Readers learn painting and drawing firsthand from other artists through written instruction and reproduction, guiding them step-by-step through the creative process. The magazine shows readers a wide variety of creative options, teaching the fundamentals of art making, presenting techniques in different painting and drawing media.
THE BEST LAID PLANS
Artists Magazine US
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A Portrait on the Road • Welsh artist GWEN JOHN and muse Dorelia McNeill took to the French countryside and created portraits.
Good Habits Pay Off • For Tom Christopher, a disciplined career in illustration paved the road to success in the world of fine art.
The Other Side of Bridges
AERIAL PARKWAY
WE ASKED... • What art school or movement do you find most inspiring, and why?
WE ASKED... YOU ANSWERED
Build
SKETCHING FOOD • HELEN OH demonstrates how to document memorable meals in an enduring sketch.
STUDIES FROM PHOTOGRAPHS
Taking Sides • OLIVER SIN reveals key points in drawing facial features in profile.
COMPARING MALE AND FEMALE PROFILES • This point of view is especially useful for studying and noting the differences in male and female features.
May I Direct Your Attention? • DAVID DUNLOP offers tips for conveying a figure/ground relationship.
MINI LESSION: Foggy Background
MINI LESSON: Blue Shadows
Turning Inside Out • ANDREW S. CONKLIN combines plein air immediacy with indoor comforts.
THE PERILS OF PLEIN AIR
Get a Handle on Knives • Here’s an art knife primer—because sometimes a brush simply won’t do.
Compositions
The NOSTALGIC IMPRESSIONIST • Kathie Odom lovingly depicts rural scenes rooted in yesteryear with a painterly, light-filled approach.
TOOLKIT
A PLEIN AIR SETUP
TIPS FOR PLEIN AIR COMPETITIONS
ARTISTS IN THE PARKS • National Parks artist-in-residence programs support and inspire democracy, conservation, science education, and creative expression.
Labor of Love
TOTAL IMMERSION • Keeping a sketchbook connects world traveler Erwin Lian to his surroundings in a deeply personal and lasting way.
LIAN’S TRAVEL KIT
ATMOSPHERIC SPLENDOR • English artist Caroline Bailey finds colorful inspiration and a spiritual home in Northern Scotland.
MATERIALS
INDUSTRIAL Beauty • Massive ships, locomotives and scenes of once-thriving industry attract the eye of artist Valerio D’Ospina, who uses oils and a largely tonal palette to create moody pictures with a sense of desolation.
Materials
The Ship
Through the Woods
Meet the Artist
ROAD WARRIORS • Painter Kadin Goldberg and potter Heather Spontak take their art for the journey of a lifetime.
PACKING IT (ALL) IN
Outfit
Purposeful Getaways • If you crave a change of scene, a shift in focus or uninterrupted time, an artist residency can be the answer.
DO NOW
ART & ALTRUISM
Independent Study • Resources to inspire + build skills
Lasting impression