Welcome from the editor

Welcome to a festive issue of Leisure Painter, replete with baubles, snow globes and lots of sparkle – all ready for you to paint. Hazel Jarvis kicks off the festive spirit this month with a great idea for a gift for the person in your life who has everything – a personalised painting of a snow globe. Paint along with Hazel as she develops a wintery scene and robin then adds the effects of snow, or follow her practical advice and techniques to paint something closer to your heart. In a couple of hours, you’ll have a beautiful gift or a greetings card to treasure.

If you’ve ever wondered how to depict a surface that catches the light and sparkles, Valérie Pirlot’s painting of Christmas tree baubles

(pages 34-37) gives you the answer. Valérie advises that you forget preconceptions of what you think baubles – or any subject for that matter – should look like and simply focus on sections of colour and tone, and match those. A bauble is never simply red or gold, she

says, and the best tool you have is your eyes, says Valérie.

I’d also like to introduce the work of Rachael Grimm, which features on pages 48 to 51. This month, Rachael tackles the tricky subject of adding simple, but believable, figures to your watercolour landscapes. If your paintings lack the human element, Rachael has an easyto-master solution to your problems. If animals are your subject, Dr Susan Poole (pages 28-33) offers the first article of a two-part beginner’s guide to painting wildlife using egg tempera. I love the effects of this age-old medium in the hands of an artist; Susan’s work simply glows.

Along with David Bellamy on painting vignettes and a plethora of other features, demonstrations and tips and techniques, I hope you find this issue packed with inspiration and enjoyment. We also launch (on pages 70-71) our TALP Open competition 2022, with details on how to enter and this year’s amazing prizes. We are all looking forward to seeing your entries come in and viewing the selected work this summer on the walls of Patchings Art Centre.

Do you have an art-related question or a problem you’d like an answer to? Leisure Painter is here to help. Simply email me at the address on the bottom of page 6. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll know someone who does! We also love to hear your tips, experiences and suggestions, so please keep them coming.

The LP team join me in wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy year ahead,

INGRID LYON Editor