LP July 2016 Online gallery p66_News 1st 09/05/2016 13:30 Page 66

Online gallery
Jane Stroud’s selection of works from the PaintersOnline gallery
WWW.PAINTERS-ONLINE.CO.UK

T he paintings I’ve chosen this month focus on that most difficult of subjects –
capturing the beauty of children in paint, without making the works overly
sentimental. These two beautiful images manage to do just that. They are very
personal to anyone who knows the subjects involved, whilst still being pleasing
pictures in their own right. Here, the artists describe how they set about capturing
their subjects on paper. If you would like to see more work by these artists, post a
comment or upload your own images on our online gallery visit www.painters-
online.co.uk. This is a free service.

Capturing expression
Fran Larcombe is a self-taught artist
and illustrator based in Cornwall. Her
love of painting stems from her
childhood, when she wanted nothing
more than to sit on her own, quietly
drawing. Today, Fran works full-time
as an artist at her own studio
(Penny Farthing Studio), producing
commissions, illustrations and a range
of up-cycled projects.
“It was the expression on this little
boy’s face that made me want to draw
t
thought sitting amongst the newly
planted flowers, taking a break from
the digging and planting. I used a
selection of graphite pencils – Derwent
Graphic pencils to start with then
Faber-Castell mechanical pencils as I
progressed to the finer details. Last, but
not least, I used the beautifully smooth
Derwent Onyx pencil, which produces
rich dark tones that are different to any
other pencils.”
Fran Larcombe Oliver, pencil,

him,” she explains. “He was so lost in 1134⁄ x814⁄ in. (30x21cm)

Doing the groundwork

Self-taught watercolour artist, Luc Boivin, only started
painting in watercolour in December 2014. Although he
admits he’s a natural draughtsman, having worked in an
architectural firm for nearly 30 years, it has taken time to
reach a stage where he is comfortable with the medium.
“I learnt a lot from stydying and analysing paintings by other
artists,” he explains. “This helped immensely, but I didn’t just
want to copy someone else’s style, I had to find my own.
“My first 20 or 25 paintings were done in monochrome,
using black paint to allow me to familiarise myself with the
wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques without worrying
about mixing colour. I learnt how the paint reacted to
different amounts of water, paint transparency, types of
brushes and paper and, most importantly, how to save the
white of my paper.
“This painting was inspired by a great reference photograph
I had taken a while ago. I sketched the subject first on
drawing paper, before transferring it to watercolour paper –
just the main lines, not the detail. I decided to paint the
background much more loosely than the girl with her teddy
bear. I like to break down a painting by zones, working on
each section until they are roughly 95 per cent complete. I
then go back over with final touch-ups to tie everything in.”
Luc Boivin Young Girl with Teddy Bear, watercolour, 20x16in.
t

(51x41cm)

66 JULY 2016 www.painters-online.co.uk