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impact you need. Screw up your eyes to assess the tonal balance. It’s also easier capture the essence of something by simplifying it. And think about how you can limit your palette, rather than copying all the colours exactly. Know your subject Research your subject before painting it.Get to know it thoroughly before producing an interpretation of it.Otherwise it will just be a flat copy of a flat photograph. Thumbnail sketches Try to capture the spirit of the person, the essence ofwhatmakes themwho they are and different from anyone else. Perhaps this might include theway their hair is blowing in thewind or the look of concentrationwhen peering in a rock pool. You’re aiming for a real and alive appearance, and to show their shape, stance and energy. Thumbnail sketches areworth their weight in gold and youwill learn huge amounts as you sketch the figure in different poses. You can’t gain this sort of knowledge and information by just looking at a photograph; youmust draw. Remember, it’swhat you are drawing thatmatters here, not how you are drawing it. You are searching forwhatmatters visually. These drawings are for you alone, notmasterpieces to be exhibited. Telling a story Rather than just copying the photograph, think aboutwhat you want to saywith this picture. Is there a story to tell? Remember that you can convey a storywithout showing the face, but by capturing the body language. When you start painting, theway youmake yourmarkswill express emotion and describe the texture of surfaces. Soft, smudged areas workwell for skin, but quick vigorous strokes convey a shirt being blown in thewind. Always think aboutwhat it feels like as well aswhat it looks like. 30 SEPTEMBER 2012 www.painters-online.co.uk Study your subjectusing props and photographs to get a feel for it.Having a real striped towelhelpswhen drawing stripes as they curve round a shape. In the Pink , pastel, 8 x 8in. (20 x 20cm) Colour sketch of GettingWarm Again ,whichwas the result of the decisionsmade in the thumbnail experiments (right) PASTEL Juxtaposing some of this vigorous colourwith a complementary colour boosts the effect and enlivens the painting evenmore. Pastel is the idealmedium for creating rich and vibrant colour as you can lay light colours over dark, build upmultiple layers, and highlights can be emphasised with stabs of vivid colour. Foliage technique Squallyweatherwhere the sun breaks through the dark clouds, bringing the colours to life after a shower creates stun ing light effects. In Shimmering Light (left), the purple grey cl udwas positioned to provide a complementary colour for the bright oranges and yellows of the leaves.Misty blue-greys and purple-greys in the distant hills aid the illusion of recession. The spatter effect of the leav was created by the scraping technique. Using a crank-handled palette knife, scrape flakes of pastel from the stick directly nto the painting that you have laid flat on a table.Once you have enough flakes you can press them into the surface of the painting with the flat of the knife. If flakes fallw ere you don’twant them, just don’t press them in andwhen you turn the painting uprig t again theywill fall off, leaving just the ones y u have press d in. Anothermethod is to place a sheet of tracing paper over the flakes and carefully rub your hand over them to fix them. This A lthough there is a poignant sadness about the end of the summer and the prospect of a gloomywinter ahead, nature compensates uswith a glorious explosion of colour. She sets the trees on firewith ferocious hues and emphasises itwith stormy skies or days of startling clarity. The first nip of cold in the air freshens and enlivens the landscape out of the dull greens of late summer. Sometimes the light in autumn seems to just sparklewith energy. Formany landscape painters, using vibrantwarm colours is a rare treat. In order to create a sense of recession in our landscapes,we have to restrict our colour palette tomuted tones and colours on the cool side of the spectrum for large areas of the painting. In addition, the seasons dictate the use of a range of greens in themiddle and foreground areas in spring and summer and colder hues inwinter, but in autumnwe can celebrate with some gorgeous vibrant oranges, burning reds and zingy yellows. 30 OCTOBER 2012 www.painters-online.co.uk Bright and vivid pastel colours makeeasy work of autumnal landscapes, by Jenny Keal Colour and light in the landscape Shimmering Light , pastel on Fisher400 Art paper, 9 x 11 3 ⁄ 4 in. (23 x 30cm) Edge of the Field , pastel on CansonMi-Teintes Touch, 6 x 8in. (15 x 20cm) LP10 40-43 Keal:Layout 1 31/8/12 12:49 Page 30 Try 3 print issues Learning to paint is fun with . 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