Grey can be exciting

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THE ART WORLD

NEWS, VIEWS, INFORMATION AND SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD

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ART BOOKS

This is one of the most interesting books about pastel

OPPORTUNITIES & COMPETITIONS

Check out the latest competitions to enter and make a note of important deadlines

EXHIBITIONS

GALLERY OPENING TIMES AND EXHIBITION DATES CAN VARY; IF IN DOUBT, PHONE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

Focus on trees

David Brammeld, winner of The Artist Award in the Pastel Society 2017 annual exhibition, tells Susie Hodge about his techniques for painting trees in pastel

Inspired by the masters

Daisy Sims Hilditch, whose paintings are rich, soft and full of character, talks to Susie Hodge about her preference for a traditional approach to portraiture, inspired by Velázquez and John Singer Sargent

How do I approach a gallery?

Seeking gallery representation is a difficult part of the artist’s job. Gallerist Mark David Hatwood offers his advice on how make a successful approach to a gallery

Modigliani

Julian Halsby reviews this must-see exhibition at Tate Modern

Charles Williams’ musings Self esteem

There’s a current fashion in education and child-rearing

50 of the best

Art course and holiday providers in the UK and abroad

Game of tones

In the first of a new series, Hazel Soan explains why tone is so important and how you can train your eye to see and interpret the correct tones to represent three-dimensional objects in your paintings

Essence of place

Peter Monaghan seeks inspiration from places ‘with a story to tell’. He reveals the thinking and processes behind his mixed-media paintings incorporating collage

A pastel pencil affair

Wildlife artist Martin Aveling is hooked on pastel pencils. He shares his thoughts on the versatility of this medium and the techniques he uses in his work

Extreme realism

Iain Gardiner reveals how he painstakingly painted a large-scale, realistic self-portrait in oils, often using miniature painting techniques

Painting the horse

Ruth Buchanan concludes her two-part series on drawing and painting the horse with a watercolour demonstration, with useful tips on colours and techniques, and painting hooves and eyes

Urban excitement

Sarah Manolescue loves the challenges and the immediacy of painting vibrant, busy scenes. Here she describes a typical plein-air oil painting, with her top tips for success

The upper limbs and hands

Hands can be so expressive in poses, and convey much emotion in a painting or sculpture, says Adele Wagstaff, who continues her series with a study of the anatomy of arms and hands

Creating space

Patrick Cullen shares his tips for using pastels along with compositional advice as he demonstrates a pastel painting of an orchard in full blossom

Embrace acrylics!

Paul Gadenne takes an in-depth look at acrylics and how you can make the most of their properties to achieve spontaneity in your work

Printmaking without a press

Phil Tyler demonstrates how to make a print from a piece of your artwork, without using any specialist equipment

Immerse yourself in creativity

At some stage you will have thought about booking yourself onto a painting course or holiday. Kevin Scully has some tips and advice that will help you to decide what to pack and what you should take into consideration before you book