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Bird on a nest, silverpoint
by Linda Birch

The March issues of Leisure Painter and The Artist are out on February 3rd and you can read extracts here at Painters-Online to give a taste of the content this month.

We have two extracts from Leisure Painter this month, the first is by Linda Birch who shows you how to try the age-old drawing technique silverpoint. The second is practical advise and ideas for organising indoor art club meetings by John Grant.

Taken from The Artist this month you can read about colour temperature for creating harmony in your paintings by Soraya French.

You can also read a product report by Jackie Simmonds on the new, natural fixative for pastels, Spectrafix.

Hints and Tips for Artists

Read FREE hints and tips for artists from Winsor & Newton's technical advisor and practical advice from both Leisure Painter and The Artist magazines.

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For Beginners

Read simple step-by-step painting and drawing demonstrations, and practical 'How to' features for beginners and amateur artists.

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Drawing

Read FREE extracts and articles from Leisure Painter, The Artist and Start Art magazines offering help and guidance to improve the drawing skills of artists of all abilities. From a simple pencil sketch to a finished art work, drawing skills are the foundation for all good art. There are many and varied drawing materials and subjects, for all artistic abilities, covered in the following features

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Art Materials Reports

Read reviews and reports by artists and art tutors on the latest art materials.

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Watercolour

Read free articles on watercolour techniques for all abilities, and follow step-by-step watercolour demonstrations covering many subjects. Watercolour paint is the most popular medium of choice for amateur painters and is often the first choice for the complete beginner. The following features offer practical advice and step-by-step guides for capturing colour and light in a variety of subjects.

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Oils

Read free extracts and articles from Leisure Painter, The Artist and Start Art magazines on oil painting for all abilities. Oil paints have long been the preferred medium of professional artists. They can be used in different ways to produce a variety of textures from thick impasto to thin, transparent washes. With the advent of new technologies some oils are now water-soluble therefore avoiding the use of solvents

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Acrylics

Read FREE features and extracts from Leisure Painter, The Artist and Start Art magazines offering guidance, advice and step-by-step demonstrations on the use of acrylic paints. Acrylics are the ideal medium for those new to painting. Able to imitate the character of both watercolour and oil paints, they have a quick drying time and are easily diluted with water. The following features show the versatility of this popular medium.

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Pastel

Read free step-by-step pastel painting demonstrations. There are four types of pastel available: soft and hard pastels, pastel pencils and oil pastels. The advantage of all four types is the directness of the medium and the wide range of tints and shades available.

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Mixed Media

Free articles and extracts taken from Leisure Painter, The Artist and Start Art magazines on the joys of mixed media painting. Artists often combine acrylics with watercolour, gouache and ink, also with drawing media, such as pastel, pencil and charcoal, as a means of extending their range of expression. Working with mixed media is also an ideal way to express abstract ideas and it can be great fun to see different materials reacting and responding to each other.

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Other Media

As well as traditional art media, there are many other available to today's artists, including gouache, tempera, batik, sculpture etc. The experience of working with a wide range of media will widen your scope - stay in touch with what is new in the market and experiment with unfamiliar materials and techniques from time to time. This section includes free extracts from our magazines showing different artists' approaches to some of the less well-known materials

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Art Book and DVD Reviews

Art books and DVDs reviewed by contributors to Leisure Painter and The Artist

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Professional Artists

White Horse at Alton Barnes by James Lynch

Focus on the work of professional artists - interviews and masterclasses

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Coloured pencils

There are many different coloured pencils available, from metallics to watercolour pencils.

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