Features

This month see practical hints and tips from Linda Birch on painting with gouache

Drawing is the foundation for all good art. It teaches you to look and see, to capture your first impression of a subject and simple thumbnail sketches can help artists to decide on composition and the elements for a finished painting. It can be quick, personal, and great fun, and there are myriad drawing materials available today to choose from.

Watercolour is the most popular medium of choice for the amateur painter. Its transparency and luminosity make it the perfect medium for capturing the subtleties of light and colour in nature. There is an element of chance and risk with watercolour that can make it frustrating as well as exciting and challenging. JMW Turner is one of our greatest exponents of this beautiful medium.

Since the early Renaissance oils have been the preferred medium of professional artists. Their smooth, buttery consistency and slow drying time means they can be manipulated freely to produce a huge range of textures and effects, from thick, textured impastos to thin, transparent washes.

Acrylics are ideal for the beginner; they are versatile, can imitate the character of watercolour or oils, and they dry quickly. Plus you don't need turpentine or solvents as acrylic colours are diluted with water, so they are easier to use than oil paints. They are also ideal for mixed-media work

Pastels are both a drawing and painting medium and both disciplines can be combined in one painting to create an exciting range of effects. 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.

Artists often combine acrylics with watercolour, gouache and ink, and 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.

As well as traditional 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 extracts from our magazines showing different artists' approaches to some of the less well-known materials