Leisure Painter & The Artist Magazine

Welcome to the August edition - a celebration of seeing, drawing and getting out there. This month we’ve turned a special spotlight on drawing as a daily habit and on plein air painting: the practice of working directly from life that sharpens observation, enriches colour judgment and brings an unmistakable atmosphere to your work.

To help us explore these subjects we’ve called upon some very talented artists including; Drawing as a way of seeing – we talk to James Hobbs on four decades of sketchbooks and why imperfect studies matter; Using the white of the paper - Tony Underhill on planning and restraint to direct the viewer’s eye and talking about plein air projects & mindset - Jenny Aitken shares a woodland oil project and Haidee Jo Summers shares her guide to ‘breaking the rules’ while painting outdoors.

Grahame Booth explores why plein air painting changes everything. His piece explains how painting from life reveals depth, selective focus and atmosphere in ways photographs rarely do, and shows how experience outdoors gives you the tools to convert photo references into far more compelling paintings while Nicholas Poullis examines microclimates of light and how shifting light, climate and temperature transform plein air watercolour and shares practical techniques.
Don’t forget to check out Hannah Lipsey’s work too – what a skill she has for drawing reflective surfaces! Many were stopped in their tracks passing my desk while editing this interview! Compelling images to say the least.

All this and so much more. I’d also like to extend a warm welcome to Ashley Raddon as a new contributor to the Painters Online family.

Enjoy the issue, get your kit together, and step outside with a small sketchbook - the next great drawing might be only one page away.