Simon Jennings - The Complete Artists Manual: The Definitive Guide to Painting and Drawing

First published in the United States in 2014 by Chronicle Books LLC

Text and compilation copyright 2005, 2013 by HarperCollinsPublishers.
Photographs and illustrations copyright 1995, 1999, 2005 by Inklink.
All artworks and paintings copyright 1995, 1999, 2005 by the individual artists.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4521-3722-3 (epub, mobi)

The Library of Congress has previously cataloged this title under ISBN: 978-1-4521-2716-3 (pb)

constitutes a continuation of the copyright page.

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Renoir once observed that painting isnt just daydreaming, it is primarily a manual skill, and one has to be a good workman. Too often it is forgotten that painting is a craft as well as an art and a difficult craft to master, at that.

At first sight, dipping a brush into paint and applying it to a surface seems easy enough. But there are traps for the unskilled: an inadequately prepared support may warp or buckle; the wrong support can adversely affect the way the paint handles; ill-chosen colors turn muddy when mixed together; poor-quality or fugitive colors will fade in time. By understanding the materials and techniques at his or her disposal, the artist can avoid such pitfalls and increase the pleasures of making art.

In recent decades, art schools have tended to dismiss basic skills and techniques as irrelevant, and they have been neglected in favor of freedom of expression. In so doing, tutors have thrown the baby out with the bathwater, for without a thorough technical grasp of materials and methods, students of art have no real freedom to express their ideas it is like asking someone with no knowledge or concept of grammar or syntax to write a novel.

This is not to imply that a good craftsperson is necessarily a good artist. Manual dexterity and technical know-how are meaningless if an artists work is deficient in thought and feeling. Along with a learning hand, one must develop a seeing eye and for many people, this is the most difficult part. In the desire to produce a finished picture, the impatient student often overlooks the two things that are fundamental to all art: drawing and observation. It is vital to train your eyes by really looking at the world around you, and to keep sketching and drawing all the time. When you draw what you see, you develop your powers of observation and analysis. Your mind absorbs many details for instance, the way light and shadow create form, how tone and color alter with distance enabling you to draw a surprising amount from memory and from imagination.

The purpose of this manual, then, is twofold. First, by providing an in-depth examination of the skills and techniques involved, not only in painting and drawing but also in preparing a support and in choosing and mixing colors, it endeavors to encourage a pride in the craftsmanship needed to produce a work of art. Second, by using a wide range of work by respected professional artists as a source of inspiration, it aims to help you develop your personal vision of the world and to find your own voice in interpreting that vision.

This book is the work of many hands, and is the result of several years planning and preparation. The designers, editors and producers are indebted to all who have contributed and have given freely of their time and expertise. Our thanks go to the following:

Dr Sally Bulgin

Editor and owner of The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines. Author of several art instruction books

Angie Gair

Author of several art instruction books

Trevor Chamberlain, ROI, RSMA

Carolynn Cooke

David Curtis, ROI, RSMA

John Denahy, NEAC

John Lloyd

John Martin

Terry McKivragan

Ian Rowlands

Brian Yale

With special thanks to:

Ken Howard, RA, ROI, RWS, NEAC

Daler-Rowney Ltd

Emma Pearce

Winsor & Newton

Alastair Adams

Ray Balkwill

David Day

Jennie Dunn

Timothy Easton

David Griffin

Robin Harris

Nick Hyams

David Jackson

Ella Jennings

Simon Jennings

Ken Howard

John Lidzey

Debra Manifold

Alan Marshall

Kay Ohsten

Ken Paine

Peter Partington

Jackie Simmonds

Shirley Trevena

Valerie Wiffen

Colin Willey

Laurence Wood

John Yardley

Grateful thanks also go to the following artists, who generously loaned samples of materials, artworks and transparencies, and who provided much time, advice and assistance:

Alastair Adams

Victor Ambrus

Nick Andrew

Penny Anstice

Paul Apps

Barry Atherton

Gigol Atler

Ray Balkwill

Valerie Batchelor

Joan Elliott Bates

Richard Bell

John Blockley

Jane Camp

Sarah Cawkwell

Trevor Chamberlain

Terence Clarke

Tom Coates

Jill Confavreux

Grenville Cottingham

Edwin Cripps

James Crittenden

Fred Cuming

David Curtis

David Day

John Denahy

Sarah Donaldson

Jennie Dunn

Timothy Easton

Sharon Finmark

Roy Freer

Kay Gallwey

Annabel Gault

Geraldine Girvan

Peter Graham

David Griffin

Gordon Hales

Roy Hammond

Robin Harris

Desmond Haughton

Andrew Hemingway

Ken Howard

Michael Hyam

Nick Hyams

Alan Hydes

David Jackson

Pauline Jackson

Ella Jennings

Simon Jennings

Ronald Jesty

Carole Katchen

Sally Keir

Sophie Knight

Tory Lawrence

John Lidzey

Anna Macmiadhachain

Pdraig Macmiadhachain

Debra Manifold

John Martin

Judy Martin

Simie Maryles

Donald McIntyre

Alex McKibbin

Terry McKivragan

John Monks

Alison Musker

Patricia Mynott

Keith New

Kay Ohsten

Ken Paine

Peter Partington

Elsie Dinsmore Popkin

Penny Quested

John Raynes

Jacqueline Rizvi

Keith Roberts

Dennis Mathew Rooney

Leonard Rosoman

George Rowlett

Naomi Russell

Hans Schwarz

Hil Scott

Barclay Sheaks

Jackie Simmonds

Richard Smith

Michael Stiff

Sally Strand

David Suff

Robert Tilling

Shirley Trevena

Jacquie Turner

Sue Wales

Valerie Wiffen

Colin Willey

Anna Wood

Leslie Worth

Brian Yale

John Yardley

Rosemary Young