Collins Artist’s Little Book of Inspiration

Collins Artist’s Little Book of Inspiration
Hazel Soan

An attractive, highly illustrated little sourcebook of ideas and practical exercises, Collins Artist's Little Book of Inspiration is for artists looking for new creativity.Through a combination of practical instruction, illustrated projects and step-by-step demonstrations in watercolour, oil and acrylic, popular artist Hazel Soan explains how to develop your observational skills and unleash your creativity.The book shows you how to find inspiration all around you - 'seeing' like an artist, recognizing potential subjects and considering new approaches. Hazel Soan encourages you to experiment with papers and other surfaces, refresh your palette and understand what different materials can achieve.From concept to composition let this little book be your guide to what to include in your work, how to be creative with colour and utilize tone and texture. Learn to see the world around you and the art materials you use in a new light, with ideas to inspire you around the house, out and about and on your wider travels. This attractive book also contains inspiring gallery pages which reveal how other artists have found new approaches to their chosen subjects.

Lake of Stars, 12 x 36 cm (41⁄2 x 14 in), oil on board

Copyright (#ulink_6e90f3a5-7f41-578c-95be-df7baaf4813c)

Collins

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London W6 8JB

The Collins website address is www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

Editor: Geraldine Christy

Layout Designer: Heike Schüssler

Photographer: Laura Knox

First published in 2008 by Collins

Copyright © Hazel Soan, 2001, 2008 Based on material from What Shall I Paint?

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hazel Soan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Source ISBN: 9780007274901

Ebook Edition © MARCH 2015 ISBN: 9780008144579

Version: 2015-11-19

Seeker on the Shore, 50 x 25 cm (20 x 10 in), oil on paper

Everybody Waits for Something, 28 x 45 cm (11 x 18 in), oil on canvas

Dedication (#ulink_62f0256d-da1b-5165-bb6e-048e4a08d915)

To John and Sean, my inspiration.

Contents

Cover (#u18843b34-d1b9-599e-8280-4bc9452253aa)

Title Page (#u167e8800-ba3f-5918-9710-9245ac8958a6)

Copyright (#ulink_34ca34a1-fb0d-5963-b81b-39b278af2ef9)

Dedication (#ulink_f034d652-3383-52f9-aa4f-c9942fef99ec)

Introduction (#ulink_84d8bb27-f9be-5f21-a857-adf824b5f555)

Finding Inspiration (#ulink_8d5c56e0-71c9-5619-9a94-1058d50b61ba)

Tools of the Trade (#litres_trial_promo)

The Adventure of Painting (#litres_trial_promo)

Keep Reading (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Introduction (#ulink_d16acef4-5184-56a1-b72c-b04ce4f3b50c)

In a diverse and magnificent world we are inspired by both natural creation and man-made invention. Even the constant bombardment of images in the media has added to our visual repertoire. It is not just the picturesque that can move us to paint – everything and anything can interest us.

So how is it that, with all this pictorial wealth on offer, confrontation with a demanding sheet of all-too-white paper or a blank canvas often provokes the question: ‘What shall I paint?’.

The elements of painting

To be inspired to paint you need to know what a painting requires, so I have set this book out in three sections. The first section, ‘Finding Inspiration’, looks at the basic elements of a painting, what to look for in a subject and how to find it.

The second section, ‘Tools of the Trade’, looks at what we paint with and the surfaces to which colour is applied; the medium will influence the painting, and can have a bearing on your choice of subject. I have limited the scope of this book to watercolours, oils and acrylics, but most of what is said will apply to other media as well. The third section, ‘The Adventure of Painting’, puts your new-found vision into practice. Each chapter relates to different environments and explores the inexhaustible inspiration available.

There are chances throughout for you to put theory into practice with suggested projects. I also include some demonstrations. Soon you will find even the clutter on a table will inspire a painting or the queue at the bus stop will excite you to open your sketchbook!

Future Expectations, 43 x 56 cm (17 x 22 in), watercolour

Finding Inspiration (#ulink_97a71f54-f69e-5c94-bbb2-21601a76c5e1)

How do you decide what makes a good subject for a painting? You can rely on tried and tested themes, the timeless stalwarts that historically make good pictures: the bowl of fruit, the vase of flowers, the seated figure or portrait, or the classic view. But what about other ideas? Much around us, the details and small corners, the events that move us emotionally – these too are visually interesting, but not always immediately obvious to us as inspirational subjects for paintings.

‘Do not seek—find!’

Picasso

In the Beginning 71 x 102 cm (28 x 40 in), oil on canvas