Q & A with Andrew Hutchinson

http://www.andrewhutchinson.co.uk

This is another of my Q & A posts. This time with world renowned wildlife painter Andrew Hutchinson. I actually couldn't believe this artist even replied to me, he is so talented and it was such a pleasure talking to him. He wanted to talk to me over the phone so that was a daunting experience in itself. He turned out to be such a down to earth guy and a nice one at that. He uses acrylic paint to create these masterpieces. He creates them with realism in mind and trying to create a mood or emotion in the onlooker. He even recommended that I should enter a competition that he's in at the minute.

This was a great experience for me. I did try and write down as much as he said, but we did end up having quite a long chat in the end so it won't be 100% accurate.

1) When did you first start to paint and who are your influences ? 

Always drawn since a young age. I seriously got into drawing and painting in secondary school when people started to recognize what I could do. Alan Hunt was one of my biggest inspirations when starting out, I really liked the look and feel of his paintings.

2) What drew you to drawing animals and wildlife ? 

Always had a fascination with wildlife, particularly from living in areas of natural beauty such as the highlands. ( It was obvious he cares for nature and animals so that was very good )

3) What process do you go through when painting i.e. do you work from photographs or outdoors ? 

I use photographs to do most of my paintings as I find I spend weeks trying to recreate all the detail and shape of the animal or landscape I painting. Animals are very hard to paint and draw when constantly moving around. ( We both had a laugh about this as I also do the same method when creating work)

4) What is it about acrylic paint that you like ? 

I used to do a lot of water colour painting until someone introduced me to acrylic paints. I like the feel and texture they produce on the page and being self taught I had to teach myself the tricks and techniques that go into painting.

We talked about how long it would take to produce paintings like he does and he mentioned it could takes months at a time, but he did say practice is crucial and it will help to speed up the process in a very stressful faced paced environment.

5) What tips would you give to a student trying to make it professionally and get there work out there ?

Always build on your portfolio and stride to produce the best work that you can. You need it to be presentable and you need to act professionally in what you do. Competitions is also a good avenue to go down as I myself won one many years back, which landed me a job, which I've now been in for the past 30 years. Overall just try and get yourself out there as clients and galleries will only interested in work they can look at.

Another thing he said that gave me a lot of encouragement was don't be discouraged from painting or drawing because you've looked at someone else's work. He remembered looking at work and thinking whats the point, but its experience and belief that could help you get to that level or even better.

6) Whats your favorite painting you've produced ? 

Probably tigers eyes as if your looking through a letter box. I also worked on an exhibition in Canada with a really well known artist Robert Bateman. ( Who is a ridiculously talented artist )