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The article focuses on the basics of watercolor painting for beginners taught by artist John Falato at Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut. Falato demonstrated that the ability to use the very basic vocabulary of watercolor is crucial to creating high-quality work. According to Falato, he always spends time showing various drawing and painting techniques and procedures. Falato began the day's lesson by demonstrating how to make a flat, even wash, using a large squirrel flat brush.

The article discusses the author's techniques in colored pencil drawing. He concentrates on close-up views of his subjects to capture texture with a variety of expressive marks and strokes. He works with limited palette of colors before starting the painting in an exploration. He uses Rising Stonehenge paper, Polychromo colored pencil and pencils tested as lightfast by the Colored Pencil Society of America.

Discusses the techniques of layering colored pencil over watercolor washes and applying wax-based pencils on black board, according to artist Janie Gildow. Sources of the techniques applied by Gildow; Advantages of using black Crescent board; Role of a digital camera in the creative process followed by Gildow.

Discusses the painting approach used by art teacher David A. Leffel. Views on the nature of painting; Comparison of his approach with other painting approaches; Drawing and painting techniques recommended by Leffel.

Explains the technique of colored-pencil artist Kay Moore Dewar in drawing still-life objects. Factors which led to interest of Dewar in colored-pencil drawing; Background of Dewar in graphic design; Technique of Dewar in developing a drawing on white paper.

Discusses a painting technique which centers on developing color harmony and enhancing the vibrancy of the pastel medium. Technique in retaining the pure color and visual excitement of a scene; Materials needed in pastel printing; Composition and design of the paintings of Gardner.

Discusses the drawing technique of artist Elaine Juska Keeley. Goal of the artist; Approach of the artist in selecting colors for her painting; Media used by the artist; Methods used by the artist for creating optical effects and defining forms.

Focuses on the drawing techniques of artist Pat Averill. Reasons for preferring colored pencil as her medium; Effect of colored pencil on sanded paper; Favorite subject of the artist.

Presents tips on translating sketches into the woodcuts media. Difficulty in the disparity between the innate qualities of the sketch and those of the woodcut; Changes made to the original drawing; Impact of reversing the image on the final work; Proofing process.

Offers tips on how to do oil or acrylic sketches on paper. Why they are considered as similar to thumbnail sketches; How to prepare the paper to be used; Things accomplished after a sketching session.

Deals with the author's figure drawings based on his travel through North Africa and the Middle East. Comments on the role of drawing in fine arts; Details on the work of the studio; Materials and techniques used in the drawings.

Discusses figure drawing. How to measure the proportions of the figure drawing; Steps in drawing the basic structure; Use of action lines in figure drawing; Method for refining the image.

Describes the pastel painting method of the author. Pastel brands he uses; Color separation technique; Analysis of the painting `Boen's Barn.'

Focuses on the pastel paintings of Carl Forslund. Impetus for his fascination for contrasting shapes; Elements that he found appealing; Steps by steps instruction on creating the art titled `Forms of Nature, Shapes of Man.'

Demonstrates how to draw with pastels. Qualities of pastels; Paper to use; Ways in erasing pastels; Brands of pastels to select from; Application techniques; Color combinations.

Focuses on the crosshatching technique used by pastel artist Elizabeth Apgar-Smith. Effects of the technique; Some examples of her works; Background on the process of her painting.

Features the authors technique in drawing and painting. How the author learned to create images using oil color and egg tempra; Materials used by the author in paintings; Painting canvas used by the author.

Profiles the author's technique of drawing miniature objects with the use of colored-pencils. His opinions about drawing small things; Drawing procedures followed by the author; His technique of coloring the drawings; His inspiration.

Presents the author's techniques of drawing and painting. How the author learned to create images using oil color and egg tempra; Materials used by the author in painting; Painting canvas used by the author.

Opinion. Presents a detailed description of how the author used black and white medium to emphasize forms, line and light in his drawings. How his style evolved out of his experiment with new drawing materials; How the artist choose objects based on their aesthetic appeal.

Presents techniques and materials in the United States for drawing with wax-based colored pencils. Selection of the pencils; Technique of blending; Burnishing; Cross-hatching; Use of erasers; Wax resistance; Sgraffito; Impressed line; Fixing mistakes.

Focuses on the carbon drawings of Dale Jarrett. Manipulation of materials to render landscapes; Background on Jarret's growth as an artist; Drawing technique and style.

Discusses the role of classical sculptures in helping the artists in learning to draw human figures. Use of this learning method throughout the ages; Present day use of the method.

The article features artist Robert Angeloch. He was born in Richmond Hill, New York City and studied at the Art Students League from 1946-1951. He learned woodcut technique under Fiske Boyd in New Hampshire in 1947 and went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy in 1952. Angeloch reportedly preferred earthy or muted colors and bright or greenish ones which he finds more congenial to his ideas of nature and more responsive to accents of lighter or darker colors. He taught drawing and painting techniques using still life for demonstrations.

The article features draftsman Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' graphite pencil drawing technique. The artist's magnificent portrait of Charles Badham, done in graphite pencil, represents a typical example of his ability to effectively synthesize material, technique and style using a relatively new drawing material. His graphite works are achievements in precision of form and freedom of execution.

The article features painter and lithographer Philip Hicken. The artist, who taught for seventeen years at the Art Institute of Boston, stresses the seven elements of design, with each element characterized by an inherent dominant feature. He believes that repetition scatters design, while dominance and variety unite an artwork. Due to his drawing style, his subjects are often in the page's center.

The author explains the characteristics of light and shade and what is variable or invariable about them. He says that light and shade are important facets of realistic drawing whose interdependence needs knowledge and consideration of simultaneous contrast. He defines simultaneous contrast as the changing relationship from a field of color to a nearby field of color. He suggests that a working knowledge of light and shade and simultaneous contrast allows an artist to use what he knows to best serve the purpose of his work.

The article focuses on drawing using colored pencils. Various techniques to produce different tonalities using colored pencils such as color-hatching, burnishing, and wax bloom are discussed. It is also said that colored pencils can be used either dry for drawing or wet for painting. The painting "Oriental Peony" is presented as an example of using various colored pencil techniques.

The author discusses his techniques in painting. According to the author, his paintings express spiritual matters and natural forms. He admits that he prefer working on more unyielding surfaces for his paintings, such as particle board and plywood panels. He also discloses that he has worked in various techniques including lithography, serigraphy, and intaglio, among others.

The article examines the methods and techniques of artist Thomas Hilty in his drawings. The author notes in his works a dialogue between dark and light, smooth and textured, advancing and receding, and factual and surreal. He further explains that this dialogue creates the illusion of continuous movement and stream-of-consciousness imagery but with a mastery of means and disciplined research. Hilty began his drawing when he decided to give up painting and concentrate exclusively on drawing. Hilty's artistic experimentations are also presented.

The article details the author's conversation with contemporary painter and draftsman Burt Silverman. He points out that drawing serves such purposes as an information-gathering sketch, as studies for paintings already conceived and as an expression for which no other use is planned. He reveals that he was influenced by such artists as Jacques Louis David and Jean Louis Meissonier. He also offers some details about his technique in drawing human figure which depicts character and emotion.

An interview with American illustrator Brad Holland is presented. When asked whether he initially visualizes the image before beginning to draw, he states that he taps the non-verbal side of his brain and let his doodling flow naturally. He claims that he is unable to name any particular artist that influenced him and that he imagines he is the character he draws. He also believes that drawings are feelings expressed in another form which can stand alone and convey its meaning without the aid of writing.

The article profiles 19th century artist, scientist and teacher Thomas Eakins. He became a controversial figure while teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts because of his disregard of social norms that offended the conservative. His insistence that his students use brushes to form a figure have made them more proficient in creating life-like drawings. However, Eakins experienced a period of depression when the academy dismissed following a series of complaints against him.

The author relates his experiences in drawing portraits of some of his sitters. He has drawn the portraits of his then six-year-old son Ezio Pinza, industrialist Henry Ford II, statesman Bernard Baruch, tenor Richard Tucker, former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, baseball player Phil Rizzuto, Cardinal Spellman, and Commander E. F. McDonald, Jr. According to the author, he draws using four things, namely, paper, charcoal, light and conversation.

The author discusses the techniques in carbon and pencil sketches that are useful in the reproduction of book illustrations. It mentions that the pencil sketch gives the artist the opportunity to be flexible in his expression of colors and tonalities without adding to production cost. The reproduction method called halftone is a tedious process that requires retouching, which is addressed by the use of a fluorescent base or the magenta process developed by Eastman.

The author explains the process followed by an artist to create a vision for his art piece. He cites that the identity of the form, its character and its unique personality are the first decisions that need to be thought by an art student when contemplating a masterpiece. He says that the shape of the form will be the next decision of an art student after he was able to identify a form. He suggests that an artist must explore the position of that form in a given space as his drawing depends on the position he and the form will be occupying.

The article discusses several art techniques that can be loosely categorized under the heading or mixed media or mixed techniques. It explains that one of the most known methods used by artists is basically based on the method of glazing tone and color over an underpainting or a foundation drawing. The author adds that such method is divided into four or five stages which include the pictorial idea as well as the drawing stage.

The article focuses on the fountain brush as an artist's sketching tool. Advantages of using fountain brush compared to other types of brush are cited including the long intervals of drawing without any need of dipping, flexibility and the use of an ink which dries instantly, it will not smudge and it is waterproof. Also important to the artist when using the fountain brush is the regulation of ink flow through the felt nib. Examples of drawings that were sketched using the fountain brush are presented.

The article describes the approach of American painter Clarence Carter in creating the oil painting "Entombment." One of the events that fermented the creation of the painting was the mine disaster in West Virginia. His mural-like procedure involved drawing in charcoal on a gray paper, use of transparent glazes of low keyed color, coloration, color glazing and varnishing. An important addition to the painting is the figure of an angel to symbolize the impending doom to the physical life of the miners as well as of life after death.

The article discusses the concept of good drawing in relation to the works of artist Peter Takal. Several factors should be taken into consideration by artists in order to achieve the good drawing concept including refinement, sensitiveness, and exactness. According to the article, in order to appreciate the works by Takal, his audience should realize the importance of the vision of the inner eye.

The article provides information about pen draughtsman Warren Chappell. He was born in Virginia in 1904, taught at the Art Students League in New York and at the Fine Arts Center at Colorado Springs in Colorado. He works with great rapidity and knows how to keep his figures within the page boundaries and relates them skillfully to the scale and texture of the accompanying type-page.

The article focuses on the works of American artist James E. Allen. To develop his sense of three-dimensional form, he worked evenings with sculptor Naum M. Los for a three-year period. The line of the Chinese masters influenced the early work of Allen and he acknowledges his debt in turn to the Byzantines and the Primitives. The American artist is one of the relative few who insist upon drawing directly from the model rather than from photographs.

An interview with illustration artist Amos Sewell is presented. When asked about his training in art, he says he has no professional background nor art training except for evening classes at the Grand School of Art under Harvey Dunn. Sewells says that he reads the story to visualize the characters and would not begin drawing with charcoal until he has mentally conceptualized the pictures to the story. He adds that he was never successful in doing a final drawing with the model in front of him as the presence tend to distract him.

The article features Henry C. Pitz, a noted American book illustrator. Pitz is also known for his magazine and advertisement illustrations, paintings and prints. He shares pointers for artists interested in the field of book illustration. Pitz states the fundamental necessity of knowledge of the figure and facility in drawing. He encourages beginners to familiarize themselves with book design, layout, paper, and typography. He also notes that publishers must be assured of the artist's ability to carry through.

The article discusses the notion of distortion in art. It cites the two divisions in understanding of what is meant by "art." One group thinks that art is illustration of literal representation of things with a modicum of imagination and without distortion. To the other group art is primarily concerned with expressiveness and it originates from man's desire to express himself. The first group is not comfortable with what they see as distortion in modern art, while the later group is happy with novelty and abstraction.

The article provides information on artist Joseph Piccillo's strange works called "Game Structures." It is mentioned that the drawings forces the viewer to react after being confronted by a number of signs and symbols conveying a lot of information. They have no focal point and traditional grounds and are intended to fool the eye of the viewer by cutting into space with different techniques.

The article offers step-by-step instruction for creating a landscape drawing directly from the source and from one's imagination.

The article features pen draughtsman Oliver Grimley and his works. In his art, Grimley utilizes the pen outline and the pen crosshatch methods. Grimley studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under the mentorship of Henry McCarter, Daniel Garber and Edward Shenton. He conducted exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Water Color Annuals of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Art Alliance, among others.

The article explores the uses of reed and quill pens. It mentions that reed pens have long been not used due to their incapacity to provide detailed, realistic drawings. Unlike steel or quill pens, reed pens' stroke comes out blunt and course. Quill pens were commonly used in medieval manuscripts like the calligraphy and miniature illustration that calls for finer and more responsive lines. According to the author, quill pens are considered as the most versatile among the pens due to their variation that gives different lineal expressions.

The author describes extensions he has been doing to the ink resist or aquagraph drawing technique. He adds colored inks to the usual black-and-white process of the art, which involves superimposing a separate drawing on the preceding one. Attempts to substitute drybrush for pure line have resulted in drawings that emit an air of weight and force. He also describes some of the equipment he uses including an ordinary hair spray for the washing-off process, an inexpensive kind of tempera white for underpainting, and medium-weight watercolor stock paper.