Artists & Illustrators

Artists & Illustrators is the UK’s best-selling magazine for artists and art lovers, providing advice and inspiration every month. Published for almost 25 years, each issue of Artists & Illustrators contains a colourful palette of profiles and features, together with valuable practical ideas, expert technical advice and useful product tests. Whether you favour oils or watercolours, portraits or landscapes, abstract art or botanical illustration, Artists & Illustrators brings a refreshing blend of creativity and advice every four weeks throughout the year.

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Artists & Illustrators

Paint colours • Before we begin painting, it is important to get to know your materials. Over the next 12 pages we will look in depth at different tools, starting with your paints

Paint brushes • When choosing the perfect brush, there are lots of unexpected factors to consider. Find out all you need to know to help you choose the right tools for your next masterpiece

Paper • Choosing the right type of paper for the job will improve your paintings or drawings in an instant. Here are some of the key factors for you to consider…

Canvas • From texture to absorbency, the type of canvas you choose can drastically alter how you paint. Here are five factors to think about when choosing your next support

Drawing tools • Whether you’re sketching out a possible composition or adding precise details to a finished artwork, drawing tools are a vital component of any painter’s kit bag

Paint mediums • When added to colour mixes, paint mediums can bring variety and greater control to the paint surface. Not sure which one to try? We’ve got all the answers below

Kirsten Britt • In the first of four case studies, the part-time artist explains how she developed her colourful, layered approach to painting portraits in pastel and watercolour

Sketching SUBJECTS • Over the next 16 pages, we will cover some basic skills needed to start painting. GRAHAME BOOTH begins by explaining the benefits of sketching to familiarise yourself with a subject

Colour MIXING • You don’t need to purchase lots of colours to make a great painting. London Fine Art Studios co-founder ANN WITHERIDGE shows you how to mix magic with just four pigments

FURTHER IDEAS

Making MARKS • A good painting is not just about the subject but also how you apply the paint. ROB DUDLEY explains the importance of building up a vocabulary of marks and textures

Lesley Dearn • This former set designer reveals how exploring the West Wales coast and experimenting with mark making tools has helped produce her beautifully textured landscapes

How-to GUIDES • So you understand your materials and you’ve practised basic skills, over the next 22 pages it is time to take a deeper dive into some tricky artistic subjects. Wildlife artist JASON MORGAN kicks things off with a simple approach to painting fur

How to… Compose pictures • Unsure which subjects and details to include in your paintings? The trick is to decide what your next picture is really going to be about, says ROB DUDLEY

PROJECT • Below are six stages of a single painting with an explanation of the decisions made at each point

FURTHER EXAMPLES • Two more pairings of photo and painting that show what to leave in or out

How to… Sketch creatively • There’s no such thing as a perfect sketchbook. But there are countless ways to use them in inventive ways that can help you develop your ideas says KATE OSBORNE

How to… Paint alla prima • DAVID SHEVLINO reveals how to get stunning results while painting directly wet-in-wet – and shows you how to avoid your bright colours getting muddy along the way

How to… Suggest depth • Painting is...