FAQ: Colin Woolf - Wildlife Paintings

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FAQ

These are some questions that I'm often asked about art, materials and framing . . .

What materials do you use?

I use Artist's Watercolours and I don't mix them with anything else. I prefer Arches paper (100% pure cotton). Although I occasionally use others, the Arches' surface is best suited to my work. It's strong and takes a lot of abuse from scrubbing and repeated washes: sometimes as many as 20 wetting and drying coats are needed to achieve the required density and shade. See Notes 3 for more details on paints etc.

All my work (apart from the woodcock pin-feather pictures!) is painted with a No.6 Kolinsky Pure Sable Brush.

The makes I prefer are Winsor & Newton Series 7, Isabey or ABS. I use one size of brush for everything, proving that you don't need a tiny brush to create detail. I will sometimes use a new brush when starting a new painting, getting through about 30 in a year.

I strongly believe that the make of your brush, paper or paint is not crucial to your success - but the quality of it is. If you know that you're using the best materials, you can be sure that any mistakes or failures are your own!

Do you use photographs to paint from?

I sometimes take my own photos to use for reference if I'm intending to paint a particular landscape or subject, just as I would make notes or sketches in situ. These are very valuable, as it may be a long time before the painting is started! I always supplement any photographs with my own observations and study of the subject, often travelling a long distance to do so! For many subjects, such as Barn Owls and Red Kites, my memories of watching them are a constant source of inspiration.

Many wildlife artists now paint photographically - even to the extent of blurring the background to create the effect of a telephoto lens. This is technically within the reach of any competent artist, but I deliberately avoid this style, preferring instead to create works of art with a more personal input - painting, I suppose, with the heart as well as the hand. I try hard to achieve a painting which is realistic, but it must still be a work of art which someone would want to have on their wall.

How long have you been painting professionally?

I've been working full-time as a professional artist for 20 years now, but I have been selling drawings, paintings and book illustrations since 1975. If you'd like to read more, please visit my Background page under 'News and Features'.

How long does it take you to finish a painting?

Impossible to quantify! Some paintings take much longer than others. The best ones are those which are inspired by a glimpse of wildlife or an atmospheric landscape, and they usually flow very quickly. Others need hours, days, or weeks of painstaking research - observation, sketching, collection of reference material, visualising the picture in my mind - before I can even put brush to paper. In these cases, the time taken actually painting the picture is just the tip of the iceberg.

Where did you learn to paint?

I've always had a natural ability to draw and paint, and I've been sketching birds and other wildlife since I was a child. Although I took Art O' and A'Level, I didn't go to art college so I've not had any formal training since leaving school. I've taught myself the techniques and skills necessary to achieve the effects I want, through the long, hard process of trial and error. Please go to my Background page in 'News and Features' to find out more.

What light do you paint under?

Unfortunately the British climate (especially that of North Wales!) rarely allows artists to sit outside and paint all day! Even with a cloudless sky, the light conditions vary according to the time of day, giving a maximum of about 5 hours strong sunshine between the softer morning and evening light. Painting the same picture in the morning and again at noon would result in a different balance of colours; if, like me, you're keen to get the colour balance right, you need to paint under a light that has a constant 'colour temperature'. Most artists simulate daylight with artificial lighting, colour balanced for daylight. I have been using these lights since 1978, supplemented with other forms of lighting to give my paintings the most natural look when hung in a client's house. You can find more information on these lights by visiting this website: Luxo

Do you paint portraits of people, dogs or horses?

Occasionally I'm asked to paint portraits, and will always consider a request for a commission on its own merits. I am, however, aware that many of my colleagues in art make a living solely out of painting portraits - whether of people, horses or dogs - and I would not want to trespass too far into their specialist field of work. So the answer is yes, occasionally, but not in preference to the range of subjects that I generally choose to paint.