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John Blockley 1921–2002

Ann Blockley provides an insight into the ground-breaking working practices of her late father, the painter John Blockley RI PPPS RWA NEAC, and their relevance for today’s artists

Abstraction in painting

John Sprakes reveals how he translates what he observes in the natural world into a mixed-media abstract painting, with a project to inspire you to create your own abstract work

Ben Rothery or identifying your market

One of the things I try to get students to do, particularly

Enliven your paintings with figures

Jake Winkle shows you how to paint moving figures in watercolour to add scale, depth and movement to your watercolours

The contre-jour effect

Jo Quigley explains the term contre-jour, and demonstrates why you should consider using this technique in your painting

Coastal subjects

The coastline can pose a number of challenges for the painter, says Paul Talbot-Greaves, who demonstrates how to paint a coastal scene in just three main parts, using acrylics

Plan your painting

In the first of three articles, Robert Brindley demonstrates the importance of planning a watercolour landscape painting using reference sketches, photographs and a painting of the same subject made in a different medium

The extended oil palette portrait

Ann Witheridge discusses how, having mastered the limited (Zorn) palette, the next step is to move on to add more colours, including secondary colour. Or, as Archie Wardlaw explains, you could simply add temperature choices to your primary colours

Sparkles and silver light

Wildlife artist Chris Rose explains why it’s so important to consider tone, especially when working contre-jourHe demonstrates his theory with a light-filled acrylic painting of gulls on a tidal stream

The trees of spring and summer

Ian Sidaway shares his techniques for painting blossom and mixing green as he describes how he met a self-imposed challenge to draw and paint London’s trees

Stanhope Forbes

Glyn Macey begins a new six-part series in which he encourages you to paint in the style of a great artist, with a demonstration painting in acrylics to inspire you

Painting After Sunrise

Marine artist John Scott Martin demonstrates a painting in watercolour and gouache, explaining how he selected and used a combination of reference images to add interest and drama to the finished work

Pigments and the colour wheel

Julie Collins begins a new series in which she goes back to watercolour basics, with a look at colour theory and pigments, and sets an exercise for you to try

Re-assess your style

In the first of his new series Martin Kinnear explains the importance of keeping your work fresh and how to achieve this, as he shares his experiences of preparing for a new exhibition

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