Still life IN 3 HOURS

Former BP Portrait Award runner-up FELICIA FORTE guides you through a simple, structured approach to painting alla prima that tackles dark, average and light colours in turn

Movement in composition

Through an analysis of three masterworks, landscape painter and noted author MITCHELL ALBALA shows how you can animate landscape composition with movement

Shane Berkery

The Irish-Japanese artist talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the innovative concepts and original colour combinations he brings to his figurative oil paintings from his Dublin garden studio

The Working Artist

Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work

Washes AND GLAZES

Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide to incorporating various techniques into your next masterpiece. Artwork by STAN MILLER, CHRIS ROBINSON and MICHELE ILLING

Hands

LAURA SMITH continues her new four-part series, which encourages you to draw elements of old master paintings, and this month’s focus is on capturing hands

Vincent van Gogh

To celebrate The Courtauld’s forthcoming landmark display of the troubled Dutch master’s self-portraits, STEVE PILL looks at the stories behind 10 of the most dramatic works on display

BRING THE drama

Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene

Serena Rowe

The Scottish painter tells STEVE PILL why time is precious, why emotional responses to colour are useful, and how she finds focus every day with the help of her studio wall

Bill Jacklin

Chatting over Zoom as he recovers from appendicitis, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about classic scrapes in New York and his recent experiments with illustration

Follow Your Instincts

Jean Haines shows you how dividing a complex underwater subject into simple shapes and staying playful with your materials can result in lively, instinctive paintings

Atmospheric Perspective

Figure Drawing author Jake Spicer continues his series on creating a sense of space in your drawings by looking at ways to employ this naturally occurring effect

HOW I PAINT: Peter Graham

This daring Glaswegian artist is a modern successor to the Scottish Colourists and here he shares his thoughts on bold brushwork, pigment choices, and knowing when to stop

Colourful Greys

Whether you choose to use pre-mixed neutral colours or blend bolder hues together, HASHIM AKIB shows how to create interest in the duller parts of a painting

Animals In Acrylic

Instead of tackling a single wildlife portrait, Hashim Akib reveals how a more complicated group of animals offers the chance for a more painterly approach

VISUAL Diary

Why not put the kettle on, pick up a pen, and try your hand at keeping a “tea” diary? EMMA LEYFIELD shares advice and tips to get you in good habits in the New Year

THE glazing METHOD

STEPHEN COATES shows how carefully planning the wetness of your layers and applying glazes of colour can allow you to build a soft, atmospheric set of clouds in a landscape painting

Thomas Gainsborough

With a major exhibition, the opening of a centre dedicated to his art, and the return of his Blue Boy , 2022 is shaping up to be the year of Gainsborough, says ADRIAN MOURBY

THE BIG INTERVIEW: Anthony Eyton

As he approaches his hundredth year, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about what it means to be an artist and why there is a newfound urgency to his work

DRAWING IN DETAIL Part 1: Eyes

Award-winning artist LAURA SMITH presents the first in a new four-part series that takes a closer look at details within masterpieces to help you improve your own art

MEET THE ARTIST: Edward CAREY

The UK-born, Texas-based author and illustrator on shifty birds, the perfect pencil and his drawing hero.

MAKING Pictures

Rather than just paint a pet portrait, TERENCE CLARKE wanted to make more of a chance encounter. He shows you how to take charge of your subject and create a true work of art

Angela Harding

The artist behind some of today’s best-loved prints and book illustrations talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the delights of the British countryside and dividing her time between two studios

Alan McGowan

Following in the footsteps of the masters, this Glaswegian artist and tutor has developed an expressive approach to figurative painting traditions

How to...Suggest depth

Painting is often a case of trying to depict a 3D object on a 2D surface. AL GURY reveals four simple principles that will help you create a true sense of depth

Kirsten Britt

In the first of four case studies, the part-time artist explains how she developed her colourful, layered approach to painting portraits in pastel and watercolour

Petula Stone

Finding subjects from the garden studio of her 19th-century cottage, this award-winning watercolourist has developed a graphic approach to floral painting

Sketching SUBJECTS

Over the next 16 pages, we will cover some basic skills needed to start painting. GRAHAME BOOTH begins by explaining the benefits of sketching to familiarise yourself with a subject

How -to GUIDES

So you understand your materials and you’ve practised basic skills, over the next 22 pages it is time to take a deeper dive into some tricky artistic subjects. Wildlife artist JASON MORGAN kicks things off with a simple approach to painting fur

Wisteria IN WATERCOLOUR

Finding variety in repeated forms is the key to creating interesting pictures. FABIO CEMBRANELLI shows you how to balance light and shade in this gorgeous French doorway