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.

Welcome • LET'S START OFF 2021 AS WE MEAN TO GO ON...

Artists & Illustrators

Letters

THE ART OF CONVERSATION

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Exhibitions • JANUARY'S BEST ART SHOWS

January • TIPS • ADVICE • IDEAS

21 FOR 2021 • To kickstart the new year in inspiring fashion, we’ve curated a selection of 21 emerging painters who are doing fresh and exciting things within the traditions of figurative art

The Working Artist • Making great art requires honesty. Luckily, there are simple ways to make our inner voices more constructive, says columnist LAURA BOSWELL

21 MUST-READ ART BOOKS • From novels about artists to texts that will change the way you see the world, get ready to lose yourself in the pages of one of these new and classic books

THE VIKING CRUISES BRITISH ART PRIZE 2021 • ENTER THIS MAJOR NEW OPEN ART COMPETITION WITH PRIZES WORTH MORE THAN £10,000

ENTER FOR FREE • Members of Portfolio Plus can enter the British Art Prize 2021 free of charge

1. DYNAMIC STILL LIFE • TERENCE CLARKE ENCOURAGES YOU TO BE BOLD WITH YOUR VIEWPOINT

2. SIMPLIFY SHAPES • BEFORE YOU PAINT A FINAL IMAGE, MAKE A STUDY SAYS ROB DUDLEY

3. DRAW WITHOUT LIFTING • ROB DUDLEY CHALLENGES YOU TO KEEP YOUR PEN TOUCHING THE PAGE

4. REFLECT on a face • PLAY WITH REFLECTED COLOUR IN A PORTRAIT TO ADD INTEREST, SUGGESTS KIM SCOULLER

5. TRY EGG tempera • SUZY ROSE FASHT HAS THE RECIPES FOR YOU TO TRY THIS TRADITIONAL PAINTING MEDIUM

6. DRAW IN layers • JAKE SPICER CHALLENGES YOU TO APPLY COLOUR IN LAYERS, USING A METHOD INSPIRED BY PRINTER INKS

WHAT IS “CMYK”?

7. FOUR-COLOUR experiment • PAINT A SELF-PORTRAIT WITH A LIMITED PALETTE TO REALLY GET TO KNOW YOUR COLOURS, SAYS JAMES BLAND

8. TRY A NEW palelle • LIZET DINGEMANS SUGGESTS NEW COLOUR COMBINATIONS TO HELP YOU DEVELOP YOUR PRACTICE

9. SATURATE YOUR colours • KIM SCOULLER CHALLENGES YOU TO REALLY PUSH YOUR PALETTE WHILE PAINTING YOUR NEXT STILL LIFE

10. TEST YOUR TONES • GRAHAME BOOTH SHOWS YOU A SIMPLE WAY TO CHECK IF YOU ARE USING A FULL RANGE OF TONES

11. ALWAYS BE PREPARED • CARRY A SMALL KIT SO YOU CAN BE READY TO SKETCH ANYWHERE, SAYS GRAHAME BOOTH

12. LOOKING UP • AINE DIVINE CHALLENGES YOU TO LOOK AGAIN WITH AN UPWARD-FACING PORTRAIT

Aine’s materials

13. MASTER HANDS • JAKE SPICER SETS 20 REGULAR EXERCISES TO HELP YOU IMPROVE A TRICKY ASPECT OF FIGURE DRAWING

14. DRAW IN PLACE • TRY A MEDITATIVE CHALLENGE WITH UNEXPECTED RESULTS FROM JAKE SPICER

15. PAINT wet-in-wet • DAMPER DAYS INSPIRED GRAHAME BOOTH TO SET THIS PLEIN AIR CHALLENGE

16 GO TO WORK on an egg! • LIZ BALKWILL CHALLENGES YOU TO THINK CONCEPTUALLY IN STILL LIFE

17. WINTER OAK IN Snow • DENIS JOHN-NAYLOR TACKLES A SEASONAL SUBJECT THAT OFFERS TONAL CHALLENGES

18. PAINT A MUNDANE still life • A LACK OF ATTRACTION TO YOUR SUBJECT ALLOWS A FOCUS ON PAINT HANDLING, SAYS ANN WITHERIDGE

19. PLACE YOUR PETS • PAINT A PET PORTRAIT IN CONTEXT SUGGESTS STEVE PILL

20. DRAW ON A MASTER • FOCUSING ON ONE ASPECT OF A FAVOURITE PAINTING IS A GREAT WAY TO LEARN,...