good news in many ways for those who enjoy painting today.
Some artists may hanker for the days of Turner when all paper was handmade
and of excellent quality. What they don’t realise is how expensive it
was then. Before he was famous Turner frequently used commercial wrapping
paper for his sketches, although of good quality it tended to be rather
light and lacking in substance. The preparation of paint was time consuming,
complicated and messy and although in Turner’s time there were a
growing number of artists’ colourmen, the quality of their products was
dubious. Today there is an unprecedented range of best quality materials
marketed for the artist. Many of the modern pigments were unavailable as
little as fifty years ago. Nowadays we have brushes, equipment and permanent
pigments that all artists of the past would have envied.
The difficulty for the painter is making choices of what to buy. There is
no doubt that the art supply industry has not only cashed in on the large
number of retired people who have taken up painting and the arts but also
manufacturers know only too well that a new medium, a new form of pencil,
any new gimmick will be seen as some kind of magic key to excellence and
readily snapped up.
The field has expanded exponentially in an ever increasing market. So
much so that artists’ supply firms will take up whole expensive pages of art
magazines without a thought. One only has to look at a catalogue to see the
plethora of needs that commerce has thought up to supply to those that
didn’t know they needed them. All fancies and superstitions are catered for.
Every need that idiosyncratic art tutors can think up or even imagine has
been catered for.
I can understand the utter confusion of the person making a start in
painting when they open an art catalogue. There are so many brands and
types of everything that is sold. So many makes and types of brush, so many
types of palette and every device under the sun to make life easier or certainly
more complicated. I’ve included specific advice on paints and pigments
in Essay 13, Colour and Paint.
It is not easy for the starting painter to find a useful way of improvement.
Art schools are expensive and may not suit everyone. There are many self-
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appointed “gurus”on the Internet, advice is readily obtainable, much of it
helpful, some didactic, some of it involving commercial promotion and
not always relevant or useful. The difficulty is to find out which is which. I
have benefitted greatly from generous free internet advice and included
references in this book. (see Essay No.1 Influences for more details).
Leisure painters who are conversant with internet technology have opportunities
for creating websites or blogs to display their work. This may bring
sales or commissions but we all need to be aware of the various scams which
involve the artist paying to be included in glossy art books at a hefty price
on the promise of instant fame, they do get a copy of an overpriced volume
in colour with their own page in it but no guarantee of any meaningful
publicity in an overcrowded market.
Some time ago it might have been as long as five years ago I received an
offer by email to buy two of my paintings from a man in Spain. I quoted a
price and he agreed. Like the trusting person that I am I parcelled up the
two paintings and sent them to his home address. Two weeks later I received
my parcel was returned in good condition together with a letter of apology,
regretting that he could no longer afford my paintings as he had lost his job
and so he had regretfully returned them. I was very encouraged by this.
Two years ago I received another offer
by email to buy two my paintings. I
quoted a price which included the cost
of delivery. A few days later I received
a cheque in the post. It seemed to be
issued on a fairly reputable bank albeit
one I hadn't heard of. Still being dubious
I nevertheless took it to my bank
and asked the advice of a bank counter clerk. She advised me to pay it in as
a way to find out if it was genuine.
It proved not to be genuine at all and I was subsequently summoned to
an interview with the manager and accused of attempting to defraud the
bank. He was somewhat mollified and withdrew the accusation when I told
him of the advice I had received.
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Old Court Restaurant
Learning from my experience when, under a similar offer I received a
cheque for £3,800, I took it straight to the police who were very interested,
where it led I was not subsequently informed.
It is perhaps a little cynical to describe the current view by the public as
one of general distrust. There are many reasons but one in particular reflects
the modern separation in taste between the art establishment and that of
the general public. Another is the great increase in commercial opportunity
given by the demand for art materials, instruction and holidays on the part
of the greater number of retired people who are living longer and take up
painting as a hobby.
Nowadays I regard any proposed painting exhibition with a healthy suspicion.
Too often I find that the those running it have so organised it to
present the least possible financial risk to, and the most profitable outcome
for themselves.
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The Royal Academy used to do this in style having a fee for entry, another
for acceptance and hanging, lastly a hefty sales commission on every painting.
To add insult to injury a work had to be delivered on a certain day for
jury consideration and collected on a certain day should it be rejected. This
procedure is still adhered to by The Institute of Painters in Watercolour,
based on The Mall in London, although the Royal Academy along with
most other galleries allows you to enter with a emailed digital representation
of your work.
The sum that a painting fetches at auction or exhibition seems to be the
most common way for the art establishment and the general public to assess
its value.
The public is very interested in the workings of the art business. There
are many television programmes that explore this subject, particularly the
aspects of provenance and origin of a painting, as ways of establishing the
difference between a fake and an original.
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King Street, Knutsford

10. THE QUEST
Dial Lane, Ipswich by St Lawrence Church
THE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
It isn't long before those of us involved in anything creative start to examine
the wellsprings, the impetus, the philosophy and the justification for
doing what we get so much pleasure and satisfaction from.
There are certainly parallels to be drawn between this search and that of
the seeker after truth who looks for the whole justification of human existence.
This could be a religion or at least a code of conduct to adhere to, of
which one is not ashamed.
When we are truly making progress and losing ourselves into painting we
enter a world which seems entirely separate from our everyday experience.
I find that it is similar in fact to the sort of experience I have when I listen
to music which truly stirs me. In fact nowadays my favourite pieces of music
leave me so emotionally stirred I am often moved to tears. This can happen
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when I watch the skill and physical expertise shown in ballet or even productions
which demand a similar amount of control and dedication. For
instance I have the same emotion when I watch Torvill and Dean wonderful
and memorable performance dancing on ice to Ravel’s Bolero.
Compositional know-how gives us a weapon to fight aesthetic
phantoms of doubt, fear, discouragement and apathy. It turns all
the negatives into positives. (Webb 1994 p.131)
Painting is a mindful experience of reality and communicates life.
Through your painting human life is intensified and handed on to
others.(Webb 1991 p. 2)
Art is full of untruths to show us the big truths of life. (Webb 1994 p.
126)
The painter while painting forgets the world (Webb 1994 p.127)
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Old Port, Xania, Crete

TALENT
Of course there is always the perennial remark, usually made over your
shoulder while you are painting or drawing in some public place. “It must
be wonderful to be talented.”
When I was born I wasn't particularly talented art held a fascination
for me, I worked very hard at it and consequently I achieved a
certain standard. People don't say the same thing about professional
musicians, they know that playing a piano is only a matter of
learning and practice, taking exams and improving all the time by
practice. By the time you've reached grade 5 or 6 you have learned
the instrument and you can do the job.
Quoted from Brenda Hoddinott, her site is at www.hoddinott.com A
Canadian representational artist of great accomplishment.
If the word talent is used to describe a set of people who have been given
the touch of a fairy godmother’s wand while still in their cradle, it gives
them an excuse to exclude themselves from art. If anything it rather diminishes
the kudos due to the artist’s individual efforts to improve. It seems to
be so much easier for them, all the favourable advantages seem to be on
their side.
The word Talent is often misunderstood. The world is full of talented
people who will never pursue that which they love, because they
understand talent to be some magical elusive quality, unavailable
to those who weren't born with it. … Some even believe that because
they can't already draw, there is no point in taking drawing
classes or even investigating the learning process of drawing.
Talented artists are often presented to us through movies, television
and media as magical, illusive and mysterious eccentrics. Actually
quite the contrary has been my personal experience … Hoddinott
Talent is actually the self-discovery and acknowledgment that you
possess the ability and motivation needed to become exceptional. It
is an acquired physical or mental aptitude, accessible to everyone
and developed by hard work, patience and dedication.
103

As a professional artist, I have met countless people who will say
“I’d love to be an artist, but I have no talent”… Hoddinott
104
Pashley Manor
Without underestimating the value of talent, it’s not the most
important attribute you need to become a successful artist. It’s not
even second. More important than talent is desire - the willingness
to take the time and make the effort… To paint and paint and
paint until painting becomes almost second nature. But most important
of all is attitude - which is not only the way you approach
your art, but how you view yourself. (Brown 1990 p.124)
THE ROLE OF IMAGINATION
Ruskin shows an interesting modern view of artistic creation.
One should not, Ruskin says over and over again, leave the truth of
visual appearance by one iota, unless directed by the play of imagination.
For it is the imagination, unrestrained by scientific knowledge
or preconceived ideas, which enables the artist to travel

beyond appearance. The works of art which result from the state of
exaltation resulting from knowing the truth of nature's appearances-which
means the artist's own subjective experience and contemplating
these appearances to the point of ecstasy, will not resemble
what we think nature looks like because we shall be seeing it
through another mind, that of the artist. (Ruskin 1857 P.xii)
Both sides of the brain are involved however.
Think before you paint. Painting is a thinking activity as well as a skill,
and this aspect is often overlooked. Andrew Pitt
http://www.andrewpitt.co.uk/studionotes.html
THE APPROACH
Setting a goal within a limited time may work very well within a bullet
journal(an analogue system combining the functions of lists, sketchbook,
notebook, and diary)but even professional artists would agree that it is not
Cromer from the Cliff Path
105

a suitable approach for a painting. An open-minded flexible approach is
more likely to result in success.
I often hear the following statements from those who have just recently
started to learn to paint:
“I started on this painting as a present for my niece’s birthday in four
weeks time.”
“I hope to get this finished by Christmas as a special present for my husband.”
These comments indicate that the painter has a mental image or prior
conception which is unlikely to be realised. Anything tackled under this
kind of pressure is almost always doomed to failure. It shares the same fate
as any painting hampered by the expectation that persistent working will
result in eventual perfection.
Sometimes I say to painters on my courses. “Perhaps you might move
106
Boston Street Market

in this direction, think about trying a new approach.” Sometimes the
reply is, “No that’s my style, that's the way I work and that's the way I see
it.” Even if they are not as direct as that, I know that some will say nothing,
think that any one opinion is as good as any other and later go to find
someone to ask who can confirm them in their own point of view.
MAKING PROGRESS
The great spurt of improvement that takes place once the start into painting
and drawing has been made quickly grows into is almost a sort of
euphoria when what was previously thought of as an unobtainable expertise
becomes the glimmer of a a practical possibility. Providing care is taken to
draw and paint on a regular basis hopefully with also in contact with more
skilled help, improvement is almost guaranteed. Mistakes that are made
are accepted as the price of progress. It takes a long time before any kind
of consistent competence is achieved and this can lead to other problems.
After a while the ability to turn out close to photographic reproduction
is found to be not nearly enough. Comparisons are made with the work of
previously admired artists and it is realised that although the skill is evident,
there is a certain lack of originality, style or individuality there. Artists start
to appeal to one who may offer something extra, a certain panache, a certain
sense of economy of statement which adds up to more than is what is
immediately obvious. The wise onlooker does not need to have every dot
and comma expressed in a painting, the best works appear to offer the
observer an opportunity to fill in the gaps his or herself.
DEVELOPING A PERSONAL STYLE
Style is something that will happen as you become familiar with ---
almost unconscious of — your craft. When your skills become
second nature to you, this inner thing — your own personal style
and vision — will begin to emerge. (Brown 2001 P. 10)
We are all aware of the way that time can stand still once we actually get
into the realities of approaching and actually making a painting. I use the
word making intentionally. As we get beyond the stage of photographic
copying, that is emulating is far as possible sort of reality captured in photographs,
and gaining skill in capturing the process of turning three dimen-
107

sions into two, we then study ways in which we can actually develop a more
personal way of approaching the subject.
ACHIEVING A LOOSE STYLE
Many painters watch demonstrations given by competent artists. They
witness the flow and facility of acquired skill gained through a great deal of
experience. They assume that al that is required is a certain careless and
slapdash approach is all that is necessary. Andrew Pitt offers this useful
advice.
Indeed, very polished watercolours can appear dead - a few “mistakes”
seem to redeem perfect passages and stop them from appearing
slick.
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Honfleur Street

Harwich Seafront
It is therefore vital when painting watercolours not to confuse a
loose appearance with a loose approach.
To achieve that fresh look in your washes it is necessary to analyse
your subject and apply the paint with forethought and restraint.
This means simplifying your subject matter to masses of colour and
tone, deciding what you are going to do, doing it and then leaving
it. For example, while you are watching your washes dry the worst
thing you can do is to start tinkering with them with a wet brush.
Remember, looseness is how you want your watercolour to look,
NOT a description of how you did it.
PAINTING COMPETITIONS
http://www.andrewpitt.co.uk/feature1.html
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Then there are the art competitions run and judged by well-meaning
people who are not themselves painters. Those who win the competition
and have mastered a certain restricted type of picture suddenly, as if by
magic, become professional artists and start to give lessons and workshops.
ON STANDARDS AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
There is a pervasive belief that standards in art are arbitrary and subjective.
“If I like it, you can't argue with that, that's it. I decide what is art.” Today
you hear this attitude quite a lot, principally from the popularised Brit Art
people.
There is the firm conviction, that in some way artists are always trying to
deceive the public. This seems to be strengthened by the sort of value judgements
current in our mammon directed society. The current establishment
(Arts Council) backing of Brit Art and its Conceptual and Performance
philosophy has done nothing to reassure the public that there are any standards
at all.
Ruskin has something relevant to say here:
110
Field View Fordham

Ightham Mote, colour sketch
Only you must understand, first of all, that these powers, which
indeed are honourable and desirable, cannot be got without work.
It is much easier to learn to draw well, then it is to learn to play well
on any musical instrument; but you know that it takes three or four
years of practise, giving three or four hours a day, to acquire even
ordinary command over the keys of the piano, and you must not
think that a masterly command of your pencil, and the knowledge
of what may be done with it, can be acquired without painstaking,
or in a very short time. (Ruskin 1857 P.25)
There are many objective criteria which have existed for many years, they
are judgements and standards which can be applied to most easel paintings
and they are still as valid today as they ever were.
Still remain those early established principles of craftsmanship which date
from the time of the early guilds of artist/craftsmen. these are still maintained
by thousands of practitioners today. The sterling efforts of art clubs
111

York Cafe
112
Behind the Kitchen Quaker Meeting House, Colchester

11. USING THE TECHNOLOGY
All art begins with drawing, some misguided people pander to the lazy
and insist that nowadays with all the convenience of modern devices and
instruments, all one has to do is project a photograph onto the paper and
trace round it to produce a drawing as good as that drawn by a competent
trained artist. There are special projectors that will do just that for you.
They do however cost a great deal of money (up to £650 for a good one).
The sad fact is of course that no matter how steady a hand one has, only a
trained artist will be able to use one properly. Only he will know which lines
will be best to trace, and how to use a natural flowing line instead of a
knitted, tentative approximation. There is no substitute for achieving competence
through hard work and
There are some look at the objects
of nature through glass or transparent
paper or veils and make
tracings on the transparent surface;
and they then adjust their
outlines, adding on here and there
to make them conform to the laws
of proportion and they introduce
chiaroscuro by filling in the positions,
sizes, and shapes of the
113

shadows and lights. These practises may be praiseworthy in him
who knows how to represent effects of nature by his imagination
and only resorts to them in order to save trouble and not to fail in
the slightest particular in the truthful imitation of a thing whereof
a precise likeness is required; but they are reprehensible in him who
cannot portray without them or treatises use his own mind in
analyses, because through such laziness he destroys his own intelligence
and he will never be able to produce anything good without
such a contrivance. Men like this will always be poor and weak in
imaginative work or historical composition.(Leonardo da Vinci
1452 -1519 P.224)
The term comes from the Italian for
Dark Room and its appeal is so great
that it has been expressly built into a
building overlooking a scenic viewpoint.
Examples can be found in San
Francisco, California, Cairngorm National
Park Scotland, also Aberystwyth,
Constitution Hill, Foredown Tower,
Portslade England and Lake Flower,
Saranac Lake, NY
Portable Camera Oscura
114

A prism on a stand may do this, as
shown below. A convex mirror used
within a darkened room will do the same
thing.
Supper at Emmaus, Caravaggio
Mirror in the Alnolfini
Portrait
Starting with that jangling observation,
Mr. Hockney derived a new theory
A Modern Camera Lucida
of art and optics: around 1430, centuries
before anyone suspected it, artists began secretly using cameralike devices,
including the lens, the concave mirror and the camera obscura, to help
them make realistic-looking paintings. Mr. Hockney's list of suspects includes
van Eyck, Caravaggio, Lotto, Vermeer Johannes Vermeer, View of
Delft, c. 1660–1661, canvas, 96.5 x 115.7 cm, Royal Cabinet of Paintings
Mauritshuis, The Hague and of course the maddeningly competent draftsman
Ingres. All of them, Mr. Hockney suggests, knew the magic of photographic
projection. They saw how good these devices were at projecting a
three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface. And they just
could not resist: New York Times 4 December 2000 - Paintings too Perfect?
115

Victorian Epidiascope Modern “Kopycake” projector sold as
an artist’s aid for tracing from a
photograph
The Arnolfini Portrait actually contains
a convex mirror. Canaletto and Guardi probably used the portable
camera oscura with to paint their city landscapes of Venice in such detail.
Forerunners of optical assistance for the artist would include the Episcopes
(epidiascopes).
Until the artist begins to think in line, think of expressing in this
way the thing he wants to say, he has not elevated himself much
beyond his pantograph, projector, or other mechanical devices.
How can he hope to be creative if he depends entirely upon them?
Resorting to the use in place of drawing for self-expression is a
confession of lack of faith in his ability. He must realise that his
own interpretation even if not quite so literally accurate, is his only
chance to be original, to excel a thousand others who also can use
mechanical devices. Even a poor drawing exhibiting inventiveness
and some originality is better than a hundred tracings or projections.
(Loomis 1948 p. 19)
Digital art
116

I cannot agree with the current feeling among many ‘traditional’ artists
that there is nothing to be gained from digital art. There is a great deal of
traditional drudgery that can be avoided by using computers to help me
and I use them wherever I can to make my life easier. See Essay 11 Using
the Technology page p.115.
I do not need to slavishly repeat a sketch that I have already drawn once
if I can scan and print a copy of it. I photograph and scan every painting
so I may have a digital record of my work.
Submission to many exhibitions nowadays is possible digitally and this
avoids to drag of physically delivering a framed painting for judging. Often
having the frame damaged in the process of being manhandles by unskilled
volunteer helpers. Then having to come back again to retrieve it on rejection.
I have tried to use many of the drawing programs with only very limited
success, I find my many years of handling traditional brush and pencil have
given me a control of hand and eye that I cannot adapt to the more rigid
requirements of computer procedures. I can appreciate that those who have
mastered it are perfectly able to duplicate anything that I am capable of.
Rue de Buade Quebec
117

Gorey Castle, Jersey
118
By Henley Farm

12. COLOUR & PAINT
Monastiraki, Athens
Paint consists mainly of two items, pigment and a variety of glue. The
glues used in paint are usually very refined and do not present a problem.
WATER MEDIA
Here are a few notes about the make-up of the various water media in
artist’s quality paint.
The term Water Media includes:
a. Watercolour, this uses gum arabic and perhaps honey
b. Gouache is a pigment mixed with white watercolour paint
c. Tempera, pigment, mixed with glue size). Found in school powder
colour and distemper.
This is also called glue tempera colour and when it is used in the theatre
for painting scenery flats it is known as glue tempera. This paint covers a
119

large area and the glue thickens the pigment and mixes well with white
pigment, it looks well under stage lighting and can also easily incorporate
alum which fireproofs the scenery. Scene painters even today still use this
alongside the newer emulsion paints.
d. Acrylic colour, this is mixed with a form of PVA glue. Acrylic is a more
permanent medium than watercolour and is therefore more stable. As a
paint it can successfully utilise pigments which may be fugitive in watercolour.
Casein paint, mixed with milk is not readily available nor commonly used
today.
PIGMENTS
Pigments are the material which are the means of colouring the paint.
Many pigments used traditionally are unsuitable for the following reasons,
they are either fugitive, reactive when mixed with other colours or very
poisonous.
When I was still at school most authorities in the art field were generally
of the opinion that watercolours were only of use for preparative work, not
being at all permanent and subject to fading. They were substantially right
in this respect as many of the watercolours generally obtainable at that time
were based on traditional natural ingredients, often vegetable, most of which
were not at all long-lasting especially in strong light.
Victorian artists developed the idea of a limited palette as a way of avoiding
the many problems which ensued from the intention of avoiding unfortunate
mixtures and problematic pigments. For instance, Alizarins must not
be mixed with Ultramarine and Prussian Blue and Vermilion don’t mix.
It seems strange to me that some artists do not fully understand this and
cling to the idea of a limited palette as some kind of spartan ideal to be
sought after in painting.
Many artists from Georgian times onward have sought to extend the
durability of their watercolours by mixing them with white, especially those
which were known to be fugitive, effectively to paint in gouache. This proved
to be so and many good examples can still be seen today.
These problems meant that when I went to college I was advised not to
use watercolours except for preparatory sketches. It wasn’t until cadmiums
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Wharfedale Farm III
became widely used and affordable that watercolour started to offer any
degree of permanence, before then you couldn’t get a decent red.
The most notable of these unsuitable pigments were Chrome Yellow
(Lead), Naples Yellow (true, Lead), Gamboge (organic), The madders (coal
tar or organic alizarin), crimson lake (from shellac) and carmine (from
cochineal) happily these do not seem to be used by manufacturers nowadays.
Confusion can arise when some traditional colour names are still used
today. In the case of vermilion, the original colour contained mercury
therefore it is usually substituted by one of the new quinacridone pigments.
The traditional pigments, emerald green, together with orpiment and realgar
contained arsenic and copper oxide, this had interesting quality of destroying
most other colours in mixtures. Today if the name is used it usually
consists of a mixture of newer, safer pigments.
Alizarin Red is still sold as a durable watercolour yet it fades in washes
quite badly, indigo (organic) prussian blue (prussic acid base), fades in
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Corner of Henley Farm
bright light although it is also still available. It may regain some of its colour
after being kept in a dark place but this cannot be relied upon. This is now
replaced by phalo Blue, a much more stable pigment.
Luckily the earth colours, umbers, siennas and ochres are refined iron
oxides, very stable and therefore permanent. Untypically of pigments, the
black colours have been proved over time to be extremely durable in spite
of them deriving from vegetable and animal sources,.
Largely due to the researches carried out by the motor industry many
new pigments have been carefully developed. As they were designed that
way they are particularly effective in resisting ultraviolet light. Also through
the same research has produced the re-refined Coal tar colours, previously
unreliable are now, as the Azo colours, far more durable. This together with
Phthalocyanines, the Quinacridones and the Perylenes have proved to be
a much more reliable set of colours for the watercolourist than has ever
been produced before for the artist.
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POISONOUS PIGMENTS
Orpiment is a form of arsenic sulphide, orange yellow in colour, naturally
forming from another yellow pigment realgar. Usually found naturally in
volcanic areas and very widely used in mediaeval times as a permanent
yellow.
Beware of soiling your mouth with it lest you suffer personal injury.
(Cellino Cellini, 1437, On Orpiment)
Emerald Green, copper aceto-arsenic, widely used as a green pigment in
Victorian times for wallpaper. This was said to be one of the contributory
reasons for Napoleon´s death on St. Helena.
Flake white was always made of white lead, very poisonous, also it reacts
badly with natural reds, cobalts and cadmiums. Painters who have grown
up with this dangerous pigment have said that it has no equal as an opaque
white. Usually it is replaced nowadays by titanium white.
Giallorino – Yellow volcanic pigment contains lead, used in the middle
ages.
Cinnabar red and Vermilion these both contain mercuric sulphide, both
are poisonous.
Cadmiums are extremely poisonous, if ingested can lead to renal failure.
Hilaire Hiler says that cadmiums should not be mixed with Prussian Blue
or Emerald Green but nowadays both of the latter have been usefully supplanted
with more stable colours. (Hiler 1937 p.213)
I´ve tried to find the origin of this particular rhyme without success,
however it does describe the situation exactly.
Little girl
Box of paints
Sucked the brush
Joined the Saints
Phthalo green and blue colours, these are very stable and permanent.
They will produce prussic acid when mixed with hydrochloric acid, phthalocyanate
blue is used as chemical indicator in chemistry laboratories so
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happily it is much more likely to happen accidentally there than on a
painter´s palette.
HISTORICAL TALES
There are plenty of tales told about traditional pigments and these include
the following:
Indian Yellow was made from the urine of cattle that had been fed on
mangoes. Sometimes used as a name but now replaced by a pigment mixture.
Sepia used to be made from Cuttlefish ink, again replaced by a mixture.
Caput Mortum was said to be from ground up mummies, an ample supply
was available from Egypt.
Porphery Red from ground up Porphery marble and Potter´s Pink from
ground up ceramic glaze an both incidently very permanent. On a similar
note, Smalt is from Ground Glass
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Arundel, Sussex

We have all heard about Joshua Reynolds and his enthusiastic adoption
of Bitumen mixed with his dark colours and the disastrous consequence of
it creeping away down the canvas.
Turner used sheep casings to keep his mixed oil colours in. Then in 1841
the American portrait painter John Goffe Rand invented the squeezable or
collapsible metal tube. This enabled plein Aire painting at last.
Winsor & Newton and Lefranc & Bourgeois were the first to manufacture
oil paint in metal tubes.
A scientific examination of Turner’s paint box, preserved in the
Tate Gallery Archives, was done in 1954. It revealed an eclectic
variety of old and new, conventional and unconventional pigments
(Hanson 1954, 162-173).
Many historians have discussed Turner as an artist of great imagination
and have also emphasized his total lack of concern for
craftsmanship or the preservation of his finished works. Damage
Knutsford Station
125

126
had occurred to his work in his own lifetime, particularly the
problem of fading. Winsor and Newton recorded a conversation
that Turner had with them. Winsor had noticed that Turner was
frequently purchasing fugitive colors from him and one day he
reproved Turner about this practice. Turner replied, "Your business
is to make colours…mine is to use them" (Pavey 1984, p.19).
Turner’s palette included the new pigments chrome yellow and
orange, cobalt blue, iodine scarlet, barium yellow, carbon black
and Turner’s yellow. Many red lake colors were also found including
one that was made in an unconventional way and was extremely
fugitive (Hanson 1954, 162-173). Turner was apparently as
unconcerned about the permanence of his palette as he was about
the protection of his finished works. (N.W. Hanson 1954 pp.162-163)
Turner was, and Rosetti is, as slovenly in all their procedures as
men can well be; but the result of this was, with Turner, that the
colours have altered in all his pictures, and in many of his drawings;
and the result of it with Rosetti is, that though his colours are
safe, he has sometimes to throw aside work that was half done, and
begin all over again. (Ruskin 1837 p.137)
MAKING WATERCOLOURS
1. Put a small amount of pigment on a ground glass slab and pour one
part sugar solution and glycerine decided mixed with two or three parts of
ox gum and ox gall.
2. Use a knife to draw the pigment into the mixture.
3. Work the pigment into the placed; and distilled water if too stiff.
4. Grind the mixture with a glass muller.
5. Scrape up and press into a small tin; allow to dry.
BUYING WATERCOLOUR PAINTS
I often come across misleading advice given in books and unfortunately
overhear painters themselves saying how they love using a particular colour.
It is often one that is unreliable in performance, sometimes even completely
fugitive. Colour manufacturers have ways of selling expensive tubes of

colour under different names yet they basically containing the same pigment
or perhaps selling them under a traditional name yet formulating them to
an approximate match with a mixture of pigments. The best colours are
reliable ones made from single dependable pigments. Nobody needs colours
made from mixtures that can be made by oneself, except perhaps for personal
convenience and with the full knowledge of what goes into them.
For the best advice before buying your watercolours I suggest that you
first trust the excellent advice offered by Bruce MacEvoy on his website
handprint.com (http://tinyurl.com/djzpxo).
Not only does he give you a list of permanent colours that can be relied
upon but he also tells you the exact colour name to buy and which particular
colour maker to buy them from.
The most comprehensive source I have found online giving all current
technical information about pigments and their properties is the Color of
Art Pigment Database at: http://tinyurl.com/jcsomfr
It includes much information, useful to the commercial world although
many might find it hard to follow.
Sherringham
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Back Yard View, Fordham
128
Galway Port, Connemara

13. MY INNOVATIONS
Possibly because traditional painting is a hands-on experience, most
artists both professional and amateur are often drawn to the practical. I
am no exception to this rule and have spent some of my time in devising
small solutions to practical problems. They frequently devise small inventions
or gadgets as a way of making their life easier. Often this is in order
to overcome the drawbacks of using equipment designed by people who
are not painters themselves and therefore are not fully aware that there may
be better solutions than their own designs.
My prototype was put together with card and masking tape but the intention
was that the final gadget would be cast in injected plastic. The situation today
is somewhat different with the advent of 3D printing and it is now quite
feasible to have it made on a one-off basis.
A PLASTIC BRUSH GUARD
All artists have the problem of keeping the hairs of their brushes in good
condition. When new brush manufacturers protect by use of a plastic cylinder
which fits across the hairs and onto the ferrule. These are usually a
tight fit and replacing them often means that some of the hairs are trapped
in the process which rather defeats the object.
My design consists of a stiff cylinder attached to a conical one. It is made
from cardboard, bound with masking tape. The brush is entered into the
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wide cylinder handle first and then upended so that the end of the handle
emerges from the conical cylinder. Pulling this further into the gadget makes
the handle wedge tighter into the cone thereby keeping the hairs of the
brush safely inside the larger cylinder. Several sizes need to be made to cope
with the various brush sizes. Those one or two numbers smaller may fit
inside that designed for the larger depending on the design of the handles.
I tried to pass on this design to ProArte but they politely declined. I
haven’t tried any other brush manufacturer as yet with this idea.
When sitting on a folding stool to paint outdoors I had a great deal of
trouble in keeping everything within easy reach on the floor and not tipping
over on uneven ground. I designed and built this useful board to hook on
to the metal parts of the stool. The board was cut from ordinary three-ply
into which a hole was bored to exactly fit a water pot which was a kitchen
tupperware container that had a convenient lip on it. Being tupperware it
also had a useful waterproof sealing lip so that I could carry the water in
my rucksack without it spilling. The clips came from an electrician’s supply
store which were designed for fixing metal 5/8" cable-carrying metal tubes
to a wall. The brass corner plates were made to strengthen picture frames
with loosening mitre corners.
I later drilled another hole in the board so another plastic cup could be
accommodated to carry my brushes without bending the hairs. I could paint
while holding watercolour paper masking taped to a three-ply drawing
board, proof
against gusting
winds. At the
same time I was
and able to dip
my brush pick
up paint and use
a mixing palette,
all with just my
right hand. This
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This is a corner plate for
picture frames bolted to
a plastic pipe clamp
arrangement served me well for many years and
proved particularly handy when I was bundled up in
a greatcoat during cold weather.
I have always been aware of how weighty the traditional whole and half
pan watercolour paint boxes are. It is after all made of pressed tin plate and
in order to house the watercolour pans it usually has an inner rack also of
tinplate. Another problem with them is, in order to hold reasonable selection
of them in one paint box, they are set too close together to allow the
use of a large watercolour brush to enable large quantities of washes to be
mixed. Artists very often solve this problem by going over to tubes and
using a mixing palette which has compartments in it that can hold squeezed
out paint. This has a slight drawback as it does mean that there is less space
left for actual mixing.
I thought hard about this and decided that all I had to do was to devise
a paint box using lighter materials and with larger spaces for the paint.
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Aircraft modellers solve the weight problem by
using balsa wood, this was available I knew
from model shops in many different sizes. I
decided that this was the way to go. For the
dividers I thought that ½" x ¾" strip would be
ideal. They could stretch the whole width in
one piece. However the verticals would have
to exactly the height of the individual compartments
and they would all have to be the same
length. To ensure this I made a jig from scrap
the hinge
wood to fit into a vise. Having decided
on the final size of each compartment (1¼" x 1¾")
I made a former to insure that the spaces between the short
the jig pieces would stay the same. For the outer parts of the box
I
could use stout greyboard. The final item required was a template
of wood and plywood to hold the box as it was being assembled.
I think that the drawing and the photographs show the method quite
well. The greyboard was cut oversize but with the top left corner absolutely
at right angles to sit snugly inside the
template. The first horizontal strip was cut to
be the full length of the card, being long
the former
enough to allow for the width of the strips
and the number of compartments required.
The bottom edge of the strip was stuck firmly
to the top edge of the base cardboard. I used
evo-stick carpenter’s PVA glue generously
throughout because there is a certain amount of absorption in both balsa
and card surfaces. I then cut many short lengths from the strips for the
vertical pieces. I stuck each of these in place, using the spacer for each to
keep them at 90∙ making sure that the end which butted against the horizontal
strip was also well glued. Six of these made five equal sized spaces.
The bases of these were now formed with a long strip the same size as the
first one I stuck down.
This process was repeated until I finished up with base of a 15 compartment
very lightweight paint box. There was a certain amount of trimming
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the template

for which I used a fine dovetail saw on the projecting
balsa and a craft knife for the cardboard.
I then cut and attached a lid of grey board as a
lid which I attached with a cloth hinge which
allowed the lid to be either fully closed or to tuck
away tidily beneath the box when it was in use.
It did need painting to be water resistant and I
gave it a generous coating all over with acrylic white paint followed by two
coats of yacht varnish.
This is what it looks like now, a little grotty and
well used but still very serviceable nonetheless.
After the necessary
drying time and filling
from tube paint it became
a useful paint
box which has served
me well for many
years. I have made several
of these for
friends. And some developments
to the design
to accommodate
more colours but otherwise
the pattern has proved very successful over time. This design has proved
very successful with many painters.
Here is an account of something I designed some years ago which has
made demonstrating watercolour painting to art clubs and societies into a
far more pleasant experience for myself and also for my audiences, a ne
experience for many.
They say that plagiarism is the most sincere form of flattery and I was
very pleased to note that similar equipment and setups had been adopted
by the art societies I have lectured to before.
I got the idea from attending a number of talks given by WEA lecturers
where they were using a PowerPoint demonstration running on a laptop
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computer connected to projector which in turn projected
onto a screen.. This seemed to be a great improvement
upon the traditional use of a slide or an
overhead projector.
Then the idea came to me that it should be possible
to connect a projector directly to a video camera.
the kopykake projector
That way an audience could see a close-up of a practical
art demonstration in real time. Having a few
pounds in my account at the time I arranged a demonstration of this idea
with the manager of a Sony outlet using a Sony super eight handycam and
one of their modest projectors. I was very pleased to find out that my idea
was entirely practical and offered a unique way of dealing with a watercolour
demonstration. I bought both items of equipment.
Up to that time I had coped, as many others had with the situation of
painting 1/2 Imperial watercolour on paper attached to a board standing
on a studio easel. This of course entailed a demonstration with my back to
the audience most of the time. Also the vertical is not the best way of tackling
a watercolour. Each session started with the audience asking whether I was
right handed or left so that they knew which was the best side to sit on.
Using this sort of a system would offer a unique opportunity of being
able to work at a table facing the audience, perhaps with a table easel and
the video camera at the side, feeding to a projection on to a screen or the
wall behind me. This way I could address the audience directly face to face
as I worked and at the same time give them a good view.
It didn't take long to realise that the usual way of mounting a video camera
was on a tripod and this was not a very efficient way of displaying what I
was drawing or painting upon the table.
I then remembered when in Philadelphia, seeing a watercolour painting
demonstration given by Frank Francese from Colorado while seated at a
table. Above him, at an angle of 45°, a large mirror was suspended so that
the facing audience could see everything that he was doing. As he was using
a fairly large sheet of paper the image was not too small to be readily viewed
by the audience.
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The best solution therefore was to arrange
some way of suspending the video
camera pointing downwards above
where I was working. I then used a great
deal of time trying to investigate the possibility
of buying a means of doing just
that. For a long time it seemed that there
was no possible ways of doing this using
normal photographic equipment, no matter
how esoteric.
Sometime before I had purchased a
Kopykake projector, this was a device
intended for the catering trade. It was
used for projecting a drawing downwards
onto the top of a cake in order to decorate
it. It used the old epidiascope principle,
that is a strong light source shining against a 45° mirror to project the
reflected image downwards. It threw a rather weak image and prove quite
unsuitable for tracing a drawing properly although that was the purpose
for which it was sold.
But the stand which carried the projector
offered a distinct possibility. It
was formed of two tubes, the upper sliding
inside the other fixed to a sturdy
base. The fixed tube was fitted with a
clamp at the top so that the height could
be variably adjusted. It would need quite
a bit of adaptation before it was capable
of carrying a cine camera. Luckily a top
of the stand was conveniently bent into
the horizontal.
I had a little expertise in metalwork
and I was able to design and subsequently
make an extension tube which fitted
into the end of the stand. To this was
135

attached several other pieces of metal
that had to be specially fashioned
to allow adjustment. This allowed
me to mount the camera in the best
position, that is, pointing downwards.
For a while I used a drawing board
to work upon but I was able to improve
upon this by constructing a
light wooden platform which sat
above the platform of the stand and gave me an extensive surface upon
which to work.
As all cine cameras have a zoom lens I have been able to work on a small
quarter Imperial sized watercolour which projects to a comfortably large
size so that the audience may get a close-up of every brush stroke as I was
painting it. I have happily used this arrangement for some years now being
in the best position for facing the audience as I spoke to them and giving
them the best possible view, even from the back of the hall.
136
Back street in Paros

14. PAINTING TODAY
What are the Factors that Influence Painting Today? A good question,
such a good one that it probably leads to a great red herring, namely a long
dissertation on Contemporary Art. I don’t think there has ever been such
a state of confusion about art as there is now.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF PAINTING?
Georges Braque was reluctant to probe too deeply into his art:
“There are certain mysteries, certain secrets in my own work which
even I do not understand, nor do I try to do so … The more
one probes the more one deepens the mystery: it’s always out of
reach.
Mysteries have to be respected if they are to retain their power. Art
disturbs: science reassures.” (The Observer, interview by John Richardson,
1 December 1957).
I can’t help thinking that this sort of reference to “disturbs” has contributed
to the current conviction that if art does not disturb, i.e. does not
shock, it has no validity. Puttfarken offers an another view.
It is a view widely held by connoisseurs of contemporary ‘cuttingedge-art’
that the easel picture has had its day. There has even been
talk of the death of painting, or the end of art. According to this
view the easel picture has been the norm of Western painting for
too long, and its limiting conditions, explored and exploited for
several centuries, could no longer be expected to yield exciting new
art.
... even today it is almost certainly the case that there are more easel
painters around than fresco painters, performance artists, mosaicists
or conceptualists, etc., yet by definition their work is regarded
by most of the critical establishment as traditional and staid. And
to the extent to which the view implies a prediction for the future –
that the easel picture is doomed altogether – it would probably be
137

wise to treat such a claim with the
same caution as other forecasts of
similar nature: Puttfarken 2000 p.3.
Since Renaissance times the printing
industry has made many changes, colour
printing is ubiquitous and much cheaper.
The general public is now very familiar
with coloured illustrations, television and
film.
We all live in an airbrushed world, all
advertising consists nowadays completely
of photographs which represent a world
which does not exist. Or rather only in
the minds of advertising executives. At
one time, before the age of the computer,
messing about with photographs was a
Sudbury boat
highly craft orientated business and took
a long time to learn. Nowadays every photograph is so manipulated that it
is easy to fall into the trap of comparing it with one's visual experience and
finding the latter sadly inferior. When we think about it for a moment we
will realise that not every road is completely free of traffic or that every
model’s skin is completely flawless.
Because photography is so much part of everyone’s visual experience
photographs now represent a sort of unstated common graphic truth to
most people. Before photography was so universally experienced there was
a saying, “the camera cannot lie.” This was not strictly true then as is easy
to find out now, but to take liberties with photographs required a great deal
of skilful work and expertise to carry out. Advertising now makes such
extensive use of this type of photograph alteration that it becomes difficult
to associate their world with reality. One longs to be able to see models with
moles and wrinkles, mirrors with fingerprints and backyard patios with
unswept fallen leaves.
Whatever we today think of it as a criterion of artistic quality,
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life-likedness was the greatest praise the Renaissance would bestow
upon a painting: Puttfarken 2000 p.8.
THE CRITICS & THE GALLERIES
The media cannot be left out as a factor when we look at the matter of
public taste today.
Art Galleries are often ostentatious and uncomfortable venues and
the critics have developed the language of Artspeak to further
confuse the public. When those same critics and media hail human
excrement, random blobs of paint on a canvas, and garbage as
great works of art, we are often left scratching our heads, amused
yet puzzled. We are encouraged to believe that these artworks are
the result of talent, and of course when we don’t understand these
artworks, this further reinforces the theory that talent itself is
magical, elusive and not within the grasp of ordinary people: -
Brenda Hoddinott Understanding Talent.
Although Thomas
Bodkin was writing
in 1927, his comments
about critics
are no less applicable
today than they
were then.
When the critic
is content to be
no more than a
panegyrist,
when the
painter descends
to self-
Tuscan Village
advertisement, we should regard them with the deepest suspicion:
Bodkin 1954 p.168.
However he does somewhat moderate this view when he warns against
a rush to judgement, what starts as an attempt to classify or define what is
139

or is not art can develop into a set of inflexible rules which limit those who
make them, than act as a pressure upon those who it is intended to influence.
Too many people, educated and tolerant in other respects, are
ready to reject a picture on the briefest scrutiny. Charles Morgan
gave a salutary warning to the rash censor when he wrote: “There
are pictures to which he can discover no response. in himself. They
seem to have no genuine impulse within them., to be but tired
picture-making or, at the opposite extreme, to seek only to astonish
groundlings. He is tempted to use of the two words that are, of all,
the most perilous criticism: ‘dishonest’, ‘insincere’—words that are
seldom justified, for the great labour of art is not lightly undertaken.
It is better to say: ‘I do not understand this man yet’, to pass on
without condemning him”… to harden one’s heart against a genuine
artist is one of those sins which strike at the whole good of the
world.” Bodkin 1927 p.179.
That does not mean that we should give none but favourable judgements.
Discrimination must be shown before we can fully enjoy any good thing.
140
In 1927 Thomas Bodkin anticipated the possible mood of the present day
public towards new directions
in art and
their reluctance to give
an opinion at all.
Holt Patio
Unwonted art is
never speedily
popular. So it happened
that the innovations
of
Constable, Delacroix,
Millet, Whistler,
Manet, and

Monet were, on her
first appearance created
with ribald
scorn. When this folly
became patent to
all, the public seems
to have become
afraid to criticise adversely
any new
movement whatever:
Bodkin 1927 p.172
He then quotes the two
reviewers below.
Cromer seafront
In a review on a book of Plates of Edward Manet’ s paintings dated 1912,
Jean Laran & George le Bas wrote the notes for the plates and about Plate
XV, La Bonne Pipe they referred to the scornful laughter his paintings
received when they were first exhibited privately after rejection from a
Universal Exhibition by the French Academy in Paris.
We are paying for that laughter now. Whenever we are presented with
the miserable extravagance of some poor artist who sets the public
giggling, there arises a cautious critic to remind us of those who make
fun of Courbet and Manet. On the argument will remain unanswered
for a long time, being supported by innocent snobs and clever speculators
who know what they are about.: - Jean LaraDelacroixn & George le
Bas, 1912 p.30.
Galleries nowadays often supply audio guides to special paid for keynote
exhibitions and sets of earphones are supplied to deliver them. They usually
come free in European galleries but typically, in England, they usually carry
an extra charge. They do provide a commentary by an art historian. However
they are principally designed to ensure that each exhibit is viewed in
a particular order and therefore speed the customer through as quickly as
141

possible. Nothing is missed but the last exhibit leads one conveniently to
the exit. I don’t think I am popular in these kind of shows, I like to choose
my own pattern of viewing and often need to go back to compare pictures
I may have seen once before.
Once I went to an art show at Tate Britain and I was talking to my wife
about one of the paintings when I was severely taken to task by a lady visitor,
apparently the earphones she was wearing were not loud enough and I was
speaking too loudly for her to hear clearly. I was taken aback but to my
shame I apologised and only later I regretted having done so.
Another most significant factor affecting art galleries is the growth of IT.
It was possible to see the writing on the wall as soon as reproductions of
famous paintings became readily available printing was so refined that very
often a major part of our artistic experience was achieved through reading
books containing colour reproductions of famous paintings. Today, owing
to the existence of computers this facility to reproduce pictorial work is
now universal and everybody now has the ability to duplicate pictures very
exactly indeed. This has also resulted in the reality that a great deal of the
mystique and special quality of an original work of art has been dissipated
in the very multiplicity of the copies of it which may be made. It is so easy
to obtain a copy, a very good copy of the original. Nowadays therefore the
undertaking of a pilgrimage to see the original seems to be a far less likely
outcome.
142
Tuscan abstract landscape
THE ART RE-
NEWAL CENTER
The Art Renewal Center
(ARC) which started
in 2007, is an organization
led by New Jersey
businessman, and art collector
Fred Ross that is
dedicated to the promotion
of what it terms classical
realism in art, as

opposed to the Modernist and Postmodernist developments that may be
seen as early as the 1890s. The Art Renewal Center is very scathing, in
interminable detail about non-realistic art.
The Twentieth Century was a disaster for art instruction, which
degenerated into what amounted, at most colleges and universities,
to no more than indoctrination to the modernists’ party line, masquerading
as education; a farce and a fraud. Several generations of
would-be artists were tremendously discouraged by what was happening
in the art departments of the educational institutions
from the time of World War II onward, and were seriously handicapped,
at the very least, in the pursuit of their goals to become
capable artists in the true sense of the word. Art has suffered
mightily from this travesty.
It is now a new century, a new millennium, and time for the
Twentieth Century and the worst aspects of it to be relegated to past
tense. Let the ridiculous notions regarding art that characterized
the past century be restricted to
that century. It is time for something
better. Only with mastery of
one’s medium is there any realistic
possibility of artistic freedom,
of creative expression, and of the
attainment of excellence in the
Fine Arts of drawing, painting
and sculpture. These doors are not
open to anyone lacking the skills
and perceptive powers necessary
to communicate his or her inspired
visions to the intended audience
in a comprehensible way.
Without a solid grounding in the
basics, effective communication
through art is impossible. Thus it
Poplar Nurseries
143

is of the utmost importance for serious aspiring artists to study
where the basics are taught in a time-tested and proven manner:
Bill Whittaker. https://www.artrenewal.org/pages/ateliers.php
Art was destroyed in the twentieth century and it is a devilish thing.
Cutting edge art since the end of the Victorian era has been designed
to shock people. As people have become more and more
inured,
modern art has gone to great lengths to maintain its shock value.
For the most part, the “great artists” of the twentieth century have
completely rejected traditional art in favor of an abstract impressionism
that is absurd sometimes
even to the artists themselves.
According to the
Art Renewal Centre the
rot began with the Impressionists
and there is
some value to this as an
argument. The Impressionists
were driven by an
idea which grew from
Ightem Mote
their experiences with
photography and the effects
of light. They were slavishly attached to appearance and
tended to ignore many of the rules of Composition which had been
recognised for centuries. They inhabited a sort of culde-sac which
condemned them to a particular lack development of pointillism
which became soulless in the extreme: Bill Whitaker
http://ldsmag.com/article-1-1329/
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Throughout the whole history of painting there has been active opposition
to anything which opposes or suggests changes from the established view
of excellence in art, to say that this was closely accompanied by an already
established financial interest may have some bearing on the matter.
The earliest critical authority on art I can establish was written by Giorgio
Vasari in his book - the lives of the artists , to give its full title -The Lives of
the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, from Cimabue to
Our Times. This was principally to establish the superiority of Florentine
painters against all others. This work is particularly noted for its complete
ignoring of the whole of the Venetian school from Cimabue onwards.
There is a large list of the many painters that were denigrated and belittled
when their works were first seen in public and this started well before the
Impressionists. This includes Durer, Botticelli, El Greco Vermeer, Rembrandt,
Boucher, Fragonard, Watteau, David, Delacroix, Hogarth and
Turner. All you will note before the Impressionists. Ruskin’s attack on Whistler
is well documented, also that of Sir
Alfred Munnings and his 1949 attack
on Picasso and Matisse. There have
been many more current examples that
I could draw your attention to: The
Stuckists and their manifesto.
http://www.stuckism.com/manifest.ht
ml,
Charles Harris & The Association Embracing
Realist Art.
https://realistart.wordpress.com/ are
two.
CONCEPTUAL ART
From the 1960s this term was coined
to include in the art world a set of ideas,
encouraged by financial interests based
upon the whimsies of Duchamps and
later by Rauschenberg. It’s far reaching
influence backed by the Tate Gallery
Cambridge Alley
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and it’s Turner
Prize has been almost
wholly accepted
today.
Galleries traditionally
have stayed
with the idea of presenting
framed pieces
of two
dimensional art and
many still do only
that. The expansion
Collieston, Aberdeen
of the scope of the
gallery to encompass
presentations of assemblages of objects is a comparatively recent extension
into the province of the American art museum. This is emphasised
by the inclusion of huge collections of three dimensional objects far beyond
the idea of the small sculpture.
The idea that there is such a thing as Conceptual Art has encouraged the
idea that there are no such things as standards in art. Anyone’s opinion is
as good as anyone else’s and nobody can claim to be an expert in it.
The Guardian printed a wry commentary on this:
Conceptual art putatively means art with an idea behind it, the
problem is all art has an idea behind it otherwise it would be called
cartoon, porn or an advert. Consequently the word has a sub
meaning which is art that doesn’t readily look terribly skilled or
attractive whose worth must therefore reside in something else such
as an idea. For the scathing this translates as “my five year old
could have done that.” (They rarely have a five year old and are
using a fictional unborn as rhetorical tool.) Scathers react like this
because they feel they are being duped into admiring something on
the basis that if they don’t it’s because there is a concept eluding
them. i.e. they are not clever enough. If conceptual art were replaced
with “not obviously skilled or attractive”, doubters would
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feel less defensive leaving them to embrace the art as part of life’s
rich tapestry although perhaps a not very skilful tapestry, more like
a macrame: Zoe Williams The Guardian, 6 April 2002
Tracey Emin’s work received the following comment:
She is keen on the Tory Party and has become Professor of Drawing
at the Royal Academy. She even travelled to New York for a course
of drawing lessons. It should be explained that she took the lessons
as a pupil rather than as a teacher. Oddly for a Professor of Drawing,
she felt she needed to be told how to draw. Her sexually charged
show at the White Cube, which includes numerous paintings,
sculptures and a few large items of embroidery, has prices ranging
from £17,000 to £220,000: Quentin Letts, 17 October 2014 Daily Mail
Here is the opinion however of artists whose work and whose common
sense I admire.
A bold con job has been inflicted upon the visual arts: Bad art is
Good Art and Good Art is looked upon with disdain. This deceit is
based on several factors, among them, a multitude of art institutions
pandering to many students’ desire for fast results with little
effort. Into this vacuum have sprung experimental and “personal”
art. Old principles are thought of as to restricting of the artist’s
inner feelings (The diddle here is that we dare not criticise, for how
can we possibly judge the artist’s soul?) So art critics and dilettante
is more than happy to underwrite this unlikely group, where anything
“expressed” is fine, and the more obscure the better: Brown
1990 p.12
My take is it’s not really the suckered patrons who are the biggest
victims here. Our society as a whole is being debased. By taking art,
the manifestation of the soul of our culture, and replacing it with a
cynical system that exists only to enhance egos and bank accounts,
we’re undermining the quality of everyone’s shared existence. The
self-serving attitude of big-money art world participants is a public
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disgrace, and it’s about time they
were made to feel it. As a society
we need to speak out, and
stripped the prestige away from
the nihilistic expensive hack work
our institutions have bought into
supporting.
Once those who support status
symbol art financially stop feeling
like a lionised patrons, and instead
feel like the dupes they are,
the art world will start undergoing
some long overdue reformation.
Richard Bledsoe 24 June 2014, On con-
Scheregate Steps, Colchester
Costa Coffee, Stratford on Avon
148

Marino’s Charlotte St. London
Rose & Crown Wivenhoe
149

St. Mary at the Walls, Colchester Arts Centre
150
Pin Mill looking West

VISION PROBLEMS
15. MY STORY
This is a photograph of me aged three. The fiendish squint is obvious to
everyone. This was classified as a lazy eye. When I was six I had an operation
to shorten the outer muscle of the left eye which physically pulled the eye
straight. For something like forty years my eyes pointed straight ahead, as
I got older the outer muscle of my left eye started to shrink, my eye slowly
began to move outwards and I now have
a divergent squint.
EARLY YEARS
Every Year our family went “home” for
Christmas. Home was where both my parents
originated, they were Geordies. This
was a ritual that held good always, the pilgrimage
was obligatory, every time it had
to include the mandatory visit to each of
the relations. We were always welcomed,
the visit invariably entailed tea and afterwards
the necessary socialising which to a
child went on for an unconscionable time.
However sat at a parlour table with paper
and pencil the time would while away
quite pleasantly for me.
At home, especially in the evenings I would sit over an exercise book all
evening, listening to the wireless and drawing, purely from the imagination
afterwards I would be able to associate each set of drawn lines with the
individual events of the play as they developed.
I suppose like many other children I had a time when I used to copy from
comics but mostly I remember being prompted to illustration by the lessons
I had at school and the books that I voraciously read. The results of these
efforts have long since been lost.
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I have been told about an incident at my infants school when a friend
and I had purloined some chalk from a blackboard and were busily drawing
on a school wall. The teacher on duty approached and my friend ran off, I
was the one, so absorbed in the drawing that I was caught and told off.
In the scholarship class at my junior school we had a most enlightened
teacher. He was daring enough to allow us to set up a still life, paint and
use pastels, something not attempted by many teachers, they were too messy
to control and liable to make a mess.
A great moment came the time the young lady student teacher was allowed
to teach us for her school practice. She was slim and pretty and years younger
than any teacher we had at the school. She had wonderful red hair, was
beautifully dressed, her name was Miss Adams and she was sparkling and
enthusiastic. She had come to teach us Nature Study one afternoon a week
for a term. She was so kind and pleasant and even softened the heart of our
own form teacher, we were allowed to bring things in for the Nature Table
and draw and paint them in our exercise books. All of our class of 30 scruffy
11 year old boys loved her to distraction.
When I was a boy books were very expensive. Colour illustrations were
rare and modern full colour printing was beyond imagining. and I was a
frequent visitor to the wonderful Carnegie Library near my home. My
mother didn’t use her the four non-fiction tickets for the adult library but
I was more than ready to take advantage of them together with the two
fiction tickets I had for the children’s library.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
I won a scholarship to a grammar school and attended Latymer Upper
School, Hammersmith until I was 16. It was only later that I discovered that
the head was one of the Headmasters' Conference therefore the school was
officially a "Public School." True to the best traditions the discipline was
maintained almost entirely by the prefects.
It is not surprising that my art education was sadly lacking during this
time, being generally thought of as not being truly "manly". The two young
art teachers were straight from art school, both with no professional teaching
qualification at all. It didn't take me long to realise that they were mainly
concerned with keeping us busy while they attended to their own painting.
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As I was fairly competent at drawing they did show a slight interest in me
but neither I, nor any of my class profited from any real teaching at all. I
did however manage to get art at GCE, "O level".
THE POST-WAR YEARS
The passing of the years allows one to see how the various changes in
society affect the views of the public.
I remember most vividly how I first experienced the painting that was
going on as I grew up. Living in London I was able to see the work in the
Tate Gallery while still an adolescent. The main publication which had any
colour at all in it was “The Studio”.
At that time books were very dear and I blessed the Carnegie Library near
my home.
Colour illustrations were also rare and modern full colour printing was
beyond imagining. In those days the late 40s and early 50s colour printing
was extremely expensive to produce. Even this quality magazine could only
afford a couple of full colour pages, the rest were in black and white. Every
graphic needed the production of a line block, the result of some very clever,
time consuming, and therefore expensive photographic and etching work.
Colour reproductions needed four of these blocks to each printed picture.
Any book needing to be illustrated in colour had to use specially produced
art paper which was heavily glazed with china clay. These pages were tipped
into a publication at a later stage after all the rest was printed.
When a new Art Book appeared the report lovingly detailed the number
of black and white and colour illustrations it contained to justify the high
prices which were then asked of it.
FIRST EMPLOYMENT
I first worked as an apprentice ticket writer in a local firm which supplied
price tickets and marketing materials for the large department stores in the
west end. Stores such as Barkers, Pontings and Derry & Toms were primary
customers. They also provided screen printed material for the London
Underground.
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The ticket writers were extremely skilled and I tried manfully to meet their
exacting requirements but couldn't quite manage. The firm and I parted
company with undisguised relief after just a few months.
After a few weeks unemployment, largely due to the fact that I was getting
close to the age for National Service registration (17½). The labour exchange
found me a job at a hardware and household stores in the North End Road,
Fulham.
I was paid twice what I earned as an apprentice, worked hard but enjoyed
myself a lot. Once having left school, like many others I did not lift a paintbrush
or do a drawing for many years.
Six years as a regular soldier saw me acquiring a great deal of growing up
as an adult with no connection at all with art.
At the end of my service I was took a few clerical jobs which I found less
than satisfying until I decided to try my hand at teaching in an uncertificated
capacity.
I took readily to this and worked successfully for over eighteen months
in the East ed of London before starting a three year training as an art
teacher at Goldsmiths’ Training College, London.
COLLEGE EXPERIENCES
The art teaching course at Goldsmiths’ College had always been a three
year one. I was accepted on the strength of my five “O” levels (including
Art) and my sketchbook. I embarked on the three year Art Teacher’s Training
Course, main subject Art, subsidiary subject Bookbinding.
This was a good course including basic drawing, life classes at the art
school, gallery visits, history of art lectures including those at the Slade with
Leopold Ettlinger and the occasional one by Sir Ernst Gombrich. Most
importantly it put us in touch with many good skilful art teachers. This
later proved invaluable to us later because, once appointed, we found that
the general level of understanding of the standards of art education were
not great within schools at that time. We virtually had to construct our
own syllabuses towards GCE and later CSE in art.
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While at college I made an interesting discovery. Athough I can see quite
well with each eye individually, owing to the original condition, the lack of
binocular vision has been with me as long as I can remember, Just for
interests sake I conducted a straw poll of the people on art courses
at my art college. It revealed 67% of students on art courses either
were currently had eye problems, (astigmatism, myopia, presbyopia
etc.) or had suffered from them in the past. Interestingly enough I
think this can be compared with a official survey I once read about
which found that many athletes have had severe problems with their
health when they were younger and when they had recovered they
were fired with a real incentive to extend their physical skills.
Bookbinding was my secondary subject at college and it was a comprehensive
course dealing with all forms of craft bookbinding culminating in
the final heights of a “full leather binding.” I little thought at the time how
much this would be useful to me later in life.
SCHOOL TEACHING
As a supply teacher for the LCC (London County Council) I first came
across an Adana table- top hand printer. The headmaster was keen to use
this for school purposes so I eagerly embarked on a fairly steep learning
curve to master the intricacies of typesetting and printing on a hand press.
The scope was not great but the technology was current, I learnt a great deal
from those small beginnings.
On taking up my first teaching post in Essex as an Art Teacher I found
that a corner of my art room was taken up with a treadle printing press and
many trays of moveable type.
The job required me to be familiar with and teach the use of this equipment
so, with the help of my head of department I learned to cope with a
much larger platen capable of much more useful printing for the school.
The art teacher in a secondary school in the early 60s was a maid of all work
and besides teaching art to A level GCE and later CSE was expected to design
I was once involved in CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education, mode
3) assessment. A final exhibition of students’ work was judged and grades
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awarded independently by their tutor. A visiting moderator, (usually another
art teacher) came to the exhibition and, without seeing the grades awarded
by the tutor awarded his own grades. These two sets of grades were then
compared and a process of moderation ensued. In most cases the correlation
between the two sets of grades was frequently as high as 96%. Artists and
art teachers used to recognise the same set of standards then, it looks as if
this agreement has been lost nowadays.
DEMONSTRATOR FOR WINSOR & NEWTON
Before they were taken over by ColArt, a Swedish firm which specialised
in school art supplies, I used to be a demonstrator for Winsor and Newton.
They were a lovely old-fashioned firm who totally respected one’s integrity
as a professional artist. They arranged for me to demonstrate in several
retail outlets and sometimes to Art Clubs and Societies, when demonstrations
were requested by them and also when they had developed a new line
of materials. The firm not only supplied me generously with art materials
but were also punctilious in paying proper travelling expenses and always
paying promptly. On being taken over, the policy changed completely and
a lot of money was allocated from demonstrations to direct publicity in art
publications.
LECTURING FOR THE WEA
I worked for a time for the Workers’ Education Association giving ten
session weekly courses in various art related subjects, instruction and lectures.
I was fairly happy doing this, it gave me a steady small income and
as they required me to work all over the county area they paid travelling
expenses at the County Rate. Lecturers were subject to the usual irritation
due to the greater influence of bureaucratic pressures, added to an amalgamation
with other areas who had a more stringent attitude regarding travelling
expenses. This, together with pressure for more professional training,
persuaded me that I was better off not to continue working for the WEA
any more.
TUTORING & DEMONSTRATING
One thing I have learned over my many years teaching art is that one
should be doubly careful about avoiding an over didactic manner in one’s
instruction. It is one thing to give detailed directions to students who are
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completely new to a subject, however when dealing with the creative side
one must be careful not to stifle a dawning development in vision. However
it is quite another when advising those who have built up some experience,
the position of advisor is best carried out by helping to solve a problem
which is immediately current and which is sought from me rather than
imposed by me.
THE MILLRIND PRESS
Graphic design has been a lasting interest and for many years I was involved
in producing a Quaker monthly newsletter. In the late 1970s this
was printed using typewriter stencils and a printers-ink fed Gestetner hand
cranked machine. Later editions were more sophisticatedly made on early
computers such as the Atari ST using a desktop publishing program Timeworks.
I still put the same publication together with a modern PC and
PagePlus, another desktop publishing program.
During my retirement I have spent a great deal of time, not only demonstrating
but also venturing into writing to accompany this interest. This
has led to not only into the realms of publishing but also into book design.
Furthermore I was able to use my bookbinding skills into producing inhouse
copies of perfect bound paperback books. These include into composition
and fordham illustrated.
INTERNET FORUMS & WEBSITES
I cannot praise to highly the extra value of the Internet to the artist. I
belong to a few forums designed especially for painters, both professional
and amateur.
They extend the contact of like-minded people to a worldwide audience,
something not ever imaginable before the advent of computers. I am able
to freely share my art experience as well as gain from the experiences and
the expertise of others and these are usually freely given.
Not only can I run a website as a worldwide portfolio but I can also circulate
publicly accessible copies of my publications at no cost to myself.
Many people who take up painting on retirement, particularly those who
are limited by age or incapacity, are able to take part in the social interaction
of the forum.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
FULL LIST OF RECOMMENDED BOOKS
I would recommend the following books without reservation, some are out
of print but libraries may still have them on their shelves. If you would
like to buy any out-of-stock books and you have access to the Internet I
would recommend you try a site called Alibris which I have found very
helpful in the past, another I use is AbeBooks. If there is a choice between
sources in America or England, I suggest you choose those in the UK.
Orders on your credit card from America are not insured, furthermore
you may have to wait several weeks for them to be delivered.
Bodkin, Thomas - the approach to painting - 1927 Fontana Books, Collins
1954, Printed in Great Britain, Collins Clear Type Press : London and Glasgow
Brown, Harley - eternal truths for every artist - 2001 - Internatonal
Artist ISBN 1-929834-06-3
Cennini, Cennino d’Andrea - the craftsman’s handbook - 1360 -
Dover Edition - 1954
Couch, Tony - watercolour you can do it! - 1987 - North Light
Books, ISBN 0-89134-188-9 Learn watercolour the Tony Couch Way!
Dorf, Barbara - a guide to water colour
painting - 1973 - Sphere Books ISBN 0-
7221-3027-9
Gordon, Jan - a stepladder to painting -
1934 - Faber and Faber Ltd, London
Hanson, N.W. - some painting materials
of j. m. w. turner. Studies in Conservation
Taylor & Francis,1954
Hilder, Rowland - starting with watercolour
- 1990 - ISBN 978-1871-56928-5
Hiler, Hilaire - painters pocket book of methods
and materials - Faber and Faber 1938
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Hogarth, William - the analysis of beauty - 1753 If you have trouble
in getting a hard copy of this book, at the time of printing an online
version is available at: http://tinyurl.com/q72b697
Kay, John - into composition-Millrind Press, 2004 ISBN 1 902194 07 1
Kay, John - illustrating fordham - Millrind Press, 2014 - ISBN 978
1902194 13 4
Laran, Jean & Le Bas, George - french artists of our day - Heineman,
1912 Commentary on Plate XV “La Bonne Pipe” by Edouard Manet
Loomis, Andrew - creative illustration - Viking Press,1948 - Reprinted
Titan Books, 2012 - ISBN: 9781845769284
Loomis, Andrew - the eye of the painter - Viking Press, 1961
McKenzie, Gordon - the watercolourist's essential notebook -
2014 - ISBN 0-89134-946-4 Very good on technique A treasury of
landscape painting tricks and techniques discovered through years of
painting and experimentation
McKenzie, Gordon - the watercolourist's essential notebook:
landscapes 2011- ISBN 1-58180-660-4 Another useful store of landscape
painting tricks.
Poore, Henry Rankin - composition in art - Dover Edition 1977
ISBN 978-04862-3358-1
Poore, Henry Rankin - composition in art - Original edition -1903-
this is a definitive work in http://tinyurl.com/z2zsn99
Thomas Puttfarken,Thomas the discovery of pictorial composition:
2000 - Yale University Press, New Haven & London - ISBN 0 300 08156 1
Read, Herbert - the meaning of art - 1931, (Pelican Books) Penguin
Books in association with Faber and Faber
Richmond, Leonard - 1925 -the fundamentals of water-colour
painting - Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd, London
Roberts, Ian - creative authenticity - 2012 - ISBN 0-9728-723-2-9
16 Principles to Clarify and Deepen Your Artistic Vision
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Roberts, Ian - mastering composition - 2008 - ISBN 1-58180-924-7
techniques and principles to dramatically improve your painting
Ruskin, John - the elements of drawing, 1857, Introduction by Lawrence
Campbell - Dover Publications Inc. New York - 39 - 180 Varick
Street, New York NY 10014 - ISBN 0 486-22730-8
Sovek, Charles - catching light in your paintings - 1984 - ISBN
0-89134-183-8 A general guide to painting in all mediums
Stabin, Mel - watercolour, simple, fast and focused - 1999 - Watson-
Guptill Publications - ISBN 0-82230-5706-0
Szabo, Zoltan - watercolour tips and
tricks - 2011 - ISBN 0-7153-0547-6 Very
good on technique, over 70 essential techniques
for painting landscapes subjects
Webb, Frank - the artist's guide to composition
- 1995 - ISBN 0-7153-0337-6
How to design eye-catching paintings in all
mediums. Published as strengthen your
paintings with dynamic composition,
North Light Books, - 1994 David & Charles,
Brunel House, Newton Abbot Devon - ISBN
0 7153 0337 – 6
Webb, Frank - watercolour energies -
North Light Books, 1983 - ISBN 0-8914-
751-422
Webb, Frank - webb on watercolour -
1990 - ISBN 0-89134-346-6 Go beyond
technique and develop your own dynamic
style with one of America’s foremost watercolor
painters
Wood, Robert E. - watercolour workshop
- 1974 - ISBN 0-8230-5682-1
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