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	Dear Robert
	It's always exciting when a new art product comes on to the market, and Derwent's new Graphik Line Maker and Line Painter pens went down a storm with Tony Hogan, who reports on his findings in the September issue of Leisure Painter. Ian Sidaway enjoyed using them too, and talks about their versatility in his test report in The Artist this month. Scroll down to read more and follow Ian and Tony's advice before giving these products a try.		We also bring news and reports on the new water-mixable oils from Daler-Rowney, which Tony Paul found easy to use when he tried them out for Leisure Painter, while Soraya French found them suitable for all types of oil techniques - see her report in this month's The Artist. There are FREE Graphik pens from Derwent for every reader this month so buy your copy today and enjoy free p&p by using your exclusive e-newsletter code (scroll down for details).

In the September issue of Leisure Painter

Learn how to depict water using pastels with Linda Birch; put together a budget-conscious watercolour kit for painting on the go; plus benefit from advice on painting outdoors from Tessa Spanton, and much more. Click here and quote LPSEPT for free UK p&p (discounted for overseas)

Line and Wash with Derwent’s New Graphik Line Maker and Line Painter

To begin his demonstration of Evening Sun Setting Over Fields in Kilham (left) using the new Derwent Graphik pens, Tony Hogan says: 'I selected the paper for its whiteness and knowing it would allow a wide range of techniques to be used. With a large flat sable brush I flooded the top part of the paper with water as if starting a watercolour wet-in-wet sky. Turning the paper sideways to allow paint to run horizontally when completed, I quickly touched the area nearest the horizon with brickroad yellow then working with a Derwent waterbrush (or use a watercolour brush and keep dipping it in water, if preferred), I moved the colour around. I retained the white for the setting sun and used the same technique to bring in colours; these colours were clockwork, tom, bricklane, rain and brilliant, in that order, as I moved to the top of the sky. The brightness of the sun was emphasized by lifting paint off the tip of the colour, called tom, with the waterbrush and painting around it. Tonal balances were altered easily by using this technique and by working with the water brush, without pigment, to dilute the values while the paper was still wet'

Click here to read more about this new product and to follow Tony's step-by-step demonstration.

Micro kits for travelling artists

In this month's issue Tessa Spanton offers budget-conscious, practical ideas for artists' kits and sketching techniques for working at home or further afield. Here she shares the contents of her 'micro kit' saying: 'As the micro kit weighs about the same as a large banana I carry this everywhere with me. It comprises: a watercolour pencil palette; 6x4in. postcard-sized watercolour pad; waterbrush (loaded with water); and Winsor lemon, Winsor blue and permanent rose watercolours. The mini palette in the middle (left) is made from leftover blister packaging from throat sweets or aspirins. Squeeze in the tube colours then wrap it in Clingfilm or fix it inside a small plastic container using double-sided tape or Blu-tack. Wrap the kit in a small plastic freezer bag.'

Read more practical hints and tips for creating half-hour sketches en-plein-air in the September issue of Leisure Painter. Next month Tessa shows how to make and use viewfinders and angle finders.

How to depict water using soft pastel

Linda Birch shares her pastel painting methods for this challenging subject matter in Leisure Painter this month.
When tackling reflections she advises: 'Remember that light objects reflect darker and dark objects appear lighter, by just a tone or two. It’s also important to remember that any angled objects will appear to lean the reverse way (for example, the prow of a boat, or a pole reflected in water), and only if the water is disturbed will you see rippled reflections. In the pastel of a Norwegian hut in late afternoon (left) I applied pinks and creams to the sky and the water. The land and the hut were then added, using browns, greys and muted greens, which suited the dying light. There was a small boat crossing the fjord creating ripples. Ripples are small soft ridges, with light (sky colour) on one side and shadow colour on the other'.

Leisure Painter & The Artist workshops at the NEC, Birmingham

Paint Sunlit Street Scenes in Watercolour with Paul Weaver

Paul Weaver, professional artist, tutor and demonstrator, will guide you through the creative process for planning and painting vibrant, sunlit street scenes in a loose, free style on Thursday, November 6 at the NEC, Birmingham.
The cost of each three-hour session (am or pm) is just £35 and includes instruction from Paul Weaver, art materials worth over £25(rrp), PLUS free entry to Art Materials Live and Hobbycrafts for the day, worth £12.
Click here for full details and to book your place.

Exploring Watercolour Landscape Techniques with Paul Talbot-Greaves

On Saturday, November 8, from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm, professional artist, tutor and contributor to The Artist, Paul Talbot-Greaves will introduce you to an array of exciting watercolour techniques that can be used in your landscape painting. Using watercolour papers supplied by Canson, Paul will demonstrate a selection of watercolour techniques and provide individual tuition as you paint from your own reference material.
The cost of each three-hour session is just £50 and includes instruction from Paul, Canson papers worth over £60(rrp), PLUS free entry to Art Materials Live and Hobbycrafts for the day, worth £12.

Click here for full details and to book your place.

Paint Waterlilies in Acrylic with Robert Dutton

In these inspiring three-hour sessions, Robert Dutton, professional artist, popular art tutor and regular contributor to The Artist, will show you how to create a colourful waterlily painting full of resonance and life.

On Thursday, November 6, from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm, Robert will show you how to create a colourful waterlily painting using various acrylic painting techniques.

The cost of each three-hour session is just £35 and includes instruction from Robert Dutton, art materials worth over £30(rrp), PLUS free entry to Art Materials Live and Hobbycrafts for the day, worth £12.

Click here for full details and to book your place.

You can read Robert's fascinating look at acrylics, taken from the December 2013 issue of The Artist by clicking here.

Reader holiday: Paint the Alps with David Bellamy and Jenny Keal

Capture the Alpine flowers, meadows and snow-capped peaks surrounding the rustic Swiss village of Zermatt with David Bellamy and Jenny Keal from July 4-11, 2015.

David Bellamy is a popular watercolour art tutor and author of many instructional books and videos. David is best known for his fascination with the moods of nature in wild places and his watercolour mountain landscapes. His teaching style is very relaxed, easy and fun, and his enthusiasm is infectious. He will introduce you to the lighting, moods and aerial perspective of the Alps. David will be accompanied by his wife Jenny Keal, who is a well-known pastel painter and teacher in her own right. Both David and Jenny write regularly for Leisure Painter.

A maximum of 10-16 students will accompany David and Jenny on this painting holiday of a lifetime; click here for full details and to book your place.

Books and DVDS
You can purchase a number of David's books and DVDs from The Hobby Warehouse, click here to browse the selection. To order Jenny's book Painting with Pastels click here and make sure you quote ART10 when placing any order to benefit from an additional 10% discount.


		Buy today, see our latest offers!

In the September issue of The Artist

See how to exploit complementary colours to best effect by Paul Talbot-Greaves; try Jake Winkle's suggested watercolour techniques for wildlife painting and more in this month's issue. Click here and quote TASEPT for free UK p&p (discounted for overseas)

Try Derwent's new Graphik pens

Ian Sidaway tested the new Dewent Graphik Line Maker and Line Painter pens, and says: 'The pigment in solvent-free pens can usually be diluted with water, which means that marks can be softened and lightened using water; this can add another dimension to the work and makes these pens quite adaptable. Essentially, these liner pens are tools for making linear marks, the size of the mark being restricted by the size of the nib. If, like me, you draw with this type of pen you’ll find it difficult not to try out a new brand when you come across one'.
Click here to read more and find out why Ian says you should give them a try.

Complementary colour schemes

Paul Talbot-Greaves' article in the September issue of The Artist is packed with ideas for using complementary colours to create visual excitement in your painting.
As he says: 'There are many variants of colour schemes including complementary schemes where only two or three colours are used. A simple complementary scheme is where a dominant colour is chosen and its opposite is used to contrast and make the greys in the scene. A complementary triad uses three colours, two of which are opposite and the third mid-way between them on the colour wheel, forming a triangle. An example of this would be to use red, green and yellow-orange. Make one colour dominant and use one or both of the other colours to neutralise and contrast. Finally, the split complementary scheme uses a dominant colour along with the two colours either side of its opposite. An example of this could be violet, yellow-green and yellow-orange'.
Click here to read the full feature in The Artist, and follow Paul's demonstration of Path Across the Moor (left).


	Wild ways with watercolours In this month's issue of The Artist Jake Winkle urges you to take a random approach to mark making in watercolour, particularly when painting wildlife. On using colour he says:

			'An exciting approach to colour can be really rewarding. Colours mixing on the paper instead of on the palette creates vibrant and persuasive results. My hare paintings are known for their riot of colours, as well as for hard and soft-edged marks. A hare is brown and could be painted as such but I prefer to paint pure primary and secondary colours and allow them to mix on the paper to create an overall impression of a lively brown. I consider myself a colourist, and tend to do very little mixing on the palette. I like to juxtapose warm primaries and secondaries against cool ones to create luminosity and glow'. Jake also recommends trying a spatter effect: 'Using the tip of the brush and small dots of colour compare the resulting pattern with actual spatter, which will always appear far more random. Spatter and scribbling are useful ways to break up patterns or large uninterrupted passages. Spatter on an animal and in the background can help to integrate the painting as a whole'. Searching Hare, watercolour (left), has been made up of primaries and secondaries that were mixed on the paper. Read more from Jake on mark making, composition and wet-into-wet techniques in the September issue of The Artist - click here to purchase.