Observe and improvise

Alla Prima is Italian for “at the first” and in painting terms means completing a painting at once, in a single sitting or session. The overall aim is to capture an immediate impression of the subject

Being able to draw provides the confidence and perception to create a convincing representation of a subject. The skill creeps up on you through practise and ingrains as a habit making the act so much

Babies grin gummily, seemingly submerged deep inside inky pools of turquoise. Women lie back in washes of magenta or violet. Then the focus changes as if the lens of a camera has been switched and the

I’VE RELIED ON DRAWING FOR MOST OF MY CAREER, especially early on as an illustrator. It’s only been within the last decade or so that it hasn’t been the main driving force in my work. When you’ve disc

1 Painting a subject because it is beautiful or stimulating isn’t enough. You must first identify with precision what it is you want to convey, whether it is the effect of light, colour, pattern, move

I mused over this article, wondering how worthwhile it is when there are no steps showing the progress of the paintings. Then I remembered, especially with mixed media, the process is evident in the f