Vision and mood boards I was recently reminded of the value of using vision and mood boards when I was asked to produce some for our new home and the work we want to have done on it. In my case, I am looking initially at the type of exterior aesthetic for the art studio,…
Read more
What is your name or the name you go by for your art? Kristy Darnell Battani Where do you live? Austin, Texas USA What’s your background? I have always loved art—drawing, painting, whatever. I started in college taking studio art classes, but the truth is I had no idea what it meant to be an…
Read more
These days artists use all manner of different tools to produce their artwork but traditionally many, if not most, use brushes. Keeping brushes clean and in good order will mean that their working lives will be extended, and they will in turn produce the reliable quality you need for your work. Different media require different…
Read more
143rd blog Shortages of art supplies I think we have all read about the shortage of supplies in our shops. Most of us have seen empty shelves in our supermarkets and all manner of excuses have been put forward as to why this is happening. Brexit is the most common, along with Covid-19, too and…
Read more
142nd Blog post I am going to start by being completely honest with you. I have not done as I said I would by now, I have not done my tax returns. To be fair, I have been so busy with the funerals and the legal stuff surrounding the deaths of my father-in-law and father…
Read more
Watercolour paper and what you need to know. Last weekend I attended a watercolour painting class in support of a friend who was tutoring. I enjoy using watercolour and don’t use it a lot but there is always something you can learn by taking a class. The thing which really struck me at this class…
Read more
What is your name or the name you go by for your art? My name is Anne Armes. Where do you live? I live in Newport, Shropshire, a rural market town, with my husband and my black Labrador, Tilly. What’s your background? I’ve worked as a pharmacist all my life to support the family as…
Read more
Blog post #139 Silver Clay I love taking classes in disciplines that I don’t normally work in and just recently I went on a course to learn about silver clay. The one-day course was held at the Ardington School of Crafts in Oxfordshire (www.ardingtonschool.com), which is owned by the incredibly talented Simon Sonsino, who I…
Read more
Blog post #138 Record keeping. Again. You may have noticed that last month I spared you the preaching about record keeping [Thank the Lord, Ed]. Well, this month I am back on it. When I last told you about keeping stock records, I said that I was going to try a new system and would…
Read more
Making a simple leather journal There are many different kinds of journals you can make. Stitched covers, which I teach online classes about (with my talented friend, Cecilia); cloth covers; card covers etc. Then there is the stitch work: simple straight stitching; cross stitching of various complexities and then the different finishings. As I am…
Read more
What is your name or the name you go by for your art? ‘Adele Froude Designs’ and ‘Dalmatian Art by Adele Froude Designs’. Where do you live? The Yorkshire Dales National Park. What’s your background? I worked in the NHS for 20 years, in several different locations across the country, including Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, London and…
Read more
Last week I talked mainly about the different products I use to make my colourful artworks. This week I thought I would tell you about some of the ways I use those products and share some of the results, too. There are many different ways we can approach starting a piece of work but to…
Read more
My love affair with colour As many of you know, I love colour. Every piece of artwork I make starts with me thinking about the colours I want to use and the overall effects those colours will have on each other. Am I looking for a particular feeling? Is that feeling bright, joyful, sombre, cheerful,…
Read more
133rd Blog post record keeping (again) Yes, we are back to record keeping, this time following the art exhibition I took part in at Painshill Park a couple of weeks ago. First, a quick reminder about your journal, or bullet journal as I find some of you are now referring to it. I wanted to…
Read more
Blog post #132 – After the exhibition I have just taken part in my first in person exhibition since March 2020 and wanted to share what I learned from the event. I hope this will in turn help you for any events you have coming up. The first and most surprising thing for me was…
Read more
Featured Artist – Karen Dickinson What is your name (or the name you go by for your art)? Professionally, I’m Karen Dickinson Studio but I am also known as karentillyart or Tilly art on social media. Tilly has been my nickname all my life. Where do you live? Leyland, Lancashire, England. What’s your background? I…
Read more
Exhibitions – hanging facilities and art stands. At the end of this month, I will be taking part in my first exhibition this year inside a marquee in Painshill Park, Cobham, Surrey. I haven’t taken part in an exhibition there before and have no idea what the setup will be like, so trying to plan…
Read more
Following on from last month’s blog about using your journal and record keeping, specifically keeping your books up to date to file your tax returns, I want to focus this time on keeping stock records. Don’t groan, you will thank me in the end. Last month I encouraged you to keep accounting records even if…
Read more
Blog post #127 Art classes – how to pick the best one The other day I was asked how to find a good art class. If you google “art classes”, you will be immediately swamped by just how many classes of all different levels you can apply for, from local teachers to organisations offering BAs,…
Read more
This months featured artist is Deborah, I hope you enjoy her story. What is your name (or the name you go by for your art)? Deborah Waters, AKA Desirables by Deborah. I didn’t want to limit my brand to just art as I also create cards, cushions and whatever takes my fancy including millinery and…
Read more
A few years back I wrote about clearing out my art studio in preparation for moving to a new house. As we are now very close to actually moving, I felt it would be good to revisit the subject. What is slightly unnerving is that when I wrote that piece in 2019, just as I…
Read more
Blog post #123 Continuing to work with your journal keeping plus more. Are you still managing to use your journal? I hope so, but if you’re not don’t feel bad. Personally, I have had a few very difficult weeks with elderly family members and their needs taking up a lot of my time. There have…
Read more
This week’s blog is a reworking of one I wrote a couple of years ago. As we prepare to go back out into the world and show our artwork in public, having that work “exhibition ready” and by that, I mean presenting it in the best possible way, is essential. Ask yourself this: would you…
Read more
Featured artist, April 2021 What is your name (or the name you go by for your art)? Lisa Woodward Where do you live? Ottawa, Canada What is your background? Definitely not art! I did post-graduate studies in international development, and then worked in that area for over 20 years. However, my work took me to…
Read more
Blog post #121 Pastels – what they are and how to use them. I recently read an interesting article about a new pastel on the market. It was interesting because, whilst the company waxed lyrical about how wonderful their product is, and I don’t doubt this, it occurred to me that there was nothing to…
Read more
Journal planning, record keeping and how to persevere It is that time again when I am looking at forward planning, habit forming and goal achievement. I mentioned last month that I have had a number of shows cancelled but this month I am delighted to tell you that I have been invited to take part…
Read more
As the UK starts slowly to prepare for reopening its shop doors, putting on events and exhibitions and generally trying to get back to some kind of normality, now feels like a good time to start thinking about which exhibitions you are going to sign up for and what you will need to prepare so…
Read more
Your name?Stella Tooth What’s your background?I’m a West London-based figurative artist, specialising in portraits in oils, and have painted some of the country’s leading broadcast journalists including the BBC’s Kate Adie and John Humphrys. I also specialise in portraying performers – particularly musicians – as I am Resident Artist at The Half Moon Putney,…
Read more
How do I chose the best art materials for me? If you have decided to take up art during this pandemic and have now concluded that the cheap set of paints you bought might need upgrading, hopefully this blog will help you to decide what to spend your money on. Just about every art guidebook…
Read more
This week we are back to looking at planning, forming good habits and keeping your goals in mind as well as recording them. So, 2021 is still shaping up to be a bit of a disaster when it comes to arranging in person exhibitions. I have had three cancelled for next month, so all those…
Read more
Mono-printing with gel plates Printmaking is probably my favourite artform, although there are a couple of very close seconds. As I embark on a 12 month-long printmaking course, I plan to share some information on the techniques I enjoy using, how you can make use of these yourself and, hopefully, some guidance on how to…
Read more
Your name? Elaine Almond What’s your background? I was born in London and now live in West Kent. I am an abstract artist, painting mainly in oils and acrylics, and a part-time lay minister. For many years my canvas was the garden, moving around and designing one everywhere we lived! I sketched on holiday and…
Read more
Making a vegan-friendly journal As some of you will know, last year I took a refresher course in journal making and was suddenly hooked. After many years of knowing how to do something, I had not thought that I could link it with my art so parked it as something I might do again another…
Read more
So, as promised I am checking in on you to see how you are getting along with setting up and using your system of goal setting and, of course, sticking to it. Personally, I am really enjoying using the leather journal I made for myself and I think you too should be using a journal…
Read more
The artist’s essentials I am often asked about the materials I use when making my artwork and I have written around this topic before but having been asked again this week by someone very new to painting, I thought I would revisit the subject. My first piece of advice is always to use the best…
Read more
Blog 110 Goal setting (continued from 2020) Planning out what your “big ticket” goals are and how you can fit normal life around achieving them is not as daunting as it might sound. I love the expression, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That is how to approach this if…
Read more
Your nameHeather Tobias Where do you live?Watford, Hertfordshire What is your background?I left school and went to Drama College; I had the opportunity of Art School but went the drama route. I have worked professionally all my life as an actress. How did you learn your craft, i.e. college, self-taught and what did that entail?…
Read more
Setting and realising your goals Last week we looked at letting your imagination and goal setting run wild and the week before we looked back at 2020 and the major positives and negatives of the year. This week, I want to help you with setting your goals and making them happen. Don’t panic if you…
Read more
Thinking about 2021 and dreaming big. What do you want? Because of Covid, life as we know it is unlikely to ever feel the same again, or certainly not for a long time. But please don’t fret about it; you can’t change it, so it is far easier for your own wellbeing to simply accept…
Read more
An annual review It’s that time of year when people are gearing up to look back at the events over the past 12 months. Obviously, Covid-19 is going to be the main feature but as anyone who knows me personally will confirm, I always look for the silver lining to any event and there will…
Read more
Your name? Miriam Brady Where do you live? I currently live in Kent, England, but I am originally from Dublin in Ireland. What is your background? With a background in the scientific arena and a PhD in immunology, I have worked in academia and in the commercial environment as a project and product manager and…
Read more
My adventure into this fabulous craft. Earlier this year, when some kind of normality was allowed and ‘real’ classes were running, I took the opportunity to spend the day with my dear friend, Teresa. Together we attended a book binding course at the wonderful Ardington School of Crafts in South Oxfordshire. (https://www.ardingtonschool.com/#/) Janina Maher was…
Read more
Christmas is coming I have really battled this week to come up with a topic to write about which a) you will find interesting to read and b) could be beneficial too.Then I hit on it.I have been struggling like mad trying to figure out what to buy Mr. S for Christmas but realised that…
Read more
Let’s be honest, this Covid-19 crisis has had a huge effect on all of us. Trying to stay positive is difficult but believe me when I say that being negative will make things even worse. Like attracts like, though I don’t understand quite why I find myself having to deal with so many people who…
Read more
Sadly, there still exists in the UK, a huge amount of snobbery around being an artist versus crafter or craftsperson. It is a snobbery I have never understood and, having lived in the mid-west of the United States, I can say it is a snobbery which doesn’t exist over there. It is also a snobbery…
Read more
Your name?Tracey Elizabeth Downing Where do you live?Carshalton, Surrey (nowadays part of the London Borough of Sutton) What is your background?I was always good at art at school and it was my best subject in High School. My teacher encouraged me to think about going to Art College, which is the path I took. I…
Read more
What I have learned making my first few videos of my art demos and classes Whilst Covid-19 has caused huge problems and great sadness there are always good things which come out of bad. And personally, I do love to find the silver lining to bad situations. In the art world, and certainly among the…
Read more
Selling your work through galleries – the pros and cons I am regularly asked why I do not approach galleries to show my artwork and I have many artist friends who love nothing better but before I give you my answer, let me break down the pros and cons for you. Having your artwork shown…
Read more
Art words and what they mean Every profession has their own language, possibly designed to make people within that profession feel special, elite even and to make outsiders feel inferior, excluded or simply uninformed. It is a practice which has been going on for hundreds and thousands of years, and the art world is no…
Read more
Your name Lee Caller Where do you live? Shepperton in Surrey What is your background? I grew up at a time when the home computer was starting to appear everywhere (before Microsoft and Apple took over the world). Although gaming was its main purpose you could also program on it. I would sit there for…
Read more
