Artists Illustrators – August 2026

Summary

Scarlett Clark, granddaughter of David Hockney's muses Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, shares her exclusive Hockney connection in the August 2026 issue of Artists & Illustrators — the UK's best-selling art magazine at GBP 7.49 — which lands as a Summer Special promising to sharpen your skills for the season. Cover artist Lucy Ann O'Donnell's Essence of Summer sets the tone for a issue packed with step-by-step studio demonstrations across oil, watercolour, acrylic, pastel and portrait.

The Big Interview (page 32) features Rebecca Holton, a figurative oil painter who won seven awards in 2025 including The British Art Prize for Portraiture, discussing how she captures small, quiet moments in contemporary urban life. Scarlett Clark (page 26) demonstrates her pop-art style fusing acrylic and embroidery, inspired by her grandmother Celia Birtwell's fabric designs and Hockney's colour energy. Kaylene Whiskey explodes onto the page with a book extract (page 40) showcasing her distinctive Aboriginal pop style. Martin Wright (page 46) explains the creative and mental benefits of en plein air painting. The Step-by-Step Studio section runs seven full tutorials: Lara Scouller on oil and pastel with cats as models (page 52), Alison C Board on varied greens using watercolour and gesso for a Scottish summer cottage (page 58), Lucy Ann O'Donnell on a perfect summer still life in oils (page 62), Hazel Soan taking the fear out of watercolour (page 68), Diane Griffiths on night skies full of unexpected colour in acrylic (page 74), and Yong Wang on painting a glittering Miao headdress in watercolour (page 80). Lynton Parmar-Hemsley teaches portrait painting with minimal half-tones.

Regulars include Sketchbook (page 7) with editor Sarah Edghill's picks: Marilyn Monroe at the National Portrait Gallery through Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol and Eve Arnold (until 6 September), the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (until 23 August), and the Liverpool Art Fair with prints from GBP 25 and nothing over GBP 2,500 (12th edition, 70,000 visitors since 2012). The British Art Prize entry details are on page 38. A new section called The Art Index (page 86) helps readers find local art groups, workshops and studio spaces. The Nitram Charcoal feature demonstrates powdered and liquid charcoal techniques on Corsican paper.

Editor's Take

This is a genuinely useful summer issue for practising artists. The strongest asset is the Step-by-Step Studio section — seven full tutorials with named materials and clear stage-by-stage guidance is rare value at this price point. The Scarlett Clark interview delivers exactly what the cover promises, and the Hockney link is substantive, not just name-dropping. The weakest element is the advertising density: Nitram Charcoal gets a multi-page branded feature that reads more like a catalogue than editorial, and several tutorial pages are squeezed by sidebar ads. The British Art Prize entry page is a single column buried on page 38. This is for the amateur-to-intermediate painter who wants actionable technique, not for the advanced artist seeking critical discourse.

Strengths
• Seven full step-by-step studio tutorials with named artists and materials
• Exclusive Scarlett Clark interview with genuine Hockney connection
• Summer exhibition guide with dates, prices and entry fees

Weaknesses
• Heavy branded content (Nitram Charcoal) reads as advertorial
• Prize entry details buried in a single column on page 38

Verdict: Recommended — A strong summer technique issue for practising amateur painters, let down slightly by advertorial density.